The effects of interactivity and game elements in science assessment

Background This paper presents a research study that examines the impact on student engagement and performance of adding interactivity and game elements to a middle-school science computer-based assessment.Methods Four variations of the assessment were developed for comparison: Baseline (traditional), Interactive, Interactive with Narrative Layer, and Interactive with Points Layer. The completed variations (i.e., variants) were administered to approximately 250 middle-school students in a between-student design in spring 2018 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.Results Data analysis focused on comparing the engagement and performance of students in the different groups. Based on findings, the modules were updated to minimize any content differences and reduce distraction in the game elements. The experiment was repeated with approximately 250 middle-school students in fall 2021 after COVID-19 impacted the school years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.Conclusions The second data analysis focused on validating the initial experiment and exploring additional relationships. Implications of the findings are discussed.