Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Action Research Proposal
Gaming in the Social Studies Classroom
A. Shelley Eisinger
PEDG #5310
Research for Teachers
August 17, 2017
1
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
2
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to determine the role of educational games on
academic success in the social studies classroom and to compare the use of games
with more traditional practices as effective learning tools on junior high level classes. An
experimental research is conducted using two junior high social studies teachers, and
their classes. This would be on-level students, with about 25-30 students in each class.
Pre-and post- study interview questions would be given to both teachers and their
students participating in the experience. To determine the relationship between
academic success in learning the content and educational games among the
participants, an analysis of test data will be collected through the eduphoria Aware
application.
Aware is a tool that analyzes multiple indicators of student success within
multiple demographics such as economically-disadvantaged, ethnicity, gender, limited
English proficient (LEP), and special education. The results of the post test for the
experimental group are better than the controlled one which show that games have a
good effect on improving the achievement and on benefiting student motivation while
creating and engaging, interactive environment. It is recommended to use games
throughout the social studies because they are very effective in increasing student
knowledge in the content and produce higher test scores.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
3
Intro
The use of games (both traditional and computerized) can effect of the learning
environment in the social studies classroom which will increase students’ scores. Using
game-based learning in the classroom to improve retention and student success in
social studies is drawn from the idea of “playing to learn”. The idea of using games in
the classroom is not a new concept, especially in reviewing for a standardized test,
however, many teachers regard the use of games within the learning process as a filler
activity and do not understand the added value to overall academic success. This is an
unfortunate perception as demonstrated with the many games stores online, or the
many apps students are engaged in on a regular basis throughout the day. Instead of
fighting the game culture, teachers should embrace it and include games regularly to
enhance student engagement, and increase test scores, especially in the social studies
content.
Educational games are one of the techniques and procedures that the teacher
may use, as a preview to introduce new content, in teaching new content, or to reinforce
post-lesson. According to students' achievements we can asses through utilizing pre
and post tests to see if our students have improved or not, and if our procedure is useful
and effective or not. According to Forbes (2015), gaming is not only just a leisure
activity, it is a way of life for more than 20% of people in the entire world. Those
statistics can encourage educators to incorporate games within the social studies
curriculum, especially since games have increasingly become such a part of everyday
life of many people, both young and old.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Research Problem
In recent years, gaming has become a part of student’s everyday life.
Researchers have stated that gaming in the classroom can provide students with an
environment that actively engages them in learning while increasing student
achievement. The problem is that educators do not use games appropriately in the
classroom to increase student achievement.
4
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Research Purpose and Importance of the Study
The purpose of this study is to determine if using games in the social studies
classroom will increase students’ test scores. The investigation will be conducted at a
junior high campus, in a social studies classroom. I will be using action based research
to analyze the effects of using games in the social studies classroom to increase
students’ test scores. I will be using previous research to show the correlation between
using games in the classroom and an increase in student’s scores on social studies
tests.
5
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
6
Literature Review
While PC gaming in classrooms has been prevalent for many years, McMichael
(2007), suggests that using games in the history classroom can help teach students to
think critically about how history plays a part in everyday life. This can become an
engaging link from past to present and will offer history content as more than just lecture
classes, memorizing dates, and reading boring textbooks.
McMichael implemented gaming in his own classroom using several games to
use within his own Western Civilization history class and concentrates on assigning
games as a take home experiential for his students. McMichael provided the structure
and guidelines for the assignment, along with possible outcomes for the end of the task.
Ultimately, the goal was to analyze “how history is presented academically versus how it
is presented for public consumption” (2007, p. 210) and why the two might differ. Each
student was to document their progress throughout the gaming experience and answer
specific questions, culminating in an essay that would focus on one of the themes of
geography and development of ancient civilizations.
Using games as an outside assignment introduced students to a “novel” way of
learning historical content. Additionally, those classroom games increased cognitive
skills when related to primary sources, classroom discussions, and connevting relevance
to real-world events. Classroom participation increased, as did test scores, due to the
engaging learning while using games to teach difficult content.
The importance of introducing manipulative games in the classroom is a
another way of increasing student retention, particularly when incorporating various
flashcard techniques. The flashcard game of Find Someone Who, developed by Dr.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
7
Spencer Kagan, leader in education and psychology of teacher training and
professional development, focuses on cooperative learning in the classroom. A
qualitative study was designed for East Java, Indonesian fifth graders. According to
Nurhaniyah, et al (2015), the experiment aimed to determine student motivation in the
social studies class, and the effectiveness of cooperative learning through the use of
games and their correlation to student academic success.
The study was conducted in a classroom setting with 32 students and one
teacher. The research data collected was through interviews, observations and reports
that were designed to measure the level of success in social studies students as it
relates to cooperative learning and motivation to learn. The device chosen to implement
the study was the flashcard game of Find Someone Who, which encourages students to
get up and go about the room looking for a partner that matches up with their flashcard.
This activity was designed to encourage collaboration, problem solving, and role-playing
in the classroom.
Using manipulative games, such as flashcards, correlated collaborated learning
and games with increasing social studies content mastery (2015, p.3). Students in the
experiment showed higher motivation to learn social studies and a desire to excel.
These positive results detail the correlation to the use of collaborative learning in the
classroom to higher student achievement due to the implementation of the manipulative
games in social studies.
Gaming can be an important way to introduce or review content, but it can also
be a great motivator for learning other important life skills. Researchers such as
Sardone and Devlin-Scherer (2010) have found that students can learn a variety of
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
8
internal skills through game-based learning, such as complex self-communication,
decision making, and problem solving. Apart from having fun, students’ scores across
the board increase through the “immersion in the cognitive complexity of video games
and other forms of mass entertainment” (Sardone & Devlin-Scherer, 2010, p.421). The
21st century student must be able to incorporate academic content into real-world
scenarios, as relevance is key to linking long-term learning. Incorporating games that
involve critical thinking skills, such as Pandemic, which challenge players to find a cure
for four diseases that have broken out worldwide, requires cooperation, communication,
and planning.
The ZBL, or Zombie Based Learning model, was developed by David Hunter,
uses concepts such as “Zombie Geography”, that requires students to use geography
skills to overcome an apocalyptic world where they must decide not only how to survive,
but where to build a new settlement. Students face the new geography curriculum
through engaging scenarios, all the while learning how to think like historians.
Gamification in the classroom has not only increased motivation but is positively linked
to academic achievement even if its secondary goal is just teaching something to the
student (Lister, 2015).
Interestingly, many educators have under-valued the use of games in the
classroom for overall student achievement. For some teachers, the idea of just
implementing technology can be scary in of itself, much less incorporating games into
the classroom. A qualitative study on the barriers to including games in the social
studies classroom was conducted by Schifflet and Weilbacher that addressed the issue
of overcoming the inability to try new things by many teachers. Conventional teachers
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
9
feel threatened by their lack of education in technology so they fall into the generational
gap that leaves them behind the curve of most contemporary colleagues (Schifflet &
Weilbacher, 2015), therefore they do not perceive gaming as a viable educational tool.
These internal barriers are enough of a reason to create a divide between seasoned
teachers and newer educators, so unfortunately some students would experience
gamification (with newer teachers) and some would not have the chance to do so with
veteran educators.
Dependency on technology is ever-growing, and nowhere more evident is with
students in today’s modern world. In order to capture attention and increase motivation
to learn and achieve, it has become more relevant to include games in the classroom.
Today’s youth spend almost a third of the time interacting with technology. In order to
capitalize on this, games should be integrated into traditional instruction much like
PowerPoint slides are integrated with a lecture (Petkov & Rogers, 2011). It is important
to note, that gaming in the classroom should be related to real-world experiences so
that students can make the educational leap from game to academia.
Student achievement is not only measured in traditional classroom testing, but
rather, through formative assessments and completing assignments. Students who are
actively engaged in the classroom, by the use of games, are consistently more
motivated to turn assignments in if educational games are used as a motivating factor.
The game board for Monopoly was used as a classroom simulation with a financial
accounting class. Students completed journal entries as homework assignments, along
with participating in the in-class experiential, and shortened their learning curve while
developing difficult accounting skills (Shanklin & Ehlen, 2017). The hands-on simulation
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
10
increased the students’ motivation to learn many important skills in the financial
accounting process and submitted Microsoft Excel electronic assignments with
confidence and promptness.
In relation to student achievement, preeminent educational researcher and
trainer, Dr. Robert Marzano, has done extensive studies on the importance of
engagement in the classroom using games. Marzano’s research for teaching
effectiveness, and his strategies for building academic vocabulary have been important
parts of several school district’s curriculum and instruction model for many years..
Dr. Marzano (2010), noted that he had been involved in numerous studies of the
effects of gaming in the classroom showing a large percentile point game in student
success when teachers implement academic games in the classroom. These types of
games can include online, board games or adaptations of popular television game
shows, which can provide variety in learning social studies concepts.
While the Marzano did note a strong point gain for some classrooms, not every
study had similar results. This was due to several factors that could have been avoided
by teacher preparation, errors in academic content alignment, and lack of reflective
feedback or discussions after gaming is complete. Even with these negative outcomes,
overall, it is strongly suggested that teachers implement purposeful academic games in
the classroom to encourage student achievement.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
11
Research Question
This study aims to know the effect of using educational games in the social
studies classroom to increase student achievement. This study will answer the following
questions:
1. To what extent does using games in the social studies classroom influence student
achievement?
2. Is it helpful to use games in teaching social studies to junior high students?
3. Does using games in the classroom facilitate a collaborative learning environment
and enhance social skills?
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
12
Hypothesis
This study is to measure whether games in the social studies classroom improves
students’ test scores. Junior high students who participate in games in the classroom
will demonstrate greater comprehension of the social studies content than students who
do not participate in classroom games.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
13
Method
Participants
Two Junior High social studies teachers, and their classes, would be involved in
the study. Typically, this would be on-level students, with about 25-30 students in each
class. Pre-and post- study interview questions would be given to both teachers and their
students participating. The survey questions are:
Teachers:
1. Do you consistently use games in your classroom to enhance learning and increase
student success?
2. How important do you feel games are for your classroom?
3. What are some obstacles you see in using games with your students?
4. Are hands-on manipulative games more successful for students’ success than online
games?
5. Do you feel games are necessary in the social studies classroom?
Students:
1. Do you think games are important for learning purposes?
2. Are games in the classroom more enjoyable with others or more fun by yourself?
3. Do you believe games help you achieve better grades on unit tests?
4. Do you feel motivated to learn a new topic if games are present in learning?
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
14
5. On a scale of 1 -5 (with 1 being the lowest), how fun do you think learning social
studies is for you?
Instruments
The instruments to use would include paper-based surveys, hands-on games,
and online games. Each of these would be content (unit) specific and focus on
vocabulary exposure, as well as primary sources. Vocabulary would be both academic
and content, and primary sources would include a variety of political cartoons, quotes,
maps, and charts. The goal would be to find primary sources that are obscure so that
the students have very little prior knowledge of them.
Research Design
The protocols used to collect the data would be the pre and post surveys with the
teachers and students that participate. Additionally, the types of games for the teachers
to include in their lessons would not only be for reviewing content at the end of a unit
taught, but also preview games and those used during a lesson cycle. The focus would
be on vocabulary as well as analyzing primary sources, carefully selected primary
sources would be included. Additionally, hands-on manipulative games / activities, as
well as computer games to see how engaged the students are during gaming time in
the classroom would be implemented.
Procedures
After teachers and students have answered the pre-study questions, each
teacher would receive manipulative hands-on unit preview vocabulary games, such as a
three-way matching activity where the students, independently, would have 5 minutes to
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
15
match a vocabulary term, its definition, and a picture. After 5 minutes, the students
would break into small groups to work on the activity. Ideally, the vocabulary terms
would include academic as well as content terms, and there would be a few that the
students would have seen prior and a few that are new to them. MORE PRE-ASSESS
GAMES HERE!
After the unit has been introduced with the hands-on pre-assess matching game,
the lesson would continue with an online learning platform, such as Nearpod. Each
student would receive a chromebook or ipad with the Nearpod lesson that is led by the
teacher, but includes student online formative assessments such as polls, quizzes, and
short video clips to keep students engaged in the topic….. ONLINE INTERACTIVE
GAMES HERE!
When the lesson is complete, students would then be separated into small
groups where they would be given several primary sources over the topic learned.
These would include a political cartoon, painting (or some other art), a map, and a
graph / chart that would be related to the unit’s content. As a small group, the students
would use the 5 W’s of “who, what, where, when, and why” to investigate each of the
primary sources. After the investigation, a whole-group discussion would help elaborate
and clarify any misconceptions or enhance further discussions over the unit.
When the unit is finished, REVIEW GAMES HERE…war, headline news, etc
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
16
each student would be given a short test over the content. The test would be 10
multiple choice questions, on a rigorous STAAR level, with dual-coded questions that
include processing skills such as sequencing, comparing/contrasting, etc. The test
would also include a short primary source analysis over a previously unseen source.
The tests would then be scanned and data collected through eduphoria Aware online
assessment. Data from the unit that included multiple games would then be compared
with test scores from last year that did not include the games.
After test scores have been calculated, and before the results are given to the
teachers and students, the same pre-study questions will be given to the teachers and
students for post-study and used for comparison.
As a result of using both manipulatives and digital / online games in the social
studies classroom throughout instruction, the study would show increased student
scores and more active engagement within the content learning.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
17
References
Lister, M. (2015) Gamification: The effect on student motivation and performance at the
post-secondary level. Issues and Trends in Educational Technology (ITET), 3(2),
1-22.
Marzano, R. (2010). The art and science of teaching / using games to enhance student
achievement. Educational Leadership, 67(5), 71-72.
McMichael, A. (2007). PC games and the teaching of history. History Teacher, 0(2), 203218.
Nurhaniyah, B., Soetjipto, B., & Hanurawan, F. (2015). The implementation of
collaborative learning model Find Someone Who Has and Flashcard Game to
enhance social studies learning motivation for the fifth grade students. Journal of
Education and Practice, 6(17), 1-7.
Petkov, M., & Rogers, G. E. (2011). Using gaming to motivate today's technologydependent students. Journal of Stem Teacher Education, 48(1), 7-12.
Sardone, N. & Delvin-Scherer, R. (2010). Teacher candidate responses to digital
games: 21st century skills development. Journal of Research on Technology in
Education, 42(4), 409-425.
Shanklin, S. B., & Ehlen, C. R. (2017). Extending the Use and Effectiveness of the
Monopoly® Board Game as an In-Class Economic Simulation in the Introductory
Financial Accounting Course. American Journal 0f Business Education, 10(2),
75-80.
Running Head: ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
18
Shapiro, J. (2015, March 30). How video games in the classroom will make students
smarter. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2015/03/30/how-video-games-in-theclassroom-will-make-students-smarter#314245586d12
Shifflet, R. & Weilbacher, G. (2015). Teacher beliefs and their influence on technology
use: A case study. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher
Education, 15(3). Retrieved from http://www.citejournal.org/volume-15/issue-315/social-studies/teacher-beliefs-and-their-influence-on-technology-use-a-casestudy.