Make-believe Politics: Gaming for Democratic Competence. A case study of the educational role-playing game Demokrativerkstaden
Author
Nilsson, Ida Andrea
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2018
Abstract
This thesis examines how participation in the educational role-playing game Demokrativerkstaden, run by the Swedish riksdag for grades 7–9, may influence young people’s democratic competences. Using a mixed-methods case study, it analyzes two components: democratic know-how and democratic attitudes. Democratic know-how is explored qualitatively through participant observation and interviews, focusing on how students enact political roles, collaborate, and debate. The analysis shows that participants shift between roles, draw on their own views to validate role positions, and at times express role distance; the openness of the practice—shaped by facilitators, game design, and differing prerequisites—enables heterogeneous and sometimes contradictory forms of know-how. Democratic attitudes, operationalized as political interest, political participation, internal political efficacy, and system trust, are assessed quantitatively; within the limits of the design, the results indicate no measurable or strong effect of the game on these attitudes. The thesis discusses the value of combining qualitative and quantitative approaches in educational game research and highlights a tension between representing complex democratic practices and providing a clear didactic frame, suggesting future attention to this tension and to possible gender factors.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan deltagelse i læringsrollespillet Demokrativerkstaden, som drives af den svenske riksdag for 7.–9. klasse, kan påvirke unges demokratiske kompetencer. Med et mixed methods-casestudie analyseres to komponenter: demokratisk know-how og demokratiske attituder. Demokratisk know-how undersøges kvalitativt gennem deltagerobservation og interviews med fokus på, hvordan elever iscenesætter politikerroller, samarbejder og debatterer. Analysen viser, at deltagerne bevæger sig mellem roller, bruger egne holdninger til at validere rollepositioner og undertiden udtrykker rolledistance; praksissens åbenhed, formet af facilitatorer, spildesign og forskellige forudsætninger, muliggør heterogene og til tider modsigende former for know-how. Demokratiske attituder, operationaliseret som politisk interesse, politisk deltagelse, intern politisk selvtillid og systemtiltro, vurderes kvantitativt; inden for designets rammer tyder resultaterne på, at spillet ikke har en målbar eller stærk effekt på disse attituder. Specialet diskuterer værdien af at kombinere kvalitative og kvantitative tilgange i forskning i læringsspil og fremhæver en spænding mellem at gengive komplekse demokratiske praksisser og at tilbyde en klar didaktisk ramme, med forslag om at fokusere på denne spænding og mulige kønsfaktorer i fremtidig forskning.
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