Leveraging collaboration to improve gender equity in a game-based learning environment for middle school computer science

Game-based learning environments can deliver robust learning gains and also have a unique capacity to engage students. Yet they can unintentionally disadvantage students with less prior gaming experience. This is especially concerning in computer science education, as certain underrepresented groups (such as female students) may on average have less prior experience with games. This paper presents evidence that a collaborative gameplay approach can successfully address this problem at the middle school level. In an iterative, designed-based research study, we first used an experimental pilot study to investigate the nature of collaboration in the Engage game-based learning environment, and then deployed Engage in a full classroom study to measure its effectiveness at serving all students. In earlier phases of the intervention, male students outpaced their female peers in learning gains. However, female students caught up during a multi-week classroom implementation. These findings provide evidence that a collaborative gameplay approach may, over time, compensate for gender differences in experience and lead to equitable learning experiences within game-based learning environments for computer science education.