Preparing Teachers for Integration of Digital Games in K-12 Education
Abstract: In this paper, Game Network Analysis (GaNA) was used for developing and assessing fourteen pre-service teachers’ knowledge of game-based learning over 11-weeks. Data obtained from knowledge surveys and game integration scenario tests were triangulated with data collected using a background survey, and a focus group interview. Participants’ understanding of game analysis evolved from game explorations and selection to evaluation. Participants’ understanding of game integration encompassed teacher and student roles in a game-based classroom and the design of experiences to augment the impact of games for teaching and learning. Participants began to recognize how multiple factors within their context could not only impact teachers’ decisions during game analysis and integration, but also impact the overall success of adoption of game-based learning as an instructional approach. Implications for developing and assessing teachers’ knowledge of game-based learning are discussed.