Teachers’ Perceptions about using Serious Games in Formal Education in Jordan: Possibilities and Limitations

Abstract

Over the past few years, academics have witnessed an increasing amount of attention being accorded to games as learning tools. According to several researchers, Serious Games (SGs) can assist learning by emerging as an alternate means of presenting instructions. Whilst SGs are increasingly gaining acceptance as a learning tool, their application in formal education remains rather limited, which underpins the importance about understanding what makes a game effective and how it must be used in classrooms. Given that teachers play a key role in shaping and responding to the intricate contextual factors influencing the manner in which games are experienced across educational settings, their opinions on what SGs can possibly accomplish in educational settings would inexorably impact the decisions relating to when, how, and for what purposes they would be incorporated in classrooms. Against this backdrop, this study administered a survey online and in hardcopy to ascertain teachers’ perceptions on SGs and their effect on their contribution as a teacher. It also pinpointed the challenges and impediments of utilizing SGs in classrooms through teachers’ perspective, which illuminated the attitudes teachers generally bring to games-based learning environments. According to the findings, teachers are typically open to using SGs in their classrooms. Overall, it can be inferred that the design/development of SGs aimed at formal education can benefit significantly by adopting game features and surmounting the hurdles addressed by teachers.