Frederik De Grove

Digital games in the classroom? A contextual approach to teachers' adoption intention of digital games in formal education

Interest in using digital games for formal education has steadily increased in the past decades. When it comes to actual use, however, the uptake of games in the classroom remains limited. Using a contextual approach, the possible influence of factors on a school (N=60) and teacher (N=409) level are analyzed. Findings indicate that there is no effect of factors on the school level whereas on a teacher level, a model is tested, explaining 68% of the variance in behavioral intention, in which curriculum-relatedness and previous experience function as crucial determinants of the adoption intention. These findings add to previous research on adoption determinants related to digital games in formal education. Furthermore, they provide insight into the relations between different adoption determinants and their association with behavioral intention.

Student acceptance of tablet devices in secondary education: A three-wave longitudinal cross-lagged case study

Abstract As ICT is increasingly permeating all aspects of everyday life, it is apparent that education cannot leap behind. In this article we longitudinally investigate a much-debated obligatory full-scale implementation of tablet devices in a large secondary school. We adopt a Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) approach to verify the dynamic nature of students’ acceptance of the tablet as a learning tool at three waves of data collection, both at pre- and short and long-term post-adoption stages. The results clearly indicate the evolutionary nature of the acceptance process, challenging the adequacy of cross-sectional approaches to technology adoption. In the pre-adoption stage, attitude appears as a key uptake factor, whereas three months later, due to practical and technical constraints, the attention shifts to subjective norm and perceived behavioral control. Finally, six months after introduction indicative traces of habituation appear, raising concerns on the suitability of the TPB in established post-adoption circumstances.

How to be a gamer! Exploring personal and social indicators of gamer identity

Over the past decades, digital games have continued to extend their audience as they moved into the cultural mainstream. Despite this fact, however, only a portion of those who play games consider themselves a gamer. Drawing on insights from social identity theory, this study explores the factors that contribute to why people attribute a gamer identity to self or others. It does so by considering 2 sites of identity construction: the social context of players and the broader cultural milieu. Results suggest that a gamer identity is first and foremost associated with stereotypical behaviors that find their origin in a consumption logic. Friendship networks, however, provide an important environment in which a gamer identity can be performed.

Validating the digital games motivation scale for comparative research between countries

Researchers interested in motives for playing digital games can draw on a variety of measurement instruments. When the aim is to compare between groups, however, instruments need to show certain psychometric properties. Specifically, an instrument needs to be invariant. Without such properties, comparisons between groups run the danger of yielding invalid results. The current study investigates to what extent the Digital Games Motivation Scale (DGMS) can be used to compare motivations between cultures by testing it in four different countries. Results indicate configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance for the cross-cultural comparisons. In conclusion, this study presents a psychometrically sound measurement instrument that can be used in cross-cultural settings.

Tapping into the field of foreign language learning games

The use of serious games has seen a remarkable growth in the past decade. This has resulted in a substantial number of people with hands–on experience. However, to our knowledge, no research has been performed to harvest this source of information. By means of an explorative study, we collected the opinions of 47 serious game and computer–assisted language learning experts on the potential of serious games for foreign language learning. The first part of this paper discusses the opinions of experts in the light of different perspectives on foreign language learning. The next part of this paper elaborates on a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of foreign language learning games, resulting in a nuanced view on the opportunities and limitations of foreign language learning games. As such, this paper explores possibilities and limitations regarding language learning games and frames those findings within the boundaries of literature on foreign language learning.

Envisioning the other : a grounded exploration of social roles in digital game play

To many, digital game play is primarily a social experience, a way of connecting with others. These connections can take several forms depending on the type of game, context and personal relationship. In the literature, however, this complexity has largely been ignored, reducing social relations to simple dichotomies such as “friend or stranger” and “versusor co-player”. This paper aims to overcome these simplifications and take a step towards understanding the multidimensional nature of social play. With this goal in mind, a first wave of 37 interviews was conducted with gamers with varying experience. Based on grounded theory, the data were used to build a theoretical framework, consisting of four possible roles another person can assume: witness, co-player, companion and tool. Each of these roles was then further analyzed according to known parameters of social play: spatiality, synchronicity, adversarity and longevity, and validated in a second series of 10 in-depth interviews. Based on this, a two-layered framework for social play research was proposed, whereby both social role and broader context were considered. Using this framework can enable future research to gain a more in-depth and refined understanding of social game experience.

Learning to Play, Playing to Learn: Comparing the Experiences of Adult Foreign Language Learners with Off-the-Shelf and Specialized Games for Learning German

Learning opportunities offered by digital games have become an important research topic in recent years. Language learning is one of the areas in which games could prosper but the question then is whether these should be specialized language-learning games or commercial off-the-shelf games for entertainment. The goal of this paper is to compare the experiences evoked by playing a commercial and two language-learning games in adult foreign language learners N=62. While results of the experimental design suggest that a commercial game results in better playing and learning experiences, these findings are partly neutralized by the attitude of the participants towards learning through digital games and by being a frequent player of games or not. This raises questions as to how digital games should be designed to appeal to a public of learners that is not familiar with digital game-based learning or with gaming in general.