Effects of Digital Game‐Based Learning on Student's Problem‐Solving Ability: A Three‐Level Meta‐Analysis

ABSTRACT Background Problem‐solving ability is an important skill for students to develop in the 21st century. Many previous studies have focused on the impact of diverse digital educational games on problem‐solving ability. However, there is inconsistency in the findings, with some studies reporting positive effects of digital game‐based learning (DGBL) on problem‐solving ability, while others either found no significant improvement or reported negative effects. Objectives The objective of this study was to conduct a three‐level meta‐analysis to investigate the influence of DGBL on problem‐solving ability. Additionally, the study aimed to examine various moderating factors to explore the potential sources of inconsistency among the primary studies. Methods Through a systematic literature search, 21 primary studies were identified, encompassing a total of 60 effect sizes. The analysis involved assessing the effectiveness of DGBL in enhancing students' problem‐solving ability and examining heterogeneity among the studies. Moderator analysis was also conducted to explore the impact of different factors on the effectiveness of DGBL. Results and Conclusions The results indicated that DGBL could effectively enhance students' problem‐solving ability ( g = 0.654), with significant heterogeneity observed among studies ( Q = 858.358, p < 0.001). Furthermore, our findings suggested that studies focusing on the perception of problem‐solving ability ( g = 1.498) yielded significantly larger effect size compared to studies focused on problem‐solving skill ( g = 0.440). Moreover, combining relevant teaching strategies with DGBL ( g = 1.246) resulted in a significantly better effect compared to using DGBL alone ( g = 0.399). The analysis of moderating factors revealed that the effect size was significantly influenced by teaching strategy and problem‐solving construct. Other examined moderating factors did not show significant effects on the inconsistent findings.