For students with disabilities to be successful in school, educators need to focus on how a non-traditional approach, such as game-based learning, can create an environment which drives students to work hard and lead students to higher academic success within school. According to author Tamara R. Meredith, the use of games for learning increased student engagement and fostered a “rewarding, fun, and memorable experience” (Meredith, 2016, pg. 496). The purpose of this literature review is to analyse research focused on the implementation of game-based learning in a special education classroom, the positive and negative impacts of game-based learning on student achievement, and what impact both high and low tech have on student engagement.
Game-based learning uses games, electronic and non-electronic, to enhance instruction in a contemporary way in hopes of engaging more students.
There has been growth in the area of implementation of game-based learning in the classroom, especially with young adults. According to Education and Information Technologies, the use of game-based learning goes beyond an elementary level, but the number of educators who use game-based learning with older students is nearly one-third of elementary educators.
Game-based learning is evolving every day, which is why it is important to note the different types of gaming platforms, which includes, but not limited to: computer games, board or card games, games played with cards, or movement games. Game-based learning has many categories, but this section will focus on three specific types of games: kinetic, electronic, and analogue games.
Kinetic educational games use movement, where traditional games are more stationary.
Some types of kinetic-educational games may be played on a Wii or SMART board, which detects the movement of students. Research on kinetic-based games is slim, but the findings are notable, especially for students who have a disability. Kosmas, Ioane, and Retails (2018) studied the effects of game-based learning on students diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Throughout this research, Kosmas, Ioane, and Retails (2018) found children with ADHD who used kinetic-based educational games showed improvement with their academic and self-regulation skills. Having the connection between movement and academics showed a positive correlation.
Digital games use “various game features, such as fantasy, rules, goals, sensory stimuli, challenge, mystery, and control” to assist with motivating students to learn in the school setting (Ronimus et al., 2019). There is controversy about knowing if or when technology is used too much, especially with adolescent age students. However, video games for an educational purpose have shown to be a great success, if a game is created appropriately.
Video games can be and are used in all academic areas and social/behaviour lessons, too. Video games allow students to create characters and learn through an alternate world. Students not only learn from the content of the game, but also learn from the structure of the game, such as rules and challenges are presented during a video game.
The final type of game being discussed is an analogue game, or more simply put, a board or card game. An educator can use classic board games, such as Pay Day or Racko, to work on academic skills, such as money literacy and number sense. By incorporating a board game or card game into a lesson, students are working on social skills by learning to play with others while working on their academics through games.
