Attitudes towards and Effects of the Use of Video Games in Classroom Learning with Specific Reference to Literacy Attainment

Abstract

The first part of this study shows that there is increased support for using video games in the classroom from different stakeholders, namely students, teachers and parents. The potential role that video games can play in the classroom learning process needs to be more well defined. There is a dire need for research work under experimental conditions which measures tangibly the effectiveness of videogame use in classroom learning. The experimental study described here seeks to address this need and focuses on the very important area of literacy attainment. The Experimental Group of students which used the videogame in the classroom obtained significant gains on a number of English as a Second Language items when compared to the other group of students which followed their regular programme. This study makes a claim for teachers to be supported in their endeavours to harness video games as a teaching and learning tool. However, the role of teachers in this process requires redefinition. It calls also for the concerns of teachers to be addressed if they are to feel they can play a significant role in the adoption of video games in classroom learning.

A Field Study of Teachers Using a Curriculum-integrated Digital Game

“…Dillenbroug and Jermann argued that teachers who 'orchestrate' the classroom and its technologies are constantly facing multi-constraint management problems [17]. Common challenges include lack of time [12,14,18,30,32,33,48,50], connecting games with learning objectives [11,14,18,33,58], identifying teachable moments during gameplay [12,33], and classroom management [14,58]. Such challenges may become more critical for games such as ST Math, that are built to be played more frequently and for the whole academic year, and in alignment with the curriculum.…”

“…However, more research is needed on how best to integrate games into real-world classrooms. One recent literature review concluded that the crucial role of teachers has been neglected or marginalized, in both research and in game design [33], with most teacher-focused educational games research focusing on barriers to adoption [12,14,18,30,32,33,50]. Only a few studies have focused on the pedagogical practices around educational games in authentic classrooms (e.g., [18,24,34,57]), especially for curriculum-integrated games [11,18].…”

Should Video Games Be Included in the Learning Process?

“…Learners were affected positively with the incorporation of video games into the curriculum (Hitosugi, Schmidt, & Hayashi, 2014). Mifsud (2013) applied video games to learning in Malta and students demonstrated considerable improvement in the study of English as a Second Language (ESL) in comparison to those learners who received only traditional instruction. Seventy-nine percent of the 1,163 students (ages 11-16) felt that video games provided them with an opportunity to acquire new skills.…”

The Use of Pre-Reading Activities in Reading Skills Achievement in Preschool Education

“…Nonetheless, the benefits to be derived from games are enormous and thus provide them the vitality to employ such techniques in teaching vulnerable children entrusted to their care. Several studies have tabled the suggestion that, almost all young learners have short attention span and are unable to sustain their attention over 20 to 30 minutes without losing focus and getting bored during classroom activities (Auleear Owodally, 2010;Posada et al, 2012;Mifsud et al 2013;Pataki et al, 2014). And that, children are physically active and learn by doing, imagining and creating, therefore, teachers need to search for techniques, methods, activities and processes that will convert the active nature of children into good use during classroom activities.…”