Using Gamification as Scaffolding to Support Children as They Formulate Initial Keyword-Based Search Queries

Child searchers, ages six to twelve, are known to struggle when it comes to using mainstream search engines. One such struggle that has been identified is the query formulation process, including initial query formulation. Two avenues of assistance that have shown promise in assisting users in other endeavors are gamification and scaffolding. In an attempt to provide assistance tailored to child searchers in their initial query formulation processes, this research explores the use of a gamified scaffold built with the purpose of teaching more effective, keyword-based, query formulation practices. To study the efficacy of utilizing a gamified scaffold to support child searchers in formulating initial keyword-based search queries, a pre-post study was designed and executed centering around an application co-designed with scaffolding and gamification at its core. Results of the pre-post study revealed that participants felt more confident in formulating queries after playing through the gamified scaffold, most participants were able to identify some aspects of a keyword-based query that made it a more “effective” query, and that character customization (a gamification tactic) was the driving force for engagement with the gamified scaffold. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in participants usage of misspelled words nor query length. However, there was a significant decrease in stop word usage between queries analysed before and after playing through the gamified scaffold. Analysis of data gathered from the gamified scaffold itself revealed that older participants (ten years old and up) tended to complete more in-game questions and achieve higher levels and that around half of the participants changed their query formulation practices, from natural-language type to keyword-based type searches, between the first and last queries submitted to the game.