Games in Education
From [Girl using computer] by Coding with Kids (n.d.), https://www.codingwithkids.com/#!/
A study entitled ‘Word Score: A serious vocabulary game for primary school underachievers’
(Fisser et al. 2013) looked at the impact of a serious vocabulary game called Word Score on
student learning, used as part of a national project called "Educational Time Extension" (ETE).
The results of the study showed that the vocabulary of underperforming students who played the
game for an extended period after the normal school hours increased more significantly than that
of students who played the game during the regular class time or those who did not play the game
at all. “Mobile Serious Games for Collaborative Problem Solving”, a study by Sanchez et al. (2009),
suggested that ICT generally has positive impacts on student learning and that serious games contribute
largely to the development of higher-order skills and abilities as well.
However, the teachers who participated in the study regarding Word Score identified that the disadvantages
of using games in the classroom revolved around addressing the technical problems and organisational challenges.
For this reason, they suggested that while using games in the classroom could be advantageous for students, it
should only play a small part in the curriculum (Fisser et al. 2013). Furthermore, according to Domínguez et al. (2013),
technical issues and usability problems in the games may have negative impacts on student learning and student motivation.
A study done within the last decade (2006-2016) focused on the integration of Serious Games (SGs) and explored the positive
effect in the preschool and primary education area levels. This includes Serious Games and to a certain extent, Randomised
Controlled Trials (RCT). The results from this showed that all participating students were fully engaged in the classrooms and
had been showing signs of increased self-esteem, autonomy motivation and independence that Serious Games provided to the students.
From [Kids playing computer games] [Image](n.d.),
Other notable observations were also made concerning the behavioural change, affective and motivational outcomes, cognitive skills,
perceptual, knowledge acquisition and content understanding of the primary students (Hainey et al. 2016).
As previously mentioned, whilst most of the impacts of digital games used in classrooms have proven to be advantageous to both the
students and the teachers, there can also be some disadvantages involved with this method of learning. In accordance with evidence
seen in a study written by Stieler-Hunt & Jones (2017), some teachers can be found to have experienced ‘varying degrees of alienation
from their teaching colleagues’. A model that is introduced by the paper and is based upon the experiences mentioned in interviews
undertaken suggests that the first stage in the process begins with the teacher who is alone in their strong belief that the use of
IDGs holds value in student learning.
A major problem that is preventing the progression of the use of digital games in the classroom is the viewpoints of teachers. As
discussed in a study describing the teachers’ views on possibilities and limitations of using digital games in classrooms, these
beliefs by teachers have an unavoidable influence on the usage of this method (Beavis et al. 2014). Although most are partial towards
using digital games in the classroom, negative beliefs and opinions can impact a movement in this method.
It is found that the impact of digital games being used in education as a learning tool is mainly positive. Students’ behaviour,
performance, and high-order skills were shown to have improved through such games in the classroom, as well as self-esteem, autonomy
motivation and independence. Students were also shown to have worked better with each other. Overall, although there are negative
parts to the usage of this method, the results of many studies have shown positive results.