Effects of Prior Knowledge on Cognitive Learning Outcomes within an English Learning Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game

This study developed an English learning online role-playing game targeting knowledge of vocabulary and sentence patterns, and conducted an experimental study of 55 aged 12 sixth-grade students using this game to investigate how the learner characteristic, in terms of prior English ability, influences cognitive learning outcomes. Although there have been studies examining the effectiveness of online games on cognitive learning outcomes in education, there is still little consensus on the learning effectiveness of game-based learning. Factors such as learner characteristics should be taken into consideration while designing educational games since individual differences may affect willingness of learners to better performance within a game-based learning environment. By analyzing the data collected from achievement tests, it was found in this study that students´ prior knowledge could be a key factor that collectively influences the effectiveness of knowledge acquisition in game-based learning. The results of this study may help educators consider how effectively utilizing an MMORPG-based educational game for enhancing students´ learning effectiveness in game-based learning.