Joubert, M. (Ed.) Proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics 28(3) November 2008
Examining the potential of game-based learning through the eyes of maths
trainee teachers
Wee Hoe Tan, Sue Johnston-Wilder and Sean Neill
Institute ofEducation, University ofWarwick
This paper reports the findings from a study of 25 maths trainee teachers
which aims to examine their perceptions of the potential of game-based
learning. Findings show that trainee teachers realised the potential of
game-based learning and they are willing to use it in their teaching. A gap
was identified between academics and game developers—the gap between
their concepts of engagement. This gap might confuse the production and
evaluation of game-based learning.
Introduction
Game-based learning (GBL) is a form of learner-centred learning that uses
electronic games for educational purposes. Writers such as Prensky (2007), Quinn and
Connor (2005) claim that electronic games are relatively more fun, more engaging
and more motivating to use compared to other contemporary forms of new media and
therefore have potential in education. Due to this potential, various academic research
projects have been conducted to explore the role of games in education (e.g.
McFarlane, Sparrowhawk and Heald 2002) or to explore the educational potential of
games (Egeneldt-Nielsen 2005, Ke and Grabowski 2007).
The potential of games, whether they are designed to be educational or not,
always relates to their capability for engaging players. Key proponents of digital
GBL, Quinn and Connor (2005) claim that the elements of learning and engagement
of games ‘can be aligned to create a synergy that can be exploited to systematically
design compelling learning experiences’ (p.2). To ‘engage’ means to attach by
pleasing qualities; to attract, charm or fascinate (Oxford English Dictionary 1989).
Prensky (2007) identifies twelve characteristics of games and their inherent engaging
elements, which suggest that games give us enjoyment and pleasure, intense and
passionate involvement, structure, motivation, doing, learning, flow, ego gratification,
adrenaline, social groups, emotion and spark our creativity. In game playing, there is
in the literature a state called “flow” that represents the condition of an engaged
player. Csíkszentmihályi (1996) defines flow as the mental state of operation in which
the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energised
focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. Although
academics do use the term in educational context (Claxton 2002), engagement is
treated as a scale rather than a state in academia. For example, O’Brien and Toms
(2008) define engagement as the ability of a computer application to initiate and
sustain users’ attention and interest over a period of time by providing adequate levels
of aesthetic and sensory appeal, feedback, challenge, control, novelty, customisation,
and motivation.
This study aims to examine the perceived potential of GBL among secondary
mathematics trainee teachers at the end of their one year Postgraduate Certificate of
Education (PGCE) training in Warwick Institute of Education. It addresses the
following research questions:
- What ideas would trainee teachers generate about the potential of GBL?
- What would the justification for their choice of their top ranked GBL idea
be?
- What would the self-evaluation of their justification be?
Methodology
25 Secondary Mathematics trainee teachers participated in this study in July 2008.
They were selected at the time of the launch of the Bowland Maths materials
(National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics, 2008). Bowland
Maths materials include examples of GBL which were designed to support the
Mathematics teaching in Key Stage 3. The data collection protocol of the study was
designed as a role-playing activity; the researcher who organised the data collection
played the facilitator role, while all trainees played the roles of subject matter expert
in the study. The trainees listed their perceived potential of GBL in a five-minute
brainstorming session. Then, they were directed to identify and justify the learning
idea ranked as having most potential by answering the following questions:
• What is your top ranked potential of game-based learning for your
students??
• Why do you choose it as the top ranked?
• What would you want the chosen GBL to be like?
• When could be the best time to use the chosen GBL for your students?
• Where the best setting for the chosen GBL could be situated?
• Who would benefit if you developed the chosen GBL idea
successfully?
After that, a guided self-evaluation session was done using De Bono’s (2000)
Six Thinking Hats.
After the data collection, NVivo was utilised to prepare the data for qualitative
analysis. Three analysis techniques were used in this study: pattern matching,
narrative text coding