Using Learning Games to Teach Texas Civil War History to Public Middle School Students

摘要

grade public middle schoolers in Texas. This game was compared to a textual information packet about the battles (designed to simulate traditional textbook learning) in its ability to increase learning gain and interest in the students. It was found that, while the performance on the posttest by the game participants did not show an overall increase compared to those that read the text packet, the question most closely tied to the gameplay showed a learning gain. Additionally, the students reported greater interest in learning about history and about the Civil War, and were more likely to want to share the learning tool with a friend compared to those that read the text packet. This indicates that a game developed in close collaboration with the educator that whose gameplay emphasizes important learning items can be an effective educational tool for students.