Abstract:

Game-based learning is gaining ground in all levels of typical education, thanks to its recognised advantages in terms of motivation and engagement. From another perspective, e-learning is progressively placing mobile devices in focus. The aim of this work is to experimentally investigate the area of mobile game-based learning through the design and implementation of a pervasive, location-sensitive game played by 5th grade pupils in an outdoor urban environment around the Acropolis of Athens, Greece.

More specifically this research seeks:
(i) to decide whether a pervasive, location-sensitive game is suitable for pupils in the final two grades of Primary School, regarding their ability to manage complex realistic situations in real time,
(ii) to assess the capacity of such games to develop skills and achieve learning outcomes related to Environmental Education, for the aforementioned target group.

The game itself is a combination of a role playing game and a treasure hunt in an open area of the city (city game). It is programmed in MIT App Inventor platform for Android devices. Players form groups; each group uses one mobile device with the game application and Internet access. They are guided to the successive milestones of the game by GPS and on the basis of information they need to seek and extract from the environment or through communication with citizens in the area. The tasks they are asked to complete to win the game refer to the subject of Environmental Education in their curriculum; they constitute covered learning activities. Learning outcomes sought through the actual playing of the game include:
(i) knowledge drawn from the field and referring to its various aspects (historic, cultural, natural, social, economic, etc.),
(ii) horizontal skills and competences such as the efficient use of ICT, the communication with non-players and the extraction of information from the environment.

An educational intervention, built around the game, is carried out and formally evaluated as to the objectives of the experiment.

The evaluation is based on:
(i) the answers of the pupils to a pre- and a post-game questionnaire,
(ii) the comments of the accompanying adults (teachers and parents),
(iii) the worksheet and the discussion that took place in the classroom after the game, and
(vi) the notes kept by the teacher during the playing of the game. In brief, evaluation results indicate that: Children of this age are able to handle a complex situation where they use a mobile device and navigate in the physical space according to digital directions while participating in a game; through pervasive gaming, they practice essential skills (spatial orientation, interaction with other people not in the game, information extraction, etc.) and collaboration skills, while they achieve most of the set Environmental Education learning goals.

However, in agreement with results reported in existing research, there has not been verified a conspicuous change (upgrade) of the cognitive image of (all) students in (all) the educational material. In conclusion, mobile and pervasive computing technology, combined with a carefully designed educational game, has a strong potential in offering a rich and fruitful learning experience.

Keywords:

Game-based learning, Pervasive games, Location-sensitive games, App Inventor, Environmental Education, Mobile devices, Educational Intervention, Evaluation.