Learning is a very difficult and complex task. Too often students in high school lack interest and motivation. They want to be entertained and teachers want to educate them. Every day students spend countless hours on popular technology, social networking, digital gaming and simulations. They clearly prefer to use ICT whether it is for leisure or for learning. To make lessons more attractive and motivating, teachers can use educational software in the classroom. In this regard, it is essential to evaluate the educational content of video games in term of curriculum delivery and pedagogical theories.
Parents, teachers and students all agree that video games present a very attractive format to students (Virvou et al., 2005, Bougongeon et al., 2011). Any concerns are related to the efficiency of the content delivery in games as compared to traditional teaching. This leads me directly to the provocation: “To whom am I accountable?” When introducing video games as a learning tool, teachers have to be convinced of the educational value of a particular game and its benefits for all students. Simon Egenfeld-Nielson addresses this issue in term of inclusion of the curriculum in different component of the game. He describes the main components as the substantive (the environment in which the game takes place) and the verb (the actions performed by the player). A good educational game requires the content to be included as an essential part of the game. This means that students need to master the learning goal in order to progress in the game. The content has to be integrated in both the actions and the environment of the game. This also defines the focus of the game in terms of content delivery.
Although enjoyment and interest of students might not be the primary goal of using game-based learning, it has a positive effect on student learning. The advantages of using a game format are attraction and motivation. The player is challenged and if the level of skill is adapted, the progression follows the “Flow”theory (Csickszentmihalyi, M., 1990). The main rule for optimal motivation is to keep a good balance between the levels of challenge and skills. A study on the effect of “Flow” on game performance and learning outcomes (Admiraal, 2011) showed that students were deeply engaged with the game. The main effect of flow was shown to increase game performance but not the learning. The “Flow”describes a deep state of engagement in an activity. It could be linked to Vygotsky's learning theory of the Zone of Proximal Development (Churchill, chapter 3) which demonstrates that teaching occurs within the distance between what the student can do by themselves and what they can do with help. Therefore, it also depends on the relationship between the challenge offered to the students and their skills. Linked to the previous results it suggests that for a positive outcome, educational games have to be adapted to the students level and offer increasing challenge as the student progresses. Student motivation is also linked to a reduction of anxiety levels as a student feels less threatened by correction through technology than by teachers in a normal classroom situation. They also experiment and make mistakes without risking embarrassment or peer criticism (Heckmann et Ownes, 1996). Simon Egenfeld-Nielson also states that an attractive video game needs a good reward, feedback and consequence system. Behaviorist learning theories demonstrate a link between positive learning outcomes and rewards, feedback and consequences (operant conditioning, Skinner in Churchill, Chapter 3). This theory is applied as a basic principle in video games.
We have discussed the value of educational games and their properties in term of attractiveness, engagement and motivation, but a question remains. How does it compare to other educational tools used in the classroom? In their study, Virvou et al. (2005) show that in addition of their motivational properties, virtual reality educational games retain or improve educational effects on students. They observed that students who benefit the most are those who used to be poor performers with other methods and were not easily disciplined in class. Students' engagement and motivation on a task reflects positively on their behaviour and their performance in class. It also suggests that the traditional teaching style did not benefit this particular group of students. They could be from a visual-spatial spectrum of Gardner's Multiple intelligence and the game format is more adapted to their preferred form of learning. Linda Silverman's research is focused on visual-spatial's problems in adapting their learning style in schools with a curriculum which mostly offers linguistic and mathematical teaching styles (lecture and rote memorisation). She recommends the use of visual material and particularly computers and computer games as visual materials better suited for this category of students.
The consequence of improved behaviours (How do I control my students?) is also discussed by Virvou et al. (2005). He observed that when offered a more motivating learning environment such as video games, students' behaviour improved as a result of increased engagement. Computer game-based learning has also been shown to be a useful tool for helping learners with particular difficulties. They can be used by students in the absence of teachers to work on some aspect of the curriculum that students are struggling with (Holmes, 2001).
Today, as more and more research has converged to demonstrate the value of video games in terms of engagement, motivation and learning effectiveness, their use is still not as wide spread as expected. One reason is the reluctance of parents and teachers to use them. Video games have been badly represented in the press mainly through fear of the effect of violent games on children and adolescents (Bougongeon et al). This doesn't apply to educational games as they are chosen for their non-violent content. Another concern is the effect of prolonged time spent by teenagers in front of a screen and the addictive effect of video games. This adds to the negative opinion from parents but is easily resolved in a classroom context where the time spent on computers is controlled by the teacher. Technical difficulties when using video games has been mentioned in several studies (Virvou et al., 2005 , Holmes et al., 2011, Admiraal et al., 2011). The authors discuss the fact that the educational benefit of video games is hindered by the lack of technical skill while benefits are maximised only when technical assistance is provided.
Video games exercise problem solving and decision making skills which are the higher order skills of Bloom's taxonomy. Therefore, video games can be a practical way to introduce development of these skills to students. In terms of learning, video games have also been shown to improve motivation, stimulate deep learning and creative thinking making them a powerful and meaningful tool for learning. Used for assessment, they provide a context released from the stress and anxiety created by having a teacher as a corrector. They can also be projected to the whole class for a collective approach be a great opportunity to learn and create with the making of games (Y Kagai, 2006).
Being engaged and motivated is what students want and need from me as a teacher. This can be achieved through the use of video games which provide instant feedback, a feeling of achievement and the possibility to create something original.
Admiraal, W. Huizenga, J, Akkerman, S. ten Dam, G. (2011) The concept of flow in collaborative game-based learning. Computer in Human Behavior 27 pp 1185-1194.
Csickszentmihalyi, M. (1990) Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper-Perennial.
Csickszentmihalyi, M. (1990) Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper-Perennial.
Virvou, M., Katsionis, G and Manos, K (2005). Combining software games with education: evaluation of its educational effectiveness. Educational Technology and Society, 8 (2), 54-65.
Holmes, W. (2011) Using game-based learning to support struggling readers at home. Learning, Media and Technology. Vol. 36, No.1, pp5-19.
HBDI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herrmann_Brain_Dominance_Instrument
Linda Silverman http: http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/Articles/vsl/v70.pdf
Linda Silverman http: http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/Articles/vsl/v70.pdf
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