Applying Thinking Fast and Slow to Explore Question-Posing and Gameplay Flow in Learning Chinese Classical Literacy

Abstract

Educational games are increasingly used to enhance student learning; however, limited research has examined how different game-based task designs differentially support learner engagement and learning outcomes. This study investigated the effects of exploratory learning through question-posing and exploitative learning through gameplay in the context of Chinese classical literacy (CCL), using an abductive reasoning game as the instructional environment. A quasi-experimental design involved 99 Taiwanese high school students participating in an abductive reasoning game, which consisted of a 30-minute question-posing phase followed by a 15-minute gameplay phase. Data were collected via pre- and post-tests to measure learning progress and questionnaires assessing flow states and metacognition. Structural equation modeling revealed that the question-posing task was strongly associated with learning outcomes, with flow experiences serving as a strong mediator. By contrast, the gameplay task had a smaller association with learning progress. Notably, students reported higher levels of flow during the question-posing phase, which corresponded with greater learning gains. The findings highlight the pedagogical value of integrating reflective-oriented exploratory learning tasks, such as question-posing, into educational game design, particularly for cognitively demanding domains such as CCL. Educational games should aim to balance exploratory and exploitative learning strategies to maximize student flow and learning success.