A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BUSINESS SIMULATION GAMES AND LEARNING PERFORMANCE

The traditional methods of teaching in management, although appropriate for the dissemination of fundamental knowledge, do not provide the optimal platform for students to practice decision-making as if they were running a real company. In the specific field of business management, business simulation games (BSG) are feasible learning tools to engage students in decision-making process through the application of strategies in a virtual environment. They can also improve their motivation to learn and their performance in the learning process. Therefore, business schools and institutions of higher education have been increasingly using BSG in recent years. Despite the positive influences associated to business simulation games, previous studies have concluded that improved student performance may not be the primary benefit of using these tools, due to mixed results regarding how to understand different constructs that define and affect the decisionmaking process, its comprehension and applicability to reality. To address these issues, it is important to understand the relationship between variables that shape the student profile and performance with BSG-facilitated learning. More specifically, the relationship between individual or team learning experiences and problem-solving strategies in BSG is still not clear in the literature. Within a broad scope focused on assessing learning performance, it is interesting to identify the model of relationships between learning motivation, student satisfaction and teamwork, as well as the perceived attractiveness and perception on the ease to use, due to their influences on learning performance. This study aims to identify the contributions of previous research in determining the different variables and components that configure technology acceptance models (TAM) over time, as well as the factors that influence teamwork. From this research, a holistic model emerges, which assesses learning performance and the student's intention to continue using BSG, to define the effectiveness of this learning tool.