Factors Affecting Adoption of Video Games in the Classroom.

Abstract

Video games are one of the fastest growing elements of informal, virtual learning. While their popularity in informal learning situations continues to grow, adoption in the K-12 classrooms remains stagnant. We attribute this to two separate but inter-related phenomena. Game designers and developers fail to incorporate important pedagogic components. Teachers do not adopt the games based on pejorative notions, and low expectancies as to their relevance and usefulness. The authors believe the general lack of sound instructional design principles found in most games destined for the classroom have resulted in a player/learner base that is engaged and entertained, but does not learn the desired content. We further suggest that a growing adversarial relationship seems to be growing among educators regarding the validity of educational games. In this article, the authors present the background behind these and present a case for a design and evaluation rubric that appears to overcome many of the shortcomings in educational games currently on the market. The authors further propose several changes to pre-service and in-service teacher training curricula that should provide opportunities for teachers to become more actively involved in game selection and integration that will allow them to reach their full potential.

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