Inciting out-of-game transfer: Adapting contrast-based instruction for educational games

We adapted a successful instructional principle – contrasting cases – to create an educational game to teach young children physical principles of stability. Our goal was to design a game that would promote transfer – extending the reach of the educational game beyond the game itself. In Study 1, we compared a “standard” version of the game to a “contrast” version that contained contrasting case levels designed to help learners notice the principles underlying game content. In Study 2, we augmented the contrast version of the game with induction levels that focused learners on abstracting general principles from sets of contrasting cases. In both studies, we found that contrast versions of the game facilitated transfer, while standard versions did not. Students found contrast versions of the game highly enjoyable, just as enjoyable as the standard game. Findings have implications for the design of educational games that are instructive yet fun.