Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Mohsen Baghery ¹
• Ali Mohamad Dehghani ¹
• Ali Shahsavan ²

¹ Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Arak University, Arak, Iran

² Expert of Center for New Educational Technologies, Arak University, Arak, Iran

Abstract

In recent decades, digital games, particularly pervasive games (environmental games), have gained significant attention as innovative educational tools. These games offer immersive and interactive experiences that blend real and virtual environments. They are built upon complex narratives and require deep player engagement, ultimately leading to the generation of user-created content. Achievement motivation, defined as an individual's drive to attain goals based on established standards, is one of the key factors in students’ academic success.
The present study aimed to develop an alternative reality game for the sixth-grade Persian language course titled Ganj-e Tahmoorth (Treasure of Tahmoorth) and to examine its effect on students’ achievement motivation. The research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test/post-test control group. The sample consisted of 32 sixth-grade students from Darab County, with 16 students in the experimental group and 16 in the control group. The study involved 32 sixth-grade students from elementary schools in Darab County. Participants were selected through convenience sampling and subsequently randomly allocated to two groups: an experimental group of 16 students and a control group of 16 students. The instrument used was Hermans’ standard questionnaire (1970). Students in the experimental group used their mobile phones in the school environment to solve puzzles related to the Persian lesson concepts and complete the game stages.
The results of the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), after controlling for the pre-test effect, revealed a statistically significant difference between the groups (p < 0.001). Consequently, the environmental game had a significant positive impact on achievement motivation, confirming the research hypothesis. Therefore, it can be concluded that pervasive games exert a significant positive effect on students’ achievement motivation, and their integration into elementary education is recommended.

Keywords

• Alternate reality game
• achievement motivation
• Educational game