Corps for Research on Instructional and Perceptual Technologies, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
School of Health Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Anat Sci Educ. 2015 Sep-Oct;8(5):404-12. doi: 10.1002/ase.1498. Epub 2014 Oct 15.
Competition is a key element in many educational games and is often adopted by educators in an effort to motivate and excite their students. Yet, the use of academic competition in educational institutions remains the subject of much debate. Opponents argue that academic competition causes an increase in student anxiety and divides their attention. However, if the contexts of academic competition are defined, could the inclusion of a game-like competition in a university course be a viable and beneficial method of engaging students? Students (n = 67) were recruited from an undergraduate human anatomy course at Western University. Using a crossover design, students were exposed to a competitive tournament either at the time of their first term test or second term test. The anatomical knowledge of participating students was assessed prior to the start of the study using a baseline anatomy test. Following treatment with an online competitive anatomy tournament, student's term test grades and final course grades were analyzed. Both the second term test scores (F(2,64) = 3.743, P = 0.029) and overall course grades (F(2,64) = 3.356, P = 0.041) were found to be significantly different (P < 0.05) for individuals in the competitive group when compared to their non-competing peers. As suggested by the literature where organized competition in the classroom correlates to improved academic performance, this study uncovered significant results pertaining to increased academic performance resulting from participating in tournament-based competition. In light of these positive results, further exploration of the effects of academic competition on student performance across age brackets and disciplines is warranted.
竞争是许多教育游戏的关键要素，教育工作者通常采用竞争来激励和激发学生的兴趣。然而，在教育机构中使用学术竞争仍然存在争议。反对者认为，学术竞争会增加学生的焦虑感，并分散他们的注意力。然而，如果定义学术竞争的背景，那么在大学课程中纳入类似游戏的竞争是否可以成为一种吸引学生的可行且有益的方法？
在西安大略大学的一门本科人体解剖学课程中，招募了 67 名学生。学生们采用交叉设计，在第一次学期考试或第二次学期考试时接受竞争性比赛。在研究开始之前，使用基线解剖测试评估参与学生的解剖学知识。在进行在线竞争解剖学比赛的治疗后，分析了学生的学期考试成绩和最终课程成绩。与非竞争组相比，竞争组的第二次学期考试成绩（F(2,64) = 3.743，P = 0.029）和总体课程成绩（F(2,64) = 3.356，P = 0.041）均存在显著差异（P < 0.05）。正如文献中所指出的，课堂上有组织的竞争与提高学业成绩相关，这项研究揭示了参与基于竞赛的竞争所带来的学业成绩显著提高的结果。鉴于这些积极的结果，有必要进一步探索学术竞争对不同年龄段和学科学生表现的影响。
