Evaluation of affective embodied agents in an information literacy game

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) has become increasingly popular. With elements such as narratives, rewards, rules, and interactivity, DGBL can actively engage learners, stimulating desired learning outcomes. In an effort to increase its appeal, affective embodied agents (EAs) have been incorporated into DGBL as learning companions or instructors. However, claims about the efficacy of using affective EAs in DGBL have scarcely been subjected to empirical analysis. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influence of affective EAs on students' learning outcome, motivation, enjoyment, perceived usefulness, and behavioral intention in an information literacy (IL) game. In total, 159 tertiary students were recruited and randomly assigned in a pre-test post-test between-subjects experiment with three conditions: affective-EA, neutral-EA, and no-EA. Results suggested that students benefited from interacting with the affective EA in the IL game, in terms of learning motivation, enjoyment, perceived usefulness and behavioral intention. However, there was no significant difference in learning outcome.