Design Research Using Game Design as an Instructional Strategy.

Game design as an instructional tool can be expensive and time-consuming, as new software requires not only capital outlay but also training for teachers and students. Therefore, researchers have looked at low-tech design platforms to accomplish the same educational goals. One such way is to use Microsoft PowerPoint as a game design tool. In the second iteration of a design study, we have changed the way a homemade PowerPoint game project is implemented in an environmental chemistry classroom by providing more structure and more opportunities for instruction and feedback on the elements of the game design. We compared the performance of between groups who created games and groups who did not on tests for two separate units. Both test results showed statistically significant differences: in favor of the control group on the first unit and in favor of the group creating games for the second unit. Further research needs to examine which factors led to the significant findings in both instances. The idea of using technology to allow students to create artifacts such as games has its roots in constructionist pedagogy, first championed by Seymour Papert (1991). Over the past few decades, computers have been used to create games using programming languages such as Logo, and later Alice and Scratch, to teach not only computer science but other content areas as well. However, there are several obstacles to using game design to teach topics other than programming. First, time can be an issue; not only do teachers need to teach content, they need to teach the programming language as well have the proper infrastructure in place (Rice, 2006). Similarly, teachers may not have the technical acumen to appropriately teach the programming language and troubleshoot when difficulties arise on the part of the student (Kafai, Peppler, & Chiu, 2007). Finally, while some of the educational programming languages are open source and free of cost, a school’s infrastructure and policies regarding software may prohibit their use (Barbour, Thomas, Rauscher, & Rieber, 2010). As a result, some researchers have begun to look at “low-tech” ways to apply game-design pedagogy. One way is through the use of Microsoft PowerPoint. While MS PowerPoint is clearly not game-design software, it can be used to create simple games. However, much of the research using these homemade PowerPoint games has shown no statistical difference in performance, which has led researchers to question the philosophical justifications for their use (Barbour et al., 2009; Siko, Barbour, & Toker, 2011). It has also led researchers to examine whether or not the design and implementation of the game design project can influence student performance. In this study, we will review the justifications for the use of homemade PowerPoint games and review studies involving the use of the games in K-12 classrooms. We will then discuss changes made to the project based on the results of a previous study and detail any changes in performance based on those changes. Finally, we will look at the implications of those changes, and discuss what further research still needs to be conducted.