以數位寵物陪伴促進國小學生的學習動機和成效

Abstract

在數位學習環境日益普及的今日，儘管多數學習系統已具備豐富資源與操作彈性，學生仍常面臨學習動機難以持久、行為內化不足，以及過度仰賴外在誘因等問題。傳統遊戲化教學多透過分數、徽章與排行榜等外在激勵提升參與度，卻對培養學生長期學習習慣、責任感及內在動機的成效有限。為回應此挑戰，本研究設計一套結合養成型遊戲機制與虛擬寵物陪伴互動之數位學習系統，強化情感連結與內在動機引導，探索其在國小語文教學中促進學習動機與成語學習成效之潛力。本系統設計融合遊戲中的日常任務推進與情感互動邏輯，透過擬人化寵物的即時反應、親密度變化及成長機制，培養學生持續投入的學習態度，增進責任感並強化行為內化。研究以國語文成語為核心學習內容，邀請國小四年級學生共 55 名，採準實驗設計，分為實驗組（使用本系統）與對照組（使用傳統數位答題系統），進行為期兩日的教學介入。研究工具包含成語學習前後測、學習動機量表與開放性問項。量化結果顯示，兩組學生在學習成效上皆有進步，惟實驗組之提升未達統計顯著水準；然而在學習動機層面，實驗組於「自信心」與「滿意度」向度顯著優於對照組，顯示虛擬寵物即時回饋與情感互動機制，有助於激發學生正向學習經驗與提升內在動機。質性資料分析進一步強化此結果，學生回饋中普遍提到「我覺得我很喜歡這個遊戲，超級好玩」、「很好玩，照顧狗的那個橋段，我學到好多新的成語」、「我覺得這個遊戲很好玩，因為我們可以先完成測驗，再去幫助小狗」等語句，顯示學生在照護虛擬寵物過程中感受到被需要與被陪伴，產生情感連結及責任感，進而提升學習興趣與自主投入意願。這些回饋指出，情感互動設計有助於促進內在動機，支持學生由外在激勵逐步轉向自主學習，並深化學習行為的內化過程。綜上所述，本研究驗證了結合虛擬寵物陪伴與養成型遊戲邏輯之語文學習系統於國小教學現場的可行性與創新性，突顯情感互動與內在動機引導在數位學習中的應用價值，並指出其對學習責任感與長期參與的潛在助益。未來研究建議延長教學介入時間、擴大樣本規模，並納入學習歷程紀錄與深度訪談，以更全面探討其對動機維持、行為轉化與學習內化之長期影響。In today’s rapidly expanding digital learning environment, although most learning systems offer abundant resources and operational flexibility, students often face challenges such as lack of sustained motivation, insufficient behavioral internalization, and an overreliance on external incentives. Traditional gamified learning approaches typically use external rewards, such as points, badges, and leaderboards, to enhance participation; however, these strategies have limited effectiveness in cultivating long-term learning habits, a sense of responsibility, and intrinsic motivation among students. To address these challenges, this study designed a digital learning system that integrates nurturing game mechanisms and virtual pet companionship interactions, aiming to strengthen emotional connections and guide intrinsic motivation, while exploring its potential to enhance learning motivation and idiom learning outcomes in elementary language education.The system design combines daily task progression and emotional interaction logic found in games. Through real-time responses from anthropomorphic virtual pets, variations in intimacy levels, and growth mechanisms, the system fosters a continuous and engaged learning attitude, enhances students’ sense of responsibility, and supports behavioral internalization. This study focused on Chinese idiom learning as the core content and recruited 55 fourth-grade elementary students, using a quasi-experimental design to divide them into an experimental group (using this system) and a control group (using a traditional digital quiz system) over a two-day instructional intervention. Research instruments included pre- and post-tests on idiom learning, a learning motivation scale, and open-ended questions.Quantitative results showed that both groups improved in learning outcomes, though the experimental group’s improvement did not reach statistical significance. However, in terms of learning motivation, the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in"confidence" and "satisfaction" dimensions, indicating that the virtual pet’s immediate feedback and emotional interaction mechanisms helped stimulate positive learning experiences and enhance intrinsic motivation. Qualitative data further supported these findings. Students frequently mentioned statements such as "I think I really like this game; it's super fun," "It’s fun — in the part where I take care of the dog, I learned many new idioms," and "I think this game is really fun because we canfinish the quiz first and then help the puppy." These responses indicate that during the process of caring for the virtual pet, students felt needed and accompanied, fostering emotional connections and a sense of responsibility, which in turn increased their interest and willingness to engage in self-directed learning. These insights suggest that emotional interaction design can effectively promote intrinsic motivation, support the transition from external incentives to autonomous learning, and deepen the internalization of learning behaviors. In summary, this study confirms the feasibility and innovativeness of integrating virtual pet companionship and nurturing game logic into a language learning system for elementary education. It highlights the application value of emotional interaction and intrinsic motivation guidance in digital learning and underscores its potential benefits for fostering students’ sense of responsibility and long-term participation. Future studies are recommended to extend the duration of instructional interventions, expand sample sizes, and incorporate learning process records and in-depth interviews to further explore its long-term effects on motivation maintenance, behavioral transformation, and learning internalization.