Level Up, My-Pet: The Effects of Level-up Mechanism of Educational Agents on Student Learning

A number of studies have been devoted to investigating the influence of educational agents on different aspects of student learning. However, little attention has been paid to the effects of the level-up mechanism of educational agents on students although this is a significant issue. Thus, this study develops an educational agent with the level-up mechanism so that the effects of the level-up mechanism can be addressed. The results of a within-subject experiment conducted in an elementary school showed that the level-up mechanism of the educational agents can help students develop a positive relationship with the educational agent, and further enhance their motivation in terms of attention, relevance, and satisfaction.