A Synthesis on Digital Games in Education: What the Research Literature Says from 2000 to 2010

this research reports the results of a literature synthesis conducted on digital gaming in education research literature. seventy-three digital gaming research articles in education were identified through a systematic literature search and were coded across several relevant criteria. our research indicates trends and patterns from empirical studies on digital gaming in education from 2000 to 2010. Most research literature appears in the context of K-12 and higher education, and most literature appears to rely on experimental methods of research. the results show a steady increase in the number of publications related to digital gaming in education being published since 2004. the results also demonstrate that literature in digital gaming in education lacks completeness in reporting vital information, such as treatment intensity and duration, gaming platforms, or the number of players in a game. the missing information is vital in understanding the scope and direction of digital gaming research in education. recommendations for future research are provided. 26

A Phenomenological Study of Games, Simulations, and Virtual Environments Courses

Educational technology programs from across the United States are offering graduate courses in games, simulations, and virtual environments (GSVE) to their students. However, these courses, until now, have not been systematically studied. This research uses a hermeneutical phenomenological approach to answer the research question: “How do instructors describe their experience teaching GSVE courses?” Five professors of educational technology that have taught GSVE courses were interviewed using a semi-structured protocol based on the TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) framework. These data were analyzed both analytically and thematically. The results of the study showed a wide variety of topics, tools, and pedagogies are used within GSVE courses. The results had five themes emerge: Focus on Application and Theory, Experiential Learning and Constructivism, Instructor's Prior Experience with Games, Heterogeneous Student Populations, and Range of Technology Tools. These themes as well as these courses are highlighted within this paper. A discussion is provided.</p