Development of an educational simulation game and evaluation of its impact on acculturation attitudes
Kuupäev
2017-10-20
Autorid
Ajakirja pealkiri
Ajakirja ISSN
Köite pealkiri
Kirjastaja
Abstrakt
Euroopa põgenikekriisi järel on Eestisse oodata üha enam sisserändajaid, mis nõuab meilt valmisolekut ka teistest riikidest pärit kooliõpilaste vastuvõtmiseks. Saabujatel tuleb aga Eestile omase kultuuri ja väärtussüsteemiga kohaneda: see on protsess, mida nimetatakse akulturatsiooniks. On teada, et põliselanikkonna hoiakud mõnest muust religioossest või kultuurilisest grupist pärinevate sisserändajate suhtes pole alati pooldavad, kuid kaasõpilaste suhtumine mõjutab oluliselt sisserändajate peredest õpilaste kohanemist kooliga. Koolikaaslaste suhtumise ja hoiakute kujundamisel on mitmes valdkonnas edukalt rakendatud hariduslikke mänge, ent pole teada, kuivõrd mõjutavad nende käigus omandatud kogemused õpilase hoiakuid väljaspool mängu.
Uurimuse kavandamisel seadsime kolm omavahel seotud eesmärki. Esmalt soovisime pakkuda välja alusskeemi, mida kasutades oleks võimalik tõhusaid õppimiseks sobivaid mänge luua. Teiseks otsustasime loodud skeemi põhjal välja töötada mudeldusmängu, mida oleks võimalik kasutada abivahendina akulturatsiooniteemade tutvustamisel. Ning kolmandaks tahtsime välja selgitada, kas loodud mängus osalemine avaldab mõju põlisrahvusest gümnaasiumiõpilaste akulturatsiooni¬hoiakutele.
Akulturatsioonihoiakuid hinnati 12 väitest koosneva küsimustiku abil. Õpilastel paluti nii enne kui pärast mängu hinnata, kuivõrd nad nõustuvad sisserändajate saabumise kohta käivate väidetega. Erinevused mängus osalenud õpilaste eel- ja järeltesti tulemustes lubavad väita, et mängu mõjul muutuvad õpilaste akulturatsioonihoiakuid integratsiooni pooldavas suunas. Eriti selgelt avaldus see hoiakutes, mis puudutavad sisserändajate võimalusi: peale mängu oli süvenenud hoiak, mille kohaselt sisserändajate ligipääs ressurssidele ning otsustusprotsessidele ei peaks olema piiratud ning neil pole tingimata vaja loobuda oma kultuuri olulistest tunnustest. Uuringu tulemused osutavad sellele, et eesmärgipäraselt loodud mäng võib aidata kaasa õpilaste akulturatsioonihoiakute muutumisele. Käesolevaks ajaks on väljatöötatud mudeldusmäng Allikad tõlgitud enam kui kümnesse keelde.
Since 2015, more than a million immigrants have reached the EU and the Estonian school system has to be ready to integrate school-aged refugee children. Attitudes and the acculturation preferences of peers from the majority population have been found to be an important factor in improving education for students from immigrant families. Previous studies have demonstrated that game-based learning can have positive effects on students' motivation and attitudes. Three interconnected objectives were set while planning the study. Firstly, we aimed to introduce a practical game design framework, which describes the steps needed in the development of an educationally efficient game. Then, by implementing the proposed framework, we developed a ready-to-use simulation game, which could be used as a means of introducing topics connected to acculturation. Finally, we wanted to investigate the impact of the developed game, Fountains, on the acculturation attitudes of game participants. The dissertation starts with a brief overview of acculturation strategies and contains two major parts. In the first part, the game development framework and specifications of the Fountains game are described, while the second part introduces the results of two studies which aimed to evaluate potential impact of the game on participants' attitudes on acculturation. To address the research question, a quasi-experiment was conducted, which consisted of a pre-test, an intervention (game session), and a post-test. To assess the change in preferences, a 12-item questionnaire was filled out. The results indicate a shift in acculturation attitudes after the game. A significant difference in the scores of the pre- and post-tests of the test group was found. This suggests that playing FOUNTAINS does have an impact on acculturation attitudes. Our results suggest that after playing the game the preferences of the participants who attended the game agree more with statements supporting the idea of cultural integration.
Since 2015, more than a million immigrants have reached the EU and the Estonian school system has to be ready to integrate school-aged refugee children. Attitudes and the acculturation preferences of peers from the majority population have been found to be an important factor in improving education for students from immigrant families. Previous studies have demonstrated that game-based learning can have positive effects on students' motivation and attitudes. Three interconnected objectives were set while planning the study. Firstly, we aimed to introduce a practical game design framework, which describes the steps needed in the development of an educationally efficient game. Then, by implementing the proposed framework, we developed a ready-to-use simulation game, which could be used as a means of introducing topics connected to acculturation. Finally, we wanted to investigate the impact of the developed game, Fountains, on the acculturation attitudes of game participants. The dissertation starts with a brief overview of acculturation strategies and contains two major parts. In the first part, the game development framework and specifications of the Fountains game are described, while the second part introduces the results of two studies which aimed to evaluate potential impact of the game on participants' attitudes on acculturation. To address the research question, a quasi-experiment was conducted, which consisted of a pre-test, an intervention (game session), and a post-test. To assess the change in preferences, a 12-item questionnaire was filled out. The results indicate a shift in acculturation attitudes after the game. A significant difference in the scores of the pre- and post-tests of the test group was found. This suggests that playing FOUNTAINS does have an impact on acculturation attitudes. Our results suggest that after playing the game the preferences of the participants who attended the game agree more with statements supporting the idea of cultural integration.
Kirjeldus
Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone
Märksõnad
mängud, simulatsioonimängud, mänguline õppimine, õppevahendid, akulturatsioon, kultuuriintegratsioon, games, simulation games, learning through play, teaching aids, acculturation, cultural integration