Research Article
Filippos Tzortzoglou, Panagiotis Kosmas, Lucy Avraamidou
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep432
ABSTRACT
The use of augmented reality games (ARGs) in education has gained increased attention from curriculum developers, teachers, and researchers in the past decade. Research findings show that ARGs can promote meaningful learning environments that foster key competences for the 21st century. This paper presents the design process of “EcoAegean”, an ARG for mobile devices, which was implemented in primary classroom environments to support the development of students’ key competences in the context of sustainability. The game was created using an open augmented reality software platform and its design was based on contemporary theoretical underpinnings regarding the use of such games in educational contexts. In the first section of the paper, we describe the design procedures of the learning scenario as well as the game itself. In the last section of the paper, we offer a set of critical insights on the design and implementation of mobile augmented reality games for the purpose of supporting students’ development of key 21st century competences.
Keywords: augmented reality, games, key competences, learning design, primary education, students
Research Article
Aleksey Anisimov, Agnessa Inshakova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 3, Article No: ep365
ABSTRACT
The use of educational computer games in the context of the coronavirus pandemic is becoming increasingly popular in the educational process when studying a variety of disciplines. And if practical steps have been taken in this direction in technical, pedagogical, and some other sciences, then there is a doctrinal and practical gap in the teaching of legal disciplines that needs to be filled. The purpose of the study is to argue the prospects for the use of educational computer games at law faculties, which makes it possible to more effectively assess students’ knowledge, as well as increase their motivation to actively participate in the educational process. In the course of the study, methodology involved the theoretical and practical experience of developing educational computer games in various academic disciplines was summarized, the scientific literature and the existing practice of their use were analyzed, and the possible effect of introducing educational computer games into the educational process at law faculties after the development and implementation of such games in practice, including the first-generation educational computer game developed by the authors, was modeled. The research findings indicate formulation of a doctrinal concept of the use of educational computer games, identifies three of their generations, and shows the features of the development and application of each of them, including the author’s experience in developing a training computer game by right of the first generation. The authors analyzed the technical problems associated with the development of educational computer games and suggested ways to solve them. The authors’ proposals can be used by universities in any country to interact with game design studios to develop educational games.
Keywords: computer, games, education, skills, knowledge
Research Article
Sotiris Kirginas
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 2, Article No: ep351
ABSTRACT
This paper aims to explore the impact of freeform digital games on primary school students’ narrative skills, in terms of linguistic cohesion and semantic coherence, compared to other digital media, such as formally structured digital games and movies. A total of 128 Year 6 Primary school students participated in this research. Initially, students were divided into three groups. In all three groups, an educational intervention programme was applied. At the end of this phase, each student was asked to produce a narrative discourse (pre-test) about Crusoe’s survival on the mysterious island. Subsequently, students of each group were involved in activities with different digital material. At the last part of the research, students were asked to produce a narrative discourse (post-test) which was compared to the pre-test discourse, to determine whether there had been an improvement in the narrative discourse produced by the students of the three groups. The results presented in this paper show that the narrative discourses of students who played with the freeform digital game showed statistically significant improvement in cohesion and coherence compared to the discourse of students who played with the formally structured digital game and the students who watched the film.
Keywords: freeform digital games, structured digital games, narrative skills, primary school
Research Article
Denise Pauline-Graf, Susan E. Mandel, Heather W. Allen, Lynne E. Devnew
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 4, Article No: ep316
ABSTRACT
Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) is a broad term to denote the incorporation of digital technology to mediate activities that support education. Educational researchers need to validate critical assumptions about any new system that involves TEL early and throughout its development course to make quick, informed, de-risked decisions about the progress of TEL. We introduce an assumption validation process for educational researchers to consider utilizing when evolving ideas or prototypes of TEL. We present a preliminary study conducted in Russia of a knowledge sharing (KS) training program using digital games to illustrate the proposed four-stage process. The first stage is listing the assumptions that apply to initiatives of TEL. The second is identifying the methods most useful for testing those assumptions. The third is executing tests on each of those assumptions. The last stage is determining assumption validity. In the illustrative study, a single pilot trial was considered the appropriate approach to validate the assumptions selected in the first stage. We found that determining assumption validity requires testing many of the assumptions individually and in aggregate. Educational researchers can use this assumption validation process to assess the potential of TEL in a variety of settings before investing resources into its further development.
Keywords: instructional digital games, assumption validation, knowledge sharing, pilot trial, self-efficacy, technology-enhanced learning
Research Article
Imam Fitri Rahmadi, Zsolt Lavicza, Tony Houghton
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 3, Article No: ep299
ABSTRACT
Educational games have great potential for learning, however the potential of user-generated microgames for supporting learning is still not completely understood. The present study reviews the design quality of user-generated microgames based on microgame design fundamentals and explores the potential of the games for facilitating learning from the perspective of elementary teachers in terms of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This is exploratory research organised within the GeoGebra application and with the participation of elementary teachers in Indonesia. The study found that the games met the microgame design fundamentals but the mechanics and aesthetics were in need of some improvements. The major strength of the games is simplicity for learning, however their user interfaces are their major weakness. Learning resources and environments in Indonesian elementary schools are relatively supportive of games integration into learning processes whilst senior teachers and rural areas are less so. These findings suggest users should pay more attention to audios, visuals and special effects as well as winning conditions when creating microgames in open platforms. It is of pivotal importance to provide playing instructions and games that fit to mobile screens. Furthermore, teachers have to carefully select the games and consider the context before utilising user-generated microgames for assisting learning.
Keywords: user-generated microgames, microgame-based learning, microgame design fundamentals, exploratory study
Research Article
Nuri Kara
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 2, Article No: ep295
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review on the use of serious games in science education between 2016 and 2020 years. A total of 39 articles were included from Science Citation Index- Expanded (SCI-Expanded), Social Science Citation Index (SSCI), Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI) and Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) listed in the Web of Science database. The results showed that experiential science was the most emphasized subject area in the articles. The results also indicated that learning/academic achievement was the common examined topic in the articles. For the research designs, more than half of the articles implemented quantitative research design. Considering the data collection tools, achievement tests were the most used data collection tool. Regarding the use of sampling methods, convenience sampling was preferred in more than half of the articles. Secondary and primary school students were the most used sampling groups. The sample size of 31-100-person group was commonly chosen in the articles. Considering the data analysis methods, a majority of articles implemented descriptive analyses methods. It was also found that computer game was the most used game type. Regarding the game genres, adventure was the most preferred one in serious games.
Keywords: serious games, educational games, science education, literature review
Research Article
Rimma R. Khanmurzina, Elena I. Cherdymova, Tatyana Yu. Guryanova, Rita A. Toriia, Evgenia M. Sukhodolova, Larisa I. Tararina
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 11, Issue 1, pp. 11-19
ABSTRACT
The article considers one of the new social phenomena that have arisen in society, and is currently changing everyday social practices, which are one of the integral parts of the new media - computer games. The problem of the study is conditioned by the fact that computer games are gaining popularity, while increasingly influencing players, changing their established way of life, behaviors, forming new styles of communication and attitude to the surrounding reality. The activation of interest in the process of everyday social practices arose due to the shift of value orientations in the structure of students’ lifestyle. The aim of the study is to analyze the impact of computer games on everyday social practices of students-gamers. The leading methods for the study of this problem is the interview method, which allows revealing more fully and multifaceted impact of computer games on everyday social practices of students-gamers. It was found that the main characteristics of the gamer are: the ability to appreciate the game; the ability to play a lot of fun, not to chase the game awards; to see in the games something of great importance; to know a lot about different games; to be able to play well and understand the game. It is shown that computer games do not generate subcultures, but only try to unite people and teach them to work together in a team. Gamers arrange events for any particular game they play. Such meetings are most often of a competitive nature. Students gamers note the following skills that they acquire through the games: meeting new people; learning English; improving communication skills; interesting stories; historical moments; military Affairs (weapons, equipment, military battles, etc.); myths and legends of different world cultures. The practical significance lies in the fact that the data obtained in the work can be used in social psychology, age psychology, psychology of work, sociology, as well as for further theoretical development of this issue.
Keywords: students, computer games, gamers, social practices
Research Article
Fernando Almeida, Jorge Simoes
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 2, pp. 120-136
ABSTRACT
Education 4.0 is a new educational paradigm that intends to address the needs and potentialities of the fourth industrial revolution. Education 4.0 builds on the concept of learning by doing, in which students are encouraged to learn and discover different things in singular ways based on experimentation. This study intends to analyze the role of emerging technologies like serious games and industry 4.0 in the transformation of education 4.0 in higher education. A qualitative methodology was employed based on 25 case studies of innovative projects in Portuguese higher education institutions. The results indicate a residual adoption of serious games and gamification approaches only appear in less than 20% of the projects. It was also possible to identify that most projects involve several stakeholders such as teachers, students and university managers, and typically involve multidisciplinary competencies fields. The main benefits brought to the education context include greater involvement of students in projects, development of their skills and its application in a real context. On the other hand, the main challenges are the simplification of the real world made by these applications, the difficulties inherent to their inclusion in the didactical system and the limited capacities to offer greater interactivity without predefined external stimuli.
Keywords: Education 4.0, Industry 4.0, Serious games, Gamification, Educational paradigm
Research Article
Zeynep Tatli
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 9, Issue 1, pp. 90-110
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to determine types of games that middle school students play in their daily lives and analyze the effects of various variables such as gender, available technology, grade in school and parents’ education levels on their game preferences. The sample consisted of a total of 464 grade 5-8 students (212 girls and 252 boys). The study was conducted in Spring 2015 and the data were collected using a two-part survey. The first part of the survey included questions about demographic information and the second part asked students to draw a picture of their favorite games. The results of this study showed that girls mostly preferred to play outdoor games whereas boys mostly preferred to play digital games. Participant students preferred to play games with rules outdoors and symbolic games indoors, and in digital environment, girls preferred to play mini-games whereas boys preferred to play sports games. CHAID analysis was used in determining the relationships between the variables and game preferences. Gender was a prominent factor in identifying the preferences; that is, girls’ game preferences were mainly influenced by having a computer and those of boys were affected by having an available Internet connection. This study also found that parents’ education level is not related to children’s game preferences. At the end of the study, suggestions were made for gamification and digital game design.
Keywords: Digital games, CHID analysis, Game motivation
Research Article
Cristina Portugal, Rita Maria de Souza Couto
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp. 60-75
ABSTRACT
This article describes a development work whose focus was examining whether designing a game as an educational technology based on interdisciplinary dialogue between design and education can contribute to education of deaf children in learning a language. Through methods and techniques of design it was sought to identify how this area of knowledge can be part of the processes of teaching and learning in terms of developing learning materials to enhance the strategies of acquiring knowledge. The work was guided by the Multi-Tracks, which is a game to help the acquisition of a second language by deaf children. This game was developed in light of methods and techniques of design, under the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Design/Education - LIDE, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in partnership with the National Institute of Education for the Deaf in Rio de Janeiro-INES/RJ. The development work was particularly interested in designing learning materials for deaf children by considering their special traits and dialogue with the surrounding reality. Considering that educational technology research in special education is rather weak, it was thought that this work may contribute to this interdisciplinary area.
Keywords: Interdisciplinary design, Educational technology, Learning games, Deaf Children, Special education