Advisor

• Dr. Min Liu

Degree

• Masters

Abstract

Today’s teens are digital natives: 87% of them have a desktop or laptop (Lenhart et al., 2015). Modern education is shifting from using traditional teacher-centered methods toward employing student-centered strategies. Game-based learning is not a new concept and has been adopted in both private and public schools. Although previous studies found that game-based learning is a sound strategy to engage learners, further research is needed to understand how engagement can influence learning and identify specific factors of game-based learning that affect learners. This report is a literature review of relevant journal articles on student engagement in game-based learning in K-12 and higher education. A total of twenty peer-reviewed journal articles from 2008 to 2018 were included in this report. The findings showed that various factors have different effects (positive, negative, or no effects) on student engagement and that there is a close relationship between engagement and learning. The report also discusses measurement tools and research design issues. Finally, implications for future research are proposed.