Learning to play with film: play-based learning in a tertiary film studies classroom

Student engagement in tertiary cinema studies can be fickle: while most students respond strongly to films, little regard is similarly paid to prescribed readings or other coursework that is crucial to developing complex critical thinking with media. This paper presents a case study of an intervention aimed to remedy this disparity of student interest: play-based learning. Play-based learning, here defined as ‘the use of playful elements in both the explanation of subjects and their evaluation’ (Torres-Toukoumidis et al., 2020: 1), has a long history of encouraging lateral and creative modes of thinking, increasing engagement and participation, and fostering a supportive and enjoyable learning community. This paper outlines the ways that play-based learning was engaged in a small-scale action research project, and the positive effects that this created within the cinema studies classroom. Critically, it shows the value of play-based learning in fostering resilient, creative and motivated students, particularly at the first-year level of tertiary film education

GAMIFICATION BASED ASSESSMENT: A TEST ANXIETY REDUCTION THROUGH GAME ELEMENTS IN QUIZIZZ PLATFORM

Test anxiety always makes students afraid of doing the test because they probably think that they will fail. To overcome the problem, the teacher then used gamification based assessment. Furthermore, the study investigates the category of students test anxiety, students' attitudes toward Quizizz and the students' preference toward the elements of game in Quizizz. This study is a case study which the data were collected by using observation, interview, and questionnaires. The participants of this study were 14 students in an English course in Solo. The sampling used by the researcher was purposive sampling. The results of this study showed the category of students test anxiety considered moderately high, the students' attitude toward Quizizz in reducing test anxiety also considered high (M= 3.94) and the kinds of elements of game which students prefer most were Points (M= 4.357), Test report (M= 3.929), Leader board (M=3.714), Time restriction (M=3.357), Profile (M= 3.429) and Meme (M= 3.357). The implication of this study is Quizizz successfully reduce test anxiety because of the use of game elements in that application. Thus, it is a good option for teachers to use Quizizz on the exam

Gamification of the Classroom: Seeking to Improve Student Learning and Engagement

Abstract The purpose of this study was to find how gamification of the classroom would affect middle school students in a northern suburban school district in Minnesota. This work was designed to find if student proficiency would increase because of gamification and if students would become engaged with the classroom material due to its implementation. Using three classes taught in this new setting and two classes taught in the standard of past years, test scores were measured and studied to find significant changes along with a survey to the gamified classes about their experience regarding engagement. The study found that there was no major distinction between the classes regarding student proficiency using test scores as data, but the student surveys suggested that student engagement was increased because of the rollout of gamification in the classroom. Gamification may not have a positive or negative impact on student proficiency but does show that it can increase student engagement of the classroom material

Os efeitos da gamificação na motivação dos alunos do Ensino Secundário e Superior: revisão sistemática

Cientes da necessidade de motivar os alunos para a aprendizagem, os professores investem nas mais variadas estratégias e técnicas, onde os jogos, por se revelarem apelativos e estimulantes, são um exemplo disso, surgindo assim a gamificação na educação. A gamificação refere-se à utilização do design dos jogos com o intuito de proporcionar aos utilizadores sentimentos semelhantes aos vivenciados num jogo (i.e., concentração, diversão, competição). Uma aplicação gamificada não é, contudo, um jogo em si, mas sim uma aplicação que utiliza elementos dos jogos (i.e., pontos, tabelas classificativas, níveis, distintivos, entre outros). Esta é uma técnica recente e, apesar de se encontrar associada ao aumento da motivação e do rendimento escolar, investigações acerca da gamificação educativa ainda são escassas e encontram-se, por vezes, dispersas entre áreas, como a educação e a tecnologia. Considerando o estado da literatura, neste estudo, procedemos a uma revisão sistemática de modo a identificar os efeitos da gamificação na motivação para a aprendizagem, independentemente do modelo concetual motivacional utilizado. Foram identificados 220 artigos, de acordo com palavras-chave previamente designadas, sendo que 23 cumpriram os critérios de inclusão e os restantes 197 foram removidos. Os resultados da revisão sistemática sugerem efeitos positivos da gamificação na motivação dos alunos, principalmente quando aplicada num curto período de tempo, embora apontem para uma regulação de cariz externo e orientada para o desempenho. No entanto, a relação positiva da gamificação na motivação reduz quando os alunos são expostos a técnicas gamificadas mais a longo prazo. A influência de um efeito da novidade e das características individuais dos alunos no decréscimo motivacional são outra especificidade salientada nos estudos. A gamificação pode ser um recurso impulsionador da motivação dos estudantes, contudo a sua aplicação em contexto educativo deve ser ajustada às necessidades dos alunos.Students have different interests and learning styles. Also, they are familiar with technology nowadays, sometimes, even more than teachers are. Having this in mind, teachers are changing their teaching methods. Considering games influence in today’s student´s generation, teachers are introducing more game-like strategies, one of those methods is gamification. Gamification is the use of game elements in non-gaming contexts to foster a state of gameful experience and evoke the gaming engagement in user of gamified services (eg., points; rankings; badges; avatar; quests). Gamification is not a full-fledged game, instead a gamified resource uses gaming characteristics to engage and motivate students without being a game itself. Gamification is still in its early days, and it is common to find an association between gamification and motivation in gamification research field. Some studies state that gamification increases student´s motivation. However, studies are still growing and the effects of gamification in student´s motivation are unclear. Concerning the uncertainty of gamification research, we conducted a systematic review to verify gamification effects in student´s motivation. 220 articles were found in the research, but only 23 studies were selected based on selection criteria. The results suggest a positive influence of gamification strategies in student´s motivation, especially when applied in short-time periods, even if it´s an extrinsic and performance-oriented motivation. There is, however, evidence that in a long-term period student´s motivation can decrease. Other important factors are the novelty effect and student´s characteristics, as those features can also influence student´s motivation. Gamification can be motivational, however gamified designs must be appealing and focus on student´s needs

Digital Game-Based Learning: Teacher Training, Perceptions, Benefits, and Barriers

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine current teacher training practices, both preservice teacher preparation programs and school district professional development, aligned to digital game-based learning (DGBL). The study surveyed Northern Minnesota teachers in grades P-12 to determine their perceptions related to the benefits of DGBL and the barriers they face to the implementation of DGBL. Respondents (N = 345) rated trainings, resources, and supports which they felt would encourage their use of digital games to deliver educational content and facilitate learning. The results of the study revealed the majority of respondents perceived numerous benefits to DGBL including: (a) the use of digital games as supplemental learning activities (89.48%); (b) to provide instantaneous feedback to learners (86.51%); and (c) to motivate students (85.50%). Respondents ranked the cost of purchasing games or licenses (81.23%) and the cost of equipment (80.35%) as the top two deterrents to the implementation of DGBL. The study showed a lack of teacher training, both in teacher preparation programs (75.00%) and school district professional development (77.52%) aligned to the use of digital games in the classroom. The findings of this study contribute to existing research outlining the lack of teacher training aligned to the integration of digital games into the classroom. This study concludes with recommendations for school administrators including: (a) professional development offerings aligned to DGBL; (b) technology support personnel to provide ongoing support; and (c) time designated specifically for the exploration of digital games and to plan for their use in the classroom

Διαχείριση προορισμού και gaming, μια πρόταση για την προώθηση του τουριστικού προϊόντος του Δήμου Αθηναίων

Σημείωση: διατίθεται συμπληρωματικό υλικό σε ξεχωριστό αρχείο

How does a Gamification Design Influence Students’ Interaction in an Online Course?

This study created and examined a gamification design that aimed at improving students’ interaction in a graduate level online course. By using a design-based research approach, the study investigated the application of principles from Self-Determination Theory in the gamification design and its influence on students’ interaction in discussion forums in terms of quantity, interaction dynamic, and interaction quality. The gamification design included a positive feedback system, contextualized in a narrative environment that was based on the original course project design. Participants were 49 students enrolled in the online course in three versions of the course, which were the non-gamification version of the course in the 2016 summer semester (NGC), the prototype gamification version of the course in the 2016 summer semester (PGC), and the revised gamification version of the course in the 2016 summer semester (RGC). Students’ interaction data in the academic discussion forums were compared with each other. Students’ gamification performance data were presented and compared between the PGC and the RGC. Moreover, eight students from the RGC participated in semi-structured interviews and shared their experiences and perspectives about the revised gamification design. The results showed that students in the gamified courses posted more messages per week. When students were the facilitators for the week, they were more actively involved in the online discussion. The student facilitators in the gamified courses were more active compared to the student facilitators in the non-gamified course. Second, students’ interaction was more evenly distributed among students in the gamified courses. On average, students in the gamified courses received comments from more peers than students in the non-gamified course. The class level density scores were higher with smaller centralization scores in the gamified courses. Finally, the RGC discussion transcripts presented more knowledge building features on a weekly basis in comparison with the PGC and the NGC, while overall the online discussion in the three versions of the course fell into the lower phases in the knowledge building conceptual model. Students’ gamification performance was about the same in the two gamified courses. Nonetheless, the design adjustments made between the two design cycles and during the second cycle improved students’ participation in several gamification activities. Furthermore, students’ interaction was more stable during the six weeks in the RGC due to the design adjustments. The semi-structured interviews further revealed the RGC interviewees’ experiences in the course. The positive feedback system satisfied students’ competence needs. Nonetheless, to what degree their competence needs were satisfied depended on their experiences and understanding of gamification. In pursuit of competence needs, some interviewees’ autonomy needs were undermined. The peer evaluation, dynamic academic discussion, and the authentic course project satisfied students’ relatedness needs. But additional emotional support from peers was barely sufficient. The study provided an example of gamification design in online courses to improve students’ interactions in discussion forums. The results suggested a positive feedback system could be added in the course design to improve students’ performance of the targeted learning activities. The selection of learning activities, the design and development of the gamification elements, and the gamification algorithm should take both the subject matter and students’ characteristics into consideration. A narrative environment can help align the feedback system with the course context and students’ actions should result in development of the narrative

Investigating game-based interventions for classroom management in mainstream school settings

Game-based behavioural interventions provide a potential solution to classroom management issues faced by teachers at all levels. Schools typically focus on the encouragement of positive behaviour in modern behaviour management and positive game-based interventions hold promise in addressing behaviour issues in the classroom. The current thesis was concerned with collating research on game-based interventions and evaluating an established positive intervention, the Caught Being Good Game (CBGG) in Irish mainstream classrooms. Following an introductory chapter, Chapter 2 detailed a systematic review that collated research on game-based classroom management interventions in mainstream education. Findings indicated that many game-based classroom management interventions exist, with most of the research being conducted in the United States of America. Effect size calculations and a series of meta-analyses suggested that game-based interventions had moderate to large effects on classroom behaviour. This review led to the identification of the CBGG as an intervention warranting evaluation in Irish schools. The CBGG was evaluated across Chapters 3-5, focusing on procedural variations and diverse contexts. In Chapter 3, the CBGG, both with and without visual feedback, was found to be effective in targeting academically engaged behaviour (AEB) and disruptive behaviour (DB) across three classes of young adolescents. In Chapter 4, the CBGG effectively targeted AEB and DB across an all-male middle primary school class, and two individual target students within the class. Chapter 5 outlined the effectiveness of the CBGG in targeting AEB and DB in a mixed-sex, early primary school class and with two individual students in that class. The CBGG remained effective as the schedule of reinforcement was thinned - a potentially useful method for reducing workload for the teacher. In Chapter 6, consideration was given to the findings in the context of the existing literature, strengths and limitations of the programme, and implications for future research and practice