Abstract:

Regardless of their form, educational games have as primary purpose educating or training. In the higher university context, serious games, gamification and game-based learning, are designed to make educational processes more efficient. A growing body of research has shown that the incorporation of games in the classroom is often more effective than traditional teaching methods in terms of active participation, concentration, social and solving problems skills development, and academic achievement and performance among university students. Furthermore, games can enhance intrinsic motivation, flow experiences, and engagement, as well as some relevant key groups’ skills as team working. In order words, learning would be interesting, motivating, engaging, funny and effective through games.

However, a substantial part of the aforementioned results regard to usefulness and relevance of game based learning come from digital games. In this sense, it has been noted that digital game environments cannot provide face-to-face interaction, while in a classroom situation, student-student interactions could exert a profound impact on learning. Game based learning based on this face-to-face interaction could be even more crucial in the case of psychology undergraduates. As future psychologists, they will often have to work on the basis of that face-to-face interaction, managing groups and work teams that will have to be effective. An important part of key knowledges to develop such competence must be learned in the classroom of Groups Psychology, at the end of the third course of Psychology Degree.

In this context, the main objective of this work is to evaluate the effects of a group simulation game-based learning experience in terms of intrinsic motivation, engagement and team working amongst psychology undergraduates. Such game-based learning experience implies for the undergraduates to use some of the learnings and knowledges related to the physical and social environment of the groups that will be easier acquired and interiorized through this game. Psychology undergraduates are confronted in small groups –around five members- to a new and a potential stressing situation that needs a fast and effective solution. Our results, in a sample composed by the 31 Psychology Undergraduates that participated in the game, showed that after it, undergraduates intrinsic motivation was higher, as well as they experienced more engagement, and a stronger sense of team working within the own work group. We think these findings are useful in order to foster intrinsic motivation, engagement, and team working among university students.

Keywords:

Motivation, engagement, team building, psychology undergraduates, game-based learning.