Thesis
Exploring the role of game technology as a pedagogical approach for science education in Ghanaian senior high schools
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2025
- Thesis identifier
- T17539
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 201879827
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- Digital games and simulations are highly interactive environments for learning. They are pedagogical tools designed with engaging characteristics to communicate, enlighten, and motivate the learners to comprehend the subject matter and produce immediate feedback. Digital games and simulations have been used to aid teaching and learning. However, teachers’ feelings and opinions about this teaching role within the senior high school science education and the possibility of it improving student’s learning gains and achievements has not been looked at in the Ghanaian context. Thus, this study seeks to add a distinct perspective on what is already known about digital game-based learning. It analyses the role of digital games and simulations in science teaching and explores science teachers’ views on the use of digital games in teaching and learning. This study uses a concurrent triangulation convergence model design of mixed methods approach. It was conducted with 15 senior high school science teachers who teach through digital games and simulations. They were interviewed and the open-ended responses from the semi-structured interviews were analysed using NVivo 12 software. Students’ test scores of Science Achievement Test (SAT) of pre-test and post-test data were also collected and analysed using IBM SPSS software and Pearson Chi-Square test was used to compare the students’ performance difference. The findings revealed that digital games and simulations characteristics were seen to be effective in contributing to students’ cognitive outcomes. The research provided an indication that motivation enhancement and engagement in digital game-based learning were very helpful to students' learning, since engagement improves learners' understanding through motivation. The study contributes to gaps within literature and provided evidence that digital game-based learning helped in conveying abstract concepts to science students, giving equal opportunity to all diverse learners. The findings established that both highly achieving students and students who often struggle with the science concepts benefit same in learning attainment. The Science Achievement Test (SAT) results suggests that the performance of students on pretest is statistically different from the performance of the same students on post-test which implies that students performed better when taught through digital games and simulations as compared to their performance without learning through the intervention. The findings also provided additional evidence indicating that digital game-based learning helped in bridging the knowledge gap between diverse science students, showing improvement in low attaining students. The study discovered that collaboration and interactivity provided the teachers and students with an inspiring learning environment and experience making the concepts more accessible to learners. The findings revealed practical and pedagogical challenges of teaching through digital games and simulations. Notwithstanding the limitations, the exploration of the teachers’ possible benefits and challenges teaching through digital games and simulations may bring about an inclusive opinion on teaching and learning through digital games and simulations in Ghana. This insight may encourage secondary school science teachers, administrators, and policy makers to consider providing access and support for digital game-based learning. Keywords: digital game-based learning, digital games and simulations, pedagogical tool, edutainment, science.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Essex, Jane
- Nikou, Stavros
- Resource Type
- DOI
Relations
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PDF of thesis T17539 | 2026-02-04 | Public | Download |