Background: Written instructions seldom need to be read when playing videogames. Instead, gaming often involves early information foraging and expansive exploration behaviors. We use data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to explore whether students who regularly play videogames (daily gamers) adopt behaviors that are typical of gaming while they complete a computer-based assessment of science and if such behaviors matter for performance in procedural science knowledge.

Methods: We use item-level data from PISA 2018 from countries that administered the optional ICT questionnaire. Using a sample item and the full set of interactive science items, we develop regression models to estimate differences between daily gamers and other students in information harvesting, time to first action, and procedural science knowledge. We report average associations across countries, country-specific estimates, as well as differences between boys and girls. We report raw differences as well as differences adjusting for background characteristics. To account for the multilevel nature of the data and for the two-stage sampling design, we use replicate weights supplied with the PISA database to estimate robust standard errors using balanced repeated replication (BRR).

Results: In 2018, 33% 15-year-olds reported playing videogames every day or almost every day. Among boys, that proportion was 49%. Daily gamers do not differ from other students in science content knowledge and in reading fluency. Nevertheless, daily gamers spend marginally less time reading instructions and display more active exploration behaviors in the assessment on items that include simulation tools.

Conclusions: Science teachers and assessment developers may find inspiration in games to develop scenarios in which students can practice effective strategies for information harvesting. The extensive exploration of a problem space in order to obtain data in support of future decisions often corresponds to a positive behaviour with multiple advantages in authentic problem situations. By contrast, fast transitions into action may, in the particular situation of an assessment, be an inadequate response. Assessment developers can ensure that instructions are carefully read and understood by test takers and teachers and can guide their students to read instructions adequately.