46 International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 5(1), 46-57, January-March 2015
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ABSTRACT
This article reports an exploratory study which investigated attitudes towards the practice of game-based
learning in teaching STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) within a Thai educational
context. This self-administered Internet-based survey yielded 169 responses from a snowball sampling tech-
nique. Three ffths of respondents were female (59.2% or N=100 females and 40.8% or N=69 males). Slightly
more than half (55.6%) of the participants were elementary, secondary and university students. An additional
second group of thirty-fve per cent (N=59) were teachers who were in charge of STEM educational programs.
Almost one tenth (9.5%, N=16) were parents. Frequency tables were used to analyze the quantitative data. The
qualitative data was derived from a single open-ended question. The study found some divergent opinions that
are useful in considering game-based learning for STEM education in Thailand. The overall average attitude
towards the usage of game-based learning was very positive (3.92 out of 5, S.D. = 0.80). The study found that
the majority of informants preferred that the delivery mode was online through a web browser followed by
the mobile mode through an application and the least preferred was the offine mode recorded on CD-ROM
(55.0%, 31.4% and 13.6% respectively). Thai was still the most preferred language to be used though both
students and parents surveyed had a stronger preference for English and a Thai-English bilingual mode than
the teachers. An important fnding in this research was that stakeholders expected game-based learning to be
integrated into the traditional classroom because of its enhanced learning approach.
Transforming Classrooms
through Game-Based Learning:
A Feasibility Study in a Developing Country
Poonsri Vate-U-Lan, Graduate School of eLearning, Assumption University, Bangkok,
Thailand
Keywords: Enhanced Learning, Game-Based Learning, Mathematics, Parents, Response, STEM Education,
Students, Teacher, Technology
1. INTRODUCTION
Game-based learning (GBL) is claimed to be
one of the best strategies to be implemented in
the 21
st
century classroom. The objective of this
current research was to explore how the three
main stakeholders in the educational process,
namely, teachers, students and parents, applied
GBL to enhance the teaching of a new cur-
riculum grouping, namely, science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) educa-
tion. A key focus of this research was GBL’s
DOI: 10.4018/ijgbl.2015010104