IP #2: Review of Research

1) Alabdulakareem, E., & Jamjoom, M. (2020). Computer-assisted learning for improving ADHD individuals’ executive functions through gamified interventions: A review. Entertainment Computing, 33, 100341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2020.100341

In this paper, Alabdulakareen and Jamjoon (2020) conduct a review of the existing studies on the effect of computer-assisted learning (CAL) in the form of serious games (SGs) on the executive function skills of individuals aged 5-18 diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here, they define serious games as educational games that were designed for a purpose beyond entertainment, but entertainment for the user is still of utmost importance; they define computer-assisted learning as learning that involves the use of technology. They found the studies for this review using Google, Google Scholar, and the Saudi Digital Library using Boolean operators and the search terms (both full term and its acronym) ADHD, EF, SG, CAL, gamified learning, and gamification. 

 Among the 15 papers they examined, they found that most of the studies showed that serious games played during computer-assisted learning resulted in overall positive effects on players’ executive function skills, such as attention, working memory, time management, and concentration. However, most of the studies had a small sample size, which ranged from 2 to 42; there were two articles with larger sample sizes, with one having 74 participants, while another paper had 89. This means that any conclusions drawn should be carefully considered within the context of their sample size. 

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts individuals’ executive function skills, and there are three main subtypes: predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, and a combination of inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive. While Alabdulakareen and Jamjoon distinguish between the three main subtypes of ADHD in their paper, the studies that they reviewed did not appear to categorize the individuals they studied by ADHD subtype. Executive function skills involve a range of skills related to planning, organization, attention, inhibition control, concentration, memory, and purposeful goal-oriented action. However, while some of the studies specified which executive function skills they measured for effect, others either did not or aimed to train multiple executive function skills from the outset. Given this, it is difficult to draw a conclusion on which specific executive function skills are most positively impacted by playing serious games. 

Explicitly studying the effect of CAL and SGs on different executive function skills or specific ADHD subtypes may be a direction for future research papers because it may show which skills or which ADHD subtype SGs and CAL have the greatest positive effect on, providing actionable results that might inform future game designs. 

2) Stančin, K., Hoić-Božić, N., & Skočić Mihić, S. (2020). Using digital game-based learning for students with intellectual disabilities – A systematic literature review. Informatics in Education, 19(2), 323-341. https://doi.org/10.15388/infedu.2020.15

Stančin et al. (2020) did a literature review of 21 different academic journal articles or conference articles on digital game-based learning (DGBL) and its impact on students with intellectual disabilities. They defined digital game-based learning as the use of digital games to achieve the learning outcomes that are integrated into the design of the game. The researchers found their journal and conference articles by searching in the following databases: IEEE Xplore, Scopus, and Science Direct. They used Boolean search operators along with multiple search terms relating to game-based learning and intellectual disabilities. 

Out of the 453 articles they found in their initial scope, Stančin et al. (2020) narrowed those down to 21. They created detailed inclusion criteria, selecting only articles that were written in English from 2010-2019, which studied digital game-based learning for students whose primary disability was intellectual. It’s important to note that this meant studies covering students who had intellectual disabilities resulting from developmental (ex. ASD) or neurological disorders (ex. cerebral palsy) were excluded from this literature review. 

Stančin et al. (2020) found that computers and tablets were the dominant forms of technology used in DGBL, while mostly educational games and serious games were used in the studies. Serious games are defined similarly to Alabdulakareen and Jamjoon’s (2020) definition, in which the games have an express purpose outside of entertainment, while entertainment is still at the fore of the game. On the other hand, Stančin et al. (2020) define educational games as games in which review of skills is the main purpose, and the entertainment factor usually tends to be low. 

Most notably, the researchers discovered that out of the 15 studies that evaluated the effects of DGBL on students with intellectual disabilities, most of them found positive effects on the adaptive (as opposed to cognitive) skills of students. Adaptive skills encompass communication, life, and socialization. Although encouraging, any conclusions about the effects of DGBL on students with intellectual disabilities should be taken with caution since only 4 out of the 21 studies used a pretest-posttest study design. This literature review should be considered within the scope of its limited purpose, which is to explore current findings to identify areas for further research.