FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND BUSINESS STUDIES
Department of HumanitiesDigital Games in English Language Learning
A Mixed Method Study of Teachers’ and Students’ Attitudes
to Digital Games and Its Effects in English Language Learning
Stina Tirén
2021
Student thesis, Professional degree (advanced) 30 HE English
Study Programme in Education for Upper-Secondary School Diploma Work for Teachers in Upper-Secondary School
Abstract
The possible benefits of digital games for English language learning and teaching have received increasing attention in recent years as more research shows that digital games can affect students’ learning and motivation within formal education. A great deal of the integration of digital games in school contexts depends on the attitude of teachers and students. The aim of this study is to investigate upper-secondary teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward digital games in the English language classroom in a Swedish context. Additionally, this study will also examine teachers’ and students’ views regarding the effects of using digital games for learning English. This is a mixed-method study, where semi-structured interviews and online surveys were conducted by participants from Uppsala, Gävleborg and Dalarna. 106 students and 11 teachers responded to the online survey, and 3 teachers participated in the semi-structured interview. The results found in this study confirm the findings from the majority of previous studies. Teachers and students are generally positive toward digital games in English language learning, and they see potential effects of using games in class. However, teachers find it difficult to implement digital games due to different obstacles, such as preparation time, lack of knowledge, and finding quality games.
Keywords: Digital games, digital game-based learning, English language
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ... 1
1.1 Aim and Research Questions ... 2
2. Background ... 2
2.1 Digital Game-Based Learning – Brief Historical Perspective... 2
2.2 The Practice of Digital Games in the English Language Classroom ... 4
2.3 Digital Games in the Swedish Curriculum for English Language Learning ... 5
2.4 Literature review ... 6
2.4.1 Teachers’ Attitudes to Digital Game-Based Teaching ... 6
2.4.2 Students’ Attitudes to Digital Games in English Language Learning ... 8
2.4.3 The Effects of Digital Game-Based Learning ... 9
2.4.4 The Effects of Digital Games in English Language Learning ... 11
3. Method ... 12 3.1 The Surveys ... 13 3.2 The Interviews ... 14 3.3 Participants ... 16 3.4 Procedure ... 16 3.5 Analysis ... 17 3.6 Pilot study ... 17
3.7 Reliability and Validity ... 17
3.8 Ethical considerations ... 19 4. Results ... 20 4.1 Teacher Survey ... 20 4.2 Teacher Interview ... 25 4.2 Student Survey ... 27 5. Discussion ... 31 5.1 Teacher Perspective ... 32 5.2 Student Perspective ... 35
5.3 Student and Teacher Perspective – A Comparison ... 37
5.4 Method Discussion and Future Research ... 39
6. Conclusion ... 40
Works cited ... 41
Appendix ... 44
Appendix I Teacher Survey ... 44
Appendix II Lärarenkät ... 45
Appendix III Student Survey ... 46
Appendix IV Elevenkät ... 47
Appendix V Teacher Free Text Answers ... 48
Appendix VI Student Comments ... 51
Appendix VII Interview Guide ... 52
Appendix VIII Email to Principals ... 53
Appendix IX – Information letter for Survey ... 53
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1. Introduction
A couple of decades ago, English was essentially a subject that was learnt in school, but today, English is an integral part of the everyday lives for many people in Sweden. Young people play digital games on a daily basis, such as video games, mobile games, computer games, and other games that are played using digital technology. According to Sylvén (2013), Swedish students have among the highest exposure to extramural English in Europe, and this has in turn created a gap between English that is
encountered outside of school and English that is taught in school. Research shows that one can learn English from games, and common effects are increasing motivation and engagement (Mifsud et al., 2013; Mathe, 2020; Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011). Adding games into the process will not only make learning and teaching much more enjoyable and compelling, but also far more effective as well. This makes it relevant to ask why games are not implemented in school for second language learners.
One might ask why games are not used more often if research show that games in school have a positive impact on students’ learning and motivation to learn English. If research shows that playing digital games enhances students’ learning outcomes and motivation for the topic taught, then one might wonder why this learning method, or teaching method, is rarely used in school. Teachers’ attitudes to digital games play an important part when it comes to integrating games into the classroom, but it is also essential to include students’ attitudes. In this regard, there is a need to study students’ perspective of digital games used for learning in school, and in the case of this study, learning English. Teachers’ attitudes to the usefulness of digital games might be a reason for the limited application of digital games. Many teachers have problematic attitudes towards game-based learning, and therefore, they do not implement games in an effective way (Mathe, 2020, p. 24).
With a Swedish upper-secondary perspective, this study will look at teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward the use of digital games and its effects in the English
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1.1 Aim and Research Questions
The aim with this study is to look at upper-secondary school teachers' and students' attitudes to digital games in the Swedish English language learning classroom. Another aim is to examine teachers’ and students’ views regarding the effects of using digital games in English language learning.
The three research questions in this study are:
• What are upper-secondary teachers’ attitudes towards digital games in English language teaching?
• What are upper-secondary students’ attitudes towards digital games in English language learning?
• What are upper-secondary teachers’ and students’ views regarding the potential effects of using digital games in English language learning?
2. Background
This section provides background knowledge about the topic of this research. The following are the sections presented in the background: (1) a brief summary on the historical perspective of digital based learning; (2) discussion about digital game-based learning concerning language learning; (3) the integration of digital games in the classroom and its practical issues; (4) digital games in the Swedish curriculum for English; (5) previous research on teachers’ and students’ attitudes to digital games in teaching; and lastly, (6) research regarding the effects of digital game-based learning.
2.1 Digital Game-Based Learning – Brief Historical Perspective
"Sure they have a short attention span – for the old ways of learning!"
– Edward Westhead (Prensky, 2007, p. 9)
3 2020, p. 11). For about ten years, digital games were perceived more or less as only entertainment, but today, the potential of using digital games in areas such as education and healthcare have increased. The phenomenon of learning by playing digital games was already employed in the 1970s and 1980s (Prensky, 2007, p. 4). The term digital game-based learning (DGBL) was made popular by James Paul Gee and Marc Prensky (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011, p. 21), who advocate the importance of digital game-based learning. They believe that digital game-game-based learning is one of the most effective ways to alter the learning process and that this way of learning appeals to and excites younger people (Prensky, 2007, p.18). Prensky claims that people born after 1970 have been exposed to digital devices from an early age and therefore, they tend to process information differently compared to previous generations. This is, according to Prensky, because that the younger generation are used to multitasking, and to non-sequential information, and that they are playing digital games frequently (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011, p. 21). Younger people have very different minds and preferences than their parents and all preceding generations, which has led to a gap between the younger and older generation. Digital game-based learning opens a possibility to learn through questions, discovery, construction, interaction, and most importantly, through entertainment (Prensky, 2007, p. 17). Many researchers argue that the term digital game-based learning should be understood from two perspectives: the learner perspective and the teacher perspective (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011; Marklund, 2015).
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2.2 The Practice of Digital Games in the English Language Classroom
More research shows that digital games are effective for learning and can motivate learning. However, even though studies show that digital games are effective for
learning, practical use of digital games in teaching remains scarce. Also, other problems need to be solved if digital games can take more place within formal settings. There are also further problems, such as acceptance from teachers, parents and students,
technological restrictions and questions regarding content and the curriculum (Backlund & Hendrix, 2013, p. 2). Research shows that teachers are gatekeepers when it comes to integrating digital games into classrooms because they decide whether they want to introduce digital games in the first place (Mathe, 2020, p. 18). Indeed, digital games might have the potential to work effectively on students’ learning, but still, digital games are rarely used in formal education. One may wonder why such a learning method is not put into practice. However, digital games may not guarantee meaningful learning if they are used alone, as teachers’ knowledge, skills, and personal interests are undoubtedly essential factors for successfully integrating digital games in the classroom (Mathe, 2020, p. 18).
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2.3 Digital Games in the Swedish Curriculum for English Language Learning
Since research points out that digital games enhance the learning process and motivate the learner to learn, it is relevant to see if digital games are included in the curriculum. In 2018, the curriculum for upper-secondary school was revised with a new aim that schools should apply technology and digital tools to develop students’ digital skills (Skolverket, 2018a). For example, the section on the mission of the upper-secondary school mentions that schools must contribute to developing students’ digital skills due to the growing digital society. The following is stated in the revised curriculum: “It is the school’s responsibility that each student can use digital as well as other tools and media for knowledge seeking, information processing, problem-solving, creation, communication, and learning” (Skolverket, 2018a). The quote indicates the importance of using digital tools for learning, which is one step towards a possible integration of digital games in schools. Skolverket (2018a) also states that it is the principal’s
responsibility to give “guidance and access to teaching materials of good quality as well as other learning tools for a contemporary education, e.g., school libraries and digital tools”. This indicates that teachers should be given the right learning tools that suit contemporary society, which to a great extent consists of technology and digitalization. The use of digital games is not explicitly mentioned, but it does connect to Skolverket’s approach of using digital tools in formal settings. In the syllabus for the English subject at the upper-secondary level, the comment material states that “By allowing students to practice using different media and digital tools in language teaching give them access to an influx of vibrant and dynamic language that they can process and acquire”
(Skolverket, 2017, p. 8). These statements by Skolverket indicate the potential to use digital tools, and therefore, digital games may be used for learning English.
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2.4 Literature review
This section will present previous studies relevant to this study, which are (1) studies focusing on teachers’ attitudes to digital games in English language teaching; (2) students’ attitudes to digital games in English language learning, (3) studies regarding the effects of digital game-based learning, and lastly (4) studies regarding the effects of digital games in English language learning.
2.4.1 Teachers’ Attitudes to Digital Game-Based Teaching
Adopting digital games in formal education depends mainly on teachers’ acceptance since they are considered the “true change agents” when it comes to applying teaching methods in schools (Bourgonjon et al., 2013, p. 21). It is relevant to understand
teachers’ attitudes to DGBT, as it may underlie their decision to apply games in schools. Bourgonjon et al. (2013, p. 30) have investigated 505 secondary school teachers’
perceptions of game-based learning, and they found that hardly any of the teachers have experience playing digital games. Results show rather complex answers; in one way, the teachers are not convinced whether games enhance their teaching, but on the other hand, they believe that games provide students with learning opportunities (Bourgonjon et al. 2013, p. 31). Based on teachers’ attitudes of digital games in education, most teachers do not intend to use games in their future teaching. The main barriers for not using games in their teaching are the lack of time and technical issues (Bourgonjon et al., 2013, p. 23). However, what could be seen as another difficulty for adapting games is complexity, but most of the teachers did not find it challenging to apply games in their teaching. According to Bourgonjon et al. (2013, p. 31), the teachers’ choices regarding the complexity and adoption of games might be strongly connected to teachers’ own experiences and beliefs about the usefulness of games in teaching (Bourgonjon et al. 2013, p. 31).
7 teachers believe that students can acquire aggression and violence through game play. Most teachers consider that they would use games if they were more relevant to the syllabus (Mifsud et al., 2013, pp. 41-42). Overall, the teachers are very positive towards using digital games to teach English, as they find games to be effective and enhance the students’ enjoyment and engagement (Mifsud et al., 2013, p. 47). One teacher thinks that games introduce a significant element of fun, which would otherwise be missing in traditional teaching (Mifsud et al., 2013, p. 47), and another teacher found that the visuals of the game had a great impact on the students. Teachers' difficulties when implementing games are lack of time, installation of the game and setting up computers. Also, teachers believe that some students may not understand the game instructions and might not enjoy playing games. According to many teachers in the study, teachers need relevant training and support so that they can use games in language learning (Mifsud et al., 2013, p. 47).
Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al. (2011, p. 187) conducted an international survey with 275 primary and middle school teachers from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Portugal, and the United States. The results of the study show that roughly 60% of all teachers have used games in their teaching, but the majority of teachers, 78%, do not see any significant difference in teaching with games (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011, p. 196). In general, teachers see the potential of using games, especially for teaching skills, and teachers also feel that students achieve good learning outcomes from games (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011, p. 187). The teachers see the learning potential of using games, but they find that practical barriers prevent them from using games, barriers such as their lack of knowledge to implement games and its relevance to the curriculum (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011, p. 202). However, further analysis of the results shows that games are most used as a teaching method in the lower grades (Egenfeldt-Nielsen, 2011, p. 201). When it comes to barriers to implementing games in teaching, digital equipment and
installation are perceived as the most common issues (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al. (2011, p. 187). Other obstacles for using games are the lack of knowledge (40%) and to relate games to the syllabus (22%) (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011, p. 200).
8 Mathe’s study perceive that the games they use are very effective for motivating and engaging students (Mathe, 2020, p. 51). They also find games beneficial to practice already taught knowledge or for teaching new knowledge and skills (Mathe, 2020, p. 44). Also, most teachers are comfortable applying digital games in their teaching and are interested in using games, even though many do not have any interest in games (Mathe, 2020, p. 41). There are also teachers in the sample who have not changed their practices since they do not use games. According to Mathe (2020, p. 49), it might be unclear for these teachers what educational outcomes to expect from games or they do not think that games are appropriate for educational use. Many teachers who are positive towards the use of games in teaching report a need to develop digital games that are fun and have potential for learning (Mathe, 2020, p. 52). The results show that 50% of the 181 participants in Mathe’s study find the lack of time to prepare the game as the most critical challenge for integrating digital games in their teaching (Mathe, 2020, p. 51). Other factors are the lack of relevant and good-quality games that match the curriculum, financial resources, and to a lesser extent, adequate technology (Mathe, 2020, p. 60).
2.4.2 Students’ Attitude to Digital Games in English Language Learning
Teachers’ attitudes to using digital games in teaching are relatively easy to find, but unfortunately, research on students’ attitudes remains scarce. In this regard, there is a need for studying students’ acceptance and perspective of digital games for learning because students are important actors whose perspectives on digital learning are usually overlooked. According to Bourgonjon et al. (2010, p. 1145), students' attitudes could help integrate technology in the classroom.
9 In Mifsud et al.’s (2013, p. 41) study, they investigated students, teachers, and parents' attitudes towards and the effects of video games in classroom learning in four Maltese secondary schools who learn English as a second language. The authors conducted the study through survey questionnaires to obtain students' attitudes of the educational potential of digital games in school and their use of games in their lessons (Mifsud et al., 2013, p. 37). The results show that the majority (79.1%) of the 1,441 students have a positive attitude towards the use of digital games in classroom settings, as they feel that video games can provide them with learning a variety of English skills (Mifsud et al. 2013, p. 48).
Another study that focuses on students’ attitudes is Erkkilä’s study (2017) who study 779 Finnish students’ attitudes to digital games and what they believe they might learn from games when used for English language learning. The results shows that the majority of students are from upper-secondary level. The results show that most students found that game-acquired language benefits their classroom performance and makes learning more manageable, while some students denied the possible benefits of playing for learning (Erkkilä, 2017, p. 72). Many students stated that games had specific entertainment value, and therefore, their desire to learn increased more. Another benefit of games in classroom work is the increased motivation to study English, which was commonly mentioned by the students. For one question, 592 students responded whether they found digital games had been useful for them when studying English at school. A total of 339 students thought that English learnt with games had been little or to some extent beneficial for them, while 241 students found it very or substantially helpful to use games for studying English in school (Erkkilä, 2017, p. 72)
Wiklund and Gilbert (2005, p. 3) conducted a study where they interviewed 21 students from an upper-secondary school in Botkyrka. The results show that all 21 students play games frequently, and they also believe that they can acquire knowledge from computer games alone without teaching efforts from the teachers when learning English in school. The students perceive digital games as having great potential for their learning, giving significantly increased knowledge in school subjects (Wiklund & Glimbert, 2005, p. 1).
2.4.3 The Effects of Digital Game-Based Learning
10 investigates the contrasts between console gaming in schools with other school
exercises. Both students and teachers reported that they had positive thoughts regarding the ability of the game to be engaging and motivating compared to other learning and teaching methods (Marklund, 2015, p. 125).
According to Prensky (2007, p. 144), digital games provide the learner with enjoyment, intense and passionate involvement, structure, motivation, learning, adrenaline, creativity, social groups, and emotion. Moreover, he explains that digital game-based learning works because of the added engagement from putting the learning into a game context, and therefore, an interactive learning process is employed.
However, this can take many different forms depending on the learning goals. The content and the learner need to be well matched. If they are not, little or no learning will happen with any method (Prensky, 2007, p. 147)
According to Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., (2011, p. 32), research has demonstrated that video games, compared to traditional teaching methods, strengthen students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards the topic taught. He also states that a game-based learning approach is more motivating and educationally effective (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011, p. 32). Egenfeldt-(Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., (2011) conducted an international survey undertaken in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Portugal, and the United Stated with 275 teachers who teach in primary and middle schools. The authors investigated teachers' use and attitudes to digital games in teaching, and the findings show that only 12% of teachers perceive games primarily as a teaching strategy that can engage and motivate students (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011, p. 193).
In a study conducted by Yu et al., (2020, p.4), they selected a certain number of peer-reviewed journal articles based on inclusion criteria and provided a brief summary of the evidence discovered. According to Yu et al., (2020, p. 11), empirical studies prove that students can improve their performance, attitude, motivation, and critical thinking ability if they learn by a contextual game-based learning approach compared with learning without games. Educational games could positively influence students’ academic achievements through learning strategies, ubiquitous game-based learning, collaborative learning, and context-aware learning strategies. Interactions between game, players, and contexts should be highlighted to improve the effects of games on academic achievements (Yu et al., 2020, p. 15)
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2.4.4 The Effects of Digital Games in English Language Learning
Mifsud et al., (2013) conducted an experimental study with a group of students to determine the effectiveness of videogame use in the English language classroom. The results show that the experimental group (EG) of students obtained significant gains in English when compared to the control group (CG) of students (Mifsud et al., 2013, p. 32). The selected game for the experiment provided practice in a number of language items which form part of the secondary school syllabus (Mifsud et al., p. 39). The teachers also considered that the language items covered in the tasks found in the game were relevant to the English curriculum of the classes they were teaching (Mifsud et al., p. 40). The results shows that significant differences were obtained for all the tasks, which were grammar, vocabulary and homonyms (see Mifsud et al., 2013 for detailed information about the tasks) except of antonyms and synonyms. The EG and the CG started out with similar levels of ability in English, but a significant gain in performance was attained by the EG but not by the CG when both groups were tested again at the end of the experiment period (Mifsud et al., 2013, p. 48). The seven teachers who implemented the games in their English language learning provided feedback on the use of digital games in the classroom. Six of the seven teachers stated that the students were “very motivated and enthusiastic to play and learn,” as it was something different from the traditional English teaching (Mifsud et al., 2013, p. 46). According to the teachers, further advantages were that the students spoke more English than usual, improved their cognitive skills, and receptive skills such as reading and listening, grammar, and
vocabulary (Mifsud et al. 2013, p. 46). Overall, the teachers were positive towards the game as they found it to be effective for students’ learning and that games “enhanced the students’ enjoyment and engagement” (Mifsud et al., 2013, p. 47).
12 and then, based on the given information, teachers can design suitable learning tasks (Sundqvist & Wikström, 2015, p. 74).
Ho (2020) conducted a study on Chinese university students who learn English as a second language. Ho combined digital games with active learning strategies, such as story making and storytelling, and she noticed that such combinations brought positive effects to students’ learning in English. She states that the game-based teaching
approach enhanced students’ “behavioral, cognitive, and motivational engagement.” Her study shows that digital games used for language learning can be an effective approach for enhancing students’ academic engagement and reducing anxiety and reservedness to use English (Ho, 2020, pp. 432-433).
Xu et al., (2020, p. 877) investigated 59 studies which reported empirical evidence on student learning outcomes regarding the practice of digital games and English
language learning. One of their research questions addresses the effect of using digital games on English language learners in terms of listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, pragmatics, and overall English proficiency. Their findings indicate that vocabulary was the most dominant practiced language skill, followed by learners’ overall English language proficiency, pragmatics, grammar, writing and speaking (Xu et al., (2020, p. 889). In all of the 59 studies examined, nearly 80% reported a positive impact of digital game-based learning experiences on English language learners’ language acquisition (Xu et al., 2020, p. 890).
3. Method
The chosen method for this study was a mixed-method investigation, which includes both quantitative and qualitative research elements. The quantitative data derives from online surveys, and the qualitative data derives from semi-structured interviews. There are three research questions in this study: (1) What are teachers’ attitudes to digital games in English language teaching; (2) What are students’ attitudes to digital games in English language learning; (3) What are teachers’ and students’ views regarding the potential effects of using digital games in English language learning?
13 17). According to Official Statistics of Sweden, SCB, one should not use responses such as “yes” or “no” when asking about opinions and attitudes. For many people, it is easier to agree with others rather than saying something else when someone is asking what one thinks. The surveys and the semi-structured interviews were distributed in English and Swedish due to the participants' preference of the target language (Bryman, 2011, p. 274). The next section presents information about the online surveys that was used for the purpose of this study.
3.1 The Surveys
Two online surveys were created for this study, where one was for teachers who are teaching English in upper-secondary schools and the other for students who study English as a second language in upper-secondary schools. The survey was designed in Google Forms, a full-featured forms tool that offers various settings for customization of the gathered data. With Google Forms, the participants stay anonymous as no personal information is gathered. Gender was not considered an essential factor to look at since this study did not focus on gender differences since the aim was to collect data about teachers’ and students’ attitudes and compare these.
14 used from Charlier & Fraine (2012) as well as other questions relating to digital games in formal education. All of the questions were used from previous research, and some were slightly altered to fit an English language learning perspective as some questions from previous research (Charlier & Fraine, 2012) focused on questions regarding digital games in pre-service teacher programs in health science. For the student survey,
questions such as background knowledge and attitudes to the use of digital games and possible effects were inspired by Erkkilä (2017). For example, questions about
background knowledge, such as questions 1, 3 and 4, were used from Erkkilä’s study (2017), while questions focusing on attitudes to digital games in relation to learning English in school, the possible effects, and their motivation were slightly altered in order to make the questions even more understandable and simplified in order to make students understand the questions and then give a valid answer. This perspective was advised by the test persons from the pilot study.
Since the focus of this study was to investigate attitudes toward the use of digital games and its effects for English language learning/teaching, Likert-scales were chosen as the answer option for the questions. Likert-scales are mainly used by second
language teachers and researchers when conducting surveys of opinions, beliefs, and attitudes (Busch, 1993, p. 734). Some advantages of Likert-scale surveys are that (a) data can be gathered relatively quickly from large numbers of respondents, (b) they provide highly reliable person ability estimates, (c) the validity of the interpretations made from the data they provide can be established through a variety of means and (d) the data they provide can be profitably combined with qualitative data, such as
interviews (Nemato & Beglar, 2014, p. 2).
One reason for choosing a mixed-method is because previous studies and other research like this study used a mixed-method approach. The choice to use Likert-scales and conduct semi-structured interviews was also because of the frequent use of these combined methods in previous research.
3.2 The Interviews
The qualitative data were derived from the semi-structured interviews via Zoom online meetings. The interviews were conducted both in English and Swedish due to
15 greater freedom when answering. During the course of these interviews, new questions and insights might lead to follow-up questions that the interviewer considers relevant for the purpose of the study Bryman, 2011, p. 206). According to Alvehus (2013, p. 113), semi-structured interviews can encourage the respondents to discuss and interact more freely instead of having a structured interview, leading to the loss of significant interactive elements. Semi-structured interviews can offer additional depth to what was supplied by the surveys (Husband, 2020, p. 8), which gives room for improved analysis and understanding of the quantitative data. Potential disadvantages with semi-structured interviews are that they are time-consuming, require much data analysis as the
interviewers might start discussing other dilemmas that draw away from the subject matter (Adams, 2015, p. 493).
The interviews were based on five open-ended questions, including potential follow-up questions. The five questions that were used were (1) How often do you use digital games in your English teaching; (2) What are the advantages of using digital games in English teaching; (3) What are the disadvantages of using digital games in English teaching? (4) How students’ motivation is affected by digital games in English teaching; and (5) What is your general attitude to digital games in English teaching? These five questions were inspired by Mathe (2020) who conducted semi-structured interviews with questions regarding teachers’ attitudes to the potential effects, advantages, disadvantages, and how often teachers use digital games when teaching. The question regarding the possible disadvantages of using digital games in the
classroom was identical to Mathe’s question but the other questions differ as they were inspired by the questions in Mathe (2020) but not formulated the same. For instance, one question in Mathe’s study questions if teachers find that their students are affected by playing games, which is similar to question 4 for the semi-structured interview. Questions that were not included from Mathe’s semi-structured interview were
questions regarding teachers’ background, except one question that is about how often they use games in class.
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3.3 Participants
The participants in this study were first chosen from the county of Uppsala. However, after a week without teachers who wanted to participate, schools in Gävleborg and Dalarna were asked to participate. 11 teachers from upper-secondary schools
participated in the online survey, and three teachers participated in the semi-structured interviews. 106 students participated in the online survey, and they also had the opportunity to participate in the interview but there was no response from students, or teachers, regarding this question of participation. The number of participants could have been higher; however, the time frame was short, and many schools did not respond at all or declined to participate due to teachers’ added workload as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The participating teachers and students were chosen due to their availability to participate, which resulted in a low number of participants. Therefore, it might be difficult to generalize the results since the number of participants does not fully match or correspond with the number of participants from previous studies.
3.4 Procedure
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3.5 Analysis
The collected data derived from the surveys were exported and analyzed in Microsoft Office Excel. Free-text responses were analyzed so that potential themes could be identified and then presented. Some responses in “Other comments” that were regarded as unserious or not relevant for the study were deleted. The derived data from the interviews were analyzed to identify relevant patterns that were considered relevant for this study. Some data from the interviews were not included, as some discussions tend to move away from discussions relevant to this study. The results were presented in diagrams and tables, and some relevant free-text responses were added to give a clearer insight into participants’ answers.
3.6 Pilot study
A pilot study was conducted to increase the validity of the study. Three people
participated in the pilot study and gave feedback. Overall, they were positive about the questions, but that some could be clarified for better understanding. Some questions were reformulated, especially in the student survey, so that students would understand the questions and therefore give a valid answer. An explanation of what is meant by digital games and digital game-based learning in school was added at the beginning of each survey to give a brief understanding of the concepts. Overall, there was not much to add or reconstruct. The number of questions remained the same since frequency is not a focus for this study, and the given questions are considered to provide enough information to answer the research questions for this study.
3.7 Reliability and Validity
18 the validity (Söderbom & Ulvenblad, 2016, p. 96). When measuring attitudes to digital games and its effects, Likert-scales were used with both negative and positive
statements. The reason for including both negative and positive statements towards digital games is to confirm that consistency of opinions by respondents is maintained. In order to strengthen the validity of the findings, it is necessary to apply both positive and negative items in the Likert scale to prevent respondents from remembering how they responded the first time. Regarding the reliability of Likert-scales, reliability is increased with an increasing number of response options and 5-point rating scales are less confusing and increase the response rate (Taherdoost, 2020, p. 7).
According to Noble & Smith (2015, p. 4), a semi-structured interview is one strategy that enhances the validity of qualitative research. Semi-structured audio-recorded interviews allow for revisiting the data to check emerging themes, and it allows one to remain true to the participants' responses. Obtaining data from more than one source is good because the results from the interviews provide a better insight into the participants’ point of view and therefore, the results from the interviews support the quantitative results (Noble & Smith, 2015, p. 4). Semi-structured interviews allow the participants to discuss more in detail and depth, as the interviewee can speak for themselves, and the interviewer does not control the interview to the fullest.
External validity refers to the degree to which the results can be generalized to the wider population, cases, or situations (Cohen et al., 2007, p. 136). Most studies focusing on digital game-based learning within formal education are conducted internationally and not in a Swedish context. Also, the focus area was to find students and teachers from upper-secondary schools in Sweden and other countries. However, most studies tend to focus on lower ages, therefore, this study tried to find relevant studies with similar focus regarding level and age. Regarding the low number of participants compared to the number of participants in previous studies, it might be challenging to make any generalizations of the results (Berntson et al, 2016, p. 240). There is also a marginal number of studies focusing on attitudes, and researchers claim that more research needs to be done regarding digital games in English language learning, and especially when it comes to students’ attitudes as they tend to be overlooked
19 include information on whether the teachers were certified or how many years teaching experience they had, which reduces the validity of the study.
According to Bryman (2011, p. 32), a study can still work as a starting point for continuing the research which hopefully opened the door for other researchers to conduct similar studies. With that said, this study can still provide a Swedish
perspective on teachers’ and students’ attitudes to digital games in English language learning and teaching. An important aspect that needs to be mentioned is that this study was conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the email sent to principals, many responded that the pandemic has caused much workload and stress, both for teachers and students. It is reasonable to believe that the pandemic has affected the respondents’ answers, and this could explain the low number of participants, which was expected to be much higher since all upper-secondary schools within three counties were contacted.
Reliability refers to the extent to which it is possible to repeat the study and receive equivalent results, which in the case of this study, would be if the respondents responded the same but on different occasions (Söderbom & Ulvenblad, 2016, p. 96). In order to achieve high reliability in a survey, it is recommended to make a test-retest, but due to the time limit of conducting the study, this could not be done. Interviews are less reliable in the sense that the discussions might deviate from the interview questions, which makes it difficult to repeat the questions.
3.7 Ethical considerations
Ethical aspects were considered before the interviews and surveys were conducted. The schools were given information regarding their rights to stay anonymous and participate voluntarily, how the collected data was going to be dealt with, and to know the purpose of the study. All these ethical aspects cover the four main requirements stated by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet, 2002, p. 6).
This study has also taken the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into consideration, as no personal information has been provided by the participants and if their responses are mentioned in the text, they participants were given a name such as Teacher 1 or Student 3. The surveys were created and conducted via Google Forms, and the gathered data was saved to the author’s One Drive, which was later deleted.
20 provided by participants should in no way reveal their identity (Cohen et al., 2007, p. 64).
4. Results
The results from the surveys and the interviews are presented below. First, the results from the teachers’ survey will be presented followed by the results from the teachers’ interviews. Secondly, the results from the students’ survey will be presented. Teachers’ and students’ free text responses will also be presented.
4.1 Teacher Survey
A total of 11 teachers responded to the survey. Figure 1 presents question 1, where the teachers were asked how often they use digital games in their English teaching.
Figure 1. How often Teachers Use Digital Games in English Teaching.
As seen in Figure 1, 54%of the teachers responded that they do not use digital games in their English teaching. If digital games are implemented in the teaching, then the teachers seem to use digital games either 1-3 times per month or once a week.
Those teachers who did not use digital games in their English teaching could also answer question 2, which asked if they would consider using digital games in their teaching and explain why or why not. To see the teachers’ responses to question 2, see Appendix V.
Teacher 1: Yes, if I had more knowledge about them and how they could be integrated as a natural part of the teaching (author translation).
18% 18% 9% 54%
Every day 2-4 days a week About once a week
21 Teacher 2: Yes absolutely, if I get a good suggestion with a clear purpose (author translation).
Teacher 3: No (author translation)
Teacher 4: Yes, I could definitely do that if I found some that I thought were appropriate. My children who read English in primary school use it a lot (author translation)
Teacher 5: Yes, I think it is good, but I have not looked at any digital games (author translation)
As can be seen, there is a mix of attitudes. Especially one teacher is more negative towards the potential usefulness of digital games in teaching. However, the remaining teachers are more positive to using digital games in their teaching. Some of them mention that they lack the knowledge to apply games and need to understand the purpose of the games. It seems that the implementation of games in teaching also depends on the games’ appropriateness, which is mentioned by teacher 4.
For question 3, the teachers were asked if there are any benefits with using digital games in English teaching. The main findings from the teachers’ responses are
formatted as themes which are presented below. The numbers indicate the number of teachers who stated that particular advantage with using digital games in English class, that particular advantage. To see the teachers’ full responses, see Appendix V.
Figure 2. Advantages with Digital Games in English teaching.
0 1 2 3
Extra motivation Variation from ordinary teaching Knowledge in language and vocabulary
Fun learning way Implicit learning Supportive learning environment Develop vocabulary and communication Interact with others and test one's knowledge Different teaching way for students who are not motivated…
Stimulating for students as it is a different way of working Visual learning environment
22 As can be seen in Figure 2, two teachers mentioned implicit learning as an advantage of using digital games in English class. Another advantage which was mentioned by two teachers was that digital games are a fun learning way. Other advantages are that digital games create a visual learning environment, develop skills in vocabulary and
communication, and provide extra motivation.
When it comes to potential disadvantages with digital games in English teaching, which is question 4, the following themes were the most common responses:
Figure 2. Disadvantages with Digital games in English Teaching.
The teachers mentioned different disadvantages with digital games. For example, two teachers mentioned that technology does not work, and that students lose their focus and are distracted. However, one teacher finds that there are no disadvantages with using digital games and that it rather depends on how the games are implemented.
For question 5, the teachers were asked what role they think digital games will have in the future of English teaching, and these are some examples of the teachers’ responses:
Teacher 1: A bigger role. My dream with English digital games is that they can be better at developing students’ individual skills.
Teacher 2: They are here to stay. The whole society is moving in that direction, that our lives are to a greater extent played out in the digital world.
Teacher 3: It depends on how far into the future you see. Within a near future, I think it will look much like today because many teachers like to stick to their old methods. If new teachers are trained to use games in their teaching, then it can
0 1 2 3
23 probably be used much more, but it can be difficult if the already practicing
teachers should learn and start to use them (author translation).
As one can see from the examples shown above, there are different views regarding the future role of digital games in English teaching. Teacher 1 focuses on the need of better games, while teacher 2 believes that games are here to stay due to the digitalized
society, and teacher 3 thinks it will be difficult for games to replace old methods of teaching. However, two other teachers responded a contrary view regarding digital games’ role in the future of English teaching:
Teacher 4: Hopefully, not too big of a role Teacher 5: I doubt that (author translation)
Question 6-18 were presented as a Likert-scale in the survey. In its final form, the Likert-scale is a five-point scale which is used to allow the participants to express how much they agree or disagree with a particular statement. In each Likert-scale for questions 6-18, (Tables 2-3), FA means Fully Agree, PA stands for Partially Agree, N for Neutral, PD for Partially Disagree, and FD stands for Fully Disagree. Also, the initials DG stands for Digital games and ET for English teaching. Whatever answer one chooses is assigned a point value, from 1 to 5, and then the results are tabulated to find the most frequently occurring response or number, which is represented as the mean. Table 2 presents the results regarding the teachers’ attitudes toward digital games in English teaching, which consist of question 6-8, 12-14, and 18.
Table 2. Teacher Attitude to Digital Games in English Teaching.
Questions FA PA N PD FD Mean
6. DG requires too much plan time 18% 27% 27% 18% 9% 3.3
7. Easy to use DG in ET 27% 9% 9% 45% 9% 3.1
8. Difficult to link DG to the syllabi 18% 27% 9% 18% 27% 2.9 12. Recommend all teachers to use
DG in ET
9% 45% 18% 9% 9% 3.4
13. DG should be included in the Eng. syllabi
24 18. Using DG in ET means you
include students’ interest and experience
0% 63% 27% 0% 9% 3.5
Since a mean of 3 and higher is considered as a positive attitude, the teachers have a positive attitude towards four of the statements (Questions 6, 7, 12, and 14) presented in Table 2. For questions 8 and 13, the teachers do not think it is difficult to link digital games to the syllabi and they do not think that digital games should be included in the English syllabi. The results in Table 2 indicate that the teachers find that digital games require much planning time. When it comes to recommending teachers to use digital games in English teaching and that digital games are easier to teach for students with different learning abilities, 45% of the teachers agree partially. They also tend to find it easy to use digital games in English teaching. Regarding the negative attitudes, the teachers do not appear to find it difficult to link digital games to the syllabi and they tend to disagree regarding whether digital games should be included in the syllabi for English. In Table 3, a five-point scale is presented with five levels of agreement over the statements provided in the online survey. In the columns, FA stands for Fully Agree, PA Partially Agree, N Neutral, PD Partially Disagree, and FD for Fully Disagree and the average mean, the most occurring response, is presented in the right column. The teachers’ attitudes toward the effects of playing digital games in English teaching is presented in Table 3 down below which consist of question 9-11 and 15-17.
Table 3. Teacher Attitudes to the Effects of Playing Digital Games.
Questions FA PA N PD FD Mean
9. DG improve students’ grades and performance in the subject
9% 63% 18% 9% 0% 3.7
10. DG contribute to an interactive learning environment
27% 45% 9% 9% 9% 3.7
11. DG increase students’ motivation and commitment to learn English.
9% 72% 0% 9% 9% 3.7
15. DG prevent students’ absence in English class
0% 0% 72% 9% 18% 2.5
16. DG prevent students from accomplishing tasks in class
0% 18% 72% 0% 9% 3.0
14. DG is easier to teach for students with different learning abilities
25 17. DG leads to concentration
difficulties for students in Eng. class
9% 9% 36% 36% 9% 2.7
The majority of the teachers seem to believe that digital games improve students’ grades and performance in the subject, contribute to an interactive learning environment, increase students’ motivation. Regarding question 16, since a mean of 3 or higher is considered a positive attitude, the teachers are slightly more positive concerning this statement. However, 72% of the teachers have a neutral disposition towards the statement that digital games prevent students from accomplishing tasks in class. However, as seen for question 15, they do not believe that digital games prevent the students’ absence in their English class, or that digital games make students less concentrated.
The teachers were also given the opportunity to give other comments regarding this study, and some teachers find it difficult to answer some of the questions as they do not have any experience of digital games in teaching, and therefore, they can only speculate. Another teacher responded that students play too much in their spare time and that they need to do other assignments. Lastly, one teacher commented that games are good if they are moderately and properly used. The teachers would like to use more games but want to find a platform with good and appropriate games for older students and for those programs one is teaching. The time to sit down and search in the “cyber jungle” is difficult during these times of the pandemic, the teacher mentioned. Overall, the teacher finds that digital games provide “many good effects for both motivation and variation”.
4.2 Teacher Interview
A total of three teachers participated in the interview via an online meeting. Two teachers are from the same school and they participated in the interview together while another teacher from another school was interviewed privately. The interviews were conducted both in English and Swedish depending on the interviewee’s language
preference. The Swedish responses were translated into English in this study. To see the interview guide that was used, see Appendix VII.
26 therefore, she has chosen to use some games in that course. Teacher B stated that
“students like anything that gives them points”, and in that sense, games are useful. Teacher B’s view towards digital games is that it createssome motivation through students’ team spirit, which leads to implicit learning. To connect games with the knowledge requirements is easy according to one teacher and they find digital games a tool that works well for some groups and helps students participate in the lesson. “You can use games to entertain them, and with entertainment, they learn something”, which was mentioned by teacher B. Some of the teachers find it difficult to know if digital games make students engaged and motivated in learning English. Teacher B thought that digital games create engagement with students who do not participate much in the class. The interviewees mentioned that they tend to use the game-based learning
platform Kahoot, which the students much appreciate. Teacher C explained that he often encourages the students to play digital games with other English-speaking people, and another teacher considered that students’ own games make it easier for them to learn English. Teacher C is very positive regarding the use of digital games in English teaching and is also very opposed to “the old ordinary school” in many ways.
Sometimes, teacher C asked the students to bring their Xbox consoles so that they could play and explain to the teacher what they do in the game. Teacher C mentioned that if there was a serious game designed for learning and the curriculum, then the teacher would ask the school to buy it. Two of the interviewees mentioned that much is about students’ preferences and what type of games they like; for instance, not everyone likes the same particular game. Therefore, the teachers find it essential to find a suitable game for everyone. Teacher A said that “It is kind of hard because they are really specific about their interest within that umbrella term of video games”.
27 solved for integrating more digital games are, according to teacher C, the lack of
knowledge and planning.
4.2 Student Survey
For the student survey, a total of 106 students responded. First, the responses to the background questions (1-3) will be presented, followed by the open-ended questions (4-8), and lastly, questions 9-11 which are presented in a five-point Likert-scale. The responses on the students’ background present their age, which program they study in, as well what year they study in upper-secondary school. For question 1, the students were asked how old they are, and they could choose their age from 15-20. The results show that the majority of students are 17 years old.
Figure 4. Students’ Age.
The students represented many programs; however, most students study programs such as social sciences, economy, natural sciences, and aesthetics media. In Figure 5, the students’ grade is presented and represents question 3.
Figure 5. Students’ Grade in Upper-Secondary School. 29% 39% 27% 5% 15 16 17 18 19 20 50% 38% 12%
28 The results indicate that the majority of the students are in their first year of upper-secondary school.
Next, Figure 6 presents how often the students consider that they play digital games in their spare time. For question 4, a total of 104 students responded.
Figure 6. How often students play digital games in their spare time.
Based on the results in Figure 6, most students, 50%, responded that they play five hours or more per week, and 20% of the students responded that they do not play in their spare time. Of the 106 responses in total, 88 students answered question 5. What motivates the students to play in their spare time is presented in Figure 7 below.
Figure 7. Motivating factors for playing digital games in students’ spare time.
The results indicate that most students are motivated to play digital games because it is fun, but fewer students chose cooperation with other players as a motivating factor for playing games in their spare time. Figure 8 presents how often the students consider their games to be in English.
0 10 20 30 40 50
0h/week 1-2h/week 2-3h/week 3-4h/week 5h+/week
29 Figure 8. Students’ Digital Games are in English.
Almost 70% of the students, namely 88, responded that all their games are in English, while 3% of the students responded that their games are not in English.
Next, Figures 9 and 10 focus on digital games in English class. Figure 9 presents how often the students consider that digital games are used in their English class.
Figure 9. How often digital games are used in English class.
As one can see in Figure 9, more than half of the students responded that digital games are never used in their English class, while 5% of the students answered that digital games are used very often. One student who has no experience of playing games in class think it would be fun if games were used for teaching.
Figure 10 presents what students think they learn from digital games when used for English language learning in school.
3%
29% 68%
No, not at all Some of them Yes, all games
60% 35%
5%
30 Figure 10. What students think they can learn from digital games in English class.
As can be seen in Figure 10, most of the students, 41%, believe that they learn to communicate with other people by playing digital games in English class, and 9% responded spelling. However, two students commented regarding this question. One student believes that one can become better at talking, writing, and learning new words with digital games in English class. Another student commented that one can learn all of these mentioned skills.
Questions 9-11 were presented as a Likert-scale in the survey. The students’ responses (N=106) to these questions are presented in Table 4. In the Likert scale, TA means Totally Agree, PA for Partially Agree, N Neutral, PD Partially Disagree, and TD stands for Totally Disagree.
Table 4. Students’ Attitude to the Effects of Playing Digital Games in English Class.
Question TA PA N PD TD Mean
9. Learning Eng. with digital games is more interesting than traditional learning
40% 32% 20% 5% 3% 4.0
10. DG in Eng.class are as
entertaining as the games at home
2% 8% 47% 18% 25% 2.4
11. DG in Eng.class strengthens my motivation and commitment to learn English
25% 23% 37% 8% 7% 3.5
Again, a positive attitude towards a specific statement is when the mean is three or higher. Table 4 shows that the students are positive regarding statements 9 and 11. However, they do not appear to find digital games in their English class as entertaining as their games at home.
The students had the option to comment anything, and a total of 23 students commented. However, some comments were excluded since they were not considered
29%
41% 10%
9% 11%
31 relevant for this study. Some of the students’ comments are presented in Figure 11. To see the comments from the students, see Appendix VI.
Figure 11. Student Comments.
As shown in Figure 11, the students’ comments indicate different aspects regarding the use of digital games in English class. It can be interpreted that most of the comments are positive towards the use of games in English class. Two students explained that they are unsure whether games are effective for learning, and one student explained that one loses focus when playing games in class.
5. Discussion
This study aimed to examine upper secondary school teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards digital games in the English language learning classroom and what teachers’ and students’ views are regarding the potential effects of using digital games in English language learning. The results of the study will be presented together with findings from previous research in order to make comparisons and discuss attitudes and effects of digital games in English language learning. First, teachers’ attitudes to digital games in English teaching will be discussed, followed by students’ attitudes towards digital games in English learning, and lastly, a discussion of teachers’ and students’ views of the effects of digital games will be presented.
32
5.1 Teacher Perspective
The first research question focused on teachers’ attitude to digital games in English teaching, including the benefits and disadvantages of digital games in English language learning. The results from this study have both similarities and differences with
previous studies regarding teachers' attitudes towards digital games in teaching. The teachers included in this study have a generally positive attitude towards the use of games in their teaching, which corresponds with Mathe (2020) and Mifsud et al., (2013), and to some extent Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al. (2011) and Bourgonjon et al., (2013). However, many teachers tend to use digital games as a tool for variation in their teaching, and not specifically because of its learning potential (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011). This aspect is clearly shown in this study, as many teachers answered that they mostly use games as a tool for variation when teaching. Teachers do not think that games would enhance their teaching, but at the same time, they believe that games offer learning opportunities for students (Bourgonjon et al., 2013, p. 31). In this study, the teachers mentioned some positive aspects regarding the use of digital games in teaching that correspond with teachers’ aspects from previous research. For instance, teachers generally perceive that digital games are especially effective for motivating and engaging students and they also find that games provide students with knowledge and skills (Mifsud et al.,2013; Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011; Mathe, 2020)
However, teachers’ positive attitudes towards digital games do not fully
correspond with their actual use of games in teaching. 54% of the teachers do not use digital games at all, although they are positive about the use of games in education. These results partially correspond with teachers’ use of digital games in previous studies. For instance, Mifsud et al., (2013, p. 41) state that most teachers, 77.5% out of 149, believe that students can learn through games, but only 9.4% of the teachers use games in class. What is also apparent in all studies, is that teachers’ choice of using digital games highly depends on external factors, since teachers, in general, perceive obstacles for using games in teaching.
33 Bourgonjon et al., (2013), most of the teachers did not intend to use games in their teaching even though they find that games offer learning opportunities for students. The teachers’ choices for not adopting games might be, according to Bourgonjon et al., (2013, p. 31), strongly tied to their own personal experience. This statement can be understood by one of the teacher’s responses in this study, who mentioned that teachers like to “stick to their old methods.” It might also be that teachers do not implement games, or more games, in their teaching due to their lack of knowledge and training. They need to understand that digital games can be used for language learning or learning in the taught topic. As one teacher commented, if new teachers are trained to use games in their teaching, games might be used more, but it is more complicated if the already practicing teachers learn and start to use them. This is confirmed in Mifsud et al., (2013, p. 47), stating that teachers need the proper knowledge in order to use games in the right way.
What is apparent in this thesis and in previous research, is the common obstacles for implementing digital games in their teaching. The majority of teachers point out different barriers to implementing digital games in teaching, and that these barriers need to be solved to use games in a more suitable way (Mifsud et al., 2013;
Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011; Mathe, 2020). When it comes to the difficulty of linking digital games to the syllabus, most teachers find it easy to apply games in relation to the syllabus. However, in previous research, most teachers consider that they would use games more in their teaching if digital games were more relevant to the syllabus and the curriculum (Mifsud et al., 2013; Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2011; Mathe, 2020). Some teachers find that digital games need to be better at developing students’ skills and that they are not suited for older students or do not fit the course program. A teacher who was interviewed mentioned that if there was a good game designed for learning and the curriculum, then the teacher would ask the school to buy it. This confirms findings in Mathe (2020), where teachers have difficulty in finding relevant and good-quality games that match the curriculum.
34 use of digital games in teaching, but since technology today just does not work, the teacher does not want to rely too much on games, and the same goes for other digital tools.
Regarding teachers’ attitudes to the effects of playing digital games, the mean scores indicate that teachers generally find games to have positive impacts on the students. Most of the teachers agree that digital games improve students’ grades and performance in the subject; contribute to an interactive learning environment; increase students’ motivation and commitment to learning English and, to some extent, prevent students’ attention to accomplish tasks. These results are similar to the findings in Mathe (2020) and Mifsud et al., (2013) as the majority of teachers find motivation and engagement as the main effects of using digital games in teaching. Overall, teachers can see that digital games have an impact on students’ learning as well as making students’ learning more motivating and fun than traditional learning. However, these findings contradict the results in the study conducted by Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., (2011, p. 194), where only 12% of the teachers perceive games as a teaching tool that engage and motivate students. Some common effects that are usually mentioned in studies
regarding digital games are the belief that students, or people overall, acquire aggressive and violent behavior through playing games. However, this is not the case in this study, since no teacher mentioned any potential aggression or violence as an effect of playing games. Instead, almost half of the teachers in Mifsud et al., (2013, pp. 41-42) believe that students can acquire aggressive and violent behavior through games. Many teachers believe that students’ learning of English improves by playing games in lessons. For instance, teachers believe that digital games improve students’ vocabulary,
communication, and social interaction skills. These results are in accordance with findings in Mifsud et al., (2013), Marklund, (2015) and Ho, (2020), as they conducted experimental studies on students who learn English as a second language in school. Findings in previous research show that students can gain skills in English via digital games, skills such as behavioral, cognitive, motivational engagement, and social interaction (Mifsud et al., 2013; Marklund, 2015; Ho, 2020;).
35 especially for motivating and engaging the students. It is, however, rather difficult to draw general conclusions regarding students’ and teachers’ attitudes and the common effects of digital games in education. This is due to the low number of participants, especially teachers. Therefore, one has to take this into consideration when drawing conclusions, but still, the results present an insight regarding teachers’ attitudes to digital games in English teaching.
5.2 Student Perspective
The second research questions focused on students’ attitudes towards digital games in English language learning. The results showed that the students are generally positive towards digital games in English language learning in school, which also corresponds with the findings in previous research (Mifsud et al., (2013); Bourgonjon et al, 2010; Erkkilä, 2017; Wiklund & Glimbert, 2005).
Overall, the students in this study have experience of playing digital games as the majority responded that they play five hours or more per week in their spare time. This can be connected to Wiklund & Glimbert (2005) since most students in that study tend to play games frequently at home. Regarding what motivates students to play games, a significant number mentioned that it is fun to play, and the results show that almost 70% of the students play games in English. However, most students (60%) answered that games are never used in English class and 35% responded that games are used occasionally. It is apparent that digital games are an integral part of students' lives and that they are rarely used for learning in school. These findings are not mentioned in previous research, as they tend to focus more on teachers’ views on how often games are used in school.
When it comes to students’ beliefs regarding what they can learn by playing digital games in English class, most students believe that they acquire skills in
communication (41%) and in vocabulary (29%). These findings are similar to the results in previous research as vocabulary was found as the dominant learning outcome (Xu et al., 2020); Mifsud et al., 2013); Sundqvist & Wikström 2013; Erkkilä, 2017). After vocabulary, the students thought that they could learn other (unspecified) skills (11%), reading (10%) and spelling (9%). However, it is quite possible that students can
36 studies, as students’ learning outcomes, such as grammar, reading, listening, and
speaking abilities were improved significantly by playing digital games in English class. An important aspect to consider is that the students in this study were given a question regarding what they believe they can learn from digital games in English language learning. With that said, one has to consider that the students’ views do not prove that they actually gain these skills. However, the students’ beliefs match what previous research found. Unfortunately, multiple answers were not included in this study, and therefore, it is possible that other students also believed they could learn all of these skills, or several of them. However, students in this study believe that they can learn different skills by playing games for learning English in school. This corresponds to Bourgonjon et al., (2010, p. 1149) where mainly male students perceived that games offer learning opportunities and are useful for learning. Regarding skills in English, the students’ attitudes can be confirmed by the findings in Mifsud et al., (2013, p. 46), as students improved their thinking skills, reading, listening, and vocabulary in English language learning. Students generally believe that digital games can make them learn a variety of English skills (Mifsud et al., 2013) and benefit their classroom performance and makes learning easier (Erkkilä, 2017, p. 72).
However, even though the majority of students have a positive attitude towards games in English class, some students claim that it would be fun to learn English through games but are unsure about how effective they are on students’ learning of English. This is similar to Erkkilä’s (2017, p. 72) findings, as some students denied the possible benefits of playing for learning. Most students do not consider that games in English class are as entertaining as the games played at home, and therefore, one might argue that these students might not see the potential of using games for learning English in school. The results in Bourgonjon et al., (2010, p. 1145) show that the female
