Barriers and Tips for Engaging Minority Students in Learning

The potential of gaming and education is just the beginning of a new discipline of pedagogy worthy of investment. These educative experiences can be replicated in other fields such as clinical medicine and educational motivation for minorities. Technology plays a critical part of everyday life, but some schools are hesitant to embrace computer games, despite their popularity, to improve academic performance. Both educators and minority students would benefit if teachers could not only accept but would also embrace gaming technology in schools and classrooms. Smartphones are also becoming more user friendly with new gaming learning strategies. Colleges and universities should initiate courses of study to prepare teachers to use these new tools to educate minorities about the types of products available for use and the complex subject of gaming. A pedagogical rubric was developed to examine the educational aspects of games designed by preservice teachers, developed by policymakers and students. The focus of the rubric was to evaluate the characteristics of educational games created by teachers, with various categories in the rubric highlight thinking, exploration, inquiry, active learning, reasoning, and motivation, among the categories of the rubric, likely influencing students' engagement with the learning process as they solve problems. Minority students' engagement in the developmental of rubric fosters complex problem solving in gaming.

How Game-Based Learning Can Effectively Engage Minority Students

One of the important questions for teachers and education policymakers is how to engage new age learners, especially minority students, in a meaningful way. Game-based learning provides a platform where minority students can be intrinsically motivated to stay focused. The incorporation of multimedia design and instructional design principles in educational games would potentially help learners comprehend the information and engage in deeper learning. The decision-making process in a game-based learning environment is tied to the neural system of information processing. As research studies point out, the reward that the learner gets is, in fact, the stimulus that with desirable properties that drives behavior. Other than that, the effective feedback in the game-based learning environment has a powerful influence on learning.

The Role of Emotions in Game-Based Learning

There is an important relationship between learning (academic achievement) and emotions. Students engagement in classroom activities are usually described as a function of factors such as human needs, affect, intention, motivation, interest, and identity. Research studies suggest that students have a better learning experience when they like the teacher and the curriculum. Several articles have suggested the importance of linking situational and dispositional negative or positive emotions to academic achievement, which suggests that researchers have learned much about emotions and achievement by considering the potential moderating role of effortful control (EC) and the mediating role that cognitive processes, motivational mechanisms, and classroom relationships seem to play in linking emotions with achievement.

Possibilities and Constraints of Minority Students in the United States

The access to technology has been a problem for most minority students—what some call “the second digital divide” or differences in the use of technology. Access to adequate equipment and reliable high-speed connections remain a concern, but gaming can be a great tool to bridge this divide. The way that technology is employed in learning for minorities is an even bigger and more important issue. In the United States, among black men aged 25 years and older, 45% have attempted college but only 16% have earned college degrees. Technology can be a great contributor in meeting the possibilities of increasing graduation numbers. Gaming and education technology can be used to enhance minority skills in preparation for college and university. Considerable success has occurred when games are specifically designed to address a specific problem or to teach a certain skill. The development of instructors for minority students can be extremely positive in meeting the social economic divide. Tailoring technology and software based on different learning styles and cultural experiences could better guide the instructor. Community college can be within reach of minority students, providing them with the opportunity to succeed in education sciences and technology. The instructor in this new technology can be created by public policy, legislation, and research.

Minority Experiences and Use of Games in Education Around the World

This chapter provides an overview of minority experience and the development of gaming technology all over the world. The use of gaming for education and entertainment is not limited to the United States, but globally gaming and education is viewed positively. This positive altitude needs to be explored to develop new educative and engaging strategies for minorities. In this chapter, the authors explore the use of gaming technology in other countries of the world. The countries are Canada, Spain, the Philippines, Norway, Korea, China, and South Africa.

Benefits and Challenges of Using Educational Games

In the 21st century, games can potentially be used as serious educational tools. Today's learners are distracted easily, and game-based learning is the silver bullet because it can potentially immerse the students in content and curricula. Not only does game-based learning with its power to engage and motivate users make the course come alive, but it can also provide a platform in critical thinking, creativity, instant feedback, and collaboration. One of the biggest challenges in education is the different learning styles of the students; game-based learning can easily overcome that. Games can be categorized into different genres such as action, adventure, fighting, puzzle, role-playing, simulation, sports, or strategy. Game designers can potentially select the appropriate genre best suited for effective learning. Even with all the advantages of game-based learning, some challenges, such as unwillingness of teachers to change or improper design of educational games, still exist. With students sometimes far ahead in the use of technology, some teachers who are left behind can be intimidated. The conceptual generation gap in this regard is quite wide, and designing, developing, and implementing games in curricula can be expensive. Though some games can be repurposed for education many cannot be repurposed to meet the expectations of the students.