The use of game-based learning to enhance student engagement in the acupuncture programme: South African students’ opinions

Year 2023, Volume: 11 Issue: 2 - June 2023, 137 - 152, 11.07.2023

Zijing Hu Radmila Razlog

https://doi.org/10.17478/jegys.1277401

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Student engagement plays an important role in promoting student success at higher education institutions. It is of profound significance to improve student engagement through the utilisation of effective pedagogical approaches, such as game-based learning. However, there is a lack of study in the South African context focusing on game-based learning at higher education institutions. This study aimed to explore students’ views and experiences on game-based learning at an identified university in South Africa. The constructivism learning theory was anchored in this study as a theoretical lens. In this study, the authors adopted a qualitative single case study design within an interpretivist paradigm. A purposive sampling technique was followed to recruit participants from a public university in South Africa since it is the only university that provides acupuncture programmes in this country. Six participants were recruited for this study. The authors utilised thematic analysis to analyse the data. The findings of this study revealed that participants shared positive views and attitudes toward game-based learning. They believed that game-based learning significantly motivated them in the learning process. Furthermore, game-based learning also reduced their stress in learning compared to the learning in normal classrooms. They reported that game-based learning not only improved their engagement in learning but also enhanced their knowledge and skills. This study also highlighted that game-based learning should be well-planned to avoid demotivating students. It can be concluded that game-based learning is an effective approach to improve student engagement. Further studies should be conducted with diverse research approaches at different higher education institutions.

Keywords

game-based learning, student engagement, student-centred learning theory, higher education, acupuncture, health sciences

References

• Adipat, S., Laksana, K., Busayanon, K., Asawasowan, A., & Adipat, B. (2021). Engaging students in the learning process with game-based learning: The fundamental concepts. International Journal of Technology in Education, 4(3), 542-552. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.169
• Akour, M., Alsghaier, H. & Aldiabat, S. (2020). Game-based learning approach to improve self-learning motivated students. International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 12(2), 146-160.
• Alomari, I., Al-Samarraie, H., & Yousef, R. (2019). The role of gamification technique in promoting student learning: a review and synthesis. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 18, 395-417. https://doi.org/10.28945/4417
• Anak Yunus, C. C., & Hua, T. K. (2021). Exploring a gamified learning tool in the ESL classroom: the case of Quizizz. Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, 8(1), 103-108. https://doi.org/ 10.20448/journal.509.2021.81.103.108
• Astin, A. W. (1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 25, 297-308.
• Barkley, E. F. (2010). Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Bond, M., Buntins, K., Bedenlier, S., Zawacki-Richter, O. & Kerres, M. (2020). Mapping research in student engagement and educational technology in higher education: a systematic evidence map. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(2), 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0176-8
• Buckley, P., Doyle, E., & Doyle, S. (2017). Game on! students’ perceptions of gamified learning. Educational Technology & Society, 20(3), 1-10.
• Burhanuddin, N.A.N., Ahmad, N.A. Said, R.R. & Asimiran, S. (2021). Learning theories: Views from behaviourism theory and constructivism theory. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 10(1), 85–98.
• Cheng, C.H. & Su, C.H. (2011). A Game-based learning system for improving student’s learning effectiveness in system analysis course, Procdia, (31), 669-675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.122
• Chow, A. F., Woodford, K. C., & Maes, J. (2011). Deal of no deal: using games to improve student learning, retention and decision-making. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 42(2), 259-264.
• Cloete, N., Maassen, P. & Bailey, T. (2015). Knowledge Production and Contradictory Functions in African Higher Education. Cape Town: African Minds Publishers.
• Creswell, J.W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches (4th ed.). California: Sage.
• Collaco, C.M. (2017). Increasing student engagement in higher education. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 17(4), 40-47.
• Delialioğlu, Ö. (2012). Student engagement in blended learning environments with lecture-based and problem-based instructional approaches. Educational Technology & Society, 15(3), 310-322.
• De Villiers, B. & Werner, A. (2016). The relationship between student engagement and academic success. Journal for New Generation Sciences, 14(1), 36-50.
• Dichev, C. & Dicheva, D. (2017). Gamifying education: what is known, what is believed and what remains uncertain: a critical review. Int J Educ Technol High Educ, 14(9), 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-017-0042-5
• Emaliana, I. (2017). Teacher-centered or student-centered learning approach to promote learning? Jurnal Sosial Humaniora, 10(2), 59-70.
• Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71.
• Fitzgerald, H.E., Bruns, K., Sonka, S.T., Furco, A. & Swanson, L. (2012). The centrality of engagement in higher education. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 20(1), 245-253.
• Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059.
• Golder, J. (2018). Constructivism: A paradigm for teaching and learning. International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews, 5(3), 678-686.
• Hackathorn, J., Solomon, E.D. & Blankmeyer, K.L. (2011). Learning by doing: An empirical study of active teaching techniques. Journal of Effective Teaching, 11(2), 40-54.
• Hashim, H., Rafiq, K.R.M. & Yunus,M.M. (2019). Improving ESL learner’ grammar with gamified-learning. Arab World English Journal, 5 (5), 40-50. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/call8.12
• Hassan, K.E. (2011). Quality of College Life (QCL): Validation of a measure of student well-being in the Middle East. International Journal of Educational and Psychological Measurement, 8(1), 12-22.
• Hu, Z. (2022). COVID-19 patient’s views and experience of Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment in South Africa. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 28(7), 65-71. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35648696/
• Hu, Z. & Venketsamy, R. (2022). Implementation example of TPACK model in health sciences education: Exploring of the students’ views on clinical simulation in the acupuncture programme at a South African University. Journal for the Education of Gifted Young Scientists, 10(2), 251-263. http://dx.doi.org/10.17478/jegys.1092471
• Hu, Z., Venketsamy, R. & Razlog, R. (2022). Exploring health sciences students' experiences of interprofessional education to improve quality learning outcomes. Journal for the Education of Gifted Young Scientists, 10(3), 385-398. http://dx.doi.org/10.17478/jegys.1126020
• Ivala, E. & Kioko, J. (2013). Student levels of engagement in learning: A case study of Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Perspectives in Education, 31(2), 123-134.
• Jääskä, E & Aaltonen, K. (2022). Teachers’ experiences of using game-based learning methods in project management higher education, Project Leadership and Society, 3, 100041, ISSN 2666-7215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plas.2022.100041.
• Kahu, E. R. (2013). Framing student engagement in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 38(5), 758-773. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.598505
• Kaplan, D.E. (2018) Piagetian Theory in Online Teacher Education. Creative Education, 9, 831-837. doi: 10.4236/ce.2018.96061.
• Kitiashvili, A. (2020). Shifting from a teacher-centred to a student-centred approach in the general education of Georgia: Attitudes and classroom practices of teachers. International Journal of Innovation and Research in Educational Sciences, 7(6), 552-564.
• Kuh, G. (2009). What student affairs professionals need to know about student engagement. Journal of College Student Development, 50(6), 683‒706.
• Lewin, T. & Mawoyo, M. (2014). Student Access and Success: Issues and Interventions in South African Universities. Cape Town: The South African Institute for Advancement.
• Lim, W.N. (2017). Improving student engagement in higher education through mobile-based interactive teaching model using Socrative. 2017 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference, 404-412.
• Maasum, T. N. R. T. M., Mustaffa, R., & Stapa, S. H. (2015). Young learners’ perceptions of learning English using language games in a non-formal context. 6th International Conference on Social Sciences (pp. 11-12), September, III, 104-112. Turkey: Istanbul. ISBN 9788890916335.
• Mandernach, B.J. (2015). Assessment of student engagement in higher education: A synthesis of literature and assessment tools. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 12(2), 1-14.
• McCombs, B.L. & Whisler, J.S. (1997). The Learner-Centered Classroom and School: Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation and Achievement. The Jossey-Bass Education Series. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Mee, R. W. M., Shahdan, T. S. T., Ismail, M. R., Ghani, K. A., Pek, L. S., Von, W. Y., Woo, A. & Rao, Y. S. (2020). Role of gamification in classroom teaching: pre-service teachers’ view. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 9(3), 684-690. http://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v9i3.20622
• Muhajirah, M. (2020). Basic of learning theory: (Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism, and Humanism). International Journal of Asian Education, 1(1), 37-42. https://doi.org/10.46966/ijae.v1i1.23
• Plass, J.L., Homer, B.D. & Kinzer, C.K. (2015). Foundations of game-based learning. Educational Psychologist, 50(4), 258-283. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/00461520.2015.1122533
• Pyle, A. (2018). Play-based learning. Canada: Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development.
• Rahmani, E. F. (2020). The benefits of gamification in the English learning context. Indonesian Journal of English Education, 7(1), 32-47. http://doi.org/10.15408/ijee.v7i1.17054
• Schreiber, B. & Yu, D. (2016). Exploring student engagement practices at a South African university: Student engagement as reliable predictor of academic performance. South African Journal of Higher Education, 30(5), 157-175. http://dx.doi.org/10.20853/30-5-593
• Shah, R.K. (2019). Effective constructivist teaching learning in the classroom. International Journal of Education, 7(4), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.34293/education.v7i4.600
• Siddiqi, A.F., Shabbir, M.S., Abbas, M., Mahmood, A. and Salman, R. (2022), "Developing and testing student engagement scale for higher educational students", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 14(1) 424-439. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-11-2020-0388
• Skinner, E. A., Wellborn, J. G., & Connell, J. P. (1990). What it takes to do well in school and whether I've got it: The role of perceived control in children's engagement and school achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 22-32.
• Solomonides, I. (2013). A relational and multidimensional model of student engagement. In E. Dunne, & D. Owen (Eds.), The Student Engagement Handbook: Practice in Higher Education, (1st ed., pp. 43–58). Bingley: Emerald.
• Subhash, S., & Cudney, E. A. (2018). Gamified learning in higher education: systematic review of the literature. Computers in Human Behavior, 87, 192-206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.05.028
• Ting, J.K.S., Tan, V.M. & Voon, M.L. (2020). Factors Influencing Student Engagement In Higher Education Institutions: Central To Sustainability And Progression Of The Institution. European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine, 7(8), 468-473.
• Trybus, J. (2015). Game-Based Learning: What it is, Why it Works, and Where it’s Going.” New Media Institute. Accessed April 6. http://www.newmedia.org /game-based-learning--what-it-is-why-it -works-and-where-its-going.html.
• Venketsamy, R. & Hu, Z. (2022). Exploring challenges experienced by foundation phase teachers in using technology for teaching and learning: a South African case study. Journal for the Education of Gifted Young Scientists, 10(2), 221-237. http://dx.doi.org/10.17478/jegys.1085660
• Venketsamy, R., Hu, Z., Helmbold, E., & Auckloo, P. (2022). Implementing the Japanese Lesson Study as a professional development tool in South Africa. Journal for the Education of Gifted Young Scientists, 10(3), 349-362. http://dx.doi.org/10.17478/jegys.1129982
• Venketsamy, R., Smart, L. & Hu, Z. (2021). Creating and leading a learning environment in diverse Foundation Phase classrooms in a South African school. Journal for the Education of Gifted Young Scientists, 9(4), 349-364. http://dx.doi.org/10.17478/jegys.1012179
• Wawrzynski, M.R., Heck, A.M. & Remley, C.T. (2012). Student Engagement in South African Higher Education. Journal of College Student Development, 52(1), 106-123.
• Weegar, M.A. & Pacis, D. (2012). A Comparison of Two Theories of Learning - Behaviorism and Constructivism as applied to Face-to-Face and Online Learning. Presented at the E-Leader Conference. Manila, Philippines.
• Weimer, M. (2002). Learner-Centred Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice. San Francisco. CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Welbers, K., Konjin, E. A., Burgers, C., de Vaate, A. B., Eden, A., & Brugman, B. C. (2019). Gamification as a tool for engaging student learning: a field experiment with a gamified app. E-learning and Digital Media, 16(2), 92-109. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042753018818342
• Yaccob, N.S., Rahman, S.F.A., Mohamad, S.N.A., Rahim, A.A.A., Rashid, K.K.A., Mohammed, A., Aldaba, A., Yunus, M.M. & Hashim, H. (2022). Gamifying ESL classrooms through gamified teaching and learning. Arab World English Journal, (8), 177-191. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/call8.12
• Yin, R.K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods (6th ed.). The United States of America: Sage.