The Value Of Game As A Didactic Tool In Initial Teacher Training

Author(s):

Lina Higueras- Rodríguez(presenting / submitting)Enriqueta Molina- Ruíz

Conference:

ECER 2016

Network:

10. Teacher Education Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

10 SES 02 D, On Being a Teacher

Paper Session

Time:

2016-08-23

15:15-16:45

Room:

NM-J112

Chair:

ML White

Contribution

The rapid changes occurring in the information society and the current profiles of the students we teach require new pedagogical models that can help to improve learning. In this sense, initial teacher training plays an important role, and it must take into account the necessary cognoscitive, procedural, and attitudinal dimensions (Mendívil Trellez, 2009) in order for it to be complete.

As the teaching strategy par excellence (Bañeres, Bishop et al., 2008), we find that games are effective tools that allow the educator to be of help at all the educational levels. We understand the use of games to be a teaching strategy that facilitates an active pedagogy rather than a passive and verbal one. Moreover, games improve the intellectual and affective processes, the exchange of attitudes and points of view, active participation, team work, creativity, and imagination (Afari, Aldridge & Fraser, 2012).

Moreover, when we focus on studies that investigate educational tools and resources, and especially the use of games as a pedagogical tool, we observe that games are approached from different perspectives. Thus, Gros (2008) mentions that the most studied aspects are related to the capacity of games to foster motivation and student involvement, and as an element of digital literacy; Queiruga, Fava, Gómez and Brown (2014) use games to bring programming into Secondary Education; Bañeres et. al (2008) talk about games as a didactic strategy to be used at the different educational levels. However, most studies focus on the areas of Physical Education (Rivero, 2011) and Mathematics (Fernández Bravo, 2010).

Although a high percentage of studies refer to games as a didactic resource, fewer studies focus on the presence of games in pre-service teacher training. Some investigations, such as those by Holgado (2011) and Yot and Martínez (2013), among others, deal with games as a teaching strategy that should be addressed in initial teacher training. All of the studies are based on psychological theories, such as multiple intelligences, significant learning, and the constructivist approach to learning (Levis, 2005; Marín, 2012).

In this study, we consider the relevance of games as didactic tools in the teaching activity and the fundamental role of preparing to apply teachers in the classroom. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to contribute to improving the initial training of Elementary School teachers in the Spanish context.

The objectives we pursue are:

Find out how games are approached and evaluated as a didactic resource in teachers’ communications through social networks.
Analyse teaching and training experiences that view games as a didactic resource to facilitate learning, highlighting their fundamental elements and characteristics.
Discover the situation experienced by teachers regarding the use of games as a didactic resource in their classroom practice, deriving influential aspects of their application and development.
Evaluate the training received by teachers (future and practicing) in using games as a didactic resource.
Derive and offer orienting guidelines and patterns that serve to reinforce teachers’ pre-service training in the use of games in daily classroom practice.

Method

This study is framed in the interpretive-critical research paradigm. This study’s approach will allow us to understand and interpret the phenomenon under study, based on the systematic and detailed information obtained. In addition, we analyse the social transformations that can occur through games as a didactic tool, and we try to provide answers to the difficulties they may encounter (Creswell, 2008; Guba, 1990). The data collection instruments used are the following: • Virtual documents (social networks, webs, digital resources, etc.). • Institutional and technical documents: training plans, courses and programs (e.g., Ruíz & Ispizua, 1989; Valles, 2009). • Direct interviews (Kvale, 2011) of practicing teachers and students in the Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree program. • Discussion groups (with teachers integrated in learning communities). We obtain information through the different ways: a) formative experiences (courses, social networks, etc. in different formats ( documents); b) teachers in exercise in the development of his teaching practice, c)future teachers from incidents experienced in the process of their initial training. The sampling procedure used will be of a qualitative nature (highlighted and convenience case). The data analysis procedure will be carried out through a content analysis (Huberman & Miles, 1994; Flick, 2011), by means of a process of inductive-deductive coding of the instruments. We use the NVivo analytic software to analyse the information. Along general lines, the research process is developed in the following phases: 1. In the first phase, the content of the training programs is analysed at a technical and institutional level, as well as at a virtual one, to extract their characteristics and essential elements. This information is used for the construction of data collection instruments (interview and discussion groups) 2. In the second phase, interviews and discussion groups are conducted with the subjects participating in the study (practicing teachers and future teachers). 3. In the third phase, a vertical content analysis will be carried out of the documents (both institutional and technical, as well as virtual) and interviews. In addition, a horizontal content analysis of the interviews will be performed. 4. Finally, with all the information obtained in the previous phases, a transversal analysis will be carried out of the institutional, technical and virtual documents, interviews, and discussion groups, through a sequential triangulation process.

Expected Outcomes

This study is part of a doctoral thesis in progress. In spite of not having practical results, it was possible to advance in terms of theoretical results, which allow us to establish the following proposals: On the one hand, we intend to discover how games are evaluated and used in classrooms. To do so, we begin with the assumption that games, used as a didactic resource, become a facilitating element for learning and, therefore, will be a cause for reflection and treatment by teachers in their communications through social networks. On the other hand, we intend to find out whether pre-service training offers teachers the necessary preparation to use games as didactic tools in classrooms. We also investigate what characteristics an ideal pre-service teacher training program should have in order to achieve the goal of training teachers in the adequate use of games as a didactic resource, thus facilitating learning. We assume that the analysis of the training programs and the considerations of future teachers will provide a more exact view of the current training of characteristics and incidences which have the actual educative process. With the present study, we expect to gain more extensive knowledge about the use of games in pre-service teacher training, as well as the opinions and experiences offered by the participants. Thus, we may derive orienting guidelines and patterns that can be useful for new generations of teachers involved in pre-service training, or even for teachers who are already practicing professionally.

References

Afari, E., Aldridge, J. & Fraser, B. (2012) Efectiveness of using games intertiary- level mathematics classrooms. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 6 (10), 1369-1392 Bañeres, D. Bishop, A. Cardona, M. Comas I Coma, O. Garaigordobil, M. Hernández, T. Lobo, E. Marrón, M. Ortí, J. Punill, B. Ruíz de Velasco, A. Soler, M. y Vida, T. (2008) El juego como estrategia didáctica. Claves para la innovación educativa. Grao: Barcelona Creswell, J. W. (2008). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. SAGE Publications Fernández-Bravo, A. (2010). La resolución de problemas matemáticos: creatividad y razonamiento en la mente de los niños. Madrid: Grupo Mayeútica educación. Flick, U. (2011). Introducing Research Methodology: A Beginner's Guide to Doing a Research Project. Thousand Oaks, Ca.; Nueva Delhi; Londres: Sage Publishers. Gros, B. (coord.) Bernat, A; Catalá, A. Feixa, C; Grupo F9, Jaén, J; Lacasa, P; Martínez, R; Méndez, L. Mocholí, J. y Moreno, I. (2008) Videojuegos y aprendizaje. Barcelona: Graó Guba, E. (1990) The paradigm Dialog. London: SAGE Huberman, M.A., y Miles, M.B. (1994). Data management and analysis methods. En Denzin N.K. y Lincoln Y.S. (Eds), Handbook of Qualitative Research (pp. 428-444). London/New Delhi: SAGE Publications Kvale, S. (2011). Las entrevistas en investigación cualitativa. Madrid: Morata. Levis, D. (2005) Videojuegos: espacios simbólicos de juego y encuentro. En Aparici, R. (coord) Comunicación educativa en la Sociedad de la Información. Madrid: UNED Marín, V (2012) Los videojuegos y los juegos digitales como materiales educativos. Madrid: Síntesis Mendívil Trellez, L. (2009) Razones para jugar: hacia la comprensión del rol del juego en el proceso de formación de docentes de educación inicial. Revista de Educación, 8 (35), 7-21 Queiruga, C.; Fava, L.; Gómez, S.;Miyuki, I. y Brown, M.(2014) El juego como estrategia didáctica para acercar la programación a la escuela secundaria. Comunication of Workshop de investigadores en Ciencias de la computación, 358-362. Rivero, I (2011) El juego en las planificaciones de educación física: intencionalidad educativa y prácticas docentes. Buenos Aires: Noveduc Ruíz, J.I. e Ispizua, M. A. (1989). La decodificación de la vida cotidiana: métodos de la investigación cualitativa. Universidad de Deusto: Bilbao. Valles, M. (2009). Técnicas cualitativas de investigación social. Reflexión metodológica y práctica profesional. Síntesis: Madrid. Yot, C. y Martínez, R. (2013) Los profesores también juegan. El aprendizaje basado en juegos en la formación inicial docente. Congreso Internacional Re-conceptualizing the professional identity of European Teacher: sharing experiences.

Author Information

Lina Higueras- Rodríguez (presenting / submitting)

University of Granada, Spain

Enriqueta Molina- Ruíz