An Exploratory Study of Cognitive Style as a Predictor of Learning from Simulation Games

Educational cognitive style (ECS) is concerned with the types of behaviors, or elements, employed by an individual to derive meaning from an educational task. To determine if a student's ECS is related to learning from a simulation game, an exploratory study was conducted with a sample of 24 fifth grade students. The students were divided into two groups to play two simulation games from the social studies curriculum Man: A Course of Study. Group 1 played three rounds of the Bow and Arrow Hunting Game, followed by the Crossing Place Hunting Game. Group 2 played the games in reverse order. Knowledge gain was measured by identical pre- and post-tests. After the gaming, an ECS test battery was administered to all participants. ECS elements were classified as to their frequency within the high- or low-achieving student groups. Results indicated that those students likely to derive maximum cognitive knowledge from a simulation game were those who gather information by listening, prefer peer group interaction, and tend to reason on the basis of rules. Students who tend to receive the least benefit from games derive information from both reading and listening and prefer independent activities. (SL)