Video game strategies as predictors of academic achievement

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between strategies students use to overcome challenges in both video games and homework assignments, and whether or not these are predictors of academic performance in school. Data were collected through an online survey of students, primarily in middle and high school, assessing both video game play strategies and homework strategies. Two separate multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships between video game play strategies and school GPA, and between homework strategies and school GPA. The first regression analysis investigating video game strategies and GPA was significant, F(11, 71) = 2.666, p = .006, with five individual strategies being significantly related to GPA. The second analysis investigating homework strategies and GPA was not significant, F(7, 75) = 1.332, p = .247, with no individual strategies being significantly related to GPA. Findings suggest that future research should explore whether use of just-in-time help-seeking strategies in video games may be a stronger predictor of academic achievement than students' homework strategies. © 2014, Baywood Publishing Co., Inc.