Higher Education Administrator Attitudes Toward the Adoption of Game-Based Learning in Teacher Preparation Programs

Concurrent Session 4

Brief Abstract

Game-based learning has a number of effective applications for teacher training. However, widespread adoption of games and simulations has not yet been achieved in teacher preparation programs.  This session will present findings from research on higher education administrator attitudes toward the adoption of game-based learning in teacher education programs.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Elizabeth Bradley, SUNY Empire State College

Dr. Elizabeth Bradley is an associate professor in the School for Graduate Studies at SUNY Empire State College. She received her Ph.D. in school psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and she is a licensed psychologist and nationally certified as a school psychologist. Prior to teaching at Empire State College, Dr. Bradley worked as a school psychologist and conducted research in the areas of substance use interventions, child neuropsychology, and school-based interventions for at risk youth. Dr. Bradley's recent research focus has been on the use of online simulations in pre-service teacher training. More specifically, Dr. Bradley has investigated the use of simulations for teacher training in the areas of classroom management, identifying at-risk students, plagiarism prevention, and bullying prevention.

Extended Abstract

Teacher education has been criticized for a number of gaps in training experiences and curricula. Darling-Hammond (1999) and Ramsey (2000) agree that classroom training experiences are inadequate for pre-service teachers as they usually focus on lesson planning more than student behavior and functioning. The areas that are most widely missed in pre-service teacher classroom training include student discipline, motivating students, dealing with individual differences, assessing student work, and relationships with parents (Koetsier & Wubbels, 1995).  Virtual reality has a number of applications for pedagogy and teacher training; simulation training in these much-needed areas may add an essential component to the field of teacher education (Tondeur, Pareja-Roblin, van Braak, Voogt, & Prestridge, 2017).

Groundwater-Smith (1996), Cambourne (2003), and colleagues have shown that the best way to train pre-service teachers is for them to have unlimited time in the classroom and to be involved in the complex decisions that teachers make every day. However, this is difficult to achieve due to budget and time constraints. Simulation training provides an effective solution to this issue. Computer simulations can provide guided practice for a variety of situations that pre-service teachers would not frequently experience during their teacher education studies (Mason, Jeon, Blair, & Glomb, 2011; Mason, 2011).  Simulations can help pre-service teachers develop the skills that it takes to properly run a classroom without the high-stakes risk of causing harm to actual students (Matsuda, 2005).

There are numerous benefits to game-based learning, including improved learner motivation and engagement, constructive knowledge frameworks, exploratory and independent learning and, at times, higher achievement outcomes over traditional pedagogy (Boyle et al., 2016; Cheong, Flippou, & France, 2015; Peterson, 2019). Simulations can allow pre-service teachers to see their students from a different perspective, gain insight into the best ways to manage their future classroom, and understand the direct consequences of their actions in the classroom (Ferry et al., 2004).  Including simulations in pre-service teaching coursework has demonstrated an increase in the confidence and effectiveness of first year teachers (Englebert, 2010).

Many graduate teacher education programs espouse the theory of constructivism, and program faculty encourage teacher candidates to engage in active learning, both as learners and when lesson planning for their own students.  In active learning, students work together in cooperative groups to engage in experiential, analytical, critical thinking, and problem solving tasks as opposed to simply reading, taking notes, or listening to course lectures (Zapalska et al., 2012).  Computer simulations provide the opportunity for active and higher order learning through role-playing with students, as users are presented with realistic scenarios, engage in conversations with students, encounter a variety of student responses depending on their actions, and receive feedback for remediation. In addition, computer simulations are a useful tool for pre-service teachers in need of focused and in-depth classroom training experience in the face of time and budgetary constraints.

A number of computer simulations in the area of teacher training exist and recent publications help guide faculty toward simulations that are a good fit for their pre-service teacher needs (Bradley, 2021). Existing simulations cover a myriad of topics ranging from bullying prevention of LGBTQ youth, to using simulations to help special educators learn about the experiences of students with disabilities, to effective classroom management training, to trauma informed school-based practices and more. However, widespread adoption of game-based learning has not yet been achieved in teacher education programs.  Adoption of games and simulations into higher education curricula has been slow, in the United States in particular, with the majority of higher educators not taking full advantage of computer-based classroom teaching simulations as instructional tools (Englebert, 2010; Proctor & Marks, 2013; Grooms, 2017, McLaren & Kenny, 2015).

When asked about barriers to implementation of game-based learning, instructors report a lack of knowledge about simulation resources as well as a lack of awareness about how to find simulations that will integrate well into their courses. More than 50% of instructors report not receiving any prior digital game based learning professional development (Carillo, 2019). In addition, the cost involved in simulation adoption can be a significant barrier. Finally, some faculty report a lack of competence with simulation technology; thus, professional development in these areas could be beneficial and increase adoption rates (Grooms, 2017). Many faculty are aware of the urgent need for widespread implementation of game-based learning, but lack of administrative support is a major barrier (Peterson, 2019).

The current study will assess teacher education college and university administrators on their attitudes regarding the use of games and simulations to train pre-service teachers. Assessing behavior alone related to technology integration has been shown to increase awareness and significantly positively impact behavior in faculty (Englebert, 2010). Likewise, this increased awareness and institutional commitment to a desired change can alter faculty behavior (Englebert, 2010). Similarly, assessing higher education administrators on their institutional commitment to the use of game-based learning may result in an increased likelihood of adoption. Outcomes from research on the topic of faculty adoption of classroom simulations indicate that the assessment of administrator perspectives toward game-based learning would be beneficial (Peterson, 2019).

There is currently no published research on the attitudes of higher education administrators regarding the implementation of game-based learning in teacher preparation programs at their colleges or universities. This research will help illuminate the perceived barriers and potential solutions to the lack of games and simulations utilized in teacher training programs. The current study will assess teacher education college and university administrators, including associate deans, deans, provosts, and presidents on their attitudes regarding the use of game-based learning to train pre-service teachers.

Surveys will be administered Summer 2022 using an adapted version of the Faculty Attitudes and Adoption of Simulation scale (FAAS; Min & O’Rourke, 2017). Qualitative and quantitative data will be analyzed and results reported and discussed as part of this discovery session. Session attendees will be encouraged to provide insight regarding barriers to game-based learning implantation and to share potential solutions to this issue. Discussion about the benefits and best practices in implementation of game-based learning in teacher preparation programs will be engaging and beneficial for all.

References

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Bradley, E.G. (2020).  Games and Simulations in Teacher Education. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-44526-3

Cambourne, B., Kiggins, J. & Ferry, B. (2003). Replacing traditional lectures, tutorials and exams with a knowledge building community (KBC): A constructivist, problem-based approach to pre-service primary teacher education. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 2(3), 7-21.

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