Marina Papastergiou

Exploring the potential of computer and video games for health and physical education: A literature review

This study aims at critically reviewing recently published scientific literature on the use of computer and video games in Health Education (HE) and Physical Education (PE) with a view: (a) to identifying the potential contribution of the incorporation of electronic games as educational tools into HE and PE programs, (b) to present a synthesis of the available empirical evidence on the educational effectiveness of electronic games in HE and PE, and (c) to define future research perspectives concerning the educational use of electronic games in HE and PE. After systematically searching online bibliographic databases, 34 relevant articles were located and included in the study. Following the categorization scheme proposed by [Dempsey, J., Rasmussen, K., & Lucassen, B. (1996). The instructional gaming literature: Implications and 99 sources. University of South Alabama, College of Education, Technical Report No. 96-1], those articles were grouped into the following four categories: (a) research, (b) development, (c) discussion and (d) theory. The overviewed articles suggest that electronic games present many potential benefits as educational tools for HE and PE, and that those games may improve young peoples knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours in relation to health and physical exercise. Furthermore, the newly emerged physically interactive electronic games can potentially enhance young peoples physical fitness, motor skills and motivation for physical exercise. The empirical evidence to support the educational effectiveness of electronic games in HE and PE is still rather limited, but the findings present a positive picture overall. The outcomes of the literature review are discussed in terms of their implications for future research, and can provide useful guidance to educators, practitioners and researchers in the areas of HE and PE, and to electronic game designers.

Students' Mental Models of the Internet and Their Didactical Exploitation in Informatics Education

The Internet constitutes a relatively new teaching subject for the Informatics curriculum. Within secondary education, students should develop an understanding of basic Internet concepts as well as Internet skills. For the attainment of these goals it is necessary that they develop adequate mental models of the Internet. That development should be based on the assessment of their initial mental models of the Internet. The purpose of this study was the investigation of the mental models that high school students form of the Internet in the beginning of the Informatics curriculum. The study involved 340 Greek high school students who completed a written questionnaire and a drawing task. The results suggest that students form simplistic, utilitarian rather than structural mental models of the Internet, which would provide them with an adequate explanatory system of what the Internet actually is and the processes underlying its use. The students’ mental models also involve particular misconceptions. The didactical implications of the findings for Informatics education at high school level are considered.

Learning to Design and Implement Educational Web Sites within Pre-Service Training: A Project-Based Learning Environment and Its Impact on Student Teachers

This paper reports on a project‐based learning (PBL) environment targeted towards introducing student teachers to the design and development of educational web sites. The participants were 46 student teachers who constructed 16 web sites for primary school. A survey of their views, before and after the projects, and an evaluation of the web sites created by them were conducted with a view to assessing their responses to the learning environment, its impact on them, as well as the challenges faced during web site creation. The results showed that the PBL approach has been motivational and effective regarding the acquisition of web site design and development skills. The participants demystified the process of educational web site creation and became more interested in and self‐confident about it, although they encountered certain difficulties in image processing, file management and design of navigational structures.

Physical education and sport science undergraduate students as multimedia and web developers: Moving from the user's to the creator's perspective

The increasing importance that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have been gaining for Physical Education (PE) and sports pedagogy has generated the need to prepare ICT-proficient prospective PE teachers within PE and sport science university departments. This study was aimed at: (a) the design and implementation of two project-based elective courses on ICT in education (entitled ‘Informatics in Education’ and ‘Computers in Physical Education Teaching’) for the undergraduate students of a PE and sport science department, and (b) the investigation of students’ responses to the courses and instructor’s experiences from organizing and imparting the courses. The courses were focused on educational multimedia and web development for PE. Twenty-three students that had attended ‘Informatics in Education’ and 13 students that had attended ‘Computers in Physical Education Teaching’ participated in the study. Research data were collected through student questionnaires and instructor’s notes. It was found that students were helped to acquire basic multimedia and web development skills for educational purposes, and that their responses to the courses were positive overall. The courses fulfilled students’ expectations and were successful in equipping students with self-confidence in their ability to make use of ICT in PE courses and to construct multimedia and web-based learning materials. Furthermore, students were provided with opportunities to express their creativity and improve their future instructional practices. However, the study also brought to light the various difficulties and challenges of training prospective PE teachers in the didactical utilization of ICT at undergraduate level.

Use of a Course Management System Based on Claroline to Support a Social Constructivist Inspired Course: A Greek case study

This study aimed to use a course management system (CMS) based on the open source software Claroline within a blended mode course, incorporating social constructivist approaches to learning, and to investigate its strengths and the challenges faced by the students and the instructor. Participants were 72 students and their instructor. Research data were collected through student questionnaires, transcripts of students’ online discussions, and the instructor’s notes. Analysis showed that the CMS contributed to the introduction of more reflective and student‐centered learning modes. The students formed positive views regarding the CMS. However, both the students and the instructor noted usability deficiencies. Furthermore, the CMS did not support the instructor in applying social constructivist instructional strategies to a satisfactory degree. The findings suggest that the components and functionality of a CMS influence the degree to which it can support innovative pedagogy, and are discussed with respect to the design of CMSs. L’utilisation d’un système de gestion des cours reposant sur Claroline et servant d’appui à un cours d’inspiration socio constructiviste : étude d’un cas grec La présente étude vise d’une part l’usage d’un système de gestion de cours (CMS) reposant sur le logiciel en accès libre Claroline dans le cadre d’un cours bimodal contenant des approches socio constructivistes de l’apprentissage et d’autre part une étude des points forts et des défis auxquels étudiants et professeurs doivent faire face. Soixante douze étudiants ont participé à ce cours. Les données de la recherche ont été recueillies à partir des questionnaires des étudiants, des transcriptions de leurs discussions en ligne et des notes des enseignants. L’analyse qui en a été tirée a montré que le CMS a contribué à l’introduction dans le cours de modes d’apprentissage plus réflexifs et davantage centrés sur l’étudiant. Les étudiants se sont fait une opinion positive du CMS. Cependant les étudiants comme les enseignants ont noté des difficultés d’utilisation. En outre le CMS n’a pas aidé l’enseignant à appliquer des stratégies pédagogiques socio constructivistes de façon satisfaisante. Ces découvertes nous amènent à penser que les composants et la fonctionnalité d’un CMS ont une influence sur le niveau de soutien qu’il peut apporter à une pédagogie innovante et font l’objet d’une discussion par rapport à la conception des CMS. Die Nutzung eines Claroline‐basierten Kurs‐Management‐Systems zur Unterstützung eines sozialwissenschaftlich angelegten Kurses: Eine griechische Fallstudie Diese Studie untersucht die Anwendung eines auf der Open Source Software Claroline lauffähigen Kurs‐Management‐Systems (CMS) im Rahmen eines mit gemischten Methoden arbeitenden Kurses, die sozial konstruktivistische Annäherungen an Lernen und die Untersuchung der Stärken und Anregungen, denen Studenten und der Dozent gegenüberstanden. Zweiundsiebzig Studenten nahmen an dem Lehrgang teil. Die Untersuchungsdaten wurden über Fragebögen, Protokolle der studentischen Online‐Diskussionen und Notizen des Dozenten erhoben. Die Analyse der Daten zeigte, dass das CMS bei der Einführung mehr reflexiver und studentenzentrierter Lernformen in den Kurs Beiträge leistete. Die Studenten äußerten sich positiv über das CMS. Trotzdem stellten die Studenten wie auch der Dozent Bedienungsmängel fest. Außerdem unterstütze das CMS den Dozenten nicht ausreichend bei seinem Bestreben, sozial‐konstruktivistische Lernstrategien anzuwenden. Die Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass die Komponenten und die Funktionsfähigkeit eines CMS das Maß bestimmen, wieweit innovative Pädagogik unterstützt wird und sollen beim Entwurf von CMS berücksichtigt werden. El uso de un sistema de administración de cursos basado en Claroline como apoyo de un curso de inspiración socio‐constructivista: un estudio de caso de Grecia. El presente estudio está por una parte centrado sobre el uso de un sistema de administración de cursos (CMS) basado en el logical de acceso libre Claroline dentro del marco de un curso bimodal con una orientación socio‐constructivista del aprendizaje y por otra parte sobre un análisis de los puntos fuertes y de los desafíos a los cuales los profesores y los alumnos deben hacer frente. Setenta y dos alumnos han participado en el dicho curso. Los datos de la investigación han sido recogidos a partir de los cuestionarios de los alumnos, de las transcripciones de las dicusiones en línea y de los apuntes de los profesores. El análisis de esos datos muestra que el CMS ha contribuido a la introducción dentro del curso de modalidades de aprendizaje más reflexivas y más centradas sobre el alumno. Los alumnos han adquirido una opinión positiva del CMS. Aunque al igual que los profesores han notado algunas dificultades de uso mientras que el CMS no facilitó a los profesores la aplicación adecuada de estrategías pedagógicas socio contructivistas. Esas observaciones nos llevan a pensar que los componentes y la funcionalidad de un CMS influyen sobre su nivel de soporte a una pedagogía innovadora y son el objeto de una discusión en relación con el diseño de los CMS.

Design and evaluation of a computer game for the learning of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) concepts by physical education and sport science students

This study addresses the learning of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) concepts by physical education and sport science students through a computer game. Its aims are: (a) the design of the prototype of a computer game aimed at supporting the development of an appropriate mental model about how a computer works by the students, and (b) the evaluation of the impact of the use of this prototype on students as to appeal, basic usability issues and learning outcomes. The most significant elements of the game prototype (narrative, characters, interface, scenarios, puzzles, gameplay) are presented in connection with the constructivist learning principles that guided the game design. A hundred and three (103) physical education and sport science students participated in the evaluation of the game prototype, which was conducted through pretest and posttest written questionnaires that elicited both quantitative and qualitative data. The data analysis showed that the game prototype was well-accepted as an alternative learning tool for ICT, compared to traditional learning tools, and that most game elements elicited average to positive responses from the students. It was also found that the game prototype had a significant positive effect on students’ knowledge regarding the concepts of input, program, output and their interplay, and that it helped certain students overcome their misconceptions and form more scientifically acceptable and elaborate mental conceptions about basic functions of a computer. Future improvements and extensions to the game as well as future research perspectives are discussed on the basis of the findings.

Examining the potential of web-based multimedia to support complex fine motor skill learning: An empirical study

Research on the utilization of the Web for complex fine motor skill learning that involves whole body movements is still scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the introduction of a multimedia web-based learning environment, which was targeted at a rhythmic gymnastics routine consisting of eight fine motor skills, into an undergraduate course in a physical education department, as a complementary tool to campus-based instruction. The impact was evaluated in terms of: acquisition of knowledge regarding the routine skills by students, improvement of students’ ability to execute the routine, and students’ responses to the environment. The study followed a pretest/posttest experimental design and involved 76 students randomly split into two groups: The Multimedia Web-based Learning Group (MWLG) students (N = 38), who attended campus-based instruction on the routine and also used the environment in their own space and time, and the Traditional On-site Instruction Group (TOIG) students (N = 38), who only attended campus-based instruction. The research data were gathered through student questionnaires and ratings of students’ performances. It was found that the use of the environment as a supplement to campus-based instruction increased the effectiveness of this instruction as regards the cognitive component of motor skill learning (i.e. acquisition of knowledge regarding the routine skills) and was well-accepted by the students, although it did not have any significant contribution to the physical component of motor skill learning (i.e. performance of the routine skills). These findings partially support the future wider adoption of multimedia web-based learning environments within physical education and other academic disciplines that involve complex fine motor skill learning. Relevant implications are discussed.

Effects of Student Participation in an Online Learning Community on Environmental Education: A Greek Case Study

The aim of the present study was: (a) the creation of an Online Learning Community (OLC) for the implementation of an environmental education (EE) project in secondary education, and (b) the investigation of the potential impact of student participation in the OLC on students’ knowledge and attitudes regarding the natural environment, on students’ social skills as well as their attitudes towards Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and their ICT skills. The sample were 27 lower secondary school students (aged 12–13 years old) who collaborated within an OLC set up by their teacher by means of the free Yahoo Groups service in order to complete an EE project. The experimental intervention lasted for 10 weeks. Before and after the intervention, the students filled in a questionnaire addressing: a) their knowledge and attitudes regarding the natural environment, b) their social skills and c) their attitudes and skills regarding ICT. The study revealed that the OLC was a viable solution for supporting student collaboration in the implementation of the EE project, and that student participation in the OLC had positive effects on students’ knowledge and attitudes towards the natural environment, on their social skills as well as their attitudes and skills regarding ICT.

Can learning of basketball be enhanced through a web-based multimedia course? An experimental study

This study’s aim is the creation of a web-based multimedia course for Physical Education (PE) students’ familiarization with the teaching of basketball, and the evaluation of its use as a complementary tool to conventional instruction, in terms of learning effectiveness and student acceptance. The course includes multimedia learning material as well as interactive learning activities and quizzes on the cognitive components of basic basketball skills and on other basketball-related topics (history of the sport, referee’s signals, training aids, basketball court). The study involved 88 undergraduate students during one semester. They were randomly assigned to two groups: a group that used the web-based multimedia course and also attended a conventional face-to-face course on the teaching of basketball (N = 45), and another group that only attended the conventional face-to-face course (N = 43). A pretest/posttest research design was followed. For both groups basketball knowledge was measured at the beginning and at the end of the semester through written questionnaires. The responses of the students of the first group towards the web-based course were also assessed, at the end of the semester, through a written feedback questionnaire. Within both groups, significant increases in students’ basketball knowledge were found. However, the web-based multimedia course in combination with conventional face-to-face instruction was significantly more effective than conventional face-to-face instruction alone in increasing students’ cognitive learning regarding the sport of basketball, at the same time being well-accepted by the students. These findings support the effectiveness of blended learning for PE at higher education level as well as the acceptance of this mode of learning by PE students.

Student perceptions in the design of a computer card game for learning computer literacy issues: a case study

The aim of this work was twofold. First, an empirical study was designed aimed at investigating the perceptions that entry-level non-computing majors -namely Physical Education and Sport Science (PESS) undergraduate students- hold about basic Computer Literacy (CL) issues. The participants were 90 first-year PESS students, and their perceptions were elicited through a written questionnaire. The data analysis revealed scientifically acceptable perceptions as well as various empirical, vague, incomplete and erroneous perceptions. Second, those students’ prior knowledge was utilized to design and implement an Educational Computer Card Game (ECCG) aimed at helping PESS students overcome their conceptual difficulties and approach the aforementioned CL issues in a scientifically consistent manner. The ECCG was designed taking into account basic digital game-based learning principles in combination with basic aspects of social and constructivist perspectives to learning. The ECCG was also pilot-tested in the field with real students, and the results were encouraging.