Kodu game lab — a tool for ensuring quality teaching-learning for pupils in primary schools:case study (school in Northern Finland)

• Main Author: Arilesere, F. (Fatiu)
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Oulu 2016
• Subjects: Education; Northern Finland
• Online Access: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-201603111295

The depth to which sophisticated technologies are entering into every facet of the society is causing a significant shift in where, when, and how as individuals and as a collective body work together, and how the educational systems should be structured to prepare students for a massive effective life of the 21st century. This shift, is the drive towards the use of educational games as a learning tool in schools and has led to diverse benefits and opportunities of computer game play. The study examine in detail how Kodu Game Lab is used to foster quality teaching-learning process for pupils’ in primary schools. The aim was to understand collaborative learning interaction among pupils’ using Kodu Game Lab. The participant of this study were seven 9 year old pupils’ (5 males and 2 females) from which five pupils’ were selected for intensive observation. Content analysis (CA) was used in analyzing the process by coding raw visual images and categorizing the frames into three levels of interaction. Those frames in which at least three nonverbal cues (facial expression, gaze and gesture) were used within the group were coded as High Level Interaction. Secondly, frames where there were at least two nonverbal cues used were coded as Medium Level Interaction. And thirdly, frames where at least one nonverbal cues used were coded Low Level Interaction. The result show that one of the groups had High, Medium, and Low Level of Interaction while other (two groups) exhibit Medium and Low Level Interaction respectively. In addition, the findings shows that pupils’ interaction with their peers when using Kodu Game Lab is apparent through the use of nonverbal cues which results to High, Medium, and Low Level Interaction within the group. On the one hand, pupils’ interaction with the teacher when using Kodu Game Lab is also apparent through the use of non-verbal cues but the interaction level of pupil’s with their teacher is of Medium and Low level.