Serious games and learning effectiveness: The case of It’s a Deal!

Abstract

Although the value of serious games in education is undeniable and the potential benefits of using video games as ideal companions to classroom instruction is unquestionable, there is still little consensus on the game features supporting learning effectiveness, the process by which games engage learners, and the types of learning outcomes that can be achieved through game play. Our aim in this discussion is precisely to advance in this direction by providing evidence of some of the factors influencing the learning effectiveness of a serious game called It’s a Deal! This serious game was created for the purpose of teaching intercultural business communication between Spaniards and Britons in business settings in which English is used as the lingua franca. This paper hypothesizes that the immersive, all-embracing and interactive learning environment provided by the video game to its users may contribute to develop and enhance their intercultural communicative competence. The study attempts to answer three main research questions: (a) after playing It’s a Deal!, did the students sampled improve their intercultural awareness, intercultural knowledge and intercultural communicative competence in business English? (b) If they improved their intercultural learning, what are the factors influencing such improvement? And (c) if they did not improve their intercultural learning, what are the factors influencing such failure? The game participants who volunteered to take part in the study were all students of English Studies at the University of Alicante in the academic year 2010–2011. One hundred and six students completed both the pre-test and the post-test questionnaires, and played It’s a Deal! A sample of fifty students was selected randomly for the empirical study. The results obtained in the tests performed were compared and contrasted intra-group, both qualitatively and quantitatively, for the purpose of finding any statistically significant difference that may confirm whether or not there was an improvement in the students’ intercultural communicative competence in business English as a result of the implementation of the It’s a Deal! serious game. Findings of this study demonstrate that the video game is an effective learning tool for the teaching of intercultural communication between Spaniards and Britons in business settings in which English is used as the lingua franca. In particular, whereas the game had a small learning effect on intercultural awareness and a medium learning effect on intercultural knowledge, it had a large learning effect on intercultural communicative competence. The study also documents correlating factors that make serious games effective, since it shows that the learning effectiveness of It’s a Deal! stems from the correct balance of the different dimensions involved in the creation of serious games, specifically instructional content, game dimensions, game cycle, debriefing, perceived educational value, transfer of learnt skills and intrinsic motivation.

Introduction

Over the last few years, serious games¹ integrating simulated experience have increasingly attracted the attention of professional trainers and educators. “While there is clearly a need for baseline research into how games and simulations are currently being used in the home and for learning”, argue de Freitas & Oliver (2006: 250), “general trends in the research indicate the increasing popularity amongst learners for using serious games and simulations to support curricula objectives.” It is not surprising that computer games are being incorporated more and more into learning environments, e.g. classroom education, government, financial services, healthcare, hospitality and catering, science and technology, telecommunications, corporate and military training, etc. Garris, Ahlers & Driskell (2002: 441–442) referred to the three major factors that may have contributed to the rapid growth of serious games in professional training and educational contexts. The first factor is the emergence of a new paradigm in the field of teaching and learning. This has brought three significant changes: (a) the shift from a teacher-centred approach to a learner-centred approach, (b) the shift from a model of instruction based on listening to a model of instruction based on doing and interaction, and (c) the shift from a concept of learning based on memory to a concept of learning based on the capacity to find and use information. The second factor is the development of new interactive technologies that provide an opportunity to actively involve students in problem solving. The third factor is the tremendous capacity of serious video games to capture the students’ attention and engage them in the curricular content. In a more recent piece of research, Wrzesien and Alcañiz Raya (2010: 179) also refer to the powerful and effective learning environment provided by serious video games. Drawing on the literature of serious games over the last decade, they particularly emphasize three main reasons for the ever-increasing use of serious games in education: (a) they use actions rather than explanations and create personal motivation and satisfaction, (b) they accommodate multiple learning styles and abilities, and (c) they foster decision-making and problem-solving activities in a virtual setting. Some of the potential advantages of using serious games in professional and educational contexts have also been examined by Mayo (2007: 32–34). These are: (a) massive reach, (b) experiential learning, (c) enquiry-based learning, (d) self-efficacy, (e) goal setting, (f) cooperation, (g) continuous feedback, (h) enhanced brain chemistry, (i) time on task, etc.

At present the value of serious games in education is undeniable (Rieber, Smith, & Noah, 1998: 29–37) and the potential benefits of using video games as ideal companions to classroom instruction is unquestionable (Chen and Michael, 2005, Corti, 2006: 1–20). However, we must admit that there is still little consensus on the game features supporting learning effectiveness, the process by which games engage learners, and the types of learning outcomes that can be achieved through game play (Garris et al., 2002: 442; Nash, 2005: 227). We agree with Wong et al. (2007: 49) when they claim that “A common denominator for advancing the research and development of educational tools like computer games is to leverage from play and entertainment by documenting correlating factors that make serious games effective.”

Our aim in this discussion is precisely to advance in this direction by providing evidence of some of the factors influencing the learning effectiveness of a serious game called It’s a Deal! (Guillén-Nieto et al., 2011). This video game was created for the purpose of developing the intercultural communicative competence of students of business English (Guillén-Nieto, 2009b: 539–552; Guillén-Nieto & García-Yeste, 2009: 259–260; Guillén-Nieto & Pernías-Peco, 2009: 6966–6974). Before we move on to present our study on the implementation of the serious game It’s a Deal!, we will review some of the most outstanding contributions that have recently been made in relation to the learning effectiveness of serious games.