Matriculation School in Kumbakonam
Game Approach for
Improving Student Learning Performance
Previous research has highlighted the potential
benefits of mobile devices and digital games for educational
purposes. However, few studies have evaluated the use of mobile
games in class, especially regarding science education in the Hong
Kong context. This paper presents some details of a preliminary
implementation of learning activities employing a popular Mobile
Virtual Environment Game, Minecraft, in a Hong Kong
international secondary school Integrated Science class.
Indications are that the introduction of the mobile virtual
environment game may indeed contribute to learning
improvements and some other enhanced “soft” outcomes.
Possible implications of the findings and future research are
considered.
A. Game-based Learning (GBL)
Game-based Learning (GBL) was popularised by Marc
Prensky, who suggests that digital games, have six key
characteristics which make them suitable as a platform for
GBL: rules; goals and objectives; outcomes and feedback;
conflict/competition/challenge/opposition; interaction; and the
representation of a story [2]. Digital games could play an
important role in education [2] and GBL may be a “perfect
future method” to transform the educational environment [3,
p.E126].
A number of arguments have been made supporting the use
of games in teaching, including: the use of “action instead of
explanation”; creation of “personal motivation and
satisfaction”; accommodation of “multiple learning styles and
skills”; reinforcement of “mastery skills”; and the provision of
“interactive and decision making context” [1, p.1729].
B. M-learning and GBL in the “Post-PC” era
The Hong Kong government guidelines on education
recognise m-learning – the pedagogical application of mobile
technologies to enable learning – as an important trend [4]. Due
to the proliferation and growing popularity of new mobile
devices, “Post-PC” devices [5] such as Apple’s iPad and
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab are drawing ever greater attention to
the potential of m-learning with such devices.
With the increasing availability of Post-PC platform games,
including those with an educational theme, a new phase in the
evolution of GBL, Mobile Game- based Learning (mGBL), is
anticipated.
C. Minecraft
Minecraft is a popular game that simulates a highly
immersive virtual space in which players are able to build
creative structures using provided textured cubes [6]. The game features a survival mode in which players are challenged with
tasks that they have to complete in order to advance in the
virtual space exploration, and compete with other players [7].
From an educational perspective, as Kebritchi and Hirumi
[1] argue, experience may take place equally in a real, or in an
artificial, virtual environment. The simulated universe of
Minecraft could allow experiential learning [8], where
emphasis is on knowledge construction rather than
transmission, to more easily take place through experiencing
and interacting with the environment [1]. Recognising the
educational potential of Minecraft, some teachers have started
to incorporate it in their classes [9] [10].
The successful use of Minecraft for science classes in this
pilot study seems indicative of current trends in educator
adoption of mGBL: with appropriate pedagogical design,
mobile virtual environment games may have the potential to
help students to learn more effectively.
It should be noted that there was only a small number of
participants in this study, and the investigation was of a short
duration. Future work will include extending the size and
duration of the study. The potential application of mGBL in
other disciplines is also an area worthy of further attention.
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