This study is an intervention study conducted on students in the middle years of a Swedish suburban school. The aim of the study is to examine students’ cooperative skills in ball games in the subject of physical education. The study’s questions focus on what emerges in activity and in conversation when students receive cooperative tasks that they must complete together in ball games, and how these conversations and activities change during the learning process. The study also focuses on the patterns that occur in the game room when students must help each other cooperate, and on the consequences of these patterns for the learning of cooperation in ball games. The intervention consisted of three game laboratories, created as special tasks by means of cooperation, which were orchestrated. The study is based on and can be understood through John Dewey's pragmatic epistemology. It has a  constructionist basis which means that learning and development is seen as an active process where individuals creat meaning in cooperation with others. Furthermore, the theoretical framework implies that students and the environment are seen as constantly interacting, creating each other in a mutual transactional process. A practical epistemology analysis (PEA) was used for the analysis of `talk and action´ in order to explore students' constructions and reconstructions of meaning making and learning about cooperation in ballgames. The empirical material consists of 24 games played and 24 rounds of talks. The first game laboratory focuses on what students are doing and talking about when they are asked to achieve the first pass. The second game laboratory focuses on what they do and talk about in order to succeed together in getting across the field’s halfway line before they get to shoot at goal. The third game laboratory focuses on what students should do to achieve the final pass before shooting at goal. The analysis of the game laboratories shows that it is not enough to pass or to create space as, own rooms in order to achieve cooperation in ballgames. The students’ actions and agreements during talks must also harmonise with the purpose of the task in order to allow learning to cooperate in ballgames to occur. The patterns that emerged in the game room were convergence and divergence; students created their own rooms as well as isolated rooms. Furthermore, densified game room was observed to hinder cooperation, and thinned room to favour cooperation. / Forskningslinjen Utbildning

Šiame darbe buvo siekiama ištirti ir panaudoti 3D redaktorių galimybes kuriant mokomuosius žaidimus, t. y. atlikti populiariausių žaidimų 3D redaktorių lyginamąją analizę ir ištirti pasirinktų redaktorių galimybes kurti matematikos mokomuosius žaidimus, sukurti mokomąjį žaidimą, jį įdiegti mokykloje bei atlikti praktinio taikymo mokykloje tyrimą. Siekiant įvykdyti iškeltus uždavinius, buvo susipažinta su 3D redaktoriais, jie suskirstyti į tris tipus, atsižvelgiant į tai, ar jie gali būti panaudoti mokomųjų žaidimų kūrime. Pasirinktu video žaidimo Half-Life redaktoriumi Valve Hammer Editor buvo sukurtas mokomasis žaidimas „Rodiklinių lygčių labirintas“. Šis žaidimas buvo panaudotas vienuoliktokų rodiklinių lygčių ir jų sprendimo būdų įtvirtinimo pamokoje. Siekiant ištirti žaidimo efektyvumą buvo lyginami dviejų lygiagrečių klasių, kurių viena pamokoje dirbo su mokomuoju žaidimu, kita dirbo tradiciškai, testo rezultatai. Taip pat norint išsiaiškinti mokinių nuomonę apie mokomuosius žaidimus bei mokomąsias programas, buvo atliktas anketinis tyrimas. Atsakydami į anketos klausimus, mokiniai išreiškė savo nuomonę apie mokomąsias programas ir mokomuosius žaidimus, apie su mokomuoju žaidimu vykusią pamoką bei patį mokomąjį žaidimą. / This master thesis presents the investigation how to use the possibilities of 3D editors to create educative games. Main goals of this work: to make a comparative analysis of 3D editors of the most popular games, to study the opportunities of the chosen 3D editors to create math’s educative games, to create educative game, to introduce it in school and to make the analysis of the practical application in school. In order to achieve the raised goals it was acquainted with 3D editors. According to their possibilities to be used in the creation of the educative games they are divided into 3 types. After the analysis we chose Valve Hammer editor (game Half-Life) and created an educative game „Rodiklinių lygčių labirintas“. This game was used in the consolidative lesson of the 11th form during which an exponential equations and their way of solution was studied. Seeking to investigate the effectiveness of the game, the test results of two parallel classes were compared – one of them was working with an educative game the other - traditionally. Also, a questionnaire survey was made in order to find out the pupils’ opinion. While answering the questionnaire the pupils expressed their opinion about the educative games and the educative programs also about the lesson during which an educative game was used, and about the educative game itself.

In 2015 the UN completed a list of environmental and social goals, one of these goals is the “life in the water” goal, or goal 14. It focuses on the factors endangering the diversity and the ecological balance in the water. However, the goals are formulated with a focus on changes to be done by countries or bigger organisations, not by individuals. This project focused on creating a design for a technical solution that teaches and motivates youths how to help take care of the planet. To do this a design process consisting of a pre-study, concept phase and a workshop were done. The pre-study consisted of interviews, a questionnaire and a pre-study of similar digital games. The interviews focused on how youths and what values and knowledge youths are taught today. These interviews informed a questionnaire that focused on how and what the students were taught about taking care of the oceans. The last part of the pre-study was a review of games with focus on the environment, which was later used to inspire the design process. The concept phase consisted of three iteration phases of concepts and the last phase created the concept tested in the following workshop. Each iteration ended with a discussion of concepts were one or two concepts chosen to focus on. The final concept was a type of exhibition of two digital minigames or simulations and one physical simulation. The three prototypes were linked, in a wizard of Oz type of style, where two of the prototypes, the physical and one of the digital prototype, influenced the environment in the last digital prototype. The collective prototype seemed to inspire engagement and interest from the participants and was mainly received as a good idea. The workshop was held with youths between 12-16 years old and resulted in feedback and a proposition to a redesign.

Syftet med studien är att lyfta fram vad aktuell forskning säger om användningen av digitala lärspel i matematikundervisning. Genom en systematisk litteraturstudie har området undersökts. Resultatet visar att det finns goda argument för digitala lärspels användning i matematikundervisning. Det ökar inte bara elevernas motivation och inställning till matematikämnet utan elevernas lärande förbättras också. Resultatet visar även att lärare känner sig osäkra med att använda digitala lärspel även om de har tillgång till datorer och surfplattor. Lärare önskar pedagogiskt utvecklade lärspel och mer kunskap för hur de kanintegrera digitala lärspel i sin undervisning. En slutsats är att det behöver göras merlongitudinella studier inom området för att studera om digitala lärspel i längden ger eleverna samma möjligheter till lärande som traditionell undervisning / The purpose of the study is to highlight what current research says about the use of digital learning games in mathematics lessons. Through a systematic literature study, the area has been investigated. The results show that there are good arguments for digital learning games to be used. It does not only increase pupils' motivation and attitudes towards the subject of mathematics, but also improves their knowledge in mathematics. However, the results show that teachers feel uncertain using digital learning games in their lessons even if they have access to computers and tablets. Teachers want pedagogically developed learning games and more knowledge on how to integrate digital learning games into their lessons. One conclusion is that there needs to be more long-term research in the field that can show that digital learning games in the long run are just as rewarding as traditional teaching.

The concept of serious games, or using games and gaming technologies for purposes other than purely entertainment, became popularized with the creation of the Serious Games Initiative in 2002 and has continued to grow. While this trend may appear new, the use of games for learning has a rich history and the idea of using a game as a learning platform is an established concept that had has withstood the test of time. Research in this area must move from if games can teach, to how do we improve games that do. Proponents of serious games suggest that they should improve motivation, time on task, motivation to learn, and a litany of other benefits based primarily on the thought that what works in an entertainment game will work in a learning game. Unfortunately, this might not always be the case. For example, a commonly held misconception in learning games is that competition will motivate learner to succeed, as it motivates players of an entertainment game to continue to play. This is, however, not well supported by the learning science literature. Cooperative goal structures commonly lead to increased motivation to learn as well as improved learning outcomes when compared to competition. This research seeks to provide a framework to view games for learning and more specifically explore the structure of challenge in the context of cooperative and competitive goal structures, as well as explore the use of the word game and how it could possibly modify the expectations of the learner.

The term "serious games" became popularized in 2002 as a result of an initiative to promote the use of games for education, training, and other purposes. Today, many companies are using games for training and development, often with hefty price tags. For example, the development budget for the U.S. Army recruiting game, "America's Army" was estimated at $7 million. Given their increasing use and high costs, it is important to understand whether game-based learning systems perform as billed. Research suggests that games do not always increase learning outcomes over conventional instruction. However, certain game features (e.g., rules/goals, fantasy, challenge) might be more beneficial for increasing learner motivation and learning outcomes than other game features. This study manipulated two specific game features: multimedia-based fantasy (vs. text-based fantasy) and reward (vs. no reward) in a computer-based training program on employment law. Participants (N=169) were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions or to a traditional computer-based training condition. Contrary to hypotheses, the traditional PowerPoint-like version was found to lead to better declarative knowledge outcomes on the learning test than the most game-like version, although no differences were found between conditions on any of the other dependent variables. Participants in all conditions were equally motivated to learn, were equally satisfied with the learning experience, completed an equal number of practice exercises, performed equally well on the declarative knowledge and skill-based practice, and performed equally well on the skill-based learning test. This suggests that adding the "bells and whistles" of game features to a training program won't necessarily improve learner motivation and training outcomes.

Electronic learning (e-learning) is an increasingly popular approach used to 1rain. knowledge and skills in work organizations. A 2006 market report estimated that organizations increased the use of e-learning by 8% from 2005 to 2006. Scientific research on how to best design e-learning to maximize learner outcomes is needed. Some attention is being directed at computer-based games due to their perceived motivational properties. By using a computer-based game and a non-game control group, this study examined differences in learning and satisfaction with training, and it also examined individual differences in goal orientation and self-efficacy. None of the hypotheses were supported. Instead, participants in the control group spent significantly more time in training and scored higher on a post-training performance goal orientation measure than participants in the game condition Moreover, when time spent in training was controlled participants in the control group performed significantly better on the post-training performance measure than did participants in the game condition. In addition consistent with research on individual differences, learning goal orientation (but not performance goal orientation) and self-efficacy were positively related to GPA. The results of this study suggest that more attention needs to be paid to the design of games used in training and on understanding how specific game features impact learning, motivation, and satisfaction.

This thesis project explores the application of the ecological approach to learning in Virtual Reality (VR), investigates the role of educational games in language learning, creates a playground and a modified game for Swedish language, and proposes the concept VR wor(l)ds for language learning and practice. Following an Interaction Design methodology and drawing from ecological psychology, game studies and user research, the qualities of a virtual language learning environment are established. By modifying and playtesting charades game and then sketching in VR two main levels are being formed. A Playground, that first serves as an introduction where players explore and interact with the language, and then a gamespace that is designed to host a Charades Mod in VR. Lastly, two prototypes are developed and tested to finalise the proposed concept of the VR wor(l)ds. The final concept contributes to the understanding of approaching VR language learning games with a focus on player’s experience.

abstract: Guitar Hero III and similar games potentially offer a vehicle for improvement of musical rhythmic accuracy with training delivered in both visual and auditory formats and by use of its novel guitar-shaped interface; however, some theories regarding multimedia learning suggest sound is a possible source of extraneous cognitive load while playing so players may score higher with sound turned off. Also, existing studies have shown that differences in the physical format of interfaces affect learning outcomes. This study sought to determine whether (a) the game’s audio content affects rhythmic accuracy, and (b) the type of game controller used affects learning of rhythmic accuracy. One hundred participants were randomly assigned in approximately equal numbers (ns = 25) to the four cells of a 2x2 between-subjects design. The first variable was the audio content of the game with two levels: on or off. The second variable was the type of game controller: the standard guitar-style controller or tablet interface. Participants across all conditions completed a pre- and post-test with a system that required them to tap along with repeated rhythmic patterns on an electronic drum pad. Statistical evidence showed better outcomes with a tablet controller with respect to input time error, reduction of extra notes played, and reduction of missed notes; however, the guitar-style controller produced superior outcomes in terms of avoiding missed notes and was associated with higher satisfaction by participants. When audio was present better outcomes were achieved at multiple factor-levels of reduction of missed responses, but superior outcomes in input time error were seen without audio. There was no evidence to suggest an interaction between controller type and the presence or absence of audio. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Technology 2017

I denna uppsats försöker jag fastställa om immersion har någon effekt på lärande i serious games och i så fall vilken effekt det har. Många spelutvecklare och forskare säger att immersion hjälper lärande i spel. I min genomgång av fakta har jag inte kunnat hitta något som stödjer denna åsikt. Många artiklar hänvisar till ”tidigare forskning” men saknar sedan referenser till denna forskning. Det finns en viss grund för påståendena att immersion hjälper lärande i spel, men immersion är ett begrepp som kommit att användas på fel sätt inom spelindustrin och dess effekter har kraftigt missförståtts. De studier som har visat immersion effekter har aldrig rört vid hur immersion interagerar tillsammans med spel. Utvecklare har tagit forskningen ur sitt sammanhang och sedan direkt försökt applicera den på sina spel utan vidare studier