Background

This exploratory study engaged teams of elementary and middle school students in the collaborative design of digital games. Game design is theoretically examined in this study as a form of knowledge-creating learning that is characterized by collaborative efforts to advance a shared object of activity, i.e., the game being designed. Using mixed methods, we examined how students experienced the game design project and how the project fostered connected learning, that is, integration of students’ personal interests and supportive peer relations with their schoolwork, and how their self-assessed digital competences developed.

Methods

The digital competences of 98 comprehensive school students across Finland were traced using pre- and post-questionnaires. The post-questionnaire also included validated measures on connected learning. Quantitative methods were used to analyze structured measures, and qualitative methods were used to analyze open-ended measures.

Findings

Students experienced game design as an inspiring, challenging activity. Game design engaged student teams in sustained, collaborative efforts to create shared digital artifacts. Their efforts involved a great deal of mutual support and knowledge sharing. Participation also improved students’ self-reported technical and artistic digital competences. The game design project fostered informal, interest-driven, sociodigital participation; inspired learning engagement; and improved schoolwork practices.

Contribution

The game design project appeared to be a pedagogically meaningful way of engaging students in knowledge-creating learning and of connecting students' formal and informal learning. The project sparked students’ motivation to learn, fostered digital competences, and enriched the learning environment.

中文翻译：

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通过协作游戏设计培养学生的数字能力

背景

这项探索性研究让中小学生团队参与了数字游戏的协作设计。在本研究中，游戏设计在理论上被视为一种知识创造学习形式，其特点是协作努力推进共同的活动对象，即正在设计的游戏。我们使用混合方法研究了学生如何体验游戏设计项目以及该项目如何促进互联学习，即将学生的个人兴趣和支持性同伴关系与他们的功课相结合，以及他们的自我评估数字能力是如何发展的。

方法

芬兰各地 98 名综合学校学生的数字能力使用前后问卷进行了追踪。问卷后调查还包括有关连接学习的经过验证的措施。定量方法用于分析结构化测量，定性方法用于分析开放式测量。

调查结果

学生们将游戏设计视为一项鼓舞人心、富有挑战性的活动。游戏设计让学生团队参与持续的协作努力，以创建共享的数字工件。他们的努力涉及大量的相互支持和知识共享。参与还提高了学生自我报告的技术和艺术数字能力。游戏设计项目促进了非正式的、以兴趣为导向的社会数字化参与；启发式学习参与；并改进了学校作业。

投稿

游戏设计项目似乎是一种在教学上有意义的方式，可以让学生参与知识创造学习并将学生的正式和非正式学习联系起来。该项目激发了学生的学习动力，培养了数字能力，并丰富了学习环境。