Teacher candidate responses to digital games: 21st-century skills development

Digital game play is a common activity for U.S. teens (Lenhart et al., 2008) because it engages them in the subject matter, provides a more interesting way to practice problem-solving […]
Researchers conducted a mixed-methods study with 21 undergraduate university students majoring in education to determine their ability to recognize the motivational factors and 21st-century learning skills associated with digital games. Results suggest that students in the study were able to detect the learning skills embedded in games. The majority of participants stated that the element of motivation was important, but motivation alone was not a sufficient reason to influence them to use digital-game-based instruction in their future classrooms. However, peer modeling and the positive responses received from middle/high school students to whom candidates taught games appeared to be factors in teacher candidates' decision to use digital games in the classroom. (Keywords: digital learning games, 21st-century learning skills, new pedagogies, teacher candidates, educational innovations)