European Schoolnet1’s Games in Schools Study

This chapter summarizes the main results of the comparative study, How are digital games used in schools? (European Schoolnet, April 2009), representing the most recent and comprehensive attempt to understand the current situation regarding games-based learning in schools across Europe. The study’s various elements are described, including: a literature review, teachers’ survey, case studies, and interviews with educational policy makers and experts. It concludes that some teachers do indeed use digital games (educational as well as commercial) in schools regardless of their gender, age, number of years in the profession, familiarity with games, age of their pupils, or the subject they teach. However, the use of games-based learning in schools across Europe remains limited. The study sheds some interesting light on the facilitators and barriers to using digital games in the classroom, the necessary conditions for their successful integration into the school context, and the role of the teacher. Recommendations for the education sector and industry are put forward, and new projects at European level aimed at further integrating games-based learning in schools are documented.