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Abstract: Previous Educational research indicate significant impact of game techniques on immersion and motivation of learners that leads to better learning outcomes; moreover, it has been recognized that adaptive learning enhances learning process; nevertheless, the adaptation based on learner's personality has not been well researched in games-based learning (GBL) literature. There are plenty of game elements that can be used in an educational game, but the effects of them may vary due to differences in personality types of learners. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of various game elements on learning outcomes and behaviour of learners in an adaptive game-based learning environment. We have focused on analysing the effect of game elements based on various personality types aiming to improve the learning process. For the purpose of our study, an educational game has been developed which is an online vocabulary learning game and includes Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) questionnaire as personality test. With the aim of comparing the effect of gameelements on each personality type, the game has been prepared with several adaptation modes which each of them consists of an assortment of game elements. Individuals based on their personality types have been assigned randomly to one of these modes. The results represented significant differences between engagement levels of participants in various modes. The sensitivity analysis of various personality dimensions relative to the game elements has been determined, and it has been statistically measured that which types of personality are significantly sensitive to the presence or absence of specific game elements. This paper presents the prominent and influential elements for each of personality types. The results of this research both directly and indirectly can be used in an educational setting. The direct usage is possible in integrated learning systems where it is possible to fill out a questionnaire; otherwise according to the obtained relations between personality types and behaviour of learners, the results can be used by implying the user's personality by tracking her/his behaviour based on existing research on this area.
Keywords: game-based learning, game-elements, personality, MBTI, engagement, learning outcome
1. Introduction
In recent years using games in education has received much attention both from researchers and users including learners and educators(Wu et al. 2012); Moreover, effectiveness of game...