Playing online games on Facebook: The conscious and unconscious learning in database design

This study intends to examine how conscious and unconscious learning in game-based learning (GBL) enhance student´s understanding in database design. Conscious learning refers to intentional learning whereas unconscious learning indicates unintentional learning. Using Facebook´s online games, this study evaluates the effectiveness of GBL in enabling students to grasp the normalization concept and Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD). Additionally, this study adopts content analysis of the semiotics approach for data analysis. The preliminary findings reveal that unconscious learning encompasses student´s realization in that a purportedly simple online game is built on a complex, highly functional database. The preliminary results also uncover that conscious learning constitutes (1) student´s cognitive reflection on normalization concepts during database design and (2) a better understanding of ERD resulted from the collaborative effort of database design. Drawing on these findings, this study infers that the aforementioned outcomes of unconscious learning lead to student´s appreciation of conscious learning.