International Journal of Information Technology and Applications, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 54-72, September 2025.
Abstract: This study integrated role-playing games into programming logic learning to improve learners’ computational thinking abilities. The primary design idea was creating a game to use in a game-based learning model. Highly interactive puzzle adventure and escape room games were used in the game’s scenes and stages, which can be completed by learners through computational thinking logic. The learning content and processes were planned according to elements of situated learning. The game-based learning content was based on the syntax and semantics of three control structures, namely sequence, selection, and loop. Comprehensive items were designed to help cultivate students’ abilities in integrating these structures to solve problems. The participants were 27 students from a national industrial vocational senior high school in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The students’ scores before and after the learning sessions were compared using a t test to determine their learning effectiveness. In addition, a technology acceptance model questionnaire, which encompasses the dimensions of ease of use, usefulness, and enjoyment, was adopted to assess the students’ intention to use game-based learning and their perceptions of the effectiveness of use. The results revealed that the difference between the student performance before and after the learning sessions was significant, suggesting that the developed game could be employed to enhance learning effectiveness. The level of improvement observed in the questionnaire dimensions was also significant. Therefore, the role-playing game developed in the present study was verified to improve learners’ computational thinking and learning effectiveness.