Video Games in the English Classroom: A State-of-the-Art Review of the Literature

• In Event: Multimodality in Literacy Education

Abstract

Recently, literacy researchers and English language arts (ELA) educators have increasingly attended to the value of video games for learning. Video games, with their complex narrative structures, interactive designs, and multimodal elements, present myriad opportunities for ELA classrooms. This review systematically considers the small but growing literature on video games in secondary ELA classrooms. Through an inductive search and coding process, 21 studies were identified and analyzed, with two major findings categories emerging. First, studies highlighted instruction that encouraged students to analyze and design video games or compose text associated with games. Second, studies emphasized effects on students, such as expanded conceptions of literacies and analytical thinking skills. Implications of these findings for literacy instruction and research are discussed.

Authors

• Brady L. Nash, The University of Texas

• Randi Beth Brady, The University of Texas