Programming Games for Learning: A Research Synthesis

• In Event: 52.069 - New Perspectives for Serious Gaming: Games That Integrate Making and Playing for Learning

Abstract

1. Objective:
The objective of our meta-synthesis of studies of children programming computer games is to answer the question: What are the benefits of computer game programming (CGP)? This includes identifying what kind of learning or motivation CGP is best suited to address, which students benefit, what is known about effective pedagogy and teacher training, what learning environments are most beneficial and to identify the gaps in research.

2. Perspectives:
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of tools and opportunities that allow children and young adults to learn by programming computer games. Despite the growing number of classes and online programming environments, there is no consensus on what children learn, the best pedagogical strategies, and which tools and learning environments promote different kinds of outcomes and for whom.

3. Methods & Modes of Inquiry
We have completed a comprehensive literature search of published and unpublished work related to children programming games, resulting in 351 articles from 172 unique authors. We have started to extract and analyze data from these papers. This process involves removing key information from each paper: demographics, program approach, measured outcomes (e.g., academic, computer science skills, problem-solving) and rating rigor and generalizability of the study findings.

4. Data sources
Of the 351 papers, 264 are studies of children designing and programming games (e.g., not literature reviews or programming tool descriptions). We have currently evaluated data from 53 papers so far. This number will increase to over 100 by the time of the final paper submission in Spring 2015.

5. Results
Preliminary findings show that despite the widely held belief that CGP promotes learning, the majority of papers on this topic lack credible evidence about the benefits of CGP. For example, many studies are done with a small number of participants and have limited evidence (other than anecdotal, unsystematic observations) of learning. More common is a focus on engagement, or the extent to which students enjoyed the process of designing and programming a game. There are also many articles that describe pedagogy, software, or a program but do not address or measure any outcomes. Most of the studies report what the students designed and made in their game (characters, themes, gender differences in design), but there is a lack of analysis about what that might mean with regards to learning. Over the next six months, we will continue to extract information from the papers, then merge and reduce the categories, patterns and themes across studies to facilitate the generation of higher level theory and explanations. This will involve an iterative process where the data will be systematically extracted using constant comparative methods to identify interconnections between the findings.

6. Scientific significance of work
The findings will inform researchers about the kinds of learning that can result from computer game programming and the kinds of research designs and samples that are needed to provide strong evidence. The findings will also inform educators and program developers about the conditions under which programming computer games can foster learning.

Authors

• Shannon Campe, ETR Associates

• Jill Denner, Education, Training, and Research Associates