Evaluating the effectiveness of a board game to learn biological psychology facts

Using games in a classroom setting to help engagement and learning is becoming popular, but controlled investigations into the benefits of games are few. Games are potentially a way to incorporate retrieval practice into a class and garner subsequent benefits to memory. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a board game assisted students to remember facts from a year one biological psychology module. Forty-seven participants (42 female, 5 male) took part in a seminar to test the hypothesis that playing the board game would enhance memory compared to taking part in a quiz. An experimental design was adopted with a between-subject factor (group: board game versus quiz) and two within-subjects factors: time of test (before the seminar, immediately after the seminar, 7-days after the seminar) and question type (seminar questions, i.e. questions contained in the game or quiz versus control lecture questions, i.e. questions that were not contained in the game or quiz but in a lecture). Contrary to the hypothesis, there were no differences in scores between the board game and quiz groups. We propose this is due to both groups having participated in retrieval practice during the game or the quiz. However, there was a significant main effect of time of test (scores immediately after the seminar increased) and a main effect of question type (scores were higher for seminar questions than control questions). The time of test x question type interaction was significant; post hoc analyses show that both groups scored higher on seminar questions compared to the control lecture questions in the after seminar test, and in the 7 days test. In conclusion, games can engage students and help them to remember complex material, but it is the use of retrieval practice specifically that aids memory. Our data show that retrieval practice can be equally effective in a board game or quiz, but students preferred the board game.