Influence of a Two-Tier Test and Self-Efficacy on Students’ Problem-Solving Tendencies, Knowledge Gains, Cognitive Load, and Behaviors in a Game-Based Learning Context

Prior research has emphasized that two-tier tests are an effective approach to guiding students through game tasks; furthermore, self-efficacy, which is potentially related to students’ surroundings and academic performance, has a positive impact on students’ cognitive outcomes in games. This implies the significance of conducting a study to probe the influence of a two-tier test and self-efficacy on students’ knowledge gains, perceptions, and skills in a game-based learning context. In this study, a two-tier test-assisted game-based learning approach and an interactive guidance-assisted game-based learning approach were designed to support students’ science learning. Furthermore, an experiment was conducted on a natural science course to investigate the influences of the two-tier test and students’ self-efficacy on their science learning. The experimental results displayed that both the two-tier test-assisted learning approach and high self-efficacy can effectively enhance the problem-solving tendencies of the students with lower initial tendencies in the game-based learning activities. The students with high self-efficacy perceived a higher germane cognitive load than those with low self-efficacy. However, neither learning approaches nor self-efficacy had a significant effect on students’ knowledge gains. Moreover, the differences between the learning patterns of students with different learning approaches and self-efficacy were revealed.