Triggering student interest in classroom subjects through the use of board games
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to study whether playing a subject-related game in class increases a student's interest in the class subject, their perception of the learning climate, and their engagement in the classroom. The lens through which this research was focused was based on Hidi and Renninger's Four-Phase Interest Model that discusses how initial environmental triggers can lead to internal interest and motivation in a topic. The primary question was could game play in the classroom be that trigger and lead to greater interest in U.S. History. Secondarily, would the game play have any effect on increased classroom engagement and a more positive perception of the learning climate? The students involved all filled out an instrument to measure their pre-intervention levels in the four phases of interest model, classroom engagement, and perceptions of learning climate. From there, the students were split into an intervention group that played the game multiple times in the classroom and a control group that continued with class as normal. At the end of the intervention, the students filled out the instrument again. The results were analyzed using MANCOVA and ANCOVA, along with correlations between the various subscales in the instrument. The MANCOVA and ANCOVA revealed no significant difference between the control and intervention groups on any of the phases of interest, perception of learning climate, and classroom engagement. The correlations between the subscales in the instrument did show significant correlations between them for almost all of the items, showing relationships between most of the phases of interest, perceptions of learning climate, and classroom engagement. Observation of the intervention and interviews with the teachers involved did show positive responses and evidence of learning through game play. These findings show that more research is needed to help determine the best way to incorporate games into the classroom to impact student's interest and success in the classroom.
Collections
- OSU Dissertations [11222]