Title: Pedagogical positioning and longitudinal learning within a competitive business marketing simulation

Authors: David Scott Baker; Duleep Delpechitre; Alicia Rodriguez de Rubio; James H. Underwood III

Addresses: Department of Marketing, B.I. Moody III College of Business, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, MX 322, 214 Hebrard Boulevard, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA ' Department of Marketing, B.I. Moody III College of Business, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, MX 347, 214 Hebrard Boulevard, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA ' HEB School of Business and Administration, University of the Incarnate Word, 4301 Broadway St. CPO 474, San Antonio, TX 78209, USA ' Department of Marketing, B.I. Moody III College of Business, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, MX 303, 214 Hebrard Boulevard, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA

Abstract: This paper empirically analysed participant engagement and commitment to a competitive business simulation by examining time investment and improvement of performance over a longitudinal period of time. The sample consisted of 517 undergraduate students who were enrolled in an introductory marketing principles class. The results of the study showed that time spent making decisions varied with the challenges, experience, and decision criteria for each quarter. Longitudinally however, participant performance increased over the five quarters. Findings of the study also showed that participant performance for a specific decision period depended on the time the participant spent on that decision period in relation to the performance of the previous decision period. This research helps educators better understand participant dynamics longitudinally through the course of a simulation with multiple decision rounds and also identifies suggestions to assist designers in the development of simulations in order to address specific learning outcomes.

Keywords: simulation; teaching; student engagement; student commitment; adaptive; experiential; student performance; adaptation; student behaviour; pedagogical positioning; longitudinal learning; business education; marketing principles.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTCS.2013.058810

International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies, 2013 Vol.4 No.3, pp.231 - 242

Received: 14 Jun 2013
Accepted: 05 Sep 2013
Published online: 28 Jun 2014 *

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