Playing Business, Achieving Excellence: An NCA–MGA Exploration of Average and Excellent Business Undergraduates in Simulation-Based Learning

This research investigates how business simulation games influence multidimensional student engagement among undergraduate business students. Business simulation games have long been celebrated for promoting active learning by integrating strategic decision-making, teamwork, and problem-solving under authentic conditions. Yet maintaining student engagement throughout these sessions remains a persistent challenge in higher education, particularly in settings where novelty wears off and motivation declines.

Grounded in situational interest theory and expectancy-value theory, this study examines how environmental triggers (e.g., physical game elements) and lecturer behaviour foster initial situational interest, and how these are converted into sustained affective, behavioural, and cognitive engagement through active learning practices and perceived utility value. Importantly, the research employs a dual-method approach combining Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) for sufficiency relationships and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) to uncover critical thresholds for engagement. A multigroup analysis further explores whether these pathways differ between average and high-performing students, addressing a key gap in simulation-based learning literature.

Data were collected from 294 business undergraduates in Vietnam during an intensive offline simulation game module. The findings reveal that lecturer enthusiasm and perceived utility value are indispensable for high engagement levels, with notable differences in how average and excellent students respond to instructional triggers. These results not only advance motivational theory in the context of experiential learning but also provide educators with actionable insights for designing inclusive and effective simulation-based pedagogies.

Expected outcomes include:

Evidence-based thresholds for designing simulation environments that sustain engagement.

A nuanced understanding of how different achievement groups experience business simulations.

Practical recommendations for integrating NCA and multigroup analysis in educational research to capture both sufficiency and necessity relationships.

By blending rigorous methodology with practical relevance, this study aspires to contribute to the ongoing shift from passive learning paradigms to active, student-centred pedagogies in business education.