The topic game based learning has caused much debate with parents, teachers, school administrators and other educators, as they often question this new type of learning. They doubt whether students are actually benefiting from game involvement in learning or if in fact they are just being distracted from their studies.
(Cartoon retrieved from:http://www.openequalfree.org/gamification-versus-game-based-learning-in-the-classroom/10082)
Dr. Heather Coffey (2009), from The UNC School of Education states that for students, "games may be more distracting than a typical learning tool and that the goals of the games do not necessarily always align with the learning goals of the classroom. There is an idea that students aren't actually learning anything,
they are only wasting their time and playing games rather than becoming educated” (Disadvantages section, para.1).
Annetta, Minogue, Holmes and Cheng (2009), discuss that at times, the complexity and difficulties learners face in virtual environments cause students to become distracted and disengaged in their learning and that these types of learning tools “may only serve to ‘hook’ but do not sustain student interest” (Annetta et al, p. 80).
As well, when games include “long tracts of text”, they “acted as a barrier to the ‘action’, dampened enthusiasm and created significant cognitive demands on students, particularly those with less developed reading skills or a preference for visual / graphic cues…The cognitive challenge was excessive” (Lowe, Lee, Cummings, Phillips & Lake, 2010, p. 236).
The lack of face-to-face interaction and consequent feelings of social isolation could also be listed as drawbacks for students. Coffey (2009) states, “there is also an inability to ask questions about the task at hand if it's done through a computer. Although there is interaction between the student and game, and possibly among other students, there is no ability to question if there is a misunderstanding” (Disadvantages section, para.2). This lack of communication, discussion, interaction and feedback can also lead to frustration; “students had to enter an explanation of what they saw but, again, received no feedback…essentially the learning objective became a frustrating test and not fun” (Lowe et al, 2010, p. 236-237). Reynolds (2011) also lists “self-driven learning / searching for supports” (p. 284) as being one of the top five categories of student dislikes when discussing the social learning network “Globaloria”.
Patricia Deubel (2006) discusses drawbacks to game based learning from a teacher's point of view. “Teachers have good reasons to be reluctant to bring games into their classrooms. The goals of a game may not be consistent with learning objectives, and may function as a distraction to students instead of as a learning tool” as well, “there is general concern about how gaming fits in with the demands of a standards-driven accountability movement in education” (p. 30).
Coffey (2009) agrees and adds, “it seems to put a lot of pressure on the teacher to keep up to date with the content of the game in every aspect also. Teachers must determine whether the content of the game is appropriate for specific age groups and whether the games are suitable for the standards-based accountability movement. This may mean more work for the teachers, while having students play these games are supposed to take some pressure off of the teachers. Also, if teachers aren't as 'tech-savvy' as their students, it may cause somewhat of a gap between teaching and learning. Students have grown up to be digitally proficient, more than older generations” (Disadvantages section, para.1). Do teachers have the time and or expertise to become knowledgeable enough about game based learning to effectively implement it into their curriculum?
For administrators, the costs and technical issues associated with these new, always changing and needing to be updated technologies are definitely a drawback. Griffiths (2002) states, “most notable of the limitations of using digital-based games is the fact that video games are constantly being upgraded”…administrators must also “take into account the amount of technology available to them in the school setting. If there is not enough technology to support a digital game-based learning program, some students may not have equal access to this type of instructional tool” (p. 48). As well, with such a myriad of educational technologies available, administrators need to assess and integrate the types of technologies they feel best suits the needs of their school and their students “the result of this particular trial demonstrates the high degree of motivation for incorporating technology into the curriculum and sometimes that technology is not DGBL (Digital Game Based Learning)” (Schaff, 2012, p. 59).
So, the question remains, do the drawbacks of game based learning outweigh the benefits? Before we can answer that question, and introduce game based learning in our classrooms, “educators need answers to questions about how games can support learning, what makes a good game, and what types are available” (Deubel, 2006, p. 35). In order to ensure we are offering the best possible learning experiences for our students, these questions NEED to be addressed.
References
Annetta, L. A., Minogue, J., Holmes, S.Y., & Cheng, M.T. (2009). Investigating the impact of video games on high school students’ engagement and learning about genetics. Computers & Education, 53(1), 74-85.
Coffey, Heather. (2009). Digital game-based learning. Retrieved from:
Deubel, P. (2006). Game on! T.H.E. Journal (Technological Horizons in Education), 33 (6), 30-35.
Griffiths, M. (2002). The educational benefits of videogames. Education and Health, 20 (3), 47-51.
Lowe, K., Lee, L., S., R., Cummings, R., Phillips, R., and Lake, D. (2010). Learning objects and engagement of students in Australian and New Zealand schools. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41 (2), 227-241.
Reynolds, R. & Caperton, I.H. (2011) Contrasts in student engagement, meaning-making, dislikes, and challenges in a discovery-based program of game design learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 59 (2), 267-289.
Schaff, R. (2012). Does digital game-based learning improve student time-on-task behavior and engagement in comparison to alternative instructional strategies? Canadian Journal of Action Research, 13 (1), 50-64.
