How are Digital Games Used in Schools? A Study by European Schoolnet

This European study examines how teachers use digital games in the classroom with their pupils for learning purposes. It covers commercial as well as educational games. It was carried out by European Schoolnet, a network of 31 Ministries of Education, and commissioned by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE).

The study asked: are digital games being used in the classroom in a structured and integrated way? Further, it sought to find background for what kind of cooperation can be envisaged in this precise context between educational systems and the games industry. Following an initial literature review, classroom practices were observed and interviews were carried out with around thirty policy-makers representing various education systems. A community of practice, obtaining and exchanging views with teachers and practitioners, was also organised. Coordinated by European Schoolnet, contributions to the study came from national coordinators in Austria, Denmark, France, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain/Catalonia, and the United Kingdom. The study found that game use is increasing, and that the picture varies greatly in terms of pace of integration, patterns of use, and the teaching goals.

A major component of the study was a survey of 528 teachers in which two-thirds of the survey respondents already used digital games in their teaching. It found that teachers of every age, in every subject, and of both genders - both game-playing and non-game-playing - use digital games with students in foreign languages, literature, math, history, and geography. Further, experiments in instructional gaming in education are being conducted, and teacher communities of practice are developing strategies and structured paedagogical frameworks for use of digital gaming in subject areas. Teachers report positive impact on student motivation, and resulting progress in personal, intellectual, and social skills. The picture is more varied regarding the impact on critical skills and performance in specific subjects.

A comparison of the approaches to electronic games in different educational systems brought to light four conceptions of use:

1. support for pupils in difficulty;
2. modernisation of the educational system;
3. the development of advanced skills; and
   
4. the preparation of future citizens who will live in a society made up of virtual worlds.
   

Several recommendations were put forward in the study’s conclusion:

• Develop the evaluation of educational practices using games.
• Re-examine the potential of games in the light of recent research on cognitive processes.
  
• Support experiments at grassroots level.
  
• Develop cooperation between the games industry and education around projects.
•  Envisage the European territory as an experimental laboratory and develop an encompassing community of practice.