Investigating the impact of video games on high school students' engagement and learning about genetics

0360-1315/$ see front matter 2009 Elsevier Ltd. A doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2008.12.020 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 919 513 1286; fax E-mail address: [email protected] (L.A. Annet The popularity of video games has transcended entertainment crossing into the world of education. While the literature base on educational gaming is growing, there is still a lack of systematic study of this emerging technology’s efficacy. This quasi-experimental study evaluated a teacher created video game on genetics in terms of its affective and cognitive impact on student users. While statistical results indicated no differences (p > .05) in student learning as measured by our instrument, there were significant differences (p < .05) found in the participants’ level of engagement while interfacing with the video game. Implications on this emerging line of inquiry are discussed. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.