Why Students Engage in “Gaming the System” Behavior in Interactive Learning Environments

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Baker, R., Walonoski, J., Heffernan, N., Roll, I., Corbett, A. & Koedinger, K. (2008). Why Students Engage in “Gaming the System” Behavior in Interactive Learning Environments. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 19(2), 185-224. Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/24328.

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Journal Information

Journal of Interactive Learning Research
ISSN 1093-023X
Volume 19, Issue 2, April 2008
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)  Chesapeake, VA

More Information on JILR

Authors

Ryan Baker, Carnegie Mellon University, USA; Jason Walonoski, The MITRE Corporation, USA; Neil Heffernan, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA; Ido Roll, Albert Corbett, Kenneth Koedinger, Carnegie Mellon University, USA

Abstract

In recent years there has been increasing interest in the phenomena of "gaming the system," where a learner attempts to succeed in an educational environment by exploiting properties of the system's help and feedback rather than by attempting to learn the material. Developing environments that respond constructively and effectively to gaming depends upon understanding why students choose to game. In this article, we present three studies, conducted with two different learning environments, which present evidence on which student behaviors, motivations, and emotions are associated with the choice to game the system. We also present a fourth study to determine how teachers' perspectives on gaming behavior are similar to, and different from, researchers' perspectives and the data from our studies. We discuss what motivational and attitudinal patterns are associated with gaming behavior across studies, and what the implications are for the design of interactive learning environment.

Keywords

• Middle School Education
• Attitudes
• Behavior
• Students
• Teachers
• Mathematics
• Educational Technology
• Interaction
• Learning Outcomes
• Tutoring
• Computers
• Human Computer Interaction

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