Applying the self-explanation principle to multimedia learning in a computer-based game-like environment

What is the most effective way to incorporate self-explanation into an educational game? In Experiment 1, students who played a 10-level computer game about electrical circuits performed better on an embedded transfer test (i.e., level 10) if they were required to select the reason for each move from a list on levels 1–9 (selection self-explanation) than if they were not required to engage in self-explanation (d = 1.20). In Experiment 2, the same pattern of results was replicated (d = 0.71), but students who were required to type in their reason for each move on levels 1–9 (generation self-explanation) did not perform any better than those who were not required to engage in self-explanation (d = −0.06). Overall, asking students to select a reason from a list fosters some degree of reflection while not overly disrupting the flow of the game.