Although business simulation games (BSGs) are widely used in marketing and sales education, empirical research on their learning value remains inconsistent. Some students report deep engagement and meaningful learning, while others experience frustration, instrumental participation, or disengagement. Research often obscures this heterogeneity in students’ subjective experiences by aggregating learning outcomes. Drawing on experiential learning theory, student engagement research, and consumer value theory, we address this limitation by conceptualizing perceived learning value as multi-dimensional, experiential, and intrinsically subjective, and by examining how students themselves define and evaluate the learning value of BSGs. We adopt Q-methodology to identify shared viewpoints among undergraduate business students who participated in web-based marketing and sales simulations. Forty-two students completed a Q-sort of thirty-two statements regarding perceived learning value, followed by factor analysis. We identified four distinct viewpoints: Learners, who value simulations as authentic, transferable learning experiences; Players, who prioritize competition and performance; Pragmatics, who engage instrumentally to maximize academic outcomes; and Skeptics, who initially seek learning value but ultimately struggle to find it. These varieties of perceived learning value cannot be inferred from engagement or performance metrics alone. By employing Q-methodology within a multi-dimensional learning value framework, our research contributes a typology of perceived learning value that clarifies why the same can simultaneously succeed and fail for different students. The results have implications for simulation design, performance assessment, and instructional support in digitally mediated business education.
Vladica et al. (Mon,) studied this question.