ENHANCING LEARNING THROUGH AN ONLINE SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL GAME

This article consists of four sections: (1) the problems associated with asthma in the province of Quebec and across Canada; (2) the theoretical framework for the learning enhanced by our online educational game entitled Asthme: 1,2,3 ... Respirez! (Asthma: 1,2,3 ... Breath!), created by adapting the popular board game Parcheesi, and intended for students in a senior secondary school health education program (14 to 18 years old); (3) the methods employed, including a description of the educational game, the quasi-experimental research protocol, the sample, the variables being studied, the measurement instruments, the pilot study, the procedures, and the data analysis; and (4) the results of the study and discussion of the results. The results of the paired t-tests showed significant improvements in a variety of cognitive skills after students played the game on laptops in their classrooms for 40-60 minutes. No differences were found between males and females. These results are encouraging for teachers who wish to use educational digital games in their classrooms.