Abstract:

Relevant theoretical underpinnings and empirical studies reported that today’s children possess digital skills and competences that set them apart from the previous generations. This may be due to their continuous exposure to ubiquitous media and digital games. Therefore, the researcher has adapted the measures from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to investigate the primary school students’ perceived use, ease of use and enjoyment from playing educational games.

The study was carried out among 60 year-3 students in Malta. The questions were presented in a child-friendly layout and were brief and concise.This study sheds light on the students’ attitudes and normative pressures to play educational games. The survey questionnaire featured questions on the frequency of game-play. They were asked about the perceived usefulness, ease of use, and enjoyment of educational games. They were also expected to indicate if they were pressurised by their parents and teachers to engage in school's games, at home and at school. The students were divided into groups of three or four, and were supported during the data gathering process. The questionnaire was filled in by the students (under the supervision of the researcher) in 10-15 minutes time.

The results of this study are consistent with the academic literature on the digital natives as there were strong correlations between the students’ attitudes and their intention to play the school's games.We found that the vast majority of children in the current study were playing digital games at home and at school. The respondents indicated that the school’s digital games were easy to use and they considered them as useful and relevant for their learning. These findings are consistent with the academic literature on the digital natives (Bourgonjon et al., 2010; Prensky, 2001) as the results suggested there were strong correlations between the students’ attitudes towards playing digital games and their intention to play video games.

This contribution has addressed a gap in academic literature as it explored the students’ acceptance and use of educational games in education. To the best of our knowledge there is no other study in academia that has explored the technology acceptance of digital games in primary education. The researchers have integrated measures that were drawn from previous tried and tested models. Therefore, this study suggests that there is scope to validate this research in different contexts.

Keywords:

Technology acceptance model, theory of planned behavior, unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, games.