Alternative Reality Games in The Field of Education: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Öz

The concept of gamification in educational environments has become a topic of interest day by day. Alternative reality games (ARG) are also important type of gamification activities. ARGs are games defined as immersive games that use multi-media tools, include puzzle solving and interactive narratives. In this research, it is aimed to bring together the studies on ARG and examine them in detail. For this purpose, both systematic review and meta-analysis methods were used. While 73 studies on ARGs were examined by systematic review method, 11 studies were subjected to meta-analysis to determine the effect of ARGs in teaching environments. According to the analysis results, the most work was done in 2021. The studies were mainly carried out in the USA. In general, the studies are in the article type. The sample of the study consists of higher education students, and a qualitative research method, namely the case study design, has been employed. According to the meta-analysis results, it can be said that learning activities that include ARGs have a higher effect than learning activities that do not include ARGs. In Turkey, emphasis can be given to studies on ARG. Due to the scarcity of thesis written on this subject, the number of ARG-focused theses can be increased. Implementation can also be emphasized in other education levels other than higher education. In terms of method, studies using mixed or quantitative methods can be increased. Due to the positive impact of ARGs on teaching environments, experimental studies on ARGs can be planned based on various variables.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Alternate Reality Games
• Systematic Review
• Meta-analysis

Eğitim Alanında Alternatif Gerçeklik Oyunları: Sistematik Bir İnceleme ve Meta-Analiz Çalışması

Öz

Eğitim ortamlarında oyunlaştırma kavramı, gün geçtikçe ilgi duyulan bir konu haline gelmiştir. Alternatif gerçeklik oyunları (AGO) da oyunlaştırma etkinliklerinin önemli bir türüdür. AGO, çoklu medya araçlarının kullanıldığı, bulmaca çözme ve etkileşimli anlatımların yer aldığı, sürükleyici oyunlar olarak tanımlanan oyunlardır. Bu araştırmada, AGO üzerine yapılmış olan çalışmaların bir araya getirilmesi ve detaylı biçimde incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bunun için hem sistematik derleme hem de meta analiz yöntemi kullanılmıştır. AGO’lara ilişkin yapılmış olan 73 çalışma, sistematik derleme yöntemi ile incelenirken 11 çalışma, AGO’ların öğretim ortamlarındaki etkisini belirlemek amacıyla meta-analize tabi tutulmuştur. Analiz sonuçlarına göre en fazla çalışma 2021 yılında yapılmıştır. Çalışmalar ağırlıklı olarak ABD’de gerçekleştirilmiştir. Genel olarak çalışmalar, makale türündedir. Çalışmalarda hedef kitle olarak en fazla yüksek öğretim öğrencileri tercih edilmiş olup çoğunlukla nitel araştırma yöntemleri ve durum çalışması deseni tercih edilmiştir. Meta-analiz sonucuna göre, AGO’ların yer aldığı öğrenme etkinliklerinin, AGO’ların yer almadığı öğrenme etkinliklerine göre etkisinin yüksek olduğu söylenebilir. Türkiye'de AGO konulu çalışmalara ağırlık verilebilir. Bu konuda yazılmış tezlerin azlığından dolayı, AGO odaklı tezlerin sayısı artırılabilir. Yükseköğretim dışındaki diğer öğretim kademelerinde de uygulamalara ağırlık verilebilir. Yöntem bakımından karma veya nicel yöntem benimsenen çalışmalar artırılabilir. AGO'ların öğretim ortamlarına yönelik pozitif etkisinden dolayı çeşitli değişkenler üzerinden AGO'lar ile ilgili deneysel çalışmalar planlanabilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Alternatif Gerçeklik Oyunları
• Sistematik Derleme
• Meta-analiz

Kaynakça

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