Analysis of learning effectiveness and behavioral patterns of cognitive scaffolding and collaborative problem-solving processes in a historical educational game

The trend in history education is gradually emphasizing the development of historical thinking and collaborative problem-solving skills, which are expected to enhance the breadth and depth of learners' thinking. The integration of game-based learning with collaborative problem-solving activities designed for historical thinking is expected to help increase learners' motivation. Cognitive scaffolding can provide immediate guidance in educational games to facilitate proper understanding and discussion of historical knowledge among learners. In this study, we used the history educational game "Void Broken 2.0" embedded with cognitive scaffolding to guide students to use their historical thinking skills in collaborative problem-solving tasks, and analyzed the behavioral patterns of the learners in using cognitive scaffolding and discussing historical thinking. The participants in this study were 158 high school students divided into an experimental group (game-based learning) and a control group (reading-based learning). The results showed that the learning activities of both groups contributed to the learning effectiveness, and there was no significant difference between the groups. As the game progressed, students in the experimental group actively utilized the assistance of the cognitive scaffolding. The need for immediate access to the cognitive scaffold's prompts did not increase significantly as the game progressed, and students with high prior knowledge were willing to share their understanding and incorporate more diverse types of information into the discussion. Low prior knowledge students' need for immediate access to the cognitive scaffolding hints increased significantly as the game progressed, and they were more willing to work with their peers to find information related to chronological reasoning, engage in repetitive discussions, and explore possible clues.