A qualitative evaluation study of introducing game-based learning methods during pre-service teachers’ Internship

I am very pleased to share a new publication with you. It is a publication I have worked on for no less than 6 years!

The article describes the results of a game course in which two GBL (game-based learning) methods were tested with master’s level 2 students in secondary education (English and sports): on the one hand, the application of the PCaRD model by Foster and colleagues, and on the other, the GameChangers program by Arnab and colleagues. The course discussed in this article spanned a period of 4 years, and the data were collected during the 3rd year. Early in the course’s development, it became clear that the PCaRD model was supplemented by GameChangers due to unmet needs.

An important factor in implementing games during an internship is, of course, the type of internship and the student’s experience with games and their implementation. At the time of my study, the students had a unique status: they were both students at the faculty and in-service teachers in regular school settings with full teaching responsibilities. They had passed the state examination and were compensated as probationary civil servants.

My students explained how PCaRD and GameChangers helped them, listed the competencies they deemed necessary, and identified the constraints they encountered. We can conclude that it is necessary that their training includes hands-on experience with game-based learning, a deep understanding of game design and mechanics, comprehensive knowledge of student behavior and responses, along with rigorous lesson planning and effective classroom management skills.

If you have access to Elsevier articles, you can read and download the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2024.101388. You can also download the accepted version here or send me a message.

Please cite as: De Smet, C. (2024). A qualitative evaluation study of introducing game-based learning methods during pre-service teachers’ Internship. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 83, 101388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2024.101388