Spatial Ability and Other Predictors of Gameplay Time: Understanding barriers to learning in Game-based Virtual Environments

The ENGAGE project is a game-based virtual environment where students engage in problembased learning experiences centered around computational thinking and broader computer science education learning objectives that require students to participate in cognitively demanding tasks. Cognitive Load Theory (Ayres & van Gog, 2009; Sweller, et al., 1998) provides a robust framework to characterize these cognitive demands as intrinsic and extrinsic load. Here we examined the role of three factors that may impact either the intrinsic or extraneous load experienced by students as they work through learning scenarios in the game. Spatial orienting ability, previous video game experience, and previous programming experience had differential impacts on game performance based on the type of puzzle and its temporal sequence in the game.