Interactive effects of scaffolding digital game-based learning and cognitive style on adult learners’ emotion, cognitive load and learning performance

There has been a little research on emotion, cognitive load, or learning performance for digital game-based learning (DGBL). However, there is still a dearth of research on investigating the interactive effects of scaffolding DGBL and cognitive style on the above three outcomes. Participants were 97 middle-aged and elder adults from a community college and randomly assigned into three groups. Taking prior knowledge as the covariate, 3 × 2 two-way MANCOVA was adopted to verify the interactive effects of scaffolding DGBL (hard scaffolding DGBL, soft scaffolding DGBL, and non-scaffolding DGBL) and cognitive style (Serialist and Holist). The findings presented that there exited significantly interactive effects of scaffolding DGBL and cognitive style on learning emotion, cognitive load, and learning performance. In hard scaffolding DGBL, learning emotion, cognitive load, and learning performance of Serialist learners were significantly better than those of Holist learners. Conversely, in soft scaffolding DGBL, learning emotion, cognitive load, and learning performance of Holist learners were significantly better than those of Serialist learners. Learning emotion, cognitive load, and learning performance of Serialist learners using hard scaffolding DGBL and Holist learners using soft scaffolding DGBL were significantly better than those of learners using non-scaffolding DGBL. The findings demonstrated concrete contributions and implications on practical promotion and theoretical development. This study ensures sufficiency of applying the cognitive-affective theory of learning with media (CATLM), cognitive load theory and cognitive style theory on DGBL, suggesting to extend the application of these theories to scaffolding.