Research shows an increased interest in the use of both educational- and commercial games in the classroom. This increased interest in digital games and the potential of game-based learning may not come as a surprise due to the constant digitization in schools. The purpose of this literature study is to analyze scientific literature that covers the use of digital games for teaching purposes and from this identify opportunities and challenges with using digital games in history teaching, as well as to see how teachers integrate digital games in the classroom. For this purpose, data has been gathered and analyzed through systematic search on two different databases: Primo and ERIC (Education Resource Information Center). The study found that the use of digital games in history teaching may enable the development of student’s social skills, an increased understanding of concepts and theories, increased focus and commitment, an increased critical approach to history teaching and an increased interest in the subject. Several potential challenges with the use of digital games in history teaching were also found. The most distinctive challenges were structural limitations, teacher competence, society’s view of digital games, as well as a concern that students have difficulty applying what they learned outside the framework of the game. Furthermore, the study shows the importance of the digital game being integrated into the regular teaching, and not being used as the main knowledge facilitator in the classroom. It is also shown that it is not just one role that teachers need to take on when it comes to using digital games in their classrooms, but a wide range of roles to successfully integrate digital games into their teaching practice. Lastly, the study provides some guidance for teachers who are interested in working with digital games in their teaching practice but who do not know which games to use. It also discusses an alternative way forward for the field, by using streaming platforms as a means to experience game-based learning for students.

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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.

There is an increasing interest in using video games as a means to deliver training to individuals learning new skills or tasks. However, current research lacks a clear method of developing effective instructional material when these games are used as training tools and explaining how gameplay may affect learning. The literature contains multiple approaches to training and GBT but generally lacks a foundational-level and theoretically relevant approach to how people learn specifically from video games and how to design instructional guidance within these gaming environments. This study investigated instructional delivery within GBT. Video games are a form of multimedia, consisting of both imagery and sounds. The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML; Mayer 2005) explicitly describes how people learn from multimedia information, consisting of a combination of narration (words) and animation (pictures). This study empirically examined the effects of the modality and temporal contiguity principles on learning in a game-based virtual environment. Based on these principles, it was hypothesized that receiving either voice or embedded training would result in better performance on learning measures. Additionally, receiving a combination of voice and embedded training would lead to better performance on learning measures than all other instructional conditions. A total of 128 participants received training on the role and procedures related to the combat lifesaver - a non-medical soldier who receives additional training on combat-relevant lifesaving medical procedures. Training sessions involved an instructional presentation manipulated along the modality (voice or text) and temporal contiguity (embedded in the game or presented before gameplay) principles. Instructional delivery was manipulated in a 2x2 between-subjects design with four instructional conditions: Upfront-Voice, Upfront-Text, Embedded-Voice, and Embedded-Text. Results indicated that: (1) upfront instruction led to significantly better retention performance than embedded instructional regardless of delivery modality; (2) receiving voice-based instruction led to better transfer performance than text-based instruction regardless of presentation timing; (3) no differences in performance were observed on the simple application test between any instructional conditions; and (4) a significant interaction of modality-by-temporal contiguity was obtained. Simple effects analysis indicated differing effects along modality within the embedded instruction group, with voice recipients performing better than text (p = .012). Individual group comparisons revealed that the upfront-voice group performed better on retention than both embedded groups (p = .006), the embedded-voice group performed better on transfer than the upfront text group (p = .002), and the embedded-voice group performed better on the complex application test than the embedded-text group (p =.012). Findings indicated partial support for the application of the modality and temporal contiguity principles of CTML in interactive GBT. Combining gameplay (i.e., practice) with instructional presentation both helps and hinders working memory's ability to process information. Findings also explain how expanding CTML into game-based training may fundamentally change how a person processes information as a function of the specific type of knowledge being taught. Results will drive future systematic research to test and determine the most effective means of designing instruction for interactive GBT. Further theoretical and practical implications will be discussed.

The proposed project, sCool, is an adaptive game-based learning experience designed for STEM education. In this work, we present a new iteration of sCool in efforts to further examine contributing factors of engagement, usability, and comprehension. The newly developed game experience for acquiring object-oriented programming skills is divided into two parts: concept learning and practical challenge. The concept learning part teaches students theoretical lessons of programming through fun gameplay. The practical challenge part allows students to practice programming by completing tasks. This project presents several new game types for both the concept learning and practical challenge parts. The development of these game types spreads across two phases. The first phase introduces two new game types and focuses on extending sCool to support learning object-oriented programming and improve student’s learning comprehension. The second phase builds off of the first phase, introducing another new game type to improve the object-oriented programming learning experience and the game’s overall usability and engagement. During the first phase, three experiments were conducted in a classroom setting with a computer science teacher. Conducting a study involving a total of 39 school students and three teachers, we are able to successfully display an enhanced understanding of different programming concepts. During the second phase, a single experiment was held remotely among a wide group of people, and the participants were self-guided by an instruction document and the sCool application. Conducting a study with 25 participants, we are able to show a significant improvement in the game’s usability and engagement. For future works, further evaluations in-classroom and over a longer course will be useful in assessing the new game type’s effectiveness in teaching object oriented programming. Furthermore, the game should be expanded to support learning more complex concepts in object oriented programming.

Mathematics is a subject many children find challenging and uninteresting. This is highly problematic because of its use in work and everyday life. Some schools are implementing game-based learning to increase the younger students’ positive relation towards mathematics. An example of a game that uses learning through play is Magical Garden. It teaches mathematics to children between four and six but intends to expand to slightly older children. This thesis investigates the possible effects of and how to integrate the gamification elements badges and leaderboards into the game Magical Garden. To realise this, an extension of Magical Garden was developed as a party game that teaches ten-pairs. User tests were conducted in a first-grade class where they played through different versions of the mini-game and answered correlated surveys. After evaluation of the collected data, the result indicated that the gamification elements were enjoyed by most students and could lead to increased learning capabilities. However, it is worth noting that the user tests only included 18 children. Extended research is therefore required.

This degree project is a study investigating the views Swedish upper secondary English teachers have towards the use of video games as a medium through which to teach. The aim of the study was to gain insight into teachers’ views and what aspects they believed could encourage and/or inhibit the use of video games in the English foreign language (EFL) classroom. To achieve this aim, a sociocultural perspective was used along with a mixed method consisting of a survey study and semi-structured interviews. The survey was used to gain an idea of how teachers who have used video games in their classroom view the medium and the interviews were used to further analyse these views. The results show that in general teachers have a positive attitude towards the use of video games in the EFL classroom. The aspects of motivation and engagement were found to be important factors for successful learning with video games and the participating teachers generally agreed that video games can help students reach the overarching aims of the English subject. One of the greatest inhibitors found among the teachers was the logistical aspect. This included costs, time, and technological difficulties, and was something the teachers found both made the use of video games in the classroom difficult and which at times could make it ineffective. The aspect of assessment was also investigated, where it was found that most teachers did not believe video games could constitute a valid form of assessment in and of itself, but rather as an aid towards other forms of assessment.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間・環境学) / 甲第24687号 / 人博第1060号 / 新制||人||248(附属図書館) / 2022||人博||1060(吉田南総合図書館) / 京都大学大学院人間・環境学研究科共生人間学専攻 / (主査)准教授 PETERSON Mark, 准教授 中森 誉之, 教授 勝又 直也, 准教授 Mills Daniel James / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human and Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間・環境学) / 甲第24702号 / 人博第1075号 / 新制||人||251(附属図書館) / 2022||人博||1075(吉田南総合図書館) / 京都大学大学院人間・環境学研究科共生人間学専攻 / (主査)准教授 PETERSON Mark, 准教授 中森 誉之, 教授 勝又 直也, 教授 FIELD Malcolm Henry / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human and Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DGAM

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間・環境学) / 甲第24703号 / 人博第1076号 / 新制||人||252(附属図書館) / 2022||人博||1076(吉田南総合図書館) / 京都大学大学院人間・環境学研究科共生人間学専攻 / (主査)准教授 PETERSON Mark, 准教授 中森 誉之, 教授 勝又 直也, 教授 FIELD Malcolm Henry / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human and Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM