A Master Thesis: Increasing Engagement For Danish Gymnasium Students In The Subject of Fiscal Policy Through A Serious Game
Authors
Hendriksen, Daniel Bredgaard ; Jakobsen, Gustav Søgaard ; Hansen, Niklas Lee Skjold ; Petersen, Mads Strømberg
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-05-25
Pages
95
Abstract
This master’s thesis presents a framework for designing a serious game to teach fiscal policy (government spending and taxation) in social studies at the Danish gymnasium (upper secondary school). The study examines whether such a game can increase students’ motivation and engagement. In collaboration with N. Zahles Gymnasium, we developed a game and evaluated it with an experimental group (n=31) and a control group (n=20). Using a triangulation approach—combining a questionnaire inspired by the UES short form (a user engagement survey) with student and teacher interviews—we assessed engagement and attitudes toward the game. The serious game significantly increased student engagement, but there was no meaningful difference in learning outcomes between the groups. Future work includes achieving a better balance between fun and educational content, conducting larger tests with more evenly distributed participants, and involving teachers more closely as expert consultants.
I dette speciale præsenterer vi en ramme for at designe et serious game (læringsspil) om finanspolitik i samfundsfag i det danske gymnasium. Formålet er at undersøge, om et læringsspil kan øge elevernes motivation og engagement i emnet. I samarbejde med N. Zahles Gymnasium udviklede vi et spil og afprøvede det i et forsøg med en eksperimentel gruppe (n=31) og en kontrolgruppe (n=20). Vi brugte triangulering – en kombination af et spørgeskema inspireret af UES short form (et spørgeskema om brugerengagement) samt interviews med elever og lærere – for at måle engagement og holdninger til spillet. Resultaterne viser, at læringsspillet markant øgede elevernes engagement, men der var ingen meningsfuld forskel i læringsudbyttet mellem de to grupper. Fremadrettet anbefales en mere afbalanceret vægtning mellem leg/underholdning og fagligt indhold, flere og større afprøvninger med mere jævn fordeling af deltagere samt bedre inddragelse af lærere som faglige sparringspartnere.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords