Digital game making and game templates promotes learner engagement in non-computing based classroom teaching

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Hughes-Roberts, T. ORCID: 0000-0002-3204-8610, Brown, D. ORCID: 0000-0002-1677-7485, Burton, A. ORCID: 0000-0002-9073-8310, Shopland, N. ORCID: 0000-0003-2082-9070, Tinney, J. ORCID: 0000-0003-1000-610X and Boulton, H. ORCID: 0000-0003-4671-0182, 2023. Digital game making and game templates promotes learner engagement in non-computing based classroom teaching. Technology, Knowledge and Learning. ISSN 2211-1662

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-023-09654-w

Abstract

This paper outlines an intervention utilising digital game making as a teaching de-livery method for curriculum-based learning. Research has demonstrated that dig-ital game making can provide a powerful means of engaging learners by leverag-ing the popularity of video games and can be particularly effective at engaging the unengaged, including those with learning difficulties. Past work has tended to fo-cus on smaller scale, specific evaluations and not examined the potential of digital game making in subject based teaching in real settings. This work seeks to ad-dress this gap by defining a digital game making intervention that utilises game templates to teach United Kingdom (UK) based curriculum topics. Four schools were recruited who provided seven classes of students (N=157) to take part in the study; these included mixed ability classes and two classes comprised of learners with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND). In conjunction with teachers, digital game making sessions were scaffolded around game tem-plates. These were implemented into teaching practice to deliver a curriculum top-ic taught over an eight-week period. An evaluation strategy was developed that utilised a mixed methods approach to evaluate learner engagement, collaboration and inclusion across sessions. This included quantitative data captured using an in-class observation tool, and teacher interviews yielding qualitative data analysed using Thematic Analysis (TA). This paper demonstrates that digital game making can be used to teach a number of topics outside of computing. Findings from ana-lysed data demonstrate that such approaches provide more engaging and inclusive learning experiences in the classroom.

Item Type:

Journal article

Publication Title:

Technology, Knowledge and Learning

Creators:

Hughes-Roberts, T., Brown, D., Burton, A., Shopland, N., Tinney, J. and Boulton, H.

Publisher:

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date:

1 June 2023

ISSN:

2211-1662