Browsing by Subject "laadullinen meta-analyysi"

The interest in the use of games in education is increasing and game-based learning is seen as an effective way to teach knowledge and skills and to motivate students. Nowadays, the amount of games designed especially for teaching and learning purposes, the learning games, is growing and research on the impact of their use is increasing. However, the existing research data on the use of learning games is still inadequate and a pedagogical model for their use has not yet been developed. This study aims to give an overview of the research on learning games and show gaps in the research field. Furthermore, it focuses on the pedagogical use of the learning games. The research method used was qualitative meta-analysis, which allowed both the qualitative as well as quantitative studies to be synthesized. A systematic model was used to collect the research data. Prior to the data collection, key words and databases were defined. Moreover, the articles had to meet predefined inclusion criteria. Finally, the research data consisted of 35 empirical studies on learning games, which were published between 1998 and 2013 and examined the use of learning games of students under 18 years old. A special coding matrix was developed in order to code both quantitative and qualitative information. At the synthesizing stage, the coded information was grouped and compared. Based on the results of this study, the learning game research focuses on the use of learning games of over seven year old students. The studies, especially, concentrated in mathematics and were mostly single teaching experiments. From the pedagogical point of view, teacher's role was highly important when integrating learning games into teaching. Moreover, evidence supporting the use of learning games in small groups was found to enhance learning and joint knowledge creation. The pedagogical models of learning games found in the research data were often ambiguous. Thus, in the future, the research of learning games should pay more attention to the underlying pedagogical models of learning games. In addition, it should focus more on developing a pedagogical model where playing the game is merely part of the greater teaching process.