Effects of type of learning approach and prior knowledge on novices' motivation, selfefficacy, task anxiety and performance in learning Scratch

The major purpose of this study was to examine whether providing game-play activity before learning generates positive impacts on the learners. The effects of prior knowledge (high vs. low) and learning approach (play-and-learn vs. learn-and-play) on 7-graders' Scratch performance was examined in this study. There were ninety-two junior high school students participated in the study. The results showed that (a) those learners received learn-and-play activity possessed higher learning motivation and self-efficacy than the learners received play-and-learn activity, but levels of task anxiety for both groups were moderate; (b) levels of learning motivation and self-efficacy for learners with high prior knowledge and learners with low prior knowledge were about the same, but learners with high prior knowledge held high task anxiety than learners with low prior knowledge; (c) performance on test and project for learners from both learning activities was about the same; finally, (d) high prior knowledge learners outperformed those learners with low prior knowledge on the post-test, but both groups achieved the same level of project performance.