Social Constructivism in Games Based Learning in The South African Context PROCEEDINGS
Thato Foko, Centre for Information Technology in Higher Education, South Africa ; Alan Amory, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
EdMedia: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology, in Vienna, Austria ISBN 978-1-880094-65-5 Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)
This research investigates the use of computer video games in teaching and learning of learners from disadvantaged communities and is guided by the design experiment/development research paradigm, which calls for a pragmatic epistemology that regards learning theory as being collaboratively shaped by researchers and practitioners with the overall goal of solving real problems. Participating schools are Buhlebemfundo Secondary, Qhakaza High and University of Zululand. Vygotsky’s social constructivism which views learning as a social construct mediated by language grounds the study. Firstly, the study examines the effectiveness of an adventure game Zadarh to overcome misconceptions related to photosynthesis and respiration. Secondly, yKhozi, a 3D virtual world adventure game, is utilized to determine if games, when used as mediating artefacts in a social context, support the development of educational literacy and communication skills. Finally, the study concludes that computer games are effective learning tools if designed to inculcate social interactions and dialogue.
Foko, T. & Amory, A. (2008). Social Constructivism in Games Based Learning in The South African Context. In J. Luca & E. Weippl (Eds.), Proceedings of EdMedia: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2008 (pp. 5757-5764). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).
© 2008 AACE