Mea Ma e o
OUTLINING THE DIGITAL EDUCATION GAMES
ECOSYSTEM IN FINNISH BASIC EDUCATION
JYVÄSKYLÄN YLIOPISTO
INFORMAATIOTEKNOLOGIAN TIEDEKUNTA
2024
TIIVISTELMÄ
Ma e o, Mea
Ou lining he Digi al Educa ion Games Ecosys em in Finnish Basic Educa ion
Jy äskylä: Jy äskylän yliopis o, 2024. 97 s.
Tie ojä jes elmä iede, p o g adu - u kielma
Ohjaaja : Riekkinen, Janne & Pe älä, Piia
Digi aalis en ope uspelien käy ön suosio on kas ussa kouluissa. Tämän u -
kimuksen pää a oi eena oli hahmo aa ja analysoida digi aalis en oppimispe-
lien ympä ille aken u aa ekosys eemiä (Digi al Educa ion Games Ecosys em,
DEGE) Suomen pe usope uksessa a kas elemalla sidos yhmiä ja komponen eja
aikaisemman ki jallisuuden sekä ope ajien haas a elujen a ulla. Tu kimuksessa
käy e iin k ali a ii is a lähes ymis apaa ope ajien näkökulmien sel i ämiseksi.
Ope aja oidaan nähdä ole an ekosys eemin keskiössä ja haas a elujen
a ulla sel i e iin u kimukseen mukaan ali ujen ope ajien näkemyksiä sidos-
yhmien ja komponen ien älises ä uo o aiku ukses a. Keskeise löydökse
osoi i a , e ä ope aja pi ä ä oppimispelejä ja digi aalisia älinei ä yleises i
endikkäinä yökaluina ope uksessa, e i yises i ma ema iikan ja kiel en oppiai-
neissa. Kui enkin e ilaise haas ee , ku en ajallinen koulu us, aika ajoi ee , ai-
ojen ai iedon aja uus sekä in as uk uu ipuu ee , aiku a a ole an es-
eenä laajemmalle käy ööno olle. Ope ajien uskomukse ja i se a muus ekno-
logian käy össä ha ai iin ä keiksi ekijöiksi, jo ka aiku a a oppimispelien
hyödyn ämisessä ope uksen aikana. Oli myös huoma a issa e oja sidos yhmien
keskinäisessä uo o aiku uksessa, jo a oi aisiin hyödyn ää ja ko u kimuksissa
iedon puu een ai in as uk uu iongelmien sel i ämisessä.
Tu kimus yön pää eeksi saadu ha ainno uke a aiempia u kimuksia,
jo ka ko os a a pedagogis en asen eiden ja osaamisen me ki ys ä eknologian
käy össä kouluissa sekä ymmä ys ä ekosys eemin ja sen aken umisen ä key-
des ä digi aalis en oppimispelien ympä ille.
Asiasana : oppimispeli , ope aja, ekosys eemi, digi aalisuus, ope us eknologia,
ie ojä jes elmä ope uksessa
ABSTRACT
Ma e o, Mea
Ou lining he Digi al Educa ion Games Ecosys em in Finnish Basic Educa ion
Jy äskylä: Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, 2024. 97 pp.
In o ma ion Sys ems, Mas e ’s Thesis
Supe iso s: Riekkinen, Janne & Pe älä, Piia
Digi al Educa ion Games a e g owing in popula i y in class oom se ings. The
main objec i e o his s udy was o ou line and analyse he Digi al Educa ion
Games Ecosys em (DEGE) in Finnish Basic Educa ion by s udying he s akehold-
e s and componen s o educa ion games based on p e ious li e a u e and each-
e s’ iews. Using a quali a i e app oach, he s udy explo ed eache s’ pe spec-
i es as cen al s akeholde s wi hin he ecosys em and examined h ough in e -
iews how he in e iewed eache s saw he in e play be ween hese en i ies.
Key indings e ealed ha eache s conside educa ional games and digi al
ools in gene al as endy eaching ools, especially o eaching ma hema ics and
languages. Howe e , challenges such as limi ed aining, ime cons ain s, lack
o skills o knowledge, and in as uc u e de iciencies we e iden i ied as ba ie s
o b oade in eg a ion. Teache s’ belie s and con idence in using echnology we e
also ound o be c i ical ac o s in luencing hei willingness o inco po a e edu-
ca ional games in o eaching. Di e ences in in e ac ion a es be ween s akehold-
e s we e also de ec ed and could be s udied in he u u e o o e come challenges
like lack o knowledge and in as uc u e.
The indings suppo p e ious esea ch emphasizing he impo ance o
pedagogical a i udes in he use o echnology in schools and unde s anding how
he ecosys em can be cons uc ed on Digi al Educa ion Games.
Keywo ds: Digi al Educa ion Games, Teache , Digi al Ecosys ems, Educa ion
Technology, In o ma ion Sys ems in Educa ion
FIGURES
Figu e 1 - S akeholde s and Componen s ................................................................ 25
Figu e 2 – Demog aphic o In e iewees ................................................................. 44
Figu e 3 – Gene al Though s on De ices and Games in Class ooms .................. 51
Figu e 4 – E-Book and Educa ional Game Usage by Subjec ................................ 52
Figu e 5 – Scale o P esumed In luence .................................................................... 59
Figu e 6 – Educa ion Game Usage by In e iewees ............................................... 64
Figu e 7 – Views on De elope s and Policies .......................................................... 67
Figu e 8 – Digi al Educa ion Games Ecosys em...................................................... 78
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TIIVISTELMÄ
ABSTRACT
FIGURES AND TABLES
1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 7
1.1 Backg ound o he S udy ............................................................................ 8
1.2 Resea ch ques ions and mo i a ion .......................................................... 9
1.3 Scope and limi a ions ................................................................................ 10
1.4 S uc u e o Thesis ..................................................................................... 10
2 DIGITAL EDUCATION GAMES ECOSYSTEM............................................. 12
2.1 Sho His o y o Ecosys ems .................................................................... 12
2.2 Digi al Educa ion Games Ecosys em ...................................................... 14
2.3 Concep ual F amewo k ............................................................................ 16
2.4 App oach wi h Educa ional Theo ies ..................................................... 18
2.5 De ining S akeholde and Componen Roles ........................................ 21
2.5.1 S akeholde s ...................................................................................... 23
2.5.2 Componen s ...................................................................................... 24
3 DIGITAL EDUCATION GAMES...................................................................... 27
3.1 A B ie His o y o Digi al Educa ion Games ......................................... 27
3.2 Types and Classi ica ion o Educa ion Games ...................................... 28
3.3 Pedagogical Theo ies and Game-Based Lea ning ................................ 32
3.4 The Usage o Educa ion Games and Gami ica ion ............................... 34
4 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... 38
4.1 Resea ch Design ......................................................................................... 38
4.1.1 Quali a i e s. Quan i a i e App oach ......................................... 40
4.2 Da a Collec ion me hods .......................................................................... 41
4.3 Pa icipan P o iles and Selec ion ............................................................ 42
4.4 Da a Analysis Techniques ........................................................................ 45
4.5 E hical Conside a ions .............................................................................. 46
5 RESULTS .............................................................................................................. 48
5.1 Ca ego iza ion o In e iew Ques ions ................................................... 48
5.2 P elimina y S akeholde Pe cep ions o Digi al Educa ion Games
Ecosys em.................................................................................................... 49
5.2.1 Use o De ices and Games in Class ooms .................................... 50
5.2.2 P esen A i udes and Knowledge ................................................. 53
5.3 Teache s’ In luence on Digi al Educa ional Game In eg a ion ........... 57
5.4 Pe cei ed Func ionali y o Digi al Educa ion Game Ecosys em ........ 61
5.5 Challenges in Using Digi al Educa ion Games ..................................... 65
5.6 Resea ch Ques ions Ou comes ................................................................. 69
6 DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................... 72
6.1 Re lec ions on Unde s anding o he DEGE .......................................... 73
6.2 Teache s’ In luence in DEG In eg a ion ................................................. 74
6.3 Challenges in he DEGE ............................................................................ 76
6.4 How Teache s View Thei Posi ion ......................................................... 77
6.5 Policy Implica ions and Recommenda ions ........................................... 80
7 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................... 82
7.1 Summa y o Key Findings ........................................................................ 82
7.2 Limi a ions o he S udy ........................................................................... 84
7.3 Sugges ion o Fu u e Resea ch ............................................................... 85
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 86
APPENDIXIES .............................................................................................................. 95
Play is he highes o m o esea ch. - Albe Eins ein
Educa ion games in hei ba es a e a o m o play ha is eaching he playe
some hing. The s udy o play, games, lea ning, and how hey a e all connec ed
has been analysed in di e en ields, such as psychology, educa ion, echnology,
and economics. In in o ma ion sys ems, he ocus o games and play usually ex-
plo es hemes like gami ica ion, game design, adap i e lea ning sys ems, human-
compu e in e ac ion, beha iou al analy ics, and pe suasi e echnology o men-
ion a ew. The space whe e all hese componen s a e connec ed and ac ing can
be seen as lea ning en i onmen s, en e ainmen indus ies, business se ings,
and di e en ecosys ems, depending on he poin o iew. P e ious li e a u e has
co e ed a ious ecosys ems wi h complex in e ac ions among componen s and
s akeholde s, o example di e en digi al ecosys ems, supply chain ecosys ems,
in e ne o hings (IoT) ecosys ems, and educa ion echnology (EdTech) ecosys-
ems, bu mo e speci ically he e exis s a gap in esea ch o digi al educa ion
games ecosys ems.
Digi al educa ion games ecosys ems can be seen as a combina ion o edu-
ca ion echnology (EdTech) ecosys em, digi al educa ion ecosys em (DEE), o
digi al game ecosys em (DGE). This s udy explo es he exis ence o digi al edu-
ca ion games ecosys em (DEGE), which b ings a en ion o a mo e speci ic ype
o in e ac ions and componen s ha need o wo k and be unde s ood in educa-
ional se ings o ully ake ad an age o all he bene i s educa ion games can o -
e . Al hough all s akeholde s a e impo an in his ecosys em, cu en ly he
eache s hold a as majo i y o con ol o e wha educa ion games a e used in
class ooms and how. Di e en policies and ecommenda ions exis in schools
and on na ional le els, bu as o igh now in Finland, he decision o use a ce ain
game in hei eaching is made by he eache . Tha is he eason o his s udy o
analyse his ecosys em om he pe spec i e o eache s as a s akeholde .
In he ollowing sec ions o he in oduc ion chap e , he s uc u e and back-
g ound o his hesis is u he explained. The aim o his hesis is o de ine he
space o he discussed ecosys em and ind how eache s as s akeholde s a e iew-
ing hei possibili ies o a ec he usage o digi al educa ion games. Di e en
1 INTRODUCTION
8
componen s and s akeholde s may a ec he ou comes in each school and class-
oom, bu mapping he cu en si ua ion c ea es a pa h o unde s anding and
way o de elopmen in he u u e, which is changing e e so as wi h AI ech-
nologies, adap i e lea ning models, and eLea ning p ac ices.
1.1 Backg ound o he S udy
This s udy ocuses on digi al educa ion games ecosys ems especially in he Finn-
ish basic educa ion le el. The aim o his s udy is o ou line he cu en ecosys em
in ques ion in Finnish basic educa ion, speci ically in he g ades 7 h o 9 h om he
eache s’ poin o iew. In his con ex , ecosys em model o e s a way o unde -
s and how he in e ac ions o s akeholde s shape he lea ning en i onmen . The
opic is si ua ed wi hin he b oade landscape o educa ion echnology bu an-
cho ed in he ield o in o ma ion sys ems. Ecosys ems ha e been s udied a and
wide in di e en ields, anging om biology o economics, sociology o in o -
ma ion echnology. P e ious esea ch has shown ha he e a e ecosys ems de-
ined o lea ning en i onmen s, digi al lea ning en i onmen s, echnologies,
game de elopmen , and gaming indus y. Howe e , speci ically o digi al edu-
ca ion games he esea ch is no ye as p o ound.
A hu Tansley in oduced he concep o ecosys em in 1930s, bu he e m
digi al ecosys em eme ged in he 1990s wi h he ise o he in e ne and o he
digi al echnologies (Willis, 1997; Bocking, 1994). James F. Moo e b ough he
e m o economics in his wo k in 1993 and desc ibed he concep as an economic
communi y o business en i ies. Then in ea ly 2000s, Nachi a, Dini, and Nicolai
(2007a) wo ked owa ds c ea ing he gene al no ion o he concep . They empha-
sized he global in e connec edness and economic in eg a ion aspec s o digi al
ecosys ems in he esea ch. Digi al ecosys ems gained mo e p ominence along-
side he new ad ancemen s in echnology, such as Thomas S. Ray’s Tie a p ojec
back in 1992. The ocus o digi al ecosys ems shi ed has changed o e he yea s
based on he pe spec i e and ield, and o example he Eu opean Commission
(2020) highligh ed he ole o ICT in local economic de elopmen and en ep e-
neu ship in digi al ecosys ems.
Du ing he pas hi y yea s, digi al educa ional games ha e gained inc eas-
ing a en ion in educa ion se ings. As he echnology and ools o lea ning ha e
e ol ed, so ha e he games in ques ion. They p o ide pupils new ways o lea n
and be imme sed in he lea ning subjec . E en egula games can be seen as ools
o imp o e eamwo k, s a egic skills, and p oblem sol ing, o name a ew (Ma-
nesis, 2020; Flee , 2021; Ca e al., 2006). As he popula i y o digi al educa ion
games g ew, he ecosys em su ounding digi al educa ion games—comp ising
de elope s, educa o s, policymake s, pupils, and echnological in as uc u e—
has also g own mo e complex. Bu despi e he g owing p esence o digi al edu-
ca ional games in educa ional con ex s, esea ch ocusing speci ically on he dig-
i al educa ion games ecosys em wi hin Finland’s basic educa ion sys em emains
limi ed.
9
The choice o examining his ecosys em om he pe spec i e o eache s
was eached as eache s seemed o hold a signi ican amoun o decisi e powe
in b inging DEGS in class ooms. Teache s can be seen as ac ing as in e media ies
who ansla e game-based con en in o cu iculum-aligned lea ning ac i i ies. By
in es iga ing eache s' pe spec i es, his s udy seeks o iden i y he cu en chal-
lenges, oppo uni ies, and esou ces a ailable o hem wi hin he DEGE, he eby
con ibu ing o a b oade unde s anding o how his ecosys em unc ions in eal-
wo ld educa ional se ings.
O e all, he e is as knowledge in he backg ound, p e ious s udies, and
esea ch o his opic, which can g ound he subjec well in o he ield. Ou lining
he his o y and p esen s a e o digi al educa ion games ecosys em can be help ul
in he u u e o show way o de elopmen o digi al educa ion games and open
a space o discussion o how eache s as s akeholde s iew hei chances o a -
ec ing he usage o digi al educa ion games.
1.2 Resea ch ques ions and mo i a ion
The main objec i es o his hesis a e o de ine and concep ualize digi al
educa ion games ecosys ems, iden i y s akeholde s and hei oles, and analyse
he di e en componen s especially om he pe spec i e o eache s as a
s akeholde . The aim is o ga he insigh s in o educa ion game usage in Finnish
basic educa ion and explo e he ela ed bene i s, challenges, and pedagogical
heo ies.
As he educa ion sys ems a e mo ing owa ds a mo e digi alized pe iod, a
deepe unde s anding o he lea ning en i onmen s and ecosys ems a e needed.
Acco ding o Nyyssölä’s (2022) epo o Finnish Na ional Agency o Educa ion,
he u u e o educa ion includes as ends o change such as digi aliza ion,
ans o ma ion o wo k, demog aphic de elopmen , and clima e change. Teach-
ing echnology is ma ked o be e ol ing and b inging new kinds o oppo uni ies
o ge pe sonal suppo o eaching, lea ne guidance and ac ions, and commu-
nal p ac ices. The backg ound o he guidance is in luenced by ansna ional pol-
icies, especially om he OECD and Eu opean Union. Nyyssölä (2022) also dis-
cusses he uses o A i icial In elligence in educa ion echnology, along wi h
Lähdesmäki (2024), Zhang and Aslan (2021), and Schi (2021). Hil unen (2010;
2011; 2012) also highligh s he impo ance o unde s anding digi al lea ning en-
i onmen s and he capabili ies o he used de ices in educa ion, by gi ing an
example in he lec u e (2024) o a case whe e school had bough new de ices and
lea ning so wa e o pupils o use, bu hese we e no compa ible wi h each o he .
Unde s anding he ecosys em ha is needed o he use o digi al educa ion
games and how eache s as s akeholde s see hei possibili ies o a ec he usage
is impo an in o de o bene i mos om he games.
This esea ch was mo i a ed by he need o add ess gaps in he li e a u e
ega ding digi al educa ion game ecosys ems and by doing so i can con ibu e
o ad ancing knowledge o digi al educa ion games ecosys ems, and possibly
16
he e m digi al changes he meaning simply o one pa . As said abo e, lea ning
ecosys em e e s o bo h digi al and non-digi al elemen s ha suppo lea ning
expe iences and con ex s, whe eas digi al lea ning ecosys em emphasizes digi al
ools, pla o ms, and echnologies ha enhance educa ional p ocesses and ou -
comes. The scope o digi al lea ning ecosys em ocuses on digi al echnologies
wi hin educa ional con ex s which acili a e eaching and he di e en lea ning
ac i i ies o asks. (Hech & C owley, 2020; Kowch, 2018; Hannon e al., 2019;
Uden e al., 2007).
In e ms o educa ion games, he e can also be di ina ion be ween digi al
and non-digi al games. Fo example, some boa d o ca d games, such as monop-
oly, chess, uno, o se , may be used in educa ional pu poses. All o hese games
can be p esen ed in a digi al o ma as well, bu in gene al, a digi al lea ning/ed-
uca ion game is a ype o in e ac i e so wa e o applica ion speci ically designed
o educa ional pu poses (Bylie a & Sas e, 2018; Shi & Shih, 2015; Manesis, 2020;
De F ei as; 2006). Combining he discussed e ms, he concep o digi al educa-
ion games ecosys em, e e s o an ecosys em o lea ning, echnology, and busi-
ness, which di ec ly e ol es a ound digi al, educa ional games c ea ed wi h spe-
ci ic, cu iculum-o ien ed and pedagogic lea ning objec i es in mind. The e ha e
been abb e ia ions o Digi al Educa ion Ecosys em (DEE) and Digi al Educa ion
Game (DEG), and he e o e his s udy sugges s he use o DEGE as an abb e ia-
ion o Digi al Educa ion Games Ecosys em. This ecosys em, as i s p edecesso s,
in ol es di e en s akeholde s om game c ea o s and supplie s o use s. In he
upcoming chap e s, his ecosys em and i s s akeholde s and in e ac ions a e u -
he discussed and analysed om he pe spec i e o eache s as a use s ake-
holde .
2.3 Concep ual F amewo k
To unde s and he heo e ical implica ions o digi al educa ion games ecosys em,
his sec ion ocuses on he concep ual amewo ks su ounding he opic.
Roughly di iding he e can be h ee di e en ca ego ies o su ounding heo ies:
educa ion games, digi al lea ning, and digi al ecosys ems.
When s udying he esea ch pape s o educa ional games, nume ous heo-
ies add ess engagemen , lea ning ou comes, and he mo i a ional aspec s o
wha makes hem e ec i e educa ional ools. Cos a e al. (2016) discuss a bi sim-
ila ecu ing hemes wi hin game-based lea ning esea ch, poin ing o heo ies
and hemes like gami ica ion, low, and expe ien ial lea ning. All o hese can
collec i ely be seen o poin o engagemen h ough s uc u es and pu pose ul
in e ac ions. Gami ica ion, o example, in ol es inco po a ing game mechanics
in o non-game se ings, and in DEGE, i could encou age eache s and de elope s
o s uc u e educa ional games ha a e bo h cap i a ing and educa ionally mean-
ing ul (Cos a e al., 2016; Hama i e al., 2014). The concep o low could also sug-
ges ha ca e ully designed educa ional games can hold pupils’ a en ion be e
and c ea e deepe cogni i e engagemen (Swee se & Wye h, 2005). Expe ien ial
17
lea ning, oo ed in Kolb’s model (2014), could also o e ano he pe spec i e
when ocusing on he ole o e lec ion and ac ion in lea ning p ocesses. This he-
o y would sugges ha educa ional games could engage pupils h ough ac i e
pa icipa ion and encou age hem o e lec on hei ac ions wi hin game en i-
onmen . And since in e connec edness and collabo a ion among s akeholde s
can also be emphasized (Wang e al., 2024), when combined wi h expe ien ial
lea ning, his pe spec i e could highligh how in e ac ions wi hin educa ional
games simula e eal-li e social and collabo a i e dynamics. Such a s uc u e
migh also align wi h Hech & C owley's (2020) call o equi able lea ning en i-
onmen s.
Analy ical amewo ks o ecosys ems usually apply o a concep ual model
o a se o p inciples ha a e used o unde s and he s uc u e o ecosys ems and
how di e en dynamics and beha iou models a ec he s akeholde s and com-
ponen s. This ype o amewo k would o e a mo e s uc u ed app oach o
s udy how he ecosys ems unc ion, de elop, espond o di e en in luences.
S udying he ecosys ems dynamics, Complex Adap i e Sys ems (CAS) could be
used o iew he ecosys em as an adap i e, sel -o ganizing sys em ha ea u es
non-linea in e ac ions among he componen s. This has been s udied by Roundy
e al. (2018), who p esen a holis ic iew o en ep eneu ship ecosys ems (EEs),
as well as Pel oniemi and Vuo i (2004) who concen a ed on business ecosys em
as he new app oach o complex adap i e business en i onmen s. The key ind-
ings o Roundy e al. (2018) add esses agmen a ion in en ep eneu ship e-
sea ch, and he ole o expe imen a ion and en ep eneu ial in en ions when an-
alysing EEs. Based on bo h s udies om Roundy e al. (2018) and Pel oniemi and
Vuo i (2004), he key concep s o CAS lie in sys ems dynamically adjus ing hei
beha iou in esponse o in e nal and ex e nal s imuli and eme gen p ope ies
seem o a ise om in e ac ions among indi idual componen s. CAS amewo k
could help in analysing he na u e o DEGE and be used as a amewo k o show
how in e ac ions among s akeholde s and componen s shape ecosys em beha -
iou o e ime.
D awing om ecological concep s, a bi mo e niche app oach would ep e-
sen speci ic oles o posi ions ha a e occupied by s akeholde s wi hin DEGE.
F om a ma u e pe spec i e, Pa en and Auble ha e s udied Sys em Theo y o he
Ecological Niche in 1981 and he concep s niches, which include Sys em Na u e
o Niche, Fundamen al Niche, Realized Niche, and Ex ended Niche. Acco ding
o Pa en and Auble (1981) sys em heo y would elucida e adap ion and succes-
sion p ocesses wi hin di e en ypes o ecosys ems while shaping niche dynam-
ics and o ganiza ional de elopmen . They ha e discussed he compe i i e exclu-
sion and coe olu ion o be emphasizing he in insic consis ency and in e ac ions
among ecological sys ems. The concep o ou pu niche comes om sys em he-
o y, and i p o ides a pe spec i e on dominance and dynamics o con ol based
on he inpu and ou pu en i onmen compa isons. (Pa en & Auble, 1981). Em-
phasizing biodi e si y-inspi ed di e si y in game se ings and educa ional ap-
p oaches may enhance DEGE’s esilience and adap abili y by enabling i o e-
spond o changing educa ional needs. Unde s anding niche dynamics would
18
allow o collabo a ion and syne gy among s akeholde s, and hen minimizing
compe i ion and maximizing impac . Then again, di e si y could help g ow e-
silience h ough p o iding mul iple s a egies and educing eliance on any sin-
gle app oach. I would also suppo inno a ion in many di e en educa ional
me hods, lea ne needs, and s akeholde engagemen .
Ac o -Ne wo k Theo y (ANT) and Socio-Technical Sys ems Theo y would
emphasize he in e ac ions among human and non-human ac o s and he balance
be ween social and echnical elemen s wi hin DEGE (La ou , 2005; Bos om &
Heinen, 1977). F om hese pe spec i es, eache s could ecognize how hei oles,
along wi h hose o pupils and game de elope s, migh o m a ne wo k whe e
each ac o in luences o he s. This unde s anding could s eng hen DEGE by cla -
i ying how collabo a i e in e ac ions impac he ecosys em’s o e all unc ional-
i y. In con as , h ough he lens o Lea ning Ecology, DEGE could be seen as an
in e connec ed en i onmen o di e se esou ces, whe e eache s can manage
mul iple ools and pa hways ha collec i ely suppo game-based lea ning (Ba -
on, 2006). While his pe spec i e would align wi h a possible goal o in eg a ing
a ied esou ces, i may no o e speci ic guidelines o pedagogical s a egies.
Then again Sys ems Theo y, including eedback loops, would add o hese s uc-
u al amewo ks by p o iding mechanisms o adap i e change, whe e eache s
could modi y ins uc ional app oaches based on pupil pe o mance da a, iew-
ing DEGE as a esponsi e sys em ( on Be alan y, 1968).
In con as o s uc u al heo ies, Knowledge Building Theo y, Open Inno-
a ion Theo y, and he Theo y o Si ua ed Lea ning would o e mo e p ocess-
ocused pe spec i es. Knowledge Building Theo y would ame DEGE as a col-
labo a i e ool o co-c ea ing knowledge, whe e eache s and pupils migh wo k
oge he owa d sha ed unde s anding (Sca damalia & Be ei e , 2010). Open In-
no a ion Theo y would sugges ha collabo a i e de elopmen among eache s,
de elope s, and o he s akeholde s could imp o e educa ional game con en also
by inco po a ing eache s' ins uc ional insigh s (Chesb ough & Appleya d,
2007). And he Theo y o Si ua ed Lea ning would emphasize DEGE’s po en ial
o simula e eal-wo ld con ex s, posi ioning games as imme si e en i onmen s
whe e pupils migh engage in p ac ical applica ions ele an o hei lea ning
(La e & Wenge , 1991). Howe e , gi en ha Si ua ed Lea ning was de eloped
p io o ecen shi s in digi al and online lea ning, i migh no ully cap u e he
i ual elemen s ha a e now qui e in eg al in DEGE. By combining hese p o-
cess-o ien ed pe spec i es wi h s uc u al amewo ks like Sys ems Theo y,
eache s could gain a be e unde s anding o DEGE, seeing how collabo a ion
and adap abili y in e sec o be e suppo a ange o ins uc ional goals.
2.4 App oach wi h Educa ional Theo ies
Since Digi al Educa ion Games a e he co e o DEGE, di e en educa ional heo-
ies a e qui e essen ial in unde s anding he s akeholde in e ac ions. F om hese
heo ies can be ound possible amewo ks o he design, implemen a ion, and
19
e alua ion o game-based lea ning expe iences. Educa ional heo ies can also be
used o ensu e ha digi al educa ion games a e aligned wi h es ablished p inci-
ples o eaching and lea ning. Howe e , eache s migh use hese o selec p ope
games, whe eas o he s akeholde s like game de elope s migh use hem o c e-
a e he p oduc s. The aim o hese heo ies is o guide he selec ion and design o
games o achie e speci ic lea ning objec i es in di e en le els o lea ning and
alignmen . These heo ies can be used as a base o explain how games can sup-
po cogni i e de elopmen , skill acquisi ion, and concep ual unde s anding, o
example. Ins uc ional s a egies wi hin game en i onmen s can be in o med
wi h hese heo ies and wi h hem in luenced how con en is p esen ed, eedback
p o ided, and lea ning engagemen os e ed.
Technological Pedagogical Con en Knowledge amewo k, also known as
TPACK amewo k, can be used o s udy and desc ibe he knowledge ha each-
e s need o in eg a e echnology in o hei eaching p ac ices. This has been s ud-
ied by Bond & Bedenlie (2019) and by Da ies (2011), bo h who came o he con-
clusion ha his amewo k can be di ided in o h ee pa s consis ing o Techno-
logical Knowledge (TK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK), and Con en Knowledge
(CK). Unde s anding he unc ionali ies and a o dances o educa ional games is
pa o he echnological knowledge, as is explo ing game-based pla o ms and
ools o selec hose aligned wi h speci ic pedagogical needs. When pedagogical
s a egies a e applied wi h he hough o using engagemen and mo i a ional
aspec s o educa ional games and design o lea ning ac i i ies include in eg a ing
games o achie e speci ic lea ning objec i es, he amewo k leans mo e owa ds
pedagogical knowledge. Con en knowledge (CK) ocuses on aligning he use o
educa ional games wi h cu iculum goals and subjec ma e expe ise and selec -
ing games ha suppo con en managemen and deepe concep ual unde s and-
ing. (Bond & Bedenlie , 2019; Da ies, 2011). Wi hin DEGE, he TPACK ame-
wo k would in luen he de elopmen and design o educa ional games which
align he di e en needs and equi emen s o eache s. The p o essional de el-
opmen o eache s ha TPACK would suppo and be used o analyse, he ocus
is on enhancing hei echnological compe encies and pedagogical app oaches
o game-based ins uc ion.
The Subs i u ion Augmen a ion Modi ica ion Rede ini ion (SAMR) o e
ano he amewo k o e alua e and ele a e he use o games in educa ion. In he
con ex o s udy by Wahyuni e al. (2020), he SAMR model is used o ca ego ize
he le els o echnology in eg a ion in ins uc ional ac i i ies in ol ing bo h
eache s and pupils. Acco ding o he s udy, eache s and pupils ha e expe i-
enced he in usion o di e en ypes o echnology in o ins uc ional ac i i ies
( hese ep esen he Subs i u ion and Augmen a ion), and usually echnology ac s
as a di ec subs i u e o adi ional ools (subs i u ion) and enhancemen o asks
is c ea ed by addi ional unc ionali ies p o ided by echnology (augmen a ion).
In Modi ica ion and Rede ini ion s ages, echnology is used o modi y and ede ine
ins uc ional asks ha migh p o e di icul wi hou he help o echnology. Fo
pupils, he use o echnology a hese phases could widen hei knowledge, skills,
and digi al li e acy.
20
Acco ding o ano he s udy by Ali i (2019) whe e TPACK and SAMR mod-
els we e compa ed and e iewed, i was ound ha bo h amewo ks suppo
eache s u ilizing ICT as lea ning ools o enhance lea ning. Howe e , he use o
echnology is no obliga o y o e e y ac i i y, and acco ding o Ali i, i should
be applied based on pupils’ needs and lea ning objec i es. ICT o e s mo e han
ins umen al ools han adi ional (e.g. blackboa d, pencil, pape ) by p o iding
access o au hen ic ma e ials and enabling global communica ion. Ali i s udied
especially he pe spec i es o language eache s and encou aged hem o in e-
g a e ICT (using TPACK) o enhance ask le els acco ding o he SAMR model,
and g adually in oduce and ad ance pupils’ use o echnology in hei lea ning.
Some challenges ela ed o his can be seen o be he dependency o echnology
on echnical aspec s and connec i i y, and ha eache s need o an icipa e and
add ess ICT- ela ed issues. In e ms o DEGE, he SAMR model could be used o
ocus on encou aging game-based lea ning expe iences om basic usage (subs i-
u ion) o ans o ma i e p ac ises ( e-de ini ion), which a e aimed o align wi h
lea ning objec i es. Inspi ing de elope s and designe s o c ea e games ha o e
unc ionali ies and ans o ma i e po en ial and encou aging sys emic changes
wi hin educa ional ins i u ions o p omo e he adop ion and in eg a ion o edu-
ca ional games a mo e sophis ica ed SAMR le els would a i s bes os e holis ic
ecosys em de elopmen . (Wahyuni e al., 2020; Ali i, 2019).
In a ecen s udy by Wang e al. (2024), he esea che s discuss heo ies e-
la ed o collabo a i e inno a ion mechanisms wi hin digi al ecosys ems, and es-
pecially ocus on alue co-c ea ion and incen i e mechanisms. Acco ding o
Wang e al. (2024), Value Co-C ea ion Theo y highligh s he impo ance o s ake-
holde s collabo a ing wi hin a digi al ecosys em. In he con ex o DEGE, alue
co-c ea ion would in ol e g owing in e ac ions be ween mul iple s akeholde s
(such as eache s, pupils, de elope s, and ins i u ions) o collec i ely enhance ed-
uca ional bene i s. Ano he heo y analysed by Wang e al. (2024) is he Incen i e
Mechanism Theo y, which explo es di e en me hods o add ess coo dina ion
dilemmas and design be e incen i e s uc u es o in e ac ions. Fo DEGE, his
heo y could sugges o conside designing incen i e con ac s o policies o align
he in e es s o di e en ac o s (e.g., educa o s, game de elope s) owa ds com-
mon educa ional objec i es. Incen i e mechanisms could p omo e engagemen ,
inno a ion, and long- e m coope a ion. All o hese heo ies could be in eg a ed
in o he design and managemen o DEGE in o de o c ea e a s onge and
clea e collabo a ion be ween di e en s akeholde s.
The explo a ion o DEGE h ough heo e ical amewo ks and concep ual
lenses e eals a mul i ace ed landscape, which can be ancho ed and analysed
wi h he syn hesis o hese heo ies. Conside a ion o echnological dependencies,
accessibili ies, and inclusi i y a e impo an in he implemen a ion o DEGE. Ad-
d essing hese challenges based on p e ious esea ch and an icipa ing po en ial
issues could also c ea e smoo he in eg a ion o digi al games in educa ional se -
ings. Viewing DEGE h ough di e en ecosys em dynamics and CAS emphasize
he p ope ies and in e ac ions among s akeholde s, and highligh s he unde -
s anding o niche dynamics, s akeholde oles, and sys em beha iou . Di e en
21
esea ch me hodologies and e idence-based p ac ices in game-based lea ning
s udies gene a e empi ical e idence and wi h co ec e alua ion and imp o e-
men can his con ibu e o e ec i eness and sus ainabili y o DEGE.
2.5 De ining S akeholde and Componen Roles
Di e en componen s and s akeholde s a e he co e o ecosys ems. When d aw-
ing he dis inc ion be ween hese ac o s o digi al educa ion games ecosys em,
one o he ways o s a is by examining how s akeholde s ha e been de ined in
p e ious s udies. Fo DEGE, an examina ion o digi al ecosys ems, lea ning eco-
sys ems, and game ecosys ems has been conduc ed by selec ing ele an s udies
o build a comp ehensi e desc ip ion. F om hese pe spec i es, s akeholde s,
componen s, and hei oles and signi icance wi hin DEGE a e discussed.
Nguyen and Tuamsuk (2022) discussed he di e en s akeholde and com-
ponen oles in hei s udy abou Digi al Lea ning Ecosys em. They di ided he
oles in o bio ic and abio ic componen s, unde which hey lis ed s akeholde s
and componen s. Thei classi ica ion was a he de ailed, lis ing o e 50 di e en
componen s ha can be di ided in o eigh ca ego ies: bio ic componen s in o
eaching nice, lea ning nice, suppo e s, and s akeholde s, and abio ic compo-
nen s in o echnologies, in as uc u e, lea ning con en s, and adminis a ion.
(Nguyen & Tuamsuk, 2022). These can all be connec ed o DEGE, bu when he
ocus mo es om gene al lea ning ools o cu iculum- ocused and pedagogical
educa ion games, he componen s and s akeholde s migh ge di e en oles, and
he alue o hei inpu migh be shown in di e en in e ac ions be e . Fo his
s udy, hei lis ed componen s can be e e ed o a he well, al hough a p e e -
ence o s akeholde s e e ing o bio ic and componen s o abio ic is p esen , and
he e o e o he s udies and hei classi ica ion ha e also been s udied.
Acco ding o Hech and C owley (2020), an ecosys em has no cen e, bu
he s akeholde s and componen s o he sys em a e in luenced and he in luenc-
e s by hei con ex . They ha e iden i ied and ca ego ized s akeholde s wi hin
educa ional ecosys ems based on hei oles and con ibu ions o he manage-
men and suppo o lea ning en i onmen s. Hech and C owly (2020) iden i ied
he ollowing di e en s akeholde s and hei main oles: P og am o ice s a e
esponsible o se ing goals and s a egies ela ed o educa ional unding, shap-
ing he di ec ion o educa ional ini ia i es. Educa ional unde s, whe he en i ies
o indi iduals, p o ide inancial suppo o ne wo ked ecosys ems o lea ning.
O ganiza ions and ins i u ions deli e educa ional se ices and p og ams. They
con ibu e di ec ly o he educa ional p ocesses and ou comes wi hin he ecosys-
ems by s udying he ela ional p ocesses wi hin lea ning ecosys ems. P ac i ion-
e s, ha can be seen as he educa o s and policymake s a e wo king di ec ly in
he ield o educa ion and implemen ing s a egies wi hin hese lea ning en i on-
men s. Policymake s a e esponsible o c ea ing policies o he educa ional sys-
ems and hei unc ioning. Local communi ies, pa en s, and o he in es ed
22
g oups hen again con ibu e o he ou comes and p ocesses o educa ional eco-
sys ems. Hech and C owley's (2020) s akeholde analysis in gene al highligh ed
how impo an he in e connec edness o educa ional ecosys ems is, and hei
classi ica ion ocus mos ly on bio ic indi iduals o g oups. They sugges ed o o-
cus mo e om indi idual lea ne s o b oade sys emic p ocesses and ela ional
dynamics, which migh no be an exac i wi h his pa icula s udy. Thei model
o ecosys em s akeholde s does ha e impo an s akeholde s when hinking
abou DEGE, especially o he b oade iew, bu only hal o he men ioned
s akeholde s by Hech and C owley (2020) would be di ec ly in ol ed wi h
eache s as well.
Simila ly o Hech and C owly (2020), Roundy e al. (2018) ca ego ized di -
e en s akeholde s, bu wi hin en ep eneu ial ecosys ems (EEs), based on hei
oles and con ibu ions o hese sys ems. Acco ding o Roundy e al. (2018) En-
ep eneu s a e indi iduals who ini ia e and de elop new en u es wi hin en e-
p eneu ial ecosys ems. Policymake s a e esponsible o de eloping and imple-
men ing e ec i e policies ha suppo and os e he g ow h o en ep eneu ial
ecosys ems. Schola s and esea che s de elop amewo ks, me hodologies, and
insigh s ha con ibu e o unde s anding he complex dynamics o EEs. P ac i-
ione s a e indi iduals ac i ely engaged in he p ac ical aspec s o en ep eneu -
ship wi hin ecosys ems. Agen s in Agen -Based Modelling as s akeholde s a e
simula ed en i ies used in compu a ional models o ep esen di e en ac o s and
beha iou s wi hin en ep eneu ial ecosys ems. Indi iduals who con ibu e o
quali a i e esea ch me hods like in e iews and e hnog aphic obse a ion p o-
ide in o ma ion in o he human and ela ional aspec s o ecosys em dynamics.
(Roundy e al., 2018). This ecosys em also has impo an s akeholde s, and he
ocus isn’ as b oad as Hech and C owley’s (2020), which would sui DEGE
sligh ly be e , bu nei he does his model i DEGE as i is. In his s udy, he
ocus on bio ic s akeholde s is once again p esen .
Ano he ca ego iza ion o s akeholde s has been c ea ed by Wang e al.
(2024), ocusing especially on collabo a i e inno a ion and coope a ion s a egies.
Co e manu ac u e s we e iden i ied as p ima y en i ies esponsible o p oduc
de elopmen , inno a ion, and p oduc ion wi hin he manu ac u ing digi al eco-
sys em. Digi al echnology p o ide s supply digi al solu ions, echnologies, and
expe ise ha enable manu ac u ing en e p ises o adop au oma ion, AI, da a
analy ics, and o he digi al ools. The inclusion o local go e nmen s as s ake-
holde s unde sco es hei ole in p o iding policy guidance, incen i es, and sup-
po o os e inno a ion and digi al ans o ma ion. Collabo a i e pa ne ships
be ween manu ac u e s and local go e nmen s can lead o a ou able policy en-
i onmen s, incen i e subsidies, and in as uc u e de elopmen . (Wang e al.,
2024). Al hough no explici ly discussed in dep h in hei s udy, consume s ep-
esen an impo an s akeholde g oup whose p e e ences and demands in lu-
ence inno a ion s a egies and ecosys em de elopmen . Manu ac u e s and ech-
nology p o ide s need o unde s and consume needs and beha iou o ailo
hei o e ings and suppo ma ke -d i en inno a ion. The analysis by Wang e
al. (2024) emphasized how collabo a ion and coo dina ion among hese
23
s akeholde s is impo an o achie e digi al ans o ma ion objec i es wi hin he
manu ac u ing digi al ecosys em. Simila ly wi h p e ious s udies, his analysis
includes b oade sense o bio ic s akeholde s wi h o he men ions o componen s,
bu especially wi h a ocus on collabo a ion and inno a ion be ween s akeholde s.
In DEGE, his so o ecosys em could i especially well when analysing he eco-
sys em om he game de elope s’ o eache s’ poin o iew.
The e a e many di e en s udies on ecosys ems and hei componen s. The
ones s udied and men ioned in his wo k a e a ac ion o all bu we e selec ed
based on hei ela i eness o he opic, ime ame and signi icance in he ield.
The e can be di e en ways o ca ego ize and classi y s akeholde s and compo-
nen s, o en e e ing o s akeholde s as bio ic en i ies and componen s as abio ic
en i ies. Di e en s udies had speci ic ocuses, o example s akeholde ca ego i-
za ion p esen ed by Wang e al. (2024) especially discussed he complexi y and
in e dependence o ac o s in ol ed. All he men ioned indings can be used o
guide he analysis o DEGE and especially how he di e en ela ionships be-
ween s akeholde s and componen s a e iewed. Wi h di e en iews on which
s akeholde s a e impo an in his so o ecosys em, i can be easie compa e di -
e en ones o unde s and how DEGE should be o med.
2.5.1 S akeholde s
Based on he p e ious s udies and he ca ego ies o di e en s akeholde s, espe-
cially by Nguyen and Tuamsuk (2022), Hech and C owley (2020), Roundy e al.
(2018), Wang e al. (2024), and Wang e al. (2024), a dis inc ion be ween hem can
be discussed o analyse DEGE. The s akeholde s iden i ied wi hin he con ex o
DEGE ep esen essen ial ac o s who con ibu e o he de elopmen , adop ion,
and in eg a ion o educa ional games in o lea ning en i onmen s. The ollowing
g oups o s akeholde s and componen s we e d a ed based on he p e ious
s udies on educa ional ecosys ems, en ep eneu ial ecosys ems, and manu ac u -
ing digi al ecosys ems.
The di e en main s akeholde s can be di ided in o six di e en en i ies.
Game de elope s play a ole in c ea ing and designing he educa ion games. This
aligns wi h he ca ego iza ion o "Co e Manu ac u e s" in he manu ac u ing dig-
i al ecosys em, whe e manu ac u e s a e in cha ge o p oduc de elopmen . Sim-
ila ly, en ep eneu s wi hin en ep eneu ial ecosys ems a e akin o game de el-
ope s, ini ia ing and de eloping new en u es (including educa ional games)
wi hin hei espec i e ecosys ems. They can be ca ego ized simila ly o "Co e
Manu ac u e s" wi hin manu ac u ing digi al ecosys ems (Wang e al., 2024),
whe e manu ac u e s a e he ones behind p oduc de elopmen and inno a ion.
Game de elope s would also include selling hei games o wa d. In en ep e-
neu ial ecosys ems (Roundy e al., 2018), game de elope s align wi h en ep e-
neu s who ini ia e and de elop new en u es, including educa ional games.
Educa ional ins i u ions a e s akeholde s esponsible o in eg a ing
games in o he cu iculum and shaping adop ion ends. This ole esona es wi h
he in ol emen o o ganiza ions and ins i u ions wi hin lea ning ecosys ems,
24
di ec ly being in ol ed in con ibu ing o educa ional p ocesses and ou comes.
This also aligns wi h he in ol emen o o ganiza ions and ins i u ions wi hin
lea ning ecosys ems (Hech & C owley, 2020) di ec ly con ibu ing o educa-
ional p ocesses. Policymake s in luence educa ion game adop ion and in eg a-
ion in o educa ional policies, simila o local go e nmen s in he manu ac u ing
digi al ecosys em (Wang e al., 2024) which p o ide policy guidance and suppo
o inno a ion.
Teache s, who a e also in he main ocus in his s udy, ha e he powe o
implemen educa ion games in class ooms and add ess challenges and oppo u-
ni ies associa ed wi h game-based lea ning. Thei ole as p ac i ione s can be seen
o mi o p ac i ione s wi hin en ep eneu ial ecosys ems (Roundy e al., 2018).
Pupils a e he end-use s and pa icipan s in he educa ion game ecosys em, in-
luencing engagemen and lea ning ou comes. This ole is compa able o con-
sume s in he manu ac u ing digi al ecosys em (Wang e al., 2024), whose p e -
e ences and demands hen d i e inno a ion s a egies. Pa en s play mo e o a
suppo i e ole in in luencing educa ion game usage, bu hey can ha e speci ic
conce ns and a i udes owa ds game-based lea ning which hen a ec s pupils.
This is simila o he engagemen o local communi ies and pa en s wi hin edu-
ca ional ecosys ems (Hech & C owley, 2020; Nguyen & Tuamsuk, 2022).
These six s akeholde s can also be u he ca ego ized in ou di e en main
g oups: C ea o s/P oduce s include s akeholde s (e.g. game de elope s, educa-
ional ins i u ions) esponsible o c ea ing and designing educa ional games,
such as game de elope s and educa ional ins i u ions. They d i e inno a ion and
p oduc de elopmen wi hin he ecosys em. Consume s/End-Use s (e.g. pupils)
a e he p ima y bene icia ies o use s o educa ion games. Thei engagemen and
p e e ences d i e he demand o inno a ion and shape lea ning ou comes. Fa-
cili a o s/Implemen e s (e.g. eache s) encompasses s akeholde s like eache s
who a e ins umen al in implemen ing educa ion games in class ooms and ad-
d essing challenges associa ed wi h game-based lea ning. They play a c ucial
ole in ansla ing inno a ions in o p ac ice. Suppo e s/Enable s, such as poli-
cymake s, pa en s, and o he s akeholde s who in luence adop ion and in eg a-
ion o educa ion games in o policies and p ac ices all in o his ca ego y. They
p o ide guidance, incen i es, and suppo o inno a ion wi hin he ecosys em.
These ou ca ego ies cap u e he oles and con ibu ions o s akeholde s
wi hin he digi al educa ion game ecosys em, while d awing pa allels om and
o simila s akeholde g oups iden i ied in manu ac u ing digi al ecosys ems
(Wang e al., 2024), en ep eneu ial ecosys ems (Roundy e al., 2018), and educa-
ional ecosys ems (Hech & C owley, 2020).
2.5.2 Componen s
The componen s o he DEGE consis o many di e en in e ac ions and ela ion-
ship wi hin he ecosys em, in as uc u e, challenges and collabo a ion, equi y
and inclusion, and u u e di ec ions. Unde s anding he di e en in e ac ions
and ela ionships among s akeholde s and how hey a ec he ecosys em.
25
Fo ins ance, unde s anding in e ac ions wi hin DEGE equi es analysing
how ela ionships and communica ion
lows among s akeholde s—such as
eache s, pupils, game de elope s, and
policymake s—a ec he ecosys em.
Wang e al. (2024) emphasize he im-
po ance o ne wo k dynamics, com-
munica ion, and knowledge exchange
among s akeholde s. Nguyen and Tu-
amsuk discussed he di e ence be-
ween abio ic and bio ic componen s,
and he componen s men ioned he e
would all unde he abio ic ca ego y.
Figu e 1 on he igh illus a es he
s akeholde s and componen s wi hin
DEGE, o isualize how each en i y in-
e ac s and con ibu es o he ecosys-
em's unc ionali y (Figu e 1).
Digi al educa ion games a e he ounda ion o DEGE, as i e en o ms mos
pa o he name. They unc ion as he p ima y ool h ough which educa ional
con en is deli e ed and expe ienced, linking pupils, eache s, and de elope s in
a con inuous cycle. Digi al games, which a e s udied mo e in he ollowing chap-
e , encou age educa o s o adop new app oaches wi hin he cu iculum. Wi h-
ou digi al educa ion games, he ecosys em would lack a cen al medium ha
in eg a es lea ning goals wi h in e ac i e echnology. This posi ions digi al
games no jus as a componen bu as he basis upon which he o he elemen s o
DEGE—in e ac ions, in as uc u e, and cu iculum—a e buil and connec ed.
Cu iculum se es as one o he o he co e componen s, as i ou lines he
educa ional objec i es and guides he in eg a ion o game-based lea ning in o
eaching p ac ices. Di e en policies a ec ing cu iculum migh also a ec he
c ea ion o educa ional games, bu his depends on he ac who is making he
game and o wha pu pose. A well-s uc u ed cu iculum should also ensu e
ha digi al educa ion games align wi h educa ional s anda ds and lea ning ou -
comes, bu he o icial guidelines p o ided by he na ional cu iculum o basic
educa ion does no go in de ail abou he usage o educa ion games (Ope ushal-
li us, 2014). Howe e , a cu iculum p o ides a amewo k ha helps educa o s
and educa ional ins i u ions in inco po a ing games in eaching.
Inno a ion ep esen s one aspec o DEGE, in ol ing he con inuous de-
elopmen and adap a ion o digi al educa ion games o mee e ol ing educa-
ional needs. Inno a ion equi es ac i e collabo a ion among s akeholde s o os-
e c ea i i y and p oblem-sol ing wi hin he ecosys em, especially in he o m
o aining and including eache s in o he c ea ion o local cu iculums and
eaching s a egies. Wang e al. (2024) emphasize he impo ance o ne wo k dy-
namics, communica ion, and knowledge exchange in d i ing inno a ion, as well
as he ole o s akeholde engagemen in achie ing hese op imized ou comes.
Figu e 1 - S akeholde s and Componen s
32
s anda ds. Then again, games ha engage pupils may lead o mo e meaning ul
lea ning expe iences, e en i hey don’ ha e as igid objec i es.
The di e en amewo ks and classi ica ion models o e lenses in o he
wo ld o educa ional games. While se e al ca ego iza ion models exis , only he
mos ele an a e explo ed he e. Howe e , ca ego izing DEGs can shape he
eache s’ pe cep ions o hei educa ional alue, o example, when lea ning ob-
jec i es and s uc u e a e ea ed as in e dependen ac o s ha shape educa-
ional impac oge he . In e es ingly, he classi ica ion on popula pla o ms, such
as he Play S o e, AppS o e, and o he e iew websi es o example, migh o en
p io i ize comme cial appeal o e pedagogical alignmen . Ca ego ies like “edu-
ca ional”, “puzzle”, o “ad en u e” may lack he speci ici y eache s would need
o ins uc ional decision-making, which has also been widely discussed by An-
ne a (2018). This migh aise ques ions abou he au ho i y behind classi ica ion
ules, and whe he hese s anda ds a e se by educa ional expe s, comme cial
pla o ms, o use -d i en eedback mechanisms. Acco ding o Keb i chi, Hi umi,
and Bai (2010), comme cial in e es s o en d i e game classi ica ions, wi h mini-
mal inpu om educa o s, which may hen limi he accu acy o he labels in e-
lec ing ue educa ional alue. Consequen ly, he lack o consis en , pedagogi-
cally in o med s anda ds in comme cial classi ica ions may hinde eache s’ abil-
i y o ind bes i ing games o hei educa ional goals, unde sco ing he need
o mo e educa ion- ocused classi ica ion amewo ks in DEGE.
3.3 Pedagogical Theo ies and Game-Based Lea ning
Pedagogical heo ies can o e a guiding amewo k wi hin he digi al educa ion
games ecosys em. Teache s, who ansla e heo e ical p inciples in o p ac ise, op-
e a e a an in e sec ion o echnology and pedagogy. Behind he na ional cu ic-
ulum and o he guidelines a e always pedagogical heo ies, and when educa-
ional ins i u ions adop digi al ools, including educa ional games, hey do so
wi h he goal o aligning he ools wi h he isioned eaching amewo ks. Recen
s udies ha e also discussed how pedagogically g ounded app oaches can shape
eache s’ pe spec i es on DEGs and hei implemen a ion (Da ies, 2011;
Laanpe e e al., 2014; Shaikh, 2023).
Lea ning is o en concep ualized a di ec p ocess o acqui ing knowledge
and abili ies, adi ionally iewed as a linea ans e om eache s o lea ne s
(Aga hangelou e al., 2016; I e sen e al. 2015). Howe e , he “nega i e dimen-
sion” o lea ning, whe e pupils mus g apple wi h hei own knowledge gaps
and limi a ions (Mi gu sch & Sa le , 2008), can also be conside ed h ough game-
based lea ning (GBL). This o e s a way o explo e he combina ion o cogni i e
and cons uc i is pe spec i es. Fo eache s, GBL p o ides oppo uni ies o
each he gi en opic wi h di e en expe iences and ools, which can ha e he
abili y challenge and expand pupils’ unde s anding be e han ex s and pic u es
in a book. Teache s a e he ones, who ul ima ely choose which games o ame-
wo ks bes suppo hei pupils. This chap e explo es key pedagogical heo ies
33
unde lying GBL, including cons uc i ism, mo i a ion heo ies, and social lea n-
ing heo y, and examines how hese amewo ks in luence eache s' p ac ices and
pe cep ions.
Cons uc i is heo y, p ima ily associa ed wi h Jean Piage and Le Vygo -
sky, posi s ha knowledge (o lea ning) is cons uc ed h ough expe iences a-
he han passi ely ecei ed (Pa djono, 2016; Polin 2018). I he impo ance in
lea ning is based on hands-on lea ning expe iences and social in e ac ions, game-
based lea ning can o e a way o include bo h o hese elemen s in a pupil-cen-
ed way (Cos ley, 2014; Kalogiannakis e al. 2018). Especially when he e a e si -
ua ions ha would be ha d o almos impossible o eplica e wi hou e hical, i-
nancial, o ime cons ain s. Teache s who adop a cons uc i is app oach iew
o GBL as a means o p o ide in e ac i e expe iences ha allow pupils o expe -
imen , whe he consciously o no , can sol e p oblems and build new unde -
s anding h ough gameplay (Gee, 2008; Polin, 2018; Roussou, 2004). Vygo sky’s
Zone o P oximal De elopmen (ZPD) sugges s ha pupils lea n bes when hey
a e challenged bu suppo ed in eaching he new compe encies. Many game-
based lea ning pla o ms inco po a e le elling sys ems, adap i e challenges, and
eedback, which align wi h ZPD by o e ing asks wi hin each pupil’s lea ning
ange (Plass, Home , & Kinze , 2015). The expe ien ial elemen o games can also
be used o c ea e si ua ions whe e pupils can encoun e and o e come "nega i e
dimensions" o lea ning (Mi gu sch & Sa le , 2008).
Sel -De e mina ion Theo y (SDT) explained by Deci and Ryan (2000) and
Uysal and Yildi im (2016) is ano he amewo k o GBL, pa icula ly ocusing
on mo i a ion— he in e nal desi e o engage in an ac i i y o i s own sake. In a
well- hough game, all o he elemen s (au onomy, compe ence, and ela edness)
can be p esen . Games ha allow choices and gi e playe s con ol (au onomy),
p o ide eedback on p og ess (compe ence), and encou age collabo a ion ( ela -
edness) a e mo e likely o engage pupils (Keb i chi, Hi umi, & Bai, 2010). Fo
eache s, he mo i a ional elemen s o GBL could p o ide a way o engage pupils
who may o he wise s uggle o ind in e es in adi ional educa ional me hods.
Then again, Sal e (2011) obse ed ha since games include assessmen mecha-
nisms, as p og ession o en equi es mas e y o speci ic skills, hey can aid in
eaching and in e alua ing pupils’ o mal and in o mal lea ning. The bene i s o
game-based lea ning a e pa icula ly no iceable among digi al na i es, who a e
accus omed o quick in o ma ion e ie al, isual cues, non-linea access, ne -
wo ked en i onmen s, and ins an eedback (Sal e , 2011).
Social Lea ning Theo y, de eloped by Albe Bandu a, said ha lea ning
occu s h ough obse a ion, imi a ion, and in e ac ion wi h o he s. Teache s,
who a e in e es ed in highligh ing hese elemen s, could obse e ha hese in e -
ac ions c ea e oppo uni ies o pupils o lea n om each o he , p ac ice social
skills, and engage in collabo a i e p oblem-sol ing (Häkkinen e al., 2017). Also,
Da id Kolb’s Expe ien ial Lea ning Theo y (ELT) p o ides suppo o he use o
games in educa ion. Acco ding o Kolb, e ec i e lea ning in ol es a cycle o con-
c e e expe ience, e lec i e obse a ion, abs ac concep ualiza ion, and ac i e ex-
pe imen a ion (Kolb & Kolb, 2010). Games, which o e hands-on expe iences,
34
gi e pupils a space o en e a lea ning cycle by engaging di ec ly wi h con en ,
e lec ing on in-game successes and ailu es, concep ualizing new s a egies, and
expe imen ing wi h solu ions.
Acco ding o Zhong (2019) game-based lea ning, also been e e ed as un-
based lea ning in Taiwan, ep esen s an inno a i e educa ional app oach ha
me ges educa ion wi h play. By ins uc ional con en and c ea ing game-based
lea ning scena ios, pupils can independen ly ackle game asks ei he indi idu-
ally o h ough g oup collabo a ion wi hin engaging and challenging game en i-
onmen s. Th ough his app oach, lea ne s ac i ely cons uc knowledge, de-
elop collabo a i e skills, and enhance p oblem-sol ing abili ies du ing game-
play. Mo eo e , he s imula ing lea ning en i onmen boos s pupils' mo i a ion
and in e es in acqui ing knowledge. This me hod, cha ac e ized as "play-and-
lea n," seamlessly embeds lea ning wi hin he gaming expe ience, ha nessing el-
emen s like mo i a ion, in e es , cu iosi y, challenge, and eedback o achie e an
educa ional e ec ha eels as imme si e and dedica ed as playing a game.
(Zhong, 2019; Roussou, 2004; Manesis, 2020; Rod iguez, 2006; I e sen e al., 2015).
Pedagogical beha iou can be s udied h ough he o emen ioned heo ies
and lenses in o de o unde s and he ela ionships and in e ac ions be ween
s akeholde s. S akeholde s can be iewed om many di e en s andpoin s, as
well as hei ac ions. In case o DEGE, he ecosys em e ol es a ound digi al ed-
uca ion games, which sugges s ha pedagogical heo ies migh explain he ac-
ions a bi be e han jus in o ma ion sys ems. Fo example, class oom obse a-
ions, case s udies, and quali a i e analyses a e qui e commonly used o s udy
how eache s implemen cons uc i is p ac ices, such as ques ioning echniques,
and his can be a way o demons a e ha in o ma ion sys ems alone lack he
capaci y o cap u e he ela ionships and ac ions wi hin educa ional con ex s.
3.4 The Usage o Educa ion Games and Gami ica ion
The de elope o any lea ning ma e ial can s a he planning o he lea ning ma-
e ials om a pedagogical poin o iew. This also applies o digi al lea ning ma-
e ials. The e a e many pedagogical s a ing poin s ha can be ela ed o desc ib-
ing, isualizing, illus a ing, p esen ing, o p ocessing a opic o i s in o ma ion
con en . The lea ning ma e ials hemsel es can be ac i i ies aimed a lea ning
goals, ex con en , specula ion asks, lea ning asks o pa o he en i e lea ning
p ocess o he subjec . The ansi ion o digi al lea ning ma e ials has been mo i-
a ed by echnological de elopmen and he desi e o imp o e he lea ne 's com-
mi men o he subjec , bu on he o he hand also by cos e iciency. Finland and
Eu ope ha e been ac i e ac o s in in eg a ing digi al lea ning ma e ials in o ed-
uca ional sys ems, and he opic is also s udied in many di e en coun ies (EC,
2020; Löy önen & Tossa ainen, 2019; Kaisla e al. 2015; Ilomäki, 2012; Shi & Shih,
2015; Manesis, 2020). Wi h digi iza ion, lea ning ma e ials can be c ea ed and
35
used digi ally mo e and mo e alongside he apid changes in echnological de-
elopmen (Kaisla e al., 2015), which migh also soon include he use o AI.
The Eu opean Commission’s Digi al Educa ion Ac ion Plan (2021–2027)
highligh s he impo ance o in eg a ing echnologies, such as digi al educa ional
games (DEGs), in o class ooms o enhance digi al li e acy (EC, 2020). The Ac ion
Plan has been c ea ed o suppo he de elopmen and widesp ead adop ion o
digi al educa ion ools in Eu ope, e en hough i does no necessa ily speci y
wha kind o digi al ool should be used. I also p io i izes eache aining as he
need o educa o s o be equipped wi h he skills and con idence is impo an . In
Finland, he p inciples o he Ac ion Plan align closely wi h na ional educa ional
s a egies ou lined in he Ope ussuunni elma 2014 (Ope ushalli us, 2014) and he
gene al guidance p o ided by Ope ushalli us (Finnish Na ional Agency o Ed-
uca ion). The cu icula ad oca es o he use o echnology o os e c ea i i y, collab-
o a ion, and p oblem-sol ing skills, encou aging eache s o inco po a e gami ied lea n-
ing me hods o engage di e se lea ne s and de elop c i ical digi al compe encies (Ope-
ushalli us, 2014). Simila ly, Ope ushalli us suppo s digi al lea ning h ough
aining p og ams, unding ini ia i es, and esou ces ha empowe schools o
in eg a e ools like DEGs.
A ew s udies ha e been made in Finnish se ings on educa ion games and
hei usage. Ac oss some o hese s udies, eache s iewed educa ional games as
aluable ools o pupil engagemen , mo i a ion, and lea ning ou comes. How-
e e , challenges we e also p esen , including a lack o p o essional aining o
imp o e eache s’ echnical compe ence and con idence in using hese ools
(Keskiniemi, 2018; Yli e o, 2021; Hau ala, 2019). Ano he key conce n was he
di icul y o aligning game con en wi h cu iculum objec i es (Linnakylä & Nu -
mela, 2012; Hau ala, 2019). In as uc u e limi a ions, including inadequa e e-
sou ces and echnical issues, had also u he cons ained hei adop ion a es
(Yli e o, 2021; Hau ala, 2019). Teache s assumed oles as guides—s uc u ing
gameplay and aligning i wi h lea ning goals—o suppo e s, o e ing assis ance
du ing gameplay (Hau ala, 2019; Rosenq is , 2012). I is wo h no ing ha many
o he s udies e iewed we e conduc ed as pa o bachelo o mas e le el e-
sea ch p ojec s. While hese s udies p o ide insigh s in o he use o educa ional
games and hei implica ions in eaching, he scope and me hodology o such
p ojec s may be in luenced by he esou ces and ime cons ain s ypical o s u-
den esea ch. This does no diminish hei signi icance; a he , i highligh s he
impo ance o conside ing hese ac o s when in e p e ing he indings. On a na-
ional le el, numbe s o da a we en’ ound on how much ce ain DEGs a e used
in schools.
Teache s' pe spec i es on in eg a ing digi al educa ional games in o he
class oom e lec bo h en husiasm and app ehension, as men ioned in he wo ks
by Kaisla, Ku onen-Lappi, and Kankaan an a (2015) and Ilomäki e al. (2012).
Acco ding o Kaisla’s e al. (2015) esea ch, many eache s see he po en ial o
digi al lea ning ma e ials, including games and hey seem o app ecia e how
hese ools can make lessons mo e in e ac i e, each digi al li e acy, and a e ele-
an o pupils’ digi al li es. Howe e , Kaisla e al. (2015) also men ion some o
he challenges eache s ace when inco po a ing digi al games in o hei eaching
36
p ac ice. Many eache s epo ed conce ns abou he ime and esou ces equi ed
o implemen hese ools. The e is o en a lack o adequa e aining o suppo ,
which can lead o unce ain y in in eg a ing digi al games in a way ha aligns
wi h cu iculum goals. Also, some eache s wo y ha ocusing oo much on dig-
i al games may de ac om essen ial adi ional skills o lead o dis ac ion a-
he han meaning ul engagemen . Despi e hese challenges, he s udy inds ha
wi h he igh suppo and p o essional de elopmen , eache s a e gene ally
open o using digi al educa ional games. (Kaisla e al., 2015). Fo digi al games o
be success ully adop ed in class ooms, i would seem ha eache s need ongoing
aining, access o quali y esou ces, and a suppo i e in as uc u e.
Teache s’ belie s play a majo ole in he adop ion o DEGs in class ooms.
Acco ding o E me and O enb e -Le wich (2010), he amoun o con idence
eache has on hei abili y and skills a ec how such ools a e used. Also, Me ala
(2019) sugges ed ha eache s’ com o wi h adi ional me hods and hei own
expe iences wi h echnology shape hei willingness o expe imen wi h DEGs. I
eache s iew games as dis ac ions o eel unp epa ed o handle po en ial ech-
nical issues, hey a e less likely o inco po a e hem, ega dless o hei po en ial
bene i s. E en when esou ces and in as uc u e a e a ailable, eache s’ unde -
lying pedagogical belie s migh o en de e mine whe he hey will in eg a e ools
like DEGs in o hei eaching. Teache s who see echnology as aligning wi h hei
ins uc ional goals a e mo e likely o inco po a e i , while hose who pe cei e a
disconnec be ween digi al ools and hei eaching philosophy may esis adop-
ion (E me & O enb e -Le wich, 2010; E me e al., 2014; Me ala, 2019).
When discussing DEGs, ano he impo an aspec is Gami ica ion. This can
be desc ibed as a p ocess whe e usual ac i i ies a e modi ied wi h game-like ea-
u es, like poin s, badges, le els, and challenges, and he goal is o make he ac-
i i y mo e pleasan (Hama i & Huo a i, 2012). The game elemen s a e s udied
and b ough in o non-game con ex s and o he pla o ms and ake ad an age o
people’s na u al compe i i e d i e o play ulness. The co e mechanisms o gam-
i ica ion, acco ding o Hama i e al. (2014), a e in insic mo i a ion and ex insic
mo i a ion. On o he hand, i can be seen as a way o mo i a e people o do asks
and ake pa in ac ions ha would be o he wise bo ing o hem. As a phenome-
non, gami ica ion is a he new, and i s esea ch and usage can be seen mos ly
s a ing in he 21s cen u y (Koi is o & Hama i, 2019; Hama i e al., 2014).
Du ing he pas ew yea s, he de elopmen o digi al ools and de ices has
changed a lo how di e en echnologies can be used and hei use s be e mo-
i a ed (Hama i e al., 2014; Hama i, 2019). Con empla ing on he u u e o gam-
i ica ion, his could mean mo e pe sonaliza ion, eal- ime eedback and adap a-
ion o game expe iences, use o Na u al Language P ocessing, and o he use o
imme si e echnologies, and all could be done wi h he help o AI. Bu as he la e
P o esso Johan Huizinga's amous wo k "Homo Ludens" began wi h he wo ds:
"Play is olde han cul u e, o cul u e, howe e impe ec ly de ined, always p esupposes
human socie y, and animals ha e no wai ed o man o each hem hei games."
(Huizinga, 1955), he e could always be di e en so o ools and de ices, he
co e comes om humans hemsel es. And as play seems o be pa o ou
37
de elopmen , he connec ion be ween emo ions and games a ises in impo ance.
Humans can play play ully and se iously, and as humans g ow up, se ious play
(playing spo s, compe ing) can be seen as mo e accep able han play ( o exam-
ple, child en playing wi h oys) (Hama i e al., 2014; Rod iguez, 2006). Along
wi h play, h oughou his o y, people ha e c ea ed a ious games and ools ha
ha e been used o pu e en e ainmen , mo e se ious lea ning and es ing (wa )
s a egies while c ea ing connec ions wi h o he people.
Gami ica ion and Digi al Educa ion Games sha e some o e lapping p inci-
ples and objec i es. This is highligh ed especially in he goals in wan ing o en-
gage pupils and c ea e be e lea ning expe iences. As o igh now, games ha e
aken hei place in he digi al wo ld and pa o e e yday li es o many young
pupils, e en when jus a decade o wo ago digi al games and hei playe s had
mo e o nega i e labels a ached o hem (Hama i e al., 2014; Mallie , 2006; Ha-
ma i, 2019). In DEGE, gami ica ion could be seen as a ool o di e en s akehold-
e s o enhance he ela ionship be ween DEG and i s use . Howe e , d awing
om he wo ks o Hama i e al. (2014) and Koi is o and Hama i (2019), eache s
could use gami ied analy ics and pe o mance dashboa ds o guide hei usage,
game de elope s could c ea e mo e gami ied ea u es ha align wi h cu iculum
goals, and educa ional ins i u ions could ack pe o mances while s anda dizing
local digi al li e acy goals. Teache s migh also al eady use gami ied asks in hei
class ooms, as o many, u ning a bo ing ask in o play o compe i ion can boos
pa icipa ion ac i i y (Hama i e al., 2014; Ilomäki e al., 2012, Kaisla e al., 2012)
Implemen a ion o hese h ough he lens o DEGE would p obably equi e
be e in e ac ions be ween s akeholde s. The e a e cu en ly some challenges
and obs acles in using DEGs and gami ica ion, which can be ela ed o lack o
knowledge, skills, o ools, bu wi h aining and collabo a ion be ween s ake-
holde s hese could be sol ed.
38
This chap e in oduces he me hodology and decisions made o he ga he ing
o da a. As men ioned ea lie , he esea ch akes a close look a he digi al edu-
ca ion games ecosys em (DEGE) in Finnish basic educa ion ocusing on he each-
e s’ poin o iew. E en hough en angled, he ocus o his s udy could be di-
ided in o de ining he digi al educa ion games ecosys em and how eache s
iew his ecosys em as s akeholde s. The e o e, he i s pa o his s udy is
mainly heo e ical and di ing deep in o he oo s o ecosys ems, digi al educa ion,
and educa ion games. The second pa ocuses on he eache s and hei iews.
In e ms o me hodology o he quali a i e s udy and esea ch ques ions
he s a egy consis ed o in e iews wi h eache s a ound Finland and hema ic
analysis. In e iews we e conduc ed wi h ele en di e en eache s wi h di e en
backg ounds, gende s, wo k expe iences, and o he a ibu es. The in e iew
ques ions we e ca ego ized and es ed be o e he in e iews o balance he con-
nec ions be ween esea ch ques ions and he in e iew ques ions. The da a col-
lec ed om hese in e iews was ansc ibed and coded o iden i y ecu ing
hemes and pa e ns. E hical conside a ions we e also no ed, and p io o he in-
e iews, all pa icipan s we e in o med abou he s udy’s pu pose, hei ole in
i , hei igh s, and including he igh o wi hd aw a any ime wi hou any con-
sequences.
In he ollowing chap e s, he di e en poin s and hemes a e discussed
mo e ho oughly o show he wo k and hough be ween decisions. As his s udy
aims o c ea e space and unde s anding o he digi al educa ion games ecosys em
in Finnish basic educa ion, he indings could possibly add o he exis ing body
o knowledge and o e ad ice o p ac ical implica ions.
4.1 Resea ch Design
In his s udy, a quali a i e esea ch design was implemen ed o examine eache s’
pe cep ions o hei oles wi hin he Digi al Educa ion Games Ecosys em (DEGE).
4 METHODOLOGY
39
This app oach aligned wi h he ecommenda ion o Mye s (2019) o s udying a
social phenomenon whe e he goal is o unde s and pa icipan pe spec i es
wi hin he con ex ual amewo k. In he con ex o In o ma ion Sys ems and
based on he p e iously men ioned wo ks, quali a i e s udies o en inco po a e
a blend o heo e ical amewo ks, da a collec ion echniques, and analysis me h-
ods o explo e he echnical and social aspec s o he echnology in use.
This s udy leaned on he esea ch app oaches o In o ma ion Sys ems in o -
de o unpack DEGE and wi h a quali a i e me hod, i was possible o build a
mo e nuanced iew o how eache s pe cei e hei s anding in he ecosys em.
Mo i a ed by exis ing gaps in he li e a u e, his s udy add esses he ollowing
key esea ch ques ions:
1. Wha cons i u es he digi al educa ion games ecosys em and how does
i di e om simila digi al ecosys ems?
2. How do eache s, as pi o al s akeholde s, pe cei e hei in luence on he
use o digi al educa ion games in class ooms?
3. How do eache s iew he unc ionali y and e ec i eness o he cu en
digi al educa ion game ecosys em?
4. Wha a e he p ima y obs acles hinde ing he widesp ead adop ion o dig-
i al educa ion games in class oom se ings?
The i s ques ion mos ly being p esen in he heo e ical discussion and ques-
ions om 2 o 4 guiding he quali a i e s udies wi h he eache s. As w i en in
he p e ious chap e , o help ame he s udy, se e al heo e ical amewo ks
we e b ough unde discussion.
Quali a i e esea ch was selec ed as he p ima y me hod o his s udy o
be e cap u e indi idual pe spec i es. Mye s (2019) desc ibed quali a i e me h-
ods as sui able o unde s anding he combina ion o social con ex s and beha -
iou s. This app oach also aligned wi h he in e p e i is pe spec i e, which em-
phasized unde s anding how pa icipan s cons uc meaning wi hin speci ic con-
ex s. The quali a i e design suppo ed an explo a ion o eache s’ pe sonal and
p o essional expe iences wi hin DEGE, as also no iced by Koi is o and Hama i
(2019) in hei sys ema ic e iew o mo i a ional in o ma ion sys ems, whe e he
complexi y o in e ac ions was bes examined h ough in e p e a i e me hods.
Ra he han chasing objec i e measu es, in e p e i ism can open he space
o pe sonal na a i es (Ande son & Sha uck, 2012). The goal was o see h ough
eache s’ eyes, o map ou he sub le ies o hei in ol emen and he meanings
hey a ach o DEGE in hei wo k. IS esea ch o en ackles hese blended
spaces—whe e echnology and human beha iou in e ac (Wahyuni e al., 2020),
and in his con ex , digi al games a e no jus ools, bu hey a e embedded in he
educa ional wo ld. Teache s’ subjec i e expe iences don’ jus in e ac wi h he
sys em— hey shape i . He ne & Cha e jee (2010) emind us ha bo h he ech-
nical and social dimensions ma e , making in e p e i ism a good app oach he e.
Simila ly o Koi is o & Hama i (2019), who explo ed gami ica ion h ough simi-
la me hods, his s udy uses semi-s uc u ed in e iews o di e in o eache s'
40
pe spec i es. These in e iews o e ed he eedom o open e lec ion, bu s ill
cap u e iewpoin s ha mo e s uc u ed me hods migh miss.
Semi-s uc u ed in e iews se ed as he p ima y da a collec ion me hod.
They p o ided lexibili y o pa icipan s o sha e hei hough s and expe iences
beyond p ede e mined ques ions (Ande son & Sha uck, 2012). This app oach
allowed o a deepe unde s anding o eache pe spec i es and in e ac ions
wi hin DEGE, aligning wi h p e ious s udies on s akeholde engagemen and
educa ional echnology (Da ies, 2011; Huo a i & Hama i, 2012; Wahyuni e al.,
2020). Re lexi i y has also been inco po a ed in o he esea ch p ocess o ensu e
objec i i y and anspa ency. Mye s (2019) and Noble and Smi h (2015) bo h
highligh ed he ole o e lexi i y in quali a i e esea ch as a means o mi iga e
po en ial biases. Re lexi i y was main ained by documen ing e lec ions and an-
aly ical decisions, helping o con ol o pe sonal in luence on da a in e p e a ion.
And eliabili y as well was ein o ced by using consis en da a collec ion and
analysis p ocesses, as ecommended by He ne and Cha e jee (2010) as well as
He ne ’s e al. (2004), whose s udy ocused mo e on design esea ch and sys em-
a ic e alua ion in esea ch amewo ks.
In a sys em like DEGE, whe e echnology, educa ion, and policy o e lap, a
igid o pu ely quan i a i e me hod could miss he sub le ies ha a ise om pe -
sonal and con ex ual ac o s. The in e p e i is amewo k complemen ed he
quali a i e app oach. Th ough his app oach, he s udy ocused on cap u ing no
jus wha eache s hink bu how hey a i ed a hei pe cep ions, how hey made
sense o hei in ol emen , and how he ecosys em shaped hei p o essional
iden i ies.
4.1.1 Quali a i e s. Quan i a i e App oach
In choosing a pa h o his s udy, he decision o emb ace a quali a i e app oach
came qui e na u ally. As he ou line o DEGE was de eloped and he app oach
o his s udy conside ed, i became appa en ha he esul s could no be nea ly
measu ed o dis illed in o numbe s only. Ins ead, hey we e ib an wi h he pe -
spec i es o eache s, whose oices shape he landscape o how hese games a e
adop ed and unde s ood, and he e o e his s udy called o dep h h ough con-
e sa ion. Quali a i e esea ch, wi h i s emphasis on subjec i e expe ience, o -
e ed exac ly ha . I allowed he na a i e o un old in a way ha s uc u ed,
quan i a i e measu es canno achie e ha well (Cook & Reicha d , 1979; B yman,
2008).
DEGE, wi h i s di e en laye s o echnology, policy, and educa ion, would
bene i om iew ha highligh s he complexi y o indi idual expe ience. Quan-
i a i e esea ch can be seen o be powe ul in iden i ying ends and co ela ions,
bu i migh la en he ex u e o pe sonal pe spec i es. In he wo ld o eache s
and hei ole in his e ol ing ecosys em, numbe s could miss he sub le ies—
how a eache eels abou adop ing a digi al game, wha in luences hei decisions,
and how hey na iga e he policies and p ac ice. O en eache s ha e qui e as
powe in choosing how hey each o wha educa ion games hey use (which is
41
o be discussed mo e ho oughly in chap e 5), and he use o hese games de-
pends mo e on hei pe sonal expe iences and knowledge.
While quan i a i e esea ch migh measu e adop ion a es o e ec i eness
in b oad s okes, i would seem ha in-dep h con e sa ions and e lec i e na a-
i es a e a way o see how a eache uly pe cei es hei ole in his complex
ecosys em. Also, he quali a i e app oach no only aligned wi h he s udy’s aim
bu wi h he e y na u e o ecosys ems hemsel es. Jus as biological ecosys ems
a e made up o coun less in e dependen ela ionships, so oo does DEGE unc-
ion h ough a ne wo k o connec ions be ween eache s, echnology, pupils, and
policy. Each pa o he sys em in e ac s, adap s, and e ol es in esponse o i s
en i onmen , much like Gene al Sys ems Theo y sugges s (Sky ne , 2005). The
ole o eache s in his ecosys em can be be e unde s ood wi h hei li ed expe-
iences, pe spec i es, and e lec ions. In DEGE, eache s we e also no passi e
use s o digi al ools; bu ac i e pa icipan s who shape and eshape he ecosys-
em h ough hei decisions, hei class oom p ac ices, and hei in e ac ions wi h
bo h pupils and echnology. Pel oniemi and Vuo i (2004) w o e ha ecosys ems
e ol e h ough ela ionships and exchanges be ween hei pa s, and in he case
o DEGE, i is he e lec ions o eache s ha would illumina e how his ecosys-
em adap s and ans o ms o e ime.
The quali a i e me hod allows o he cap u e o hese momen s o e lec-
ion, how hey pe cei e hei in luence, and how hey choose o s ee he chal-
lenges and oppo uni ies. Fu he mo e, ecosys ems h i e on di e si y, on he
mul iple laye s o expe ience and in e p e a ion ha con ibu e o hei ongoing
e olu ion. Quali a i e esea ch mi o s his di e si y, and eache s' na a i es
p o ided ha ichness.
4.2 Da a Collec ion me hods
Semi-s uc u ed in e iews o m he co e o da a collec ion o his s udy. Wi h
he p ede e mined ques ions, e e y in e iewee was asked he same ques ions,
bu his me hod allowed pa icipan s o expand on hei hough s and explo e
a eas ha may no ha e been an icipa ed by he esea che , as Adams (2015) de-
sc ibed he use o semi-s uc u ed in e iew me hod. Open-ended ques ions
migh be e b ing o wa d hough s, ideas, and expe iences o he eache s. The
semi-s uc u ed o ma 's lexibili y would allow eache s o alk abou hei ex-
pe iences and pe cep ions in hei own wo ds, a he han being con ined o igid
esponse op ions. This eedom would encou age mo e au hen ic esponses and
deepe engagemen wi h he subjec . (Adams, 2015)
In he ansc ibed in e iews, he e we e also some ex a ques ions p e-
sen ed o ce ain in e iewees, when an oppo uni y p esen ed i sel o such ac .
As no ed by Hech & C owley (2020), quali a i e app oaches ha emphasize pa -
icipan -d i en dialogue can allow o a mo e ho ough unde s anding o how
indi iduals in e ac wi h and in luence hese b oade sys ems. This s uc u ed
48
In his chap e , he esul s o he in e iews we e analysed and ca ego ized based
on he esea ch ques ions. Impo an no ions o men ions om he in e iews
ha e been highligh ed wi h quo es om pa icipan s.
5.1 Ca ego iza ion o In e iew Ques ions
Fo his chap e , he in e iew da a has been ca ego ized acco ding o he e-
sea ch ques ions. These ou a eas a e: Unde s anding o he Digi al Educa ion
Game Ecosys em (DEGE), Teache s' Role and In luence, Ope abili y and Func-
ioning o he DEGE, and Obs acles in he DEGE. This ca ego iza ion p o ides
some s uc u e o analysing he esponses, al hough he e a e a ious ways o
so and analyse hem.
Unde s anding he o e iew DEGE is placed i s because i add esses he
ounda ional le el: wha is being used and how amilia pa icipan s a e wi h he
digi al educa ional game ecosys em. This ca ego y has he knowledge base ha
o ms he s a ing poin o any u he discussion. Ques ions such as “Wha de-
ices a e used?”, “A e e-books used in school?”, and “Do you use educa ional games in
you eaching?” all e ol e a ound wha is al eady in place—wha ools, esou ces,
and echnologies a e cu en ly in eg a ed in o e e yday class oom p ac ices.
Some o hese ques ions can be showed be e wi h cha s and nume ical da a,
and he e o e he chap e in ques ion is di ided in wo pa s. Wi hou unde -
s anding he baseline o digi al engagemen , i would be di icul o mo e o -
wa d in o mo e complex discussions abou in luence o ope a ional challenges.
The second ca ego y, Teache s' Role and In luence, shi s he ocus o
agency and decision-making wi hin he ecosys em. He e, he ques ions a e de-
signed o p obe how much con ol eache s ha e, how hey eel abou hei in lu-
ence, and whe he hey a e suppo ed in implemen ing digi al ools. Ques ions
such as “Do eache s decide on game use, o does he school guide hei choices?” and
“How do you eel abou you abili y o p o ide eedback on game use o de elope s o
5 RESULTS
49
ins i u ions?” a e examined how op-down o bo om-up he in eg a ion p ocess
is. This ca ego y acknowledges he impo ance o eache s' pe spec i es, ecog-
nizing hem as ac i e pa icipan s who ha e he po en ial o ei he d i e o inhibi
digi al ans o ma ion in class ooms. This placemen emphasizes he ole o
eache s as bo h use s and in luence s o digi al educa ional games.
Thi dly, Ope abili y and Func ioning o he DEGE add esses he mechanics
o how he ecosys em wo ks on a p ac ical le el. Ques ions abou he in as uc-
u e, de ice a ailabili y, and suppo sys ems e eal whe he o no he ecosys-
em unc ion smoo hly as o igh now acco ding o expe iences o hese in e -
iewees. This ca ego y includes ques ions such as “How well does you ins i u ion’s
in as uc u e suppo game use?” and “Who main ains he de ices?”, which a e key
in de e mining he easibili y o implemen ing digi al educa ional games on a
la ge scale. In many ways, his ca ego y se es as a b idge be ween heo e ical
engagemen wi h digi al ools and he eal-wo ld limi a ions o capabili ies ha
de e mine hei success. Wi hou adequa e in as uc u e, e en he mos well-in-
en ioned plans o using digi al games can all apa , which is why i ’s c ucial o
add ess he ope a ional side explici ly.
Obs acles in he DEGE is posi ioned las , as i encapsula es he challenges
and ba ie s ha p e en he sys em om eaching i s ull po en ial. Ques ions
in his ca ego y explo e in e nal and ex e nal ac o s, om echnical issues o cul-
u al esis ance. Fo example, ques ions like “Why a en’ de ices being used?” and
“Wha p oblems could you imagine in using he games?” e eal a c i ical dimension
o he digi al ecosys em: no e e y hing wo ks smoo hly, and he e a e ba ie s
ha need o be iden i ied and o e come. This ca ego y also ouches on b oade
issues like policies, esou ces, and he ole o de elope s. By placing his ca ego y
las , he amewo k highligh s ha obs acles a e he inal hu dle o add ess, once
unde s anding, in luence, and unc ioning ha e been explo ed.
In essence, he ca ego ies build upon one ano he . Unde s anding o he
DEGE se s he ounda ion (especially wi h he i s pa o his s udy), Teache s'
Role and In luence explo es agency, Ope abili y and Func ioning o he DEGE
add esses p ac ical conce ns, and Obs acles in he DEGE pinpoin s he ba ie s
ha p e en p og ess. The a angemen o ques ions in his way p o ides a logi-
cal low, mo ing om wha is known and unde s ood, h ough o he complexi-
ies o decision-making, p ac icali y, and he p oblems ha come wi h any new
echnological in eg a ion.
5.2 P elimina y S akeholde Pe cep ions o Digi al Educa ion
Games Ecosys em
The i s esea ch ques ion, ocused on he "o e iew o he Digi al Educa ion
Games Ecosys em (DEGE)," is p ima ily discussed in he heo e ical sec ion,
whe e he s uc u e and componen s o he ecosys em we e discussed mo e ho -
oughly. This heme ac ed as a ounda ion o unde s anding hese esul s and
50
how o analyse he da a. In some sense, all in e iew ques ions a e connec ed o
his esea ch ques ion, as hey examine a ious aspec s o he ecosys em, includ-
ing he use o de ices, e-books, and educa ional games, as well as he oles o
di e en s akeholde s. Howe e , going h ough he ques ions, assigning hese
ques ions as mos ele an o his opic seemed mos logical.
5.2.1 Use o De ices and Games in Class ooms
The da a in his chap e su ounds mos ly ques ions ha can be answe ed wi h
one-wo d esponses. These ques ions migh no be as ele an o his s udy as he
ques ions ha ask easons and hough s behind ce ain subjec s, bu hese ques-
ions we e help ul in uning in he pa icipan s. Wi h hese kinds o ques ions,
he in e iewees could g ound hemsel es in o he opic and s a easily. I hese
ques ions we e s udied mo e ele an ly, he sample size o p ima y da a should
be la ge . Howe e , as hese ques ions we e asked and also help lay down he
ounda ion, hey we e chosen o be analysed as well.
Fo he i s ques ion ela ed o he o e iew o unde s anding DEGE (“1.
A e eaching de ices used?”), ou o 11 in e iewees, all answe ed “yes” o using
eaching de ices in some capaci y. Fi e esponden s (in e iewees P5, P6, P8, P9,
P10) indica ed mo e speci ically ha de ices a e in eg a ed in o he daily class-
oom en i onmen . In e iewees P5, P6, P8, and P9 said ha de ices a e egula ly
used, and he e a e clea s a egies, such as "IT-s a egies" ( -s a egia) o schools
p o iding pe sonal de ices o e e y pupil. In e iewee P4 b ough up ha he e
is no s anda d p ac ice o de ice use, bu pe sonally hey s ill y o in eg a e
echnology in o hei class oom ac i i ies. In e iewee P7 men ioned ha de ice
usage is no a na u al i o hem, bu hey acknowledge ha he school's policies
guide hem o use he de ices. A ew esponden s (In e iewees P1, P3, P10) men-
ioned speci ic ypes o de ices like lap ops, ouchsc eens, and IT class ooms
(compu e labs). While some schools ha e a s ong eliance on de ices ac oss
subjec s (In e iewees P6, P8, P9), o he s ocus mo e on speci ic uses, such as in
IT ooms o ma h o ICT lessons (In e iewees P3, P 5). The e seems o be a end
o all schools using de ices o some ex en , bu he e a e di e ences in how uni-
o mly de ices a e p o ided (some schools had pe sonal de ices o each pupil,
while o he s elied on sha ed esou ces).
Fi e esponden s (P5, P6, P8, P9, P10) said ha de ices a e in eg a ed in o
he daily class oom en i onmen . In e iewees P5, P6, P8, and P9 said ha de-
ices a e egula ly used and ci ed speci ic school policies, such as "IT-s a egies"
( -s a egia) o schools p o iding pe sonal de ices o e e y pupil. In e iewee
P4 b ough up ha he e is no s anda d p ac ice o de ice use, bu hey s ill make
an e o o in eg a e echnology in he class oom. In e iewee P7 men ioned ha
de ice usage is no a na u al i o hem bu acknowledges ha he school's pol-
icies guide hem o use he de ices. This hin s a po en ial ba ie s due o he
eache ’s own com o le el. A ew esponden s (In e iewees 1, 3, 10) men ioned
speci ic ypes o de ices like lap ops, ouchsc eens, and IT class ooms (compu e
labs). While some schools ha e a s ong eliance on de ices ac oss subjec s
51
(In e iewees 6, 8, 9), o he s ocus mo e on speci ic uses, such as in IT ooms o
ma h o ICT lessons (In e iewees 3, 5). The e seems o be a end o all schools
using de ices o some ex en , bu he e a e di e ences in how uni o mly de ices
a e p o ided (some schools ha e pe sonal de ices o each pupil, while o he s
ely on sha ed esou ces).
The Figu e 3 below shows yes/no ques ions ha belong o he i s ca ego y
o in e iew ques ions (Figu e 3). By ca ego izing he esponses in o "Yes,"
"Maybe/Somewha ," and "No," he igu e allowed o a s aigh o wa d isual
in e p e a ion o he a i udes o he in e iewees. The ques ion “Do you hink ed-
uca ional games could be use ul” showed a gene ally posi i e ou look among e-
sponden s. The conce ns ega ding he use ulness we e ela ed p ac icali y o ap-
p op ia eness o educa ional games in hei eaching con ex s. Ou o he ele en
esponden s, i e indica ed ha hey use educa ional games in hei eaching,
h ee said hey use hem some imes, while h ee s a ed ha hey do no use hem
egula ly. Fou esponden s (In e iewees P4, P5, P6, and P11) epo ed egula
use o educa ional games in hei lessons. Th ee esponden s (In e iewees P3,
P7, and P10) indica ed ei he no use o minimal use o educa ional games. The
eache s who used he games he mos o saw hem in mo e posi i e ligh demon-
s a ed a pa e n o egula , s uc u ed usage o educa ional games in hei class-
ooms. In e iewees P1, P2, and P4 ell in o a ca ego y o educa o s who use
games in a mo e supplemen a y manne , pe haps only when app op ia e o ce -
ain lessons o du ing ex a ime. These eache s iewed educa ional games mo e
as an addi ional ool han essen ial pa o hei eaching ou ines.
In e iewees P3, P7, and P10 also alked abou he challenges o p e e ences
o in eg a ing (o no in eg a ing) educa ional games in o hei p ac ises. The ea-
sons a ied om no seeing he need (In e iewee P3) o eeling un amilia o
uncom o able wi h how o implemen games e ec i ely (In e iewee P7). La e
in he in e iews, hese in e iewees also discussed lack o aining o knowledge
Figu e 3 – Gene al Though s on De ices and Games in Class ooms
Gene al Though s on De ices and Games in Class ooms
52
and limi ed pe cei ed ele ance o games. Howe e , in mos schools in ques ion
educa ional games we e mo e o less used, al hough no necessa ily by he in e -
iewed eache s.
In e ms o E-book usage, a ew men ioned ha hey a e p ima ily u ilized
in highe -g ade le els and speci ic subjec s, especially wi h languages. Fou in-
e iewees (P1, P3, P4, P9) answe ed ha e-books a e no used in hei schools,
and he easons a ied om p e e ence o adi ional books and lack o in a-
s uc u e o e-books no being implemen ed ye . Some mixed pe spec i es and
hesi a ions also included he con enience o e-books bu aised conce ns abou
dis ac ions om non-academic con en (e.g., TikTok) by in e iewee P8, while
in e iewees P5 and P10 indica ed hesi a ions among some eache s in hei e-
spec i e schools ega ding he ull in eg a ion o e-books. In e iewees P4 and P9
also p e e ed adi ional ex books, ci ing be e lea ning ou comes h ough
manual no e aking and a oiding echnical issues wi h digi al ools.
The usages o e-books and educa ional games in ce ain subjec s a e shown
in he Figu e 4 below (Figu e 4). In his cha , he amoun o men ions o each
subjec we e coun ed. The mos common subjec s men ioned include languages
and ma hema ics. Se e al in e iewees epo ed ha e-books a e used ac oss
mul iple subjec s, including bo h humani ies and sciences. Languages we e men-
ioned he mos and as one o he p ima y subjec s whe e e-books a e mos e-
quen ly used. Based on he esponds, his is unde s ood o be likely due o he
in e ac i e and accessible na u e o digi al ma e ials ha can acili a e ocabula y
lea ning, g amma exe cises, and ins an eedback. In e iewee P11 no ed ha
while e-books s a ed being used in languages, hey ha e g adually been in o-
duced in o o he subjec s, such as ma hema ics, en i onmen al s udies, and na-
i e language (Finnish). While some esponden s epo ed ha e-books a e used
in almos all subjec s, o he s in e iewee P7 was unce ain abou which subjec s
use e-books, and in hei opinion, adi ional books may s ill be mo e p e alen
in some a eas. The adop ion a es a ied by school, subjec , and e en eache
p e e ence in his pa icipan g oup. In e iewees P3, P5, and P9 men ioned ha
al hough e-books a e widely used, adi ional ex books a e s ill p esen in some
subjec s.
Figu e 4 – E-Book and Educa ional Game Usage by Subjec
E-Book and Educa ional Game Usage by Subjec
53
The ques ion “In which subjec s a e educa ional games used/would be used?” can
also been in he Figu e 4. Mos esponden s (10 ou o 11) belie ed ha educa-
ional games could be applied ac oss a ious subjec s, wi h a pa icula ocus on
ma hema ics, languages, and p og amming. A leas 5 in e iewees men ioned
ha DEGs could be used in almos any subjec , as long as app op ia e games a e
a ailable. Languages we e equen ly men ioned, and he sui abili y o educa-
ional games o ocabula y p ac ice and language lea ning was highligh ed. In-
e iewees P4 and P11 pa icula ly emphasized ha languages a e a clea i s
choice o game-based lea ning. Beyond he common subjec s, se e al in e iew-
ees no ed ha games could also be applied in o he a eas like en i onmen al
s udies, his o y, social skills ( unne aido ), biology, geog aphy, and media educa-
ion. In e iewees P1, P3, P9, and P11 discussed he po en ial o c ea i e uses o
DEGs in subjec s like biology and geog aphy, pa icula ly in asks like iden i ica-
ion exe cises o geoloca ion-based games. In e iewee P9 s a ed by discussing
di e en lea ning applica ions, bu a e con e sing hese, hey emembe ed di -
e en digi al plan iden i ica ion games o games in ol ing lag ecogni ion and
memo y asks, which we e ela ed o he subjec s hey augh . While games we e
seen as use ul in many subjec s, some in e iewees exp essed ese a ions abou
hei use in ce ain a eas, such as biology. In e iewee P3 was unsu e o how
games could align wi h biology’s lea ning objec i es, and hal -wonde ed how
games could suppo he lea ning goals. Se e al in e iewees implied ha he
use o DEGs depends la gely on eache ini ia i e and hei abili y o ind o c e-
a e app op ia e games. Fo example, In e iewee P11 ema ked ha games could
be used in any subjec i he eache is willing o seek ou ele an games. In e -
iewees P6 and P7 men ioned he use o DEGs o eaching social and emo ional
skills ( unne aido ), which could in ol e scena io-based games o ole-playing
games ha each empa hy, p oblem-sol ing, and decision-making.
Se en esponded o he ques ion “Which g ade le els use/would use educa ional
games in you school?” ha educa ional games a e used o would be sui able o
all g ade le els (1-9). A gene al belie ha DEGs ha e wide applicabili y ac oss
di e en ages can be seen in his g oup o in e iewees. Two esponden s, In e -
iewees P3 and P9, alked mo e abou lowe g ade le els (1-6) possibly bene i -
ing mo e om educa ional games, adding ha younge pupils ind hem mo e
engaging and sui able o hei lea ning le els. Howe e , In e iewee P9 also ex-
p essed conce n ha younge child en migh ge mo e easily dis ac ed i he
games become oo en e ainmen ocused.
5.2.2 P esen A i udes and Knowledge
Di ing deepe in o he da a o he 1s ca ego y o ques ions su ounded opics
ha del ed mo e deeply in o how he eache s hough abou he o e iew o
DEGE. Howe e , wi h some ques ions, i was easie o see common hemes han
wi h o he s. When asked “How would you desc ibe you knowledge o digi al educa-
ion games?”, he esponses could be qui e easily coded wi h a spec um o ba ely
any knowledge o well e sed in he opic. In e iewees P3, P7, and P10
54
exp essed mos ou o ouch wi h DEGs, e en hin ing a being unsu e, s essed,
o ne ous abou using hem. In e iewee P7 exp essed hei school suppo ing
he use o DEGs, bu b ough up how ying o lea n abou new hings can be
s ess ul, as seen below.
The school encou ages i , bu i does eel a bi s ess ul y-
ing o lea n new hings while he old ways a e s ill ing ained.
(Koulu kannus aa, mu a kyllä se i selle un uu ähän s essaa al a
y i ää oppia uusia ju uja samalla, kun anha a a on ielä selkä-
angassa. P7)
Du ing he same ques ion, in e iewee P10 b ough up he di e ences be ween
educa ion games and o he lea ning ools/applica ions, no being su e whe e he
line should be d awn. They also men ioned hei own young child en using di -
e en lea ning games, and we e suppo i e o hei usage, while no qui e seeing
whe he olde child en o you h would be able o bene i om he as much. In-
e iewee P2 also men ioned being mo e amilia wi h educa ion games hei
own child en had used. Some eache s could be desc ibed o be qui e en husias ic
and exci ed abou using di e en ools in lea ning, men ioning lea ning abou
hem by hemsel es o ha ing a ela ed hobby. In e iewee P4 also app o ingly
men ioned how many pupils ha e lea ned English while playing comme cial en-
e ainmen games.
A ew o in e iewees, six o be mo e p ecise, also desc ibed di e en games
hey had used o ied ou in hei classes. The e ms o en used by eache s in
he answe s included wo ds like “unde s and”, “complex”, “ isualise”,
“s eng hen”, and “ epe i ion”, when hey discussed why o wha kind o games
o e ec s hey wan ed in hem. The mos commonly men ioned games o pla -
o ms included Kahoo , ViLLE, GeoGeb a, and Quizle , wi h some esponden s
no ing ha hey ha e used hese ac i ely in hei lessons. In e iewees P1, P4, P5,
P6, P8, and P11 said ha hey use digi al educa ional games in hei eaching o
o he pe sonal lea ning en i onmen s. Fo ins ance, In e iewee P4 o en uses
Kahoo du ing lessons and encou ages pupils o engage wi h o he educa ional
games. In e iewee P6 desc ibed a b oad use o many di e en ools, showing
high amilia i y wi h mains eam educa ional games and mo e specialized ools
like ViLLE. In e iewee P5 said ha hey in eg a e games in o echnology lessons,
such as eaching keyboa ding skills wi h speci ic games. In e iewees P2, P7, P9
exp essed a mo e limi ed amilia i y o com o wi h using digi al educa ional
games. Simila ly, In e iewee P9 ound digi al games somewha enjoyable bu
exp essed unce ain y abou hei educa ional alue in he class oom. In e iew-
ees P4, P5, P6, and P11 demons a ed he highes engagemen wi h educa ional
games, using hem egula ly in hei eaching and some imes es ing ou new
games o educa ional pu poses.
The se en h ques ion i ing o his ca ego y is “Which educa ional games a e
used/would be used in you school/class oom?”. Kahoo and Quizle we e he mos
equen ly men ioned educa ional games, wi h bo h being used by a leas i e
di e en in e iewees. These seemed like answe s “on he op o hei ongue”,
55
and hen p oceeded o mo e speci ic con ex s o men ions. Some in e iewees
epo ed using mo e specialized games in hei subjec s, such as p og amming
games and yping games o IT classes (In e iewees P5 and P6), as well as es-
cape- oom-s yle games o media li e acy (In e iewee P6). Media li e acy classes
we e also included in he IT-s a egy ha was showed du ing he in e iew. In-
e iewees P1, P5, and P6 poin ed ou ha p og amming and yping games a e
common in IT classes, wi h speci ic men ions o GeoGeb a o ma h and coding
games like Ang y Bi ds p og amming game (In e iewee P1). In e iewee P6
alked abou a wide ange o games wi h g ea in e es , including ViLLE, SoMe
De ec i es, and Minec a , and explained ha hese games a e usually used in
media educa ion, en i onmen al educa ion, and o he a eas o lea ning. A ew
in e iewees, including In e iewees P3, P7, P9, and P10, indica ed li le o no use
o educa ional games wi h sligh emo ion o wan ing o keep he answe sho
and clea . In e iewee P3 and P7 bo h men ioned ha hey ha en’ used any
games pe sonally bu ha e hea d abou hem being used in subjec s like ma h
and languages om o he eache s in hei school. In e iewee P9 e lec ed mo e
unce ain y, men ioning Duolingo bu exp essing scep icism abou i s i o
school con ex s. These esponds ocused on ocabula y games and quizzes o
supplemen mo e adi ional eaching me hods.
To he ques ion "Wha speci ic lea ning goals a e you ying o achie e/would you
y o achie e by using educa ional games?" all esponden s p o ided speci ic lea n-
ing goals, which we e usually ela ed o he subjec s hey augh . The lea ning
goals a ied depending on he subjec , wi h a ocus on ei he skills de elopmen
(coding, yping) o concep ual unde s anding (language acquisi ion, c i ical
hinking). In e iewee P1 and P4 bo h alked abou using educa ional games o
help pupils unde s and logic and coding, and hese we e also men ioned by P5
and P6 in addi ion o basic media li e acy and cybe secu i y p ac ises. Vocabu-
la y building and g amma p ac ice we e seen as key objec i es in language
lea ning by P2, P4, and P11. In e iewee P3 expanded on his by also men ioning
he use o games o p omo e as e eac ions, communica ion skills, and lis en-
ing/ eading comp ehension. Simila ly, P11 alked abou how a pe son can
demons a e hei skills by using hem in he games:
Lea ning h ough games shows ha he playe has in e -
nalized wha hey' e lea ned, o a he e y leas , emembe s
and can use he knowledge o p og ess in he game. (Pelien
a ulla oppiminen osoi aa, e ä pelaaja on sisäis äny oppimansa
asian. Tai ainakin muis aa ja pys yy käy ämään oppimaansa ie oa
pelissä ede äkseen. P11)
Games we e also seen as ools o os e ing eamwo k, as pupils o en collabo-
a ed o sol e game- ela ed challenges. In e iewees P6 and P7 emphasized us-
ing games o gene a e en husiasm abou subjec s and app oach concep s om
di e en pe spec i es. In e iewee P7 poin ed ou ha educa ional games a e e -
ec i e in de eloping logical hinking and emo ional in elligence, which migh
no be di ec ly add essed h ough adi ional eaching me hods. In e iewee P8
56
emphasized ha games allow pupils o demons a e hei knowledge in a p ac-
ical se ing.
In e ms o eedback (“Wha eedback ha e you ecei ed om pa en s o pupils
abou he use o games?") all esponden s no ed ha pupils gene ally enjoy playing
educa ional games and en husiasm om pupils was commonly men ioned. Ou
o 11 esponden s, 4 had ecei ed any di ec eedback om pa en s o limi ed,
gene al discussions. Among hese, all desc ibed he eedback as posi i e o neu-
al, mos ly ocusing on how games ha e been used a home as well o how
hey’ e mo i a ed pupils o lea n. Ac oss he boa d, pupils we e desc ibed as
en husias ic abou using games du ing lessons. In e iewee P4 no ed ha pupils
o en ask when he nex game will be played, which had also been asked by P9,
bu mo e as a hal -joke wi h e e ence o wan ing o play en e ainmen games.
Also, in e iewee P11 said ha hey don’ o en engage wi h pa en s due o o en
subs i u ing in di e en schools. E en wi h a gene al posi i e a i ude abou us-
ing DEGs, P11 also alked abou how pupils migh ge mo e easily bo ed wi h
slow educa ion games, i hey a e used o as and ocused games, wi hin gen es
like wa and ac ion. The eache s who had ecei ed eedback, such as In e iew-
ees P2 and P5, men ioned ha pa en s hey had been in con ac wi h had an ap-
p ecia ion o he use o games, especially when hei child en con inued o play
hem a home. In e iewee P8 did no e some joking om pupils, who occasion-
ally make commen s abou “jus playing in class”, i hey use educa ion games
o en enough. Howe e , his was iewed as pa o no mal adolescen beha iou ,
a he han a nega i e e lec ion on he use o games hemsel es.
The las ques ion in his ca ego y was “Who o wha kinds o s akeholde s do
you hink a e pa o he digi al educa ional games ecosys em?”, which in a way can
summa ize a lo o his esea ch in pa icula . Be o e he pa icipan s answe ed,
a b ie desc ip ion o wha is mean by ecosys ems was also discussed. All e-
sponden s consis en ly esponded eache s, pupils, and game de elope s as he
co e s akeholde s in ol ed in he digi al educa ional games ecosys em. Se en ou
o 11 esponden s also men ioned school leade ship, while i e men ioned pa -
en s. O he s akeholde s ha we e men ioned included educa ional expe s, uni-
e si ies, and e en cul u al ins i u ions. Ac oss all in e iews, eache s and pu-
pils we e seen as cen al o he ecosys em. In e iewee P6 also men ioned uni e -
si ies and esea ch ins i u ions, highligh ing hei ole in s udying lea ning p o-
cesses and de eloping new educa ional ools. In e iewee 6 in oduced an in e -
es ing pe spec i e by sugges ing ha cul u al ins i u ions such as museums and
w i e s could be in ol ed in game de elopmen .
Games a en’ jus abou ma h o p og amming; hey can
also explo e hemes in his o y o he a s. (Peli hän ei oo pelkäs-
ään ma ikkaa ai ohjelmoin ia, aan niillä oi käsi ellä aikka his o-
ian ai ai eiden eemoja. P6)
Some eache s alked abou IT suppo and ha dwa e p o ide s (e.g., lap ops and
able s) wi hin schools. P9 discussed many di e en places whe e pupils engage
57
wi h games, like lib a ies, schools, game shops (physical and online), ma ke -
ing/ad e isemen s, and game shop selle s as s akeholde s.
Mo e in e ac ions and in o ma ion we e hoped be ween s akeholde s such
as game de elope s and schools, in o de o he games o be “ac ually educa ional,
and no jus en e ainmen ” (P7). While eache s lis ed hese s akeholde s and com-
ponen s, he e we e some unsu eness and guessing. Many used sen ences like
“in my opinion”, “I would guess”, and “Maybe he…”, and P3 exp essed no
being oo amilia wi h he concep in any case. When i came o discussing pa -
en s, mos ly e bs like “suppo ”, “encou age”, and “supe ise” we e used.
Teache s we e men ioned, bu hey oles had been discussed in de ail du ing
o he ques ions, which migh a ec how li le hei oles in de ail we e men ioned.
Game de elope s we e seen as an en i y ha is u he away, bu who c ea es he
selec ion o games, and who should also ha e a g and knowledge o lea ning
goals in o de o hem o be use ul. Pupils we e mos ly no ed using he games,
bu s ill being “in he cen e” (P8). School o educa ional ins i u ions we e hough
o be he p o ide o in as uc u e: de ices, games, IT-suppo , and in e ne con-
nec ions. Schools also implemen ed cu iculum which a ec s he eaching, bu
o he policy make s we e no men ioned.
5.3 Teache s’ In luence on Digi al Educa ional Game In eg a ion
The ques ions ela ed o he second esea ch ques ion ocus on how eache s pe -
cei e hei chance o in luence he digi al educa ional game in eg a ion.
The ques ion “Ha e de ices been discussed o icially o uno icially among s a ?”
p o ided iews on bo h o mal and in o mal dialogues wi hin he school. Fi s
o all, some o he answe s b ough up opinions o discussion abou use o phones
in school and ha mos discussions abou de ices among s a we e ela ed o
his phenomenon. The ecen o possible changes we e men ioned, o example
by P5 how he bigges change du ing he pas 10 yea s has been o s a using e-
books mo e gene ally. Some eache s also alked abou he policies o IT-s a e-
gies o hei school, how hey a e discussed, and di e en ips a e sha ed. Then
again, one eache (P9) discussed school’s in luence and budge mo e ho oughly,
and how i could po en ially inc ease he de ice use, also men ioning how many
eache s in hei school would be in e es ed in s a ing o use he de ices daily.
Budge was seen as a eason o change om adi ional books o de ices/e-books.
The e seemed o be gene al awa eness among s a abou he impo ance
o echnological in eg a ion in o educa ion, e en wi h some di e ing pe spec-
i es o de ice usage. Some eache s b ough up how he e a e some imes com-
plaining in co ee ooms because o bad beha iou when using he de ices. Pu-
pils migh no concen a e on wha is being augh , o de ices a e handled wi h-
ou ca e. One in e iewee P10 also alked abou how es less pupils al eady a e
in lowe g ades and men ioned how i would ha d o see how games would i
when beha iou and/o men al issues a e al eady dis up ing he class oom.
64
The analysis o esponses o he ques ion "How o en do/would you use educa-
ional games in you eaching?" shows a spec um o a i udes among in e iewees,
which can be seen in Figu e 6 below (Figu e 6). Some, like in e iewees P4, P5,
P6, and P11 epo ed using educa ional games weekly, pa icula ly in subjec s
such as language ins uc ion and p og amming, indica ing a p oac i e app oach
o hei in eg a ion. In con as , in e iewees P1 and P2 men ioned using games
mos ly occasionally. They s ill sugges ed an openness o mo e equen inco po-
a ion bu no ing ha i depends on class schedules. In e iewees P3, P7 and P10
exp essed mo e ese ed iews, indica ing hey migh conside using games in
ce ain si ua ions bu do no cu en ly in eg a e hem egula ly. In e iewee P10
explici ly explained ha hey p e e ed adi ional me hods and exp essed scep-
icism abou using educa ional games equen ly, while In e iewee P8 empha-
sized he need o signi ican added alue o jus i y hei use. Also, o many i
would depend on wha is being augh .
The analysis o esponses o he ques ion "How use - iendly o eliable do you
ind he pla o ms o apps ha p o ide he games?" e ealed a spec um o opinions
ega ding he usabili y and dependabili y o digi al educa ional game pla o ms.
Mos in e iewees exp essed no signi ican issues wi h he pla o ms. In e -
iewee P1 no ed ha while ee e sions migh p esen ad e isemen s o limi a-
ions, hey had no aced any majo p oblems. In e iewee P2 ound e-books gen-
e ally eliable, hough some imes hinde ed by pupils' de ices s uggling o un
mul iple applica ions simul aneously. O he s, such as In e iewee P3 and P7,
men ioned a lack o pe sonal expe ience bu indica ed a belie ha he pla o ms
a e likely eliable. In e iewee P4 poin ed ou ha pupils o en na iga e he
games in ui i ely bu acknowledged he occasional need o collec i e ouble-
shoo ing.
I hink he pupils a e e y good a using he games, al-
mos be e han I am. I ’s e y in ui i e and seamless o hem.
(Mieles äni oppilaa osaa a hy in käy ää pelejä, melkein pa emmin
kuin minä i se. E ä hy in sellais a in ui ii is ä ja suju aa. P4)
Figu e 6 – Educa ion Game Usage by In e iewees
Educa ion Game Usage by In e iewees
65
Se e al in e iewees men ioned gene al ease o use, wi h in e iewee P5
also s a ing ha mos applica ions unc ion well despi e some ou da ed g aphics.
In e iewee P6 con i med he use - iendliness o games made in Finland o
a ailable in Finnish, while In e iewee P7 ecognized imp o emen s o e ime
in pla o ms bu cau ioned abou some ee games being clunky o oo simple.
Some conce ns abou da a p i acy and secu i y we e aised by in e iewee P8,
who exp essed a lack o awa eness ega ding he po en ial isks. In e iewee P9
poin ed ou he in e up ions caused by ad e isemen s, especially when playing
wi h hei own child en, while emphasizing ha pla o ms should be use -
iendly o bo h eache s and pupils. Teache P2 also men ioned ha i a ce ain
game goes h ough a subjec in a di e en o de o way han wha hey ha e been
s udying in classes, i migh dis up he low and lea ning p ocess. Fo example,
i he e a e di e en memo y aids o g amma ules in di e en o de /explained
di e en ly.
5.5 Challenges in Using Digi al Educa ion Games
The challenges we e app oached om mul iple angles, anging om in as uc-
u e o pe sonal hough s and skills.
Fi s o all, his ca ego y s a s by examining how he de ices ha e been
pu chased. Acco ding o he eache s, hey we e p ima ily pu chased by he
school in collabo a ion wi h he ci y. This aised conce ns abou unding and e-
sou ce a ailabili y, as di e en ci ies ha e di e en budge s and expendi u es. In
gene al discussions, i appea ed ha he budge and unding om he ci y a e
iewed as a amewo k wi hin which schools and eache s ope a e, making deci-
sions while na iga ing he possible inancial limi a ions. Howe e , his did no
come ac oss as some hing eache s wo y oo much abou , bu he conce n a he
looms a ound.
Fo una ely, we’ e had he oppo uni y o in es in a
well- unc ioning se o de ices, and i shows in seamless each-
ing. (Meillä on onneksi ollu mahdollisuus in es oida hy in oimi-
aan lai ekan aan, ja se näkyy suju assa ope uksessa. P6)
Rega ding he use o de ices, one p ima y eason men ioned by mul iple
in e iewees was he p e e ence o adi ional ex books, which hey belie ed
se ed educa ional pu poses mo e e ec i ely. In e iewees P1 and P3 showed a
bi unce ain y abou he ac ual bene i s o de ices o lea ning, ci ing conce ns
ha inc eased de ice usage could exace ba e pupils' concen a ion p oblems,
gi en hei al eady exis ing sc een ime o leisu e ac i i ies. In e iewee P9 em-
phasized esou ce issues, no ing ha no all pupils ha e access o pe sonal de-
ices, and space cons ain s in he school's compu e lab limi hei usage. The e
we e also some guesses abou how inancial si ua ion may a ec o decision be-
ween digi al and adi ional school supplies, especially leaning on ha e-books
66
could be he cheape op ion. On he opposi e side o he spec um, in e iewee
P2 exp essed ha in hei opinion, e-books make eaching much easie , many
mo e op ions o di e en asks, and g ading/check homewo k has become
much easie . Teache P5 and P6 bo h men ioned ha i is pa o e e yday li e
nowadays o ha e su icien compu e skills, he e o e i ’s no wonde schools
push o he change. P6 also men ioned, ha hei school has an ac i e plan and
goal o be a he op in e ms o eaching echnological skills o pupils. The o e all
sen imen indica ed a ecogni ion o e-books as a mode n and e icien esou ce,
hough conce ns abou esou ce a ailabili y emained a signi ican ba ie .
Based on he answe s o he ques ion “A e/would ee o paid games be used?”,
i would seem o be he o me op ion. Depending on he budge and needs, us-
ing paid games is possible, bu ee games a e seen as mo e p ope choice o
smalle usage. I he e we e a la ge in es men o plan o implemen a ce ain
so wa e, hese would be discussed and decided by he school. In e iewees (9
ou o 11) indica ed a s ong p e e ence o using ee games, p ima ily due o
budge . The gene al consensus was ha ee games a e mo e accessible and su -
icien o educa ional pu poses, especially since he school has al eady in es ed
in ha dwa e and e-books.
I an applica ion we e deemed sui able o eaching, he
esou ces alloca ed o i could be discussed. (Jos joku so ellus o-
de aisiin sopi aksi ope ukseen, siihen lai e a is a esu sseis a oi ai-
siin keskus ella. P2)
Fo ins ance, se e al in e iewees (5 ou o 11) did also men ion ha ee appli-
ca ions, like hose associa ed wi hin e-books, a e p io i ized o esou ce alloca-
ion.
In e ms o how school esou ces a ec game usage, esponses highligh ed
he ole o echnology a ailabili y. I he e we e no de ices, digi al educa ion
games would no be used (a leas as easily). I some pupils didn’ ha e hei own
de ice and school didn’ ha e any hing o o e , i would c ea e an un ai si ua-
ion o his pupil. Then again, eache P1 also said ha phones a e used way oo
much al eady in schools. In e iewee P8 men ioned ha e en wi h di e en
budge es ain s, eache s a e imagina i e and would hink o di e en ways o
implemen he ools hey wan in o hei class ooms. Howe e , some no ed chal-
lenges, such as po en ial o e c owding in he compu e lab, which could also
hinde e ec i e game usage (P3, P9).
Fac o s in luencing he use o educa ional games include he pe cei ed e -
ec i eness o hese ools in enhancing lea ning ou comes. In e iewees (6 ou o
11) exp essed ha while games could be bene icial, hey o en equi e addi ional
ime and e o o be implemen ed e ec i ely. Conce ns we e aised by se e al
(4 ou o 11) abou whe he games could dis ac om adi ional lea ning me h-
ods, leading o a he nega i e opinions abou hei app op ia eness wi hin he
class oom. The e was also he ques ion whe he hese DEGs could uly be used
o each some hing and no jus as an addi ional ool. A leas eache P2 ex-
p essed ha hey hadn’ ound be e i ing games bu could be possibly
67
in e es ed. The e was also he ques ion o skills, and whe he he eache would
be able o keep up wi h he game o wi h he pupils. Especially P7 exp essed ha
hey ound hei usage s ess ul as i eels un amilia , and hey don’ ha e a lo o
expe ience.
Time is also needed o lea ning and using he games.
(Aikaa pelien ope eluun ja käy öön a i aan myös. P5)
Time was a ele an heme in he challenges. This was men ioned by se en in e -
iewees, and i was discussed om di e en iewpoin s. P8 men ioned ha
eache s’ schedules a e al eady qui e ull, and i akes ime o ge o know he
game, unde s and how i wo ks, and how i could be used in he class oom. Then
in he ac ual lea ning si ua ion, i akes ime o ge he de ice, s a he so wa e
and each he pupils (i necessa y). Time ha akes o each o guide pupils was
also men ioned mul iple imes by di e en in e iewees.
Rega ding whe he he de elope s o digi al educa ional games unde s and
educa ional goals su icien ly, he esponses a ied signi ican ly. In Figu e 7, can
be seen he di e en iews on how eache s see he de elope s' g asp o educa-
ional objec i es (Figu e 7). Many men ioned ha game de elope s ough o ha e
decen knowledge and skills o c ea e games based on hose policies.
Howe e , he e we e some hough s abou he balance be ween selling and en-
e aining p oduc and well-wo king educa ion game. Teache P5 also exp essed
his by saying ha some imes games a e ad e ised as educa ion games, bu hey
eel mo e like en e ainmen han an educa ional ool. In e iewee P8 also said
on he ma e , ha o en games can be un, bu he pedagogical dep h is lacking.
They emained scep ical abou hei alignmen wi h educa ional aims.
Many games a e eally good and well-designed, bu
some imes i eels like he en e ainmen aspec akes o e om
he educa ional pu pose. (Siis mone peli on osi hy iä ja ihan hy-
in suunni el uja, mu a joskus un uu, e ä se iihde menee ähän
ope uksen ohi. P6)
Figu e 7 – Views on De elope s and Policies
Views on De elope s and Policies
68
Bo h P9 and P10 men ioned ha he mo i a ion behind game de elopmen is
p obably money, which hen migh a ec how well i would i eache s’ lea ning
ou ines. Teache P10 discussed mo e ho oughly how his comme ciali y migh
a ec gameplay in he o m o ad e isemen s ha slow down he p og ess in he
game. O ha he e can be a ee game, bu when i ’s played a bi u he ( ew
le els o wa d), i ceases o be ee and usually he playing mus be s opped hen.
Howe e , when i came o games ha a e wi hin E-books, i seemed ha acco d-
ing o P2, hese games i he lea ning well and si ua ed ch onologically wi h he
same pace and s yle as he lea ning ma e ial.
In he second ques ion in Figu e 7, ega ding he in luence o policy o cu -
iculum on game use, he esponses illus a ed some di ision as well (Figu e 7).
Policies and cu iculum we e gene ally seen as he g and amewo k o e e y-
hing ha is done in schools. I was he unde s anding o mos , ha cu en ly
he e a e no oo many no ions on how o use educa ion games in eaching in
hese na ional cu iculums. Howe e , pa icipan P6 desc ibed mo e in de ail he
IT-s a egy o hei school, which has an impo an ole in e ms o how policy
a ec s he class oom wo k. Acco ding o P6, hei IT-s a egy gi es conc e e ou -
lines how each g ade is augh and in oduced o di e en digi al ools and wha
skills hey mus mas e be o e g adua ing. They seemed con en and p oud,
when explaining how clea and ins uc i e his ype o policy is. Na ional poli ics
and di e en ends we e also seen as opics o b ing up, bu no necessa ily ha -
ing ha much powe o change o ha e an impac in he class oom.
I ’s mo e abou how well he games align wi h he se
lea ning objec i es. (Pikemminkin on kyse sii ä, mi en hy in peli
sopi a niihin ope us a oi eisiin, joi a on ase e u. P8)
Rega ding whe he educa ional games a e seen as ha m ul, esponses a -
ied, bu a gene al heme indica ed a cau ious ye la gely posi i e iew. The ma-
jo i y o in e iewees did no classi y educa ional games as ha m ul, wi h se e al
exp essing ha hey did no ind he games de imen al o lea ning. Howe e ,
some pa icipan s acknowledged ha while games could be bene icial, hey also
pose a isk o shi ing ocus away om lea ning objec i es i no moni o ed e ec-
i ely (In e iewees P1 and P7). Teache P1 explained mo e de ailed ha some-
imes DEGs can concen a e on qui e ma ginal aspec s o subjec s. Simila ly, P2
said ha DEGs end o be ha d o edi o i hei own eaching s yle, so hey a e
le o ind games ha i hem, e en hough hey would wan i o be he o he
way a ound. Many also b ough up ha using games migh lead pupils o ex-
plo e di e en si es o do some hing un ela ed o lea ning, i hey don’ ind he
game in e es ing. In e iewees P7 and P10 exp essed g ande wo y o e he
cybe secu i y issues and loss o in e es o ocus du ing he game. Teache P10
also said ha hey wouldn’ know wha o do, i some hing wen w ong wi h he
de ice o so wa e. Also, hey said ha o a ound 20 kids, i ’s almos impossible
o ind a game ha would in e es all.
In e ms o echnical unc ionali y and usabili y issues (Ha e you encoun e ed
p oblems wi h he echnical unc ioning o usabili y o he games?), a signi ican
69
po ion o esponden s epo ed ha ing encoun e ed some le el o echnical
p oblems while using educa ional games. Especially in e iewees P3, P7, and P10
exp essed s ess and wo y o e no being able o sol e hese p oblems and ind-
ing his o be one o he main easons hey didn’ wan o implemen DEGs in o
hei class ooms. O he common issues included connec i i y p oblems and a -
ying le els o pupil p o iciency wi h echnology. Wi h echnology, he capaci y
o speed o de ices was also especially b ough up by P9 and P10. Despi e hese
challenges, he consensus was ha such issues a e gene ally manageable, wi h
mos in e iewees epo ing ha hey a e esol ed quickly and do no signi i-
can ly impede he lea ning p ocess.
When discussing desi ed imp o emen s o educa ional games, esponses
o he ques ion “Wha imp o emen s would you like o see in he unc ionali y o he
games?” we e ocused on enhancing especially he cus omizabili y and unc ion-
ali y.
Cus omizabili y and clea in o ma ion packages o each-
e s abou each phase o he game and i s eaching me hods.
(Muoka a uus ja selkeä ie opake i ope ajille jokaises a pelin ai-
hees a ja ope usme odis a. P2)
Pa icipan s P2 and P5 bo h exp essed a s ong desi e o games o be mo e adap -
able o di e en lea ning s yles and skill le els, while o he s highligh ed he im-
po ance o clea ins uc ional ma e ials o eache s (In e iewees P4 & P7).
These eache s we e exci ed and hough hese answe s qui e quickly. Teache P8
discussed ho oughly how i ’s some imes ha d o es ima e how i ing a game is
o pupils. A i s , i migh seem like a i ing game wi h good opics, bu once
he pupils s a playing, i u ns ou o be a he limi ed o mean o much
younge pupils. This a ec s he exci emen o pupils, and P8 wished he e was a
be e balance be ween u h ul e iews and explana ions o gameplay. Addi-
ionally, he e we e men ions o he need o echnical imp o emen s o ensu e
smoo he ope a ion du ing lessons, such as educing lag and p e en ing connec-
i i y issues (In e iewee P1 & P3).
O e all, he esponses e lec ed a mix o en husiasm o educa ional games,
empe ed by conce ns abou hei implemen a ion and unc ionali y. In e iew-
ees exp ess a desi e o games ha no only engage pupils bu ha would genu-
inely help wi h educa ional expe iences wi hou comp omising lea ning objec-
i es. Clea ins uc ions abou app op ia e use ages, usage o game, and o he
ins uc ions we e b ough up o know mo e wi hou ha ing o do ime-consum-
ing esea ch, as well as pe sonaliza ion op ions.
5.6 Resea ch Ques ions Ou comes
The main esea ch ques ion o his s udy was o ind ou wha cons i u es he
digi al educa ion games ecosys em and how i di e s om simila digi al
70
ecosys ems. This was i s app oached h ough li e a u e e iew based on p e i-
ous esea ch, bu acco ding o he da a esul s he answe migh be sligh ly di -
e en . This chap e summa izes he indings and iews ga he ed om he in e -
iews ha we e discussed mo e in de ail in he p e ious chap e s.
The di e en ia ion o DEGE om o he Digi al Ecosys ems migh be ex-
plained be e h ough p e ious li e a u e. Howe e , as shown in chap e 5.2 P e-
limina y S akeholde Pe cep ions o Digi al Educa ion Games Ecosys em, each-
e s gene ally iewed he s akeholde s as humans, such as pupils, o he eache s,
pa en s, and game de elope s. Digi al Educa ion Games we e no men ioned as
much, e en hough hey a e a i al pa o he ecosys em. Howe e , DEGs can be
seen as a componen a he han a s akeholde . Thinking o di e en pa icipan s
o he ecosys em wi hou much knowledge o Digi al Ecosys ems migh explain
why s akeholde s we e hough o i s . Educa ional ins i u ions we e seen as
some hing be ween a s akeholde and a componen , as i is no a li ing en i y,
bu a he a collec i e. Teache s did acknowledge he di e en in e ac ions be-
ween s akeholde s, ocusing on he ones be ween pupils and eache s, educa-
ional ins i u ions and eache s, and how eache s iewed DEGs.
The second esea ch ques ion ocused on how eache s iewed hei in lu-
ence on he use o digi al educa ion games in class ooms and he ela ed in e -
iew da a was analysed in chap e 5.3 Teache s’ In luence on Digi al Educa ional
Game In eg a ion. This was gene ally iewed as qui e s ong, despi e he e-
quency he eache in ques ion used he DEGs. Whe he a eache was uncom-
o able o amilia wi h using DEGs, he esponds highligh ed, maybe e en
mo e s ongly, ha eache s decide how hey each and wha de ices hey a e
using in he class oom while complying wi h na ional and local educa ional pol-
icies. The e we e discussions and wishes o clea e ins uc ions o in o ma ion
on wha kind o games o use, wha kind o pedagogical goals can be me h ough
hei use, and whe e o ind hese games.
The hi d esea ch ques ion was abou he unc ionali y and e ec i eness o
he cu en digi al educa ion game ecosys em and was shown in chap e 5.4 Pe -
cei ed Func ionali y o Digi al Educa ion Game Ecosys em. The in e iewed
eache s el com o able wi h he closes s akeholde g oups: pupils and educa-
ional ins i u ions. Pa en s we e seen as a li le bi u he away, an en i y eached
h ough pupils. Policymake s we e also u he away bu had mo e powe on
hei daily p ac ises h ough na ional educa ional policies and h ough hei own
local school. Thei guidelines ou lined hei eaching he mos , and eache s el
hey wo ked wi hin he gi en ames. The ela ionship be ween DEGs and each-
e s a ied, and he skills and knowledge o he eache a ec ed i he mos . The
use o in as uc u e was also discussed, mos ly in posi i e ligh . In he use o
de ices could also be de ec ed eache s’ amilia i y wi h hei usage: i eache
el mo e com o able wi h DEGs o de ices, hey gene ally wan ed o use hem
mo e in hei class ooms. Some eache s exp essed wo ies abou he concen a-
ion and adi ional lea ning skills ha could be nega i ely a ec ed by digi al
de ices and ools, bu hey also admi ed hey we e no all nega i e no useless,
as digi ali y is pa o he e e yday li e igh now. Game de elope s we e seen
71
mos dis an om eache s. Teache s didn’ seem o know how hey could in e -
ac o whe he hey would ha e a chance o be p oduc i e h ough collabo a ion,
o he han sending in o ma ion on de ec ed echnological issues, bu he e was
some in e es . Especially, eache s exp essed o know mo e abou he games,
hei pu poses, and ins uc ions on wha kind o si ua ions hey a e he bes .
The las esea ch ques ion ocused on he p ima y obs acles hinde ing he
adop ion o digi al educa ion games in class oom se ings and he ela ed da a
was analysed in chap e 5.5 Challenges in Using Digi al Educa ion Games. Fo
his opic, he lack o in e ac ion be ween eache s and game de elope s can be
seen he bes . Teache s exp essed a ying deg ees o unce ain y when i came o
choosing DEGs o use and inding in o ma ion abou he games. Time cons ain
was mos o en men ioned, and sea ching and es ing i ing games we e seen as
one o he bigges obs acles, e en wi h he eache s who iewed DEGs in a mo e
posi i e ligh . The e we e also some discussions on cus omiza ion and pe sonal-
iza ion op ions on games, as he e can be many di e en le els o skills and lea n-
ing s yles in one class oom. In as uc u e was also men ioned, especially by
eache s, whose school did no ha e pe sonal de ices o pupils. Ren ing sha ed
de ices ook ime and planning be o e-hand, while pupils also migh no ha e
been accus omed o using hem. Then again, eache s who wo ked in schools
wi h pe sonal de ices also epo ed issues in in as uc u e, bu hey we e ela ed
o he capaci y o de ices, in e ne connec ions, and compa ibili y.
72
Unde s anding he cu en s a e o DEGE in schools equi ed explo ing he in e -
play o ools, oles, and ba ie wi hin his ecosys em. Teache s’ insigh s empha-
size he po en ial o DEGs o suppo lea ning while also e ealing some gaps in
implemen a ion and alignmen wi h educa ional goals.
Acco ding o he eache s in his s udy, i seems he in eg a ion o digi al
educa ion games in o eaching is widesp ead bu inconsis en . Majo i y o in e -
iewees had a posi i e ou ake on he use o DEGs in educa ion, bu e en he
ones who we e no as exci ed o posi i e, ag eed ha he use o de ices, digi al
ools, and DEGs we e on he ise and conside ed hem as some hing endy a
he momen . Teache s alked abou a b oad ange o echnologies, including e-
books, lea ning apps, and subjec -speci ic games ha a e being used o a ying
deg ee in schools and g ade le els. The di e si y o hese ools may e lec on he
willingness o engage wi h echnology in educa ion, bu i also highligh s some
dispa i ies in in as uc u e and esou ce a ailabili y.
While many educa o s exp essed a sense o au onomy in deciding on DEG
use, he e could be some mo e aining o p o essional de elopmen o enhance
hei con idence and compe ence. Especially, when i comes o ime and ene gy.
Time cons ain s, bo h o eache s o amilia ize hemsel es wi h he games and
o hei e ec i e use du ing lessons, we e equen ly men ioned as ba ie s in
using mo e DEGs. Also, echnical issues, usabili y issues, and misalignmen wi h
cu iculum goals we e p esen in he con e sa ions. Teache s also aised con-
ce ns abou he pedagogical dep h o some games, no ing ha en e ainmen
alue o en o e shadows educa ional goals. Collabo a ion wi h o he s akehold-
e s, like de elope s and ins i u ions, was also pe cei ed as a bi insu icien . No
necessa ily wi h many complains, bu mo e o no knowing how o why o en-
gage wi h each o he .
Despi e some challenges, eache s emained qui e op imis ic abou he po-
en ial use o DEGs, o a leas o how much i has g own o e he las ew yea s.
Games a e seen as a popula and endy, bu s ill alid ool o os e be e en-
gagemen . Especially how DEGs can be used wi h di e en lea ning s yles o e-
in o ce skills and lea ning logic, ocabula y, and isualiza ion o knowledge.
6 DISCUSSION
73
These indings can p o ide a ounda ion o discussing how he DEGE can e ol e
o be e suppo eache s and pupils while add essing i s cu en limi a ions.
6.1 Re lec ions on Unde s anding o he DEGE
Among he in e iewees could be sensed a so o ag eemen on using eaching
de ices in eaching and i s g owing popula i y in gene al, e en i no all o he
in e iewed eache s we e exci ed o use hem.
These eache s, consis en wi h E me and O enb ei -Le wich’s s udy
indings (2010), demons a ed an alignmen be ween hei echnical compe ence
and posi i e a i udes owa d educa ional echnology. Con e sely, eache s who
could be seen being in an imagined “low skills, low p e e ence” quad an dis-
cussed ba ie s such as lack o aining, insu icien ins i u ional suppo , and
scep icism abou he educa ional alue o DEGs. These challenges migh sugges ,
also by E me and O enb ei -Le wich (2010), ha low con idence and nega i e
belie s combined may hinde echnology adop ion. E me and O enb ei -Le -
wich also men ion ha i is impo an o eache s o belie e in hei own abili ies
o implemen his while being con iden abou hei knowledge. Con idence
seems o be especially impo an when e lec ing how some o he in e iewed
eache s discussed no being su e which game would be good o which lesson
o pedagogical goal and also he ime cons ain s o esea ching he games. Sim-
ila hemes we e also men ioned by Thomas and Palme (2014) and G eene and
Wake ield (2015) in hei wo ks.
The in e iewed eache s seemed o ha e limi ed chances o a ec he in a-
s uc u e in hei schools, despi e eeling a he powe ul in deciding he eaching
me hods in hei class ooms. I a eache wan ed o be mo e p esen o ac i e in
deciding wha ools o use o wha kind o s a egies should be used, depending
on he place, hey seemed o ha e a chance o be in ol ed in ha . Howe e , ma-
jo i y o he in e iewed eache s we e no oo in ol ed in hese. Teache led in-
no a ion and pa icipa ion in decision-making when c ea ing cu icula we e also
posi i ely ema ked by Kilag e al. (2023) and Rod iguez e al. (2016). S ill, i
seems ha schools ha adop ed clea IT s a egies we e able o enable mo e con-
sis en de ice usage and aim o concen a e on lea ning digi al skills, which as a
concep is also suppo ed by Wahyuni e al. (2020) as i posi s ha e ec i e ech-
nology in eg a ion ans o ms educa ional expe iences. Howe e , he a ied le -
els o de ice in eg a ion epo ed— anging om ex ensi e use in some class-
ooms o limi ed access in o he s—migh sugges some dispa i y in he educa-
ional echnology deploymen egionally. Such disc epancies would also hinde
he e ec i e applica ion o TPACK, i educa o s s uggle o in eg a e echnology
in o hei pedagogy when aced wi h inadequa e esou ces (Bond & Bedenlie ,
2019).
The une en adop ion o e-books p esen ed ano he laye o complexi y
wi hin he DEGE. While some in e iewees epo ed using e-books p ima ily in
language and ma h classes, a ew in e iewees exp essed a p e e ence o
80
disconnec by os e ing dialogue be ween eache s and de elope s could esul
in ools be e ailo ed o pedagogical needs and educe he app ehension each-
e s eel abou adop ing DEGs.
6.5 Policy Implica ions and Recommenda ions
The in eg a ion o digi al educa ional games (DEGs) in o class ooms migh p e-
sen bo h oppo uni ies and challenges o educa ional s akeholde s.
One o he issues iden i ied in his esea ch was he lack o aining o ed-
uca o s in in eg a ing digi al educa ional games in o hei eaching p ac ices.
Gi en ha some o he in e iewed eache s exp essed a desi e o mo e suppo ,
educa ional policies should p io i ize he de elopmen o p o essional de elop-
men p og ams. These p og ams should ocus on aining in digi al pedagogy
and suppo eache s build con idence in hei knowledge and skills. Ins uc ion
and/o aining should co e he echnical aspec s o using digi al games and
emphasize pedagogical s a egies ha align wi h di e en cu icula goals on lo-
cal, na ional, and e en ansna ional le el h ough EU legisla ion. P og ams sim-
ila o hose in o he coun ies, o he sake o an example in his case Singapo e
and Aus alia, which emphasized p o essional de elopmen and echnology in-
eg a ion, could be also conside ed and s udied (Lim & Khine, 2006; Romeo e al.,
2012). Based on hese s udies by Lim & Khine (2006) and Romeo e al. (2012),
maybe his could be implemen ed h ough con inuous aining p og ams, s uc-
u ed policy design, collabo a ion wi h ech companies, and clea e ins uc ions
on in eg a ing o digi al skills. Addi ionally, i migh be bene icial o include
aining in gami ica ion echniques. This could help eache s wi h s a egies o
di e si y hei eaching and help wi h pupil engagemen h ough game-based
lea ning, as highligh ed by esea ch on gami ica ion and i s e ec i eness in edu-
ca ional con ex s (Cos a e al., 2016; Hama i e al., 2016).
The esea ch indings e ealed ha eache s expe ienced a ying deg ees
o decision-making au onomy in selec ing educa ional ools. In o de o os e a
be e collabo a ion and con idence in sha ing knowledge, policies could also ex-
plo e he use o eache -led inno a ion, which has been s udied in Philippines by
Kilag e al. (2023) and in Spain by Rod iguez e al. (2016). Acco ding o hese
s udies, eache -designed cu icula migh o en be e add ess he needs o di -
e en lea ne s and empowe eache s o eel mo e connec ed o hei ole as
changemake s. F om his poin o iew, educa ional au ho i ies could c ea e
amewo ks ha empowe ed and joined eache s o pa icipa e in he selec ion
and c ea ion o digi al ools and games. This could be achie ed h ough decision-
making p ocesses ha in ol ed educa o s, adminis a o s, and echnology de-
elope s. These kinds o policies could also p omo e mechanisms o inco po a -
ing pupil eedback in he decision-making p ocess.
One o he ba ie o he e ec i e use o DEGs was he inconsis ency in e-
sou ce a ailabili y ac oss educa ional ins i u ions. This has been no ed by
Bliks ad-Balas and Kle e (2020) in No way and Sp enge and Schwaninge (2021)
81
in Swi ze land, o name a ew examples. To add ess his issue, policies should
p io i ize in es men in echnology in as uc u e. This is al eady qui e well es-
ablished in Finland bu he e we e some changes e en in his ocus g oup. All o
he schools men ioned by he in e iewees o his s udy had a leas en able and
sha ed de ices and/o IT class ooms o pupils o use, bu suppo ing digi al li -
e acy and skills s ill a ied a lo be ween schools.
The indings also indica ed ha cul u al a i udes owa d digi al ools a -
ied ac oss con ex s. Policies could p omo e na a i es abou echnology's ole in
educa ion, and i can al eady be seen o some ex en happening. Educa ional
campaigns ha help boos aining p og ams could help shi pe cep ions by
showcasing success ul case s udies and bes p ac ices om coun ies wi h digi al
in eg a ion. Also, since he e we e a ew in e iewees who el uncom o able o
unin e es ed in DEGs and digi al ools in gene al, his kind o cul u al a i ude
change could c ea e cu iousness o nudge hese ideas o digi al ools being un-
com o able o be challenged. Addi ionally, policies could acili a e be e collab-
o a ion among eache s especially, bu also pupils and educa ional echnology
de elope s o c ea e a mo e inclusi e ecosys em ha alued di e se pe spec i es
and expe iences in in eg a ing digi al ools.
In conclusion, he in eg a ion o digi al educa ional games in o class ooms
migh o e po en ial o enhancing eaching and lea ning expe iences. Howe e ,
achie ing his po en ial migh equi e e o s om policymake s o add ess he
challenges iden i ied in you esea ch and he insigh s gained om in e na ional
p ac ices. By enhancing p o essional de elopmen , os e ing decision-making
au onomy, imp o ing in as uc u e, p omo ing a cul u al shi , and es ablishing
e alua ion amewo ks, educa ional policies could c ea e an e ec i e and engag-
ing lea ning en i onmen ha le e aged he capabili ies o digi al educa ional
ools. These ecommenda ions migh suppo educa o s in hei p o essional
g ow h and con ibu e o he o e all imp o emen o educa ional ou comes o
pupils.
82
The esea ch ques ions o his s udy we e ocused on ou lining DEGE, Digi al
Educa ion Games Ecosys em, and how eache s iewed hei posi ion as a s ake-
holde in his ecosys em.
This s udy sugges s ha DEGE can be used o s udy and analyse he use o
DEGs, Digi al Educa ion Games, in school se ings and guide he de elopmen
o collabo a ion be ween s akeholde s. An ecosys em in gene al is o med wi h
di e en s akeholde s and componen s, which in his con ex include eache s,
pupils, schools, game de elope s, and pa en s as s akeholde s, and DEGs, cu -
icula, in as uc u e, and aining as componen s. All o hese a ec ed by hei
ela ionships, in e ac ions, and new inno a ions. This s udy ocused on eache s
and hei iews as s akeholde s, as hey ha e a undamen al ole as decision-
make s and acili a o s wi hin his ecosys em. Thei abili y o na iga e his space
is in luenced by aining, in as uc u e, hei skills, and o he mechanisms. Also
keeping in mind ha he di e en challenges and possible u u e di ec ions e-
qui e ins i u ional suppo and u he ocus on how o imp o e communica ion
among s akeholde s and o ensu e ha DEGs align wi h bo h pedagogical goals
and p ac ical class oom eali ies.
The ollowing chap e s in oduce mo e in de ail he key indings, limi a-
ions, and u u e esea ch ideas o he s udy.
7.1 Summa y o Key Findings
This s udy om eache s’ pe spec i e highligh ed bo h he oppo uni ies and
challenges aced by di e en eache s who include digi al educa ional games in
hei eaching me hods. The g owing p esence o eaching de ices and digi al
ools in educa ion can be seen in he p e ious esea ch and in e iew answe s
om eache s, as well as e e yday li e, bu he ex en o hei in eg a ion and use
a ied. In as uc u e was ound impo an when alking abou unc ionali y and
in eg a ion o DEGE. Access o de ices a ied, wi h olde pupils o en ha ing
7 CONCLUSION
83
pe sonal de ices while younge pupils mo e o en elied on sha ed elec onic de-
ices. Mos pa icipan s acknowledged he inc easing use o educa ional games
and e-books, pa icula ly in highe g ades and speci ic subjec s like languages
and ma hema ics. Howe e , he e we e di e ences in how hese ools a e being
adop ed and in luenced by indi idual eache p e e ences and school sys ems.
Based on he in e iews, eache s el like hey hemsel es ha e he mos
in luence on deciding abou he use o echnology in hei class oom. This in lu-
ence is s ill a ec ed by he guidance o cu icula and o he ins i u ional policies
in gene al, bu mos a ia ion s emmed om he abili ies and skills o speci ic
eache . Feedback om pupils played some so o ole in shaping eache s’ de-
cisions, i o example pupils sugges ed di e en games o ways o implemen
echnology in o he class ooms. Howe e , eache s did exp ess a gap in mecha-
nisms o connec ing wi h s akeholde s u he away om hem, like game de-
elope s, and his migh a ec nega i ely being able o p o ide eedback and ge
in o ma ion and suppo o choose he bes i ing games o hei pe sonal each-
ing goals. Also, eache s’ con idence and amilia i y wi h DEGs played a ole in
hei willingness o adop hese ools. Teache s o en men ioned and wished o
games ha include clea ins uc ional ma e ials and wi h some possibili ies o
cus omize o pe sonalize he lea ning expe ience.
Challenges in DEGE and in eg a ion o DEGs included ime cons ain s, in-
su icien aining, and scep icism ega ding he pedagogical dep h o ce ain
games. Teache s equen ly men ioned he lack o s uc u ed aining o
knowledge o i ing DEGs on hei behal . These we e also ampli ied by echnical
issues and usabili y conce ns, such as ad e isemen s o lagging applica ions.
Despi e hese obs acles, many educa o s exp essed op imism abou he po en ial
o DEGs o suppo di e en lea ning s yles especially in lea ning c i ical hink-
ing, p oblem-sol ing, and ocabula y acquisi ion.
The ole o s akeholde s in he DEGE we e seen by eache s was ano he
p ominen heme. Teache s and pupils we e iden i ied as cen al ac o s wi h
schools’ essen ial in as uc u e. Game de elope s we e pe cei ed as a dis an
s akeholde g oup whom wi h eache s el hey had limi ed possibili ies o com-
munica e. A be e collabo a ion be ween de elope s and educa o s was men-
ioned by a ew in o de o be e ensu e ha DEGs would mee he educa ional
goals. O he s akeholde s, such as pa en s and policymake s, we e men ioned
less equen ly. Pa en s we e seen as being connec ed h ough he pupils, while
policymake s we e seen a ec ing game de elope s, educa ional ins i u ions, and
class oom goals.
To each he ull po en ial o DEGs by analysing DEGE, i would be im-
po an o ocus on eache aining, imp o ing in as uc u e, and c ea ing be e
dialogue among s akeholde s. Teache s a e in key posi ion in b inging DEGs in o
class oom, while being a ec ed mos ly by he ac ions o educa ional ins i u ions,
policymake s, game de elope s, and pupils.
84
7.2 Limi a ions o he S udy
While his s udy ocuses on Digi al Educa ional Games Ecosys em (DEGE) and
how eache s iew hei s anding in his ecosys em, i is impo an o also
acknowledge he limi a ions o his s udy.
One o he main limi a ions is he small sample size o 11 pa icipan s. Al -
hough he s udy cap u es he di e en pe spec i es om all hese eache s, i
does no p o ide a la gely ep esen a i e iew o educa o s ac oss di e se con-
ex s. This small g oup may no e lec he b oade ends o di e ences in how
digi al ools a e adop ed in di e en schools, egions, o educa ional sys ems in
Finland.
Ano he limi a ion lies in he eliance on quali a i e da a collec ed h ough
in e iews, as con e sa ions (in e iews) a e inhe en ly shaped by subjec i e ex-
pe iences. The pa icipan s’ pe sonal iews, how com o able hey a e wi h ech-
nology, and e en he dynamics o he in e iew p ocess may ha e in luenced
hei esponses. Added o his, he analysis o he answe s was also il e ed
h ough a subjec i e esea che , al hough he p ocess was discussed wi h he
help o supe iso s o his s udy.
The s udy also ocused p ima ily on he pe spec i es o eache s, wi hou
including inpu om o he key s akeholde s like pupils, pa en s, school admin-
is a o s, o game de elope s. While eache s a e cen al o he adop ion o DEGs,
a mo e comp ehensi e s udy would be equi ed o be e unde s and how each
s akeholde iews each o he . Fo example, pupils’ eedback on how games im-
pac hei lea ning o de elope s’ insigh s on aligning hei p oduc s wi h class-
oom needs could be combined wi h eache s’ iews o make he use o DEGs a
be e expe ience o all.
Addi ionally, he s udy did no quan i a i ely assess he impac o digi al
educa ional games on ac ual lea ning ou comes. The indings in his s udy a e
based on pa icipan s’ pe cep ions a he han measu able da a. And while hese
pe spec i es a e aluable, hey can’ p o ide a clea pic u e o whe he o how
DEGs di ec ly imp o e educa ional pe o mance.
Ano he limi a ion is he di e ence be ween he a i udes and expe iences
among he pa icipan s. Teache s who we e less expe ienced wi h hese ools
may ha e been less con iden in hei esponses o less op imis ic abou hei po-
en ial, while hose wi h mo e exposu e migh ha e emphasized hei bene i s
mo e. This ange o amilia i y likely migh ha e a ec ed he dep h and ac uali y
o he s udy.
Las ly, his s udy also e lec s a speci ic momen in ime, wi hin a speci ic
educa ional and echnological con ex . Educa ional echnology changes con-
s an ly and some o hese esul s migh lose hei ele ance o e ime.
Despi e hese limi a ions, his s udy p o ides a ounda ion o unde s and-
ing DEGE. Fu u e esea ch could add ess hese gaps by in ol ing la ge and
mo e di e se pa icipan g oups, inco po a ing quan i a i e measu es, and seek-
ing pe spec i es om a wide ange o s akeholde s.
85
7.3 Sugges ion o Fu u e Resea ch
To con inue he p e ious discussion, u u e esea ch could explo e se e al a eas
o p o ide a mo e p ac ical unde s anding o he Digi al Educa ional Games Eco-
sys em (DEGE) and how his ecosys em can be used.
One key di ec ion could be o expand he sample size and di e si y o pa -
icipan s. This s udy was based on he pe spec i es o 11 eache s, which, while
insigh ul in a quali a i e sense, ep esen s a na ow slice o expe iences. Fu u e
s udies could include a la ge pool o eache s om di e en egions, g ade le -
els, and school con ex s. This would mean in e iewing educa o s who ha e di -
e en abili ies on using echnological ools, and maybe compa ing answe s
wi hin di e en egions, o example.
Beyond eache s, i would be in e es ing o include o he s akeholde s such
as pupils, pa en s, school adminis a o s, and game de elope s in u u e e-
sea ch. Simila iews could be used, o example o s udy how pupils iew hei
posi ion in his ecosys em. Also, he e could be s udies made ha a e ocused on
mo e in de ail o explo e he di e en ypes o s akeholde s and componen s un-
de he main ca ego ies p esen ed in his s udy. These so s o s udies may ha e
al eady been conduc ed while no ocusing on he poin o iew o ecosys ems o
educa ion games.
Long- e m s udies could also be use ul. T acking how eache s and pupils
in e ac wi h digi al educa ional games o e se e al mon hs o yea s could p o-
ide a deepe unde s anding o hei impac . Do eache s g ow mo e con iden
and skilled in using hese ools o e ime? Do pupils imp o e hei academic
skills h ough hese di e en ools? Then again, he apid speed o de elopmen
in his a ea mus no be o go en. Long- e m s udies migh ail because i would
simply be impossible o keep up wi h he de elopmen o digi al echnologies.
Ano he a ea o explo a ion is p o essional de elopmen . This s udy high-
ligh ed ha many eache s el hey lack aining in using digi al ools. Fu u e
esea ch could e alua e di e en ypes o aining p og ams o see which ap-
p oaches bes suppo eache s in b inging educa ional games in o hei class-
ooms. This migh include wo kshops, pee men o ing, o online u o ials o-
cused on bo h echnical skills and how o align games wi h eaching goals.
In sho , u u e esea ch should aim o b oaden he scope o inqui y, include
mo e oices, and dig deepe in o he long- e m e ec s and p ac ical applica ions
o digi al educa ional games. Unde s anding DEGE is impo an o suppo ing
inno a ion and communica ion be ween s akeholde s, much like unde s anding
an ecosys em in na u e will o e knowledge on how o help di e en g oups o
h i e and hen again how hey can suppo each o he .
86
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h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.ijin omg .2018.10.013
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Ope uspeli
Mi en ku ailisi ie ämys äsi digi aalisis a ope uspeleis ä?
Ole ko saanu koulu us a ai amma illis a kehi ys ä lii yen digi aalis en ope us-
pelien in eg oimiseen ope uskäy än öihisi? (ins i uu i)
Mi en hy in oppilai oksen in as uk uu i ukee pelien käy öä esim. eknologia,
koulu us? (ins i uu i) (komponen i)
Käy e äänkö koulussanne ope uspelejä? (Kyllä/ei)
- Mi kä luokka-as ee käy ä(isi) ä ope uspelejä koulussanne?
- Mi ä ope uspelejä koulussa/luokassasi käy e ään/käy e äisiin?
- Missä aineissa ope uspelejä käy e ään/käy e äisiin?
- O(lisi) a ko peli e-ki jojen yh eydessä ai e illisiä pelejä?
- Käy e äänkö/käy e äisiinkö ilmaisia ai maksullisia pelejä?
- Mi en koulun esu ssi aiku a(isi) a pelien käy öön? (ins i uu i) (kom-
ponen i)
- Pää ä(isi) ä kö ope aja pelien käy ös ä ai ohjeis aako/ohjeis aisiko
koulu pelien alinnassa/käy össä? (ins i uu i)
- Koe ko, e ä sinulla/ope ajilla on a peeksi aiku us al aa pelien alin-
nassa? (ins i uu i)
- Kuinka ak ii ises i osallis u pää öksen ekop osessiin, kun ali aan yö-
kaluja (esim. oppimispelejä) ope ukseen? (ins i uu i)
- Mi kä ekijä au a a ai es ä ä pelien käy ön?
- Koe ko, e ä digi aalis en ope uspelien kehi äjä ymmä ä ä ope ukselli-
sia a oi ei a a peeksi hy in? (kehi äjä )
- Mi en koe mahdollisuu esi an aa palau e a pelien käy ös ä oppilai oksen
ja kehi äjien suun aan? (kehi äjä /ins i uu i)
- Koe ko, e ä poli iikalla ai ope ussuunni elmalla on aiku e u pelien
käy öön? ( ukija/ aiku aja)
Käy ä kö i se ope uspelejä ope uksessa?
Kyllä
- Mi en ku ailisi niiden oimin aa ja me ki ys ä?
- Jos ole käy äny yhmälläsi ope uspelejä, ole ko kokenu ope uspeli
hyödyllisiksi?
- Jos ole käy äny yhmälläsi ope uspelejä, ole ko kokenu ope uspeli hai-
allisiksi?
- Minkälainen ooli oppilailla on ope uspelien alinnassa ja käy össä? (op-
pilaa )
- Kuinka usein käy ä digi aalisia ope uspelejä ope uksessasi?
- Mi ä ie yjä oppimis a oi ei a py i saa u amaan käy ämällä ope uspe-
lejä?
- Kuinka käy äjäys ä ällisinä ai luo e a ina pidä pelejä a joa ia alus oja
ai so elluksia?
- Ole ko kohdannu ongelmia pelien eknisessä oimi uudessa ai käy e ä-
yydessä?
- Mi ä pa annuksia haluaisi nähdä pelien oiminnallisuudessa?
97
- Minkälais a palau e a ole saanu anhemmil a ai oppilail a pelien käy-
ös ä? (oppilaa / anhemma )
Ei
- Mi en ku ailisi niiden oimin aa ja me ki ys ä?
- Kokisi ko, e ä ope uspeleis ä oisi olla hyö yä?
- Mi ä ongelmia oisi ku i ella pelien käy öön lii y än?
- Minkälaisen oolin an aisi oppilaille ope uspelien alin aan ja käy öön?
(oppilaa )
- Kuinka usein käy äisi digi aalisia ope uspelejä ope uksessasi?
- Mi ä ie yjä oppimis a oi ei a py i /py kisi saa u amaan käy ämällä
ope uspelejä?
- Kuinka käy äjäys ä ällisinä ai luo e a ina pidä pelejä a joa ia alus oja
ai so elluksia?
- Mi ä pa annuksia haluaisi nähdä pelien oiminnallisuudessa?
- Ole ko saanu palau e a anhemmil a ai oppilail a pelien käy ön suh een?
(oppilaa / anhemma )
Ke ä ai minkälaisia sidos yhmiä mieles äsi lii yy digi aalis en oppimispelien
ekosys eemiin?
