A pilot study of game-based learning programs for childhood cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND: Childhood cancer survivors lacking awareness on their potential risks of late effects often fail to seek adequate follow-up care. Patient education matching their preference is of great importance to improve their adherence to survivorship care. In this study, we developed two age-dependent game-based learning programs, which enable continuous approaches for childhood cancer survivors along their intellectual maturation. Then, we assessed the effectiveness of the programs. METHODS: Childhood cancer survivors over 10 years of age who regularly visited a long-term follow-up clinic were enrolled in this study. They were requested to play either of two different types of game tools, one for school children and another for adolescents and young adults, for one month at home. To evaluate the educational effects of the programs, they were examined for health management awareness, self-esteem, and knowledge on cancer-related late effects before and after the intervention with age-based questionnaires and knowledge tests. RESULTS: Among 83 participants, 49 (59.0%) completed the assessments over the period of 12 months. The health management awareness and knowledge levels increased significantly at 1-month after the intervention as compared to the baseline in both school children and adolescents/young adults (for health management awareness, p = 0.011 in elementary school children; p = 0.007 in junior high school children; p < 0.001 in adolescents/young adults; for knowledge levels, p < 0.001 in school children; p < 0.001 in adolescents/young adults). The effect was maintained for 12 months in school children while it decreased in adolescents and young adults with time. Self-esteem significantly increased at 1-month (p = 0.002 in school children; p = 0.020 in adolescents/young adults) and was maintained for 12 months in both age groups. CONCLUSION: The game-based learning programs enhanced health locus of control and self-esteem in childhood cancer survivors. The game-based learning programs could be applied effectively to survivorship care as a new modality of patient education. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was retrospectively registered in UMIN-CTR ( UMIN000043603 ) on March 12, 2021.

[Interactive processes in video-mediated referential communication].

This study examined interactive processes that occurred in video-mediated referential communication task. Pairs of participants were assigned to one of four conditions; in a room with partition, or in separate rooms linked by telephone with three levels of noise interference (none, low, and high). In all conditions, a video-monitor link allowed the participants to see the upper body of their partner. Analyses of gestural and visual interaction revealed that participants in partition and no-interference conditions did not rely on the visual channel, while those in the others frequently looked at the monitor. Furthermore, gestural references appeared especially in high-noise condition. Qualitative analyses of conversations showed that participants in high-noise condition relied more on demonstrative references, and used more metaphoric expressions of a whole referent, based on the common ground shared by the pair. These results are discussed in terms of how people collaboratively interact and construct a shared context for communication between them.