Students' Perceptions and Experiences in a Learning Environment that Uses an Instructional Game as a Teaching Strategy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe and interpret students' perceptions and experiences in a learning environment that included a game as a teaching and learning tool. Researchers indicate learning environments are powerful forces that influence students' perceptions and experiences of the educational process, yet few studies have analyzed college students' perceptions of the learning environment in higher education settings.

This qualitative study used hermeneutic phenomenology to understand how students experienced a learning environment that included an educational game as part of the course curriculum. This study occurred in an introductory level course in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at North Carolina State University, and the game designed for the course was called Leisureopoly. Thirty students agreed to share their insights and experiences about their perceptions of this type of learning environment. Using the students' written reflections, two peer observers' feedback, and a personal research journal, data were triangulated to serve as a mechanism for reducing bias and ensuring accuracy of the data.

Data were analyzed using ATLAS. Open, axial, and selective coding techniques were combined with van Manen's selective and detailed approaches for isolating themes in phenomenological studies. First, data were analyzed to reflect common themes in the students' perceptions and experiences of the overall classroom as a whole. The six themes that emerged were: (1) environment, (2) activity, (3) student characteristics, (4) knowledge, (5) instructor characteristics, and (6) structure. Then, all of the data specifically related to Leisureopoly were re-coded and analyzed to determine the influence of the game on the learning environment. Twenty-nine of the students mentioned Leisureopoly in their reflections. Leisureopoly had an influence on the learning environment in four main ways: (1) community in the classroom, (2) the perception of time, (3) the idea of winning, and (4) attendance.