In Search of a More Effective Strategy: Using Simulation Games Instructional Strategy for the Teaching and Learning of Social Studies in Secondary School (original) (raw)
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Simulation/Games in Social Studies: A Report. SSEC Publication No. 164
1974
This report, third in a series, contains descriptive and analytical information on the use of simulation/games in elementary and secondary social studies classrooms. One hundred and thirteen teachers who are well versed in the use of simulation/games and who use them in their classes were surveyed. Among the findings are the following: (1) the major source of information about simulation/games is from the literature on simulations-principally journal articles and books; (2) teachers implement games based on scheduling needs, rather than on the time demands of the game itself; (3) the placement of games within the general curriculum plan varies from an introduction to a culminating activity; (4) most teachers are satisfied with the games and plan to use them again; (5) in comparison to other teaching methods, games more effectively help students develop desirable attitudes, an integrated and realistic view of the subject matter, and critical thinking ability; (6) games are an effective way to reach nonverbal students, to bring out underachievers, and get greater student involvement; and (7) the most frequently used techniques for evaluating games are observational. It is recommended that teachers explore the possibilities of using simulation/games. One of the greatest needs in the area is for more and better evaluation procedures.
Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research
PurposeThe purpose of the article is (1) to find out whether students instructed with Computer-Assisted Simulation Learning Games (CASLGs) will improve in their scholarly learning outcomes and (2) to ascertain if the biological construct of sex will affect students scholarly learning outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe study was experimental. The study sample comprised 120 students from four schools. The study instrument was the Scholarly Learning Outcomes Test (SLOT), drawn from the school syllabus. The study lasted six weeks. Before the experimentation, the students were pre-tested using the Scholarly Learning Outcomes Test (SLOT. After which, students were posttested to ascertain students' scholarly learning outcomes. The statistical mean was employed to analyse data generated from the pretest and posttest to provide answers for the research questions, while analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) statistics was utilised to test the hypotheses.Findings The results show that CASLG...
Learning with Games: An Analysis of Social Studies Educational Games and Simulations
1973
Seventy social studies educational games and simulations, designed for K-12th grade, with many applicable to adults, are described and analyzed in the major section of this book. Each of the analyses is divided into eight categories and provides an overview of tAAe game; a description of the physical qualities and cost of the materials; suggested time required to play the game; intended user characteristics; rationale and general objectives; basic concepts, generalizations, trends, themes, or simulated situations which are the basis for the content of the materials; procedural activities and responsibilities of students an teachers; and evaluative comments. Arrangement of the analysis is alphabetically by game title. Games are cross referenced by developer, grade level, publisher, subject area and miscellaneous. In addition to the analyses the book contains: 1) an extensive list of sources and resources on the development and use of educational games including an annotated bibliography of books on simulation design and use, listings of game bibliographies and directories, various developers in the field of social studies, and several newsletters t-Major work on the compilation and editing of Learning with Games was done by Cheryl L. Charles and Ronald Stadsklev. Charles is currently Social Science Chairman at Trevor G. Browne High School, Phoenix, Arizona. As a former Staff Associate with the SSEC, she did the major editorial work on the Data Book and its Supplements. In her capacity as editor, Charles has participated in a majority of the simulations analyzed for the Data Book. She has written a number of the analyses and assisted in the compilation of the Sources and Resources section of this book. Ronald Stadsklev, former Teacher Associate with the SSEC, has been deeply involved in the implementation and use of social studies games and simulations for some time. He has conducted many workshops for teachers on the use of simulations in the classroom and has tested many simulations in his own classes at Concordia Teachers College, Seward, Nebraska. Stadsklev is a contributing editor to Simulation/Gaming/News. He has assisted SSEC by identifying games to be analyzed for the Data Book and by writing many of the analyses. In addition, he compiled the Abbreviated Games and Simulations Guide. Besides Stadsklev and Charles, the following people have written analyses of games and simulations:
International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research
This study explored the effects of game simulation and brainstorming pedagogy strategies on students’ learning outcomes. In addition, the study compared the effects of three strategies on students’ learning outcomes. This study tested pedagogical strategies for effects on learning outcomes. The quasi-experimental research involved 180 students. The results reliably indicate that a simulation-game pedagogical strategy boosted students’ learning outcomes, while a brainstorming pedagogical strategy was effective on students’ learning outcomes. When equated with brainstorming and the lecture strategies in enhancing students’ learning outcomes, the superiority of the simulation-game pedagogical strategy was also observed. These findings indicate that innovative and student-centred pedagogical strategies such as simulation-game and brainstorming strategies improve students’ learning outcomes. In-service teachers should be appropriately trained through seminars and conferences on modern pe...
Sample Game Applications in Social Studies Teaching
In this study where game has been used as a method of teaching in the social studies lesson, the concepts of game and educational game in socials studies teaching have been emphasized and the impact of games on the development of the child has been discussed. The sample of the study consists of 80 students. Two sample applications selected by the researchers among 20 games, which are both unique and considered to be suitable for the social studies lesson. The selected applications have been examined in two sections in terms of form and content. Student opinions have been included in the evaluation section. The collected data have been examined through the documentary review technique.
International Journal of Computing and Digital Systems, 2014
Psychologists have often emphasized the need to incorporate games into the school curriculum as a way of providing learners with opportunities to develop skills in all aspects of the curriculum. Accordingly, these games offer learners an avenue to release their mental tension resulting from rigorous academic engagement. Previous studies have also indicated that the learning process can be made more enjoyable for learners when games are incorporated into the learning process. This study examined the instructional power of game-based learning and simulation in a K-12 setting and sought to provide insight as to whether game-based learning would be an emphatic method that could be used for teaching and learning. Many scholars have argued that game-based learning stirs up a sense of motivation for learners regarding their learning process. Therefore, this study explored the distinct features of game-based learning which learners consider to be interesting /absorbing. The findings of this study showed that the use of game-based learning as an instruction method was very effective in the teaching and learning process. It has the ability to engage and provoke learners' interests. Besides, its experimental nature allows learners to participate fully in the class work. This means that teachers need to design teaching content that incorporates games since the latter provide a practical learning approach which helps learners to memorize most of the studied content. The study also recommends that educators tasked with designing and developing the curriculum should emphasize the importance of instructional methods that allow teachers to incorporate games into the teaching content.
Digital Simulation Games for Social Studies Classrooms
The Clearing House: A Journal Of Educational Strategies, Issues And Ideas, 2010
Data from ten teacher candidates studying teaching methods were analyzed to determine perceptions toward digital simulation games in the area of social studies. This research can be used as a conceptual model of how current teacher candidates react to new methods of instruction and determine how education programs might change existing curricula to better prepare their students toward methods that have the ability to evoke higher-order thinking skills and technology integration.
This research was inspired by the learning activity in Social Science subjects in SMPN 19 Bandung which was still teacher-centered. The Social Science subject itself is a subject which compact with the content starting from the real one to the one which requires abstract thinking, it makes the Social Science a subject which needs to be student centered, so that the students can be more active during the learning process and be able to arrange their own concept in their cognitive structure. This research was aimed to examine the effectiveness of the use of board game media towards student's comprehension in the concept of social science subjects, using the quantitative approach. As for the research design used was a quasi experiment with the type of nonequivalent, pretest-posttest. The samples of this research were VIII-A class as the experimental class, was received treatment with the implementation of board game and VIII-B class as the control class, the one who did not receive the treatment. The data collection was carried out by using the objective tests and interviews which conducted to teachers and students in the experiment class. After the data was collected, the next step was analyzing the data quantitatively using hypothesis test (t-test) to investigate the difference between the two classes. The research result shows that there was a significant difference on students' comprehension toward the Social Science concept between the experimental class which received the implementation of board game media, and the control class which did not. It is proved by the N-gain of pretest-posttest in the experimental class was higher than the control class. From this result, it can be concluded that the use of board game media towards the comprehension of Social Science subject concept was proven to be effective. Moreover, the use of board game media is applicable to be an alternative media in Social Science learning activity.
Effect of Activity-Based Games on Students' Academic Achievement in Social Sciences
The purpose of the research was to investigate the effect of activity-based games on the academic achievement of graduatelevel pupils in social sciences. An experimental research design with a pre-and post-test control group was used in this study. As pre-test and post-test, MCQ achievement tests containing 70 items were used as research methods for data collecting. The initial stage in this initiative was to collect data on what inspires children to learn. Both groups took a pre-test, and the results were tallied. The project's second phase was to study the effects of various activities on academic achievement. Both groups were given an MCQ performance test. The T-test was used to analyze the data. The findings of this study demonstrated that, compared to the control group, most pupils' marks improved in the experimental group. The mean value showed that experimental group participants scored 18.77 on the post-test, while control group students scored 16.21. According to a post-lesson poll, most students regarded activity-based games to be more engaging than lecture-based instruction.
Contemporary Educational Psychology, 2008
This study examined the potential of simulations to bolster interest in middle school social studies classrooms. Using a pre-post-design, we examined 305 middle school students (49% female) who participated in the web-based GlobalEd simulation. In contrast to the motivation declines middle school students usually experience, participants in this simulation became more interested in social studies. We investigated four hypotheses as to why these increases may have occurred. We found no support for the possibility that, (a) students' interest in a particular issue area or (b) their increased valuing of the subject matter, were related to their increased interest. However, results suggested that, (c) the challenging nature of the activity and (d) students' increased propensity to engage in social perspective taking may have bolstered their interest in social studies. The discussion explores future research directions and whether implications for classroom teachers are warranted given the correlational nature of the research.