Teachers' Perceptions of Digital Game Utilisation in Teaching and Learning Physics Concepts in Secondary Schools of Murang’a County, Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70619/vol5iss2pp27-43Keywords:
Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL), Physics Education, Teacher Perceptions, Technology Integration, Educational Technology, Teaching InnovationAbstract
This study investigated physics teachers' perceptions regarding the utilisation of Digital Game-Based Learning in secondary schools within Murang'a County, Kenya. The research specifically examined teachers' comfort levels with digital games, perceived usefulness, implementation intentions, and specific attitudes toward game-based instruction in physics education. Employing a mixed-methods approach through a descriptive survey design, the study collected data from 11 purposively selected physics teachers using structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that while 45.5% of teachers expressed comfort with DGBL, significant barriers to adoption persisted. Teachers strongly recognized DGBL's potential benefits, particularly in visualization (M=4.18) and student engagement (M=4.27), but expressed concerns about technical issues (M=3.73) and classroom management challenges (M=3.45). The study identified a notable gap between perceived usefulness and implementation intentions, with moderate confidence levels (M=3.18) in game integration abilities suggesting a need for enhanced technological pedagogical content knowledge. Qualitative data illuminated how teachers negotiate between perceived benefits and practical constraints, highlighting the critical role of institutional support and professional development in successful DGBL implementation. The research concludes that while teachers generally maintain positive dispositions toward DGBL, addressing technical infrastructure, providing targeted professional development, and ensuring curriculum alignment are essential for effective integration.
References
Akkaya, S., Zeynep, T. A. N., & Kapidere, M. (2021). Examination of Primary-School Teachers’ Views on Digital Game-Based Teaching. Temel Eğitim, (11), 39-55.
Albirini, A. (2006). Teachers’ attitudes toward information and communication technologies: The case of Syrian EFL teachers. Computers & Education, 47(4), 373–398
Alfalah, S. F. (2018). Perceptions toward adopting virtual reality as a teaching aid in information technology. Education and Information Technologies, 23(6), 2633–2653
Anupam, A., Gupta, R., Gupta, S., Li, Z., Hong, N., Naeemi, A., & Parvin, N. (2020). Design Challenges for Science Games: The Case of a Quantum Mechanics Game. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 11(1), 1-20.
An, Y. J., & Cao, L. (2017). The effects of game design experience on teachers’ attitudes and perceptions regarding the use of digital games in the classroom. TechTrends, 61, 162-170.
Baek, Y. K. (2008). What hinders teachers in utilising computer and video games in the classroom? Exploring factors inhibiting the uptake of computer and video games. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11(6), 665-671.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Utilising thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
Chen, C. C., & Tu, H. Y. (2021). The effect of digital game-based learning on learning motivation and performance under social cognitive theory and entrepreneurial thinking. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 750711.
Davis, F. D. (1989). Technology acceptance model: TAM. Al-Suqri, MN, Al-Aufi, AS: Information Seeking Behavior and Technology Adoption, 205, 219.
Easterling, A. (2021). Digital game-based learning: Teacher training, perceptions, benefits, and barriers. PhD, St. Cloud State University.
Ertmer, P. A., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. T. (2010). Teacher technology change: How knowledge, confidence, beliefs, and culture intersect. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(3), 255-284.
Ertmer, P. A., Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A., Sadik, O., & Sendurur, E. (2012). Teacher beliefs and technology integration practices: A critical relationship. Computers & Education 59 (2012), 423–435.
Gee, J. P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. Computers in Entertainment (CIE), 1(1), 20-20.
Gumbi, N., Sibaya, D., & Chibisa, A. (2024). Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Perspectives on the Integration of Digital Game-Based Learning for Sustainable STEM Education. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031314.
Hayak, M., & Avidov-Ungar, O. (2020). The integration of digital game-based learning into the instruction: Teachers’ perceptions at different career stages. TechTrends, 64(6), 887-898. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-020-00503-6
Hébert, C., Jenson, J., & Terzopoulos, T. (2021). “Access to technology is the major challenge”: Teacher perspectives on barriers to DGBL in K-12 classrooms. E-Learning and Digital Media, 18(3), 307-324.
Hsu, C. Y., Tsai, M. J., Chang, Y. H., & Liang, J. C. (2017). Surveying in-service teachers’ beliefs about game-based learning and perceptions of technological pedagogical and content knowledge of games. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 20(1), 134-143.
Hussein, M., Ow, S., Cheong, L., Thong, M., & Ebrahim, N. (2019). Effects of Digital Game-Based Learning on Elementary Science Learning: A Systematic Review. IEEE Access, 7, 62465-62478. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2916324.
Ince, E. Y., & Demirbilek, M. (2013). Secondary and high school teachers’ perceptions regarding computer games with educational features in Turkey. The Anthropologist, 16(1-2), 89-96.
Kaimara, P., Fokides, E., Oikonomou, A., & Deliyannis, I. (2021). Potential barriers to the utilisation of digital game-based learning in the classroom: Pre-service teachers’ views. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 26(4), 825-844.
Koh, J. H. L., Chai, C. S., Benjamin, W., & Hong, H. Y. (2015). Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and design thinking: A framework to support ICT lesson design for 21st century learning. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 24(3), 535-543.
Kuang, T., Agustina, L., & Monalisa, Y. (2023). Acceptance of digital game-based learning by accounting and business lecturers: empirical evidence from Indonesia based on the extended Technology Acceptance Model. Accounting Education, 33, 391 - 413. https://doi.org/10.1080/09639284.2023.2207174.
Lameras, P., Arnab, S., Dunwell, I., Stewart, C., Clarke, S., & Petridis, P. (2017). Essential features of serious games design in higher education: Linking learning attributes to game mechanics. British journal of educational technology, 48(4), 972-994.
Leonardou, A., Rigou, M., Panagiotarou, A., & Garofalakis, J. (2021). The case of a multiplication skills game: Teachers’ viewpoint on MG’s dashboard and OSLM features. Computers, 10(5), 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers10050065
Malik, A., Anwar, M. N., Naveed, N., & Malik, H. (2024). The Integration of Digital Game-Based Learning into Primary School Instruction: Exploring Teachers' Perceptions at Various Career Stages in Sargodha. Qlantic Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 5(2), 295-306. https://doi.org/10.55737/qjssh.537319468
Matic, L. J., Karavakou, M., & Grizioti, M. (2023). Is digital game-based learning possible in mathematics classrooms?: A study of teachers' beliefs. International Journal of Game-Based Learning (IJGBL), 13(1), 1-18.
Palha, S., & Matic, L. J. (2023). Predisposition of In-Service Teachers to Use Game-Based Pedagogy. Electronic journal of e-learning, 21(4), 286-298. https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.21.4.3135
Pranata, O. D. (2024). Physics education technology (PhET) as a game-based learning tool: A quasi-experimental study. Pedagogical Research, 9(4), em0221. https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/15154
Ragni, B., Toto, G. A., di Furia, M., Lavanga, A., & Limone, P. (2023, May). The use of Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) in teachers’ training: a scoping review. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 8, p. 1092022). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1092022
Rogers, E. M., Singhal, A., & Quinlan, M. M. (2014). Diffusion of innovations. In An integrated approach to communication theory and research (pp. 432-448). Routledge.
Saal, P. E., Mdlulwa, N., & Hannan, S. (2024). Unlocking the Power of Play: Exploring Key Influences of Digital Game-Based Learning Adoption Among South African Mathematics Teachers. Computers in the Schools, 1-22.
Sánchez-Mena, A., Martí-Parreño, J., & Aldás-Manzano, J. (2017). The role of perceived relevance and attention in teachers' attitude and intention to use educational video games. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 12(3), 154–168.
Scherer, R., & Teo, T. (2019). Unpacking teachers’ intentions to integrate technology: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review.
Takeuchi, L. M., & Vaala, S. (2014). Level up Learning: A National Survey on Teaching with Digital Games. In Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. 1900 Broadway, New York, NY 10023.
Tomczyk, Ł., Jáuregui, V. C., de La Higuera Amato, C. A., Muñoz, D., Arteaga, M., Oyelere, S. S., ... & Porta, M. (2021). Are teachers techno-optimists or techno-pessimists? A pilot comparative among teachers in Bolivia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, Poland, Turkey, and Uruguay. Education and Information Technologies, 26(3), 2715-2741.
Tondeur, J., van Braak, J., Sang, G., Voogt, J., Fisser, P., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2012). Preparing pre-service teachers to integrate technology in education: A synthesis of qualitative evidence. Computers & Education, 59(1), 134-144.
Villa III, A. M., Sedlacek, Q. C., & Pope, H. Y. (2023). I DiG STEM: A teacher professional development on equitable digital game-based learning. Education Sciences, 13(9), 964. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13090964
Virk, S., Clark, D., & Sengupta, P. (2015). Digital games as multirepresentational environments for science learning: Implications for theory, research, and design. Educational psychologist, 50(4), 284-312.
Vlachopoulos, D., & Makri, A. (2017). The effect of games and simulations on higher education: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 14(1), 1-33.
Wu, C., Tzeng, Y., & Huang, Y. (2014). Understanding the relationship between physiological signals and digital game-based learning outcome. Journal of Computers in Education, 1, 81-97. https://doi.org/10.1007/S40692-014-0006-X.
Wu, C., Tzeng, Y., & Huang, Y. (2020). Measuring performance in leaning process of digital game-based learning and static E-learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68, 2215 - 2237. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09765-6.
Yochum, W. D. (2013). Revitalizing the Physics Curriculum: Introducing Game-Based Learning as an Effective Educational Technique in the Physics Curriculum (Doctoral dissertation).
