In her recently defended thesis, Triinu Jesmin, a doctoral student at Tallinn University's School of Digital Technologies, examined what factors facilitate the implementation in schools of the opportunities provided by educational games.

According to Jesmin, there is considerable debate in academia over what exactly qualifies as a game, and there exist several different interpretations of the concept. In her research, she left it up to the teachers themselves to define what they considered a game.

In an interview on Vikerraadio's "Huvitaja," the newly minted doctor said that play is an excellent way to learn.

"We take it for granted that a young child's job is to play, but we tend to forget that we like to play even in old age too," Jesmin said. In other words, play is for everyone.

Research focused more narrowly on educational settings indicates that in play, children will typically continue trying to solve assigned tasks until they succeed. The author said that it's difficult to imagine a student working with paper and pencil in your average math class would feel motivated to keep trying until they solve the problem.

In her doctoral thesis, Jesmin asked teachers in Estonia how frequently they use games in class. Nearly all of the 1,300 teachers surveyed indicated that they regularly integrate educational games into their lessons. More than 90 percent also use games almost every week, and according to Jesmin, more and more teachers are doing so.

Most commonly used are role-playing games, but computer games are popular as well, and traditional board games haven't gone anywhere either.

Games can set the mood, encourage movement

The thesis revealed that teachers use games in a wide variety of situations. Some use them to set the mood in class for a new topic, or to improve classroom atmosphere. Games are also used to provide the kids with opportunities for movement or develop their digital skills. Mainly, however, games are used for variety, to boost motivation and to reinforce learning.

According to Jesmin, ideal games are those where students can understand what they already know and what they still need to learn, allowing the game to be adapted accordingly.

"The beauty of computer games is that you can get instant feedback on how you're doing," she highlighted.

Not all learning should be taking place through games – play is just one tool. In other words, traditional methods haven't gone anywhere, but enriching them with games is beneficial.

"We know that listening or reading for 45 minutes isn't always the most effective," Jesmin acknowledged. "Games are a good way to foster deeper knowledge – when they're well-designed and well-played."

A similarly effective method is to let a child come up with their own games about a particular topic. "They'll willingly agree to delve deeply into a topic in order to come up with a good game," she pointed out.

Play for all ages

Jesmin's doctoral thesis also revealed that teachers understand that one can play at any age. She said that at the university, she often ends up teaching adults older than herself.

"When I say in class that we're going to play now, sometimes they'll wrinkle their noses at first, like 'What kind of joke is this?'" she described. "Fifteen minutes later, they're so engaged they don't even realize they're discussing or debating topics like statistics through play."

Jesmin suggested parents play board games together with their kids.

"It's a great way to spend time together and relive your own childhood memories," she said, bringing up several classics including Monopoly. And if playing Monopoly together leads to arguments, then that's fine too, as that develops social skills. "It's a great opportunity to learn how to resolve conflicts and move forward together."

Last month, Triinu Jesmin defended her doctoral thesis "Exploring game-based learning in Estonian classrooms – benefits, concerns, and support mechanisms for meaningful game use" at Tallinn University's  School of Digital Technologies.

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