Van Gaalen A E J, Jaarsma A D C, Georgiadis J R
Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, Section Anatomy & Medical Physiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
Center for Education Development and Research in Health Professions, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
JMIR Serious Games. 2021 Jul 28;9(3):e25637. doi: 10.2196/25637.
In times where distance learning is becoming the norm, game-based learning (GBL) is increasingly applied to health profession education. Yet, decisions for if, when, how, and for whom GBL should be designed cannot be made on a solid empirical basis. Though the act of play seems to be intertwined with GBL, it is generally ignored in the current scientific literature.
The objective of our study was to explore students' perceptions of play in leisure time and of GBL as part of a mechanistic, bottom-up approach towards evidence-informed design and implementation of GBL in health profession education.
We conducted 6 focus group discussions with medical and dentistry students, which were analyzed using thematic analysis.
A total of 58 students participated. We identified 4 major themes based on the students' perception of play in leisure time and on the combination of play and learning. Our results indicate that, while play preferences were highly various in our health profession student cohort, pleasure was the common ground reported for playing. Crucially, play and the serious act of learning seemed paradoxical, indicating that the value and meaning of play are strongly context-dependent for students.
Four key points can be constructed from our study. First, students play for pleasure. Perceptions of pleasure vary considerably among students. Second, students consider play as inefficient. Inefficiency will only be justified when it increases learning. Third, play should be balanced with the serious and only be used for difficult or tedious courses. Fourth, GBL activities should not be made compulsory for students. We provide practical implications and directions for future research.
在远程学习日益成为常态的时代，基于游戏的学习（GBL）越来越多地应用于卫生专业教育。然而，关于是否、何时、如何以及为谁设计GBL的决策，无法在坚实的实证基础上做出。尽管游戏行为似乎与GBL相互交织，但在当前的科学文献中通常被忽视。
我们研究的目的是探索学生对休闲时间游戏的看法，以及对GBL的看法，这是一种自下而上的机制性方法的一部分，旨在为卫生专业教育中基于证据的GBL设计和实施提供信息。
我们与医学和牙科专业的学生进行了6次焦点小组讨论，并使用主题分析法进行了分析。
共有58名学生参与。我们根据学生对休闲时间游戏的看法以及游戏与学习的结合，确定了4个主要主题。我们的结果表明，虽然我们卫生专业学生群体的游戏偏好差异很大，但乐趣是报告的游戏共同点。至关重要的是，游戏与严肃的学习行为似乎相互矛盾，这表明游戏的价值和意义对学生来说很大程度上取决于具体情境。
我们的研究可以得出四个关键点。第一，学生玩游戏是为了乐趣。学生对乐趣的看法差异很大。第二，学生认为游戏效率低下。只有当它能促进学习时，低效率才是合理的。第三，游戏应该与严肃的学习保持平衡，并且只应用于困难或枯燥的课程。第四，GBL活动不应强制学生参加。我们提供了实际意义和未来研究的方向。
