Digital Gamification Fosters Contemporary Teacher Identities

Why It Matters

As educational landscapes evolve with technology, understanding how new tools shape professional identity is crucial for effective design of training programs. This insight informs the development of pedagogical approaches and learning environments that prepare educators for contemporary teaching demands.

Key Finding

Pre-service EFL teachers faced challenges but ultimately developed more modern and technologically adept professional identities by using digital gamification in their teaching.

Key Findings

• Pre-service EFL teachers experienced identity struggles when integrating digital gamification into their teaching practice.
• Participants reported developing identities as contemporary, tech-savvy, innovative, and up-to-date educators through their engagement with digital gamification.

Research Evidence

Aim: How does engagement with digital gamification influence the identity construction of pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers?

Method: Qualitative research using a social theory of learning perspective.

Procedure: Researchers collected data from four pre-service EFL teachers over a seven-week teaching practice period, utilizing written historical records and semi-structured interviews to examine their experiences with digital gamification and its impact on their professional identities.

Sample Size: 4 participants

Context: English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher education in Indonesia.

Design Principle

Embrace digital tools and gamified learning to foster adaptive and contemporary professional identities in emerging practitioners.

How to Apply

Incorporate gamified elements and digital tools into professional development programs for educators, focusing on how these tools can shape their self-perception and professional roles.

Limitations

The study focused on a small group of pre-service EFL teachers in a specific cultural context, potentially limiting the generalizability of findings to other disciplines or regions.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: Using fun digital games in teacher training can help new teachers feel more modern and skilled with technology.

Why This Matters: This research shows how new technologies can change how people see themselves in their professional roles, which is important for designing effective training and tools.

Critical Thinking: To what extent are the 'identity struggles' a necessary part of adopting new technologies, or are they indicative of poorly designed integration strategies?

IA-Ready Paragraph: This research highlights how digital gamification can significantly influence the construction of professional identities, suggesting that integrating such tools into training programs can foster a sense of being contemporary, tech-savvy, and innovative among emerging professionals. This has implications for designing educational interventions that support adaptive professional development.

Project Tips

• When researching new technologies, consider how they might affect the user's sense of self or professional role.
• Explore how gamification can be used not just for engagement, but also for identity development in a design project.

How to Use in IA

• Reference this study when discussing how technology adoption influences user identity in your design project.
• Use findings to justify the inclusion of specific digital tools or gamified elements in your design solution.

Examiner Tips

• Ensure your analysis clearly links the use of digital tools to the development of professional identity.
• Consider the social and theoretical frameworks used to understand identity construction.

Independent Variable: Engagement with digital gamification.

Dependent Variable: Pre-service EFL teachers' identity construction (e.g., contemporary, tech-savvy, innovative).

Controlled Variables: Teaching practice context, duration of practice, specific digital gamification tools used.

Strengths

• Utilizes a relevant social theory of learning (Wenger's) to provide a theoretical framework.
• Examines identity construction in a practical, real-world teaching context.

Critical Questions

• How might the specific cultural context of Indonesia have influenced the identity construction process?
• What are the long-term implications of these identity shifts for the teachers' careers beyond their initial training?

Extended Essay Application

• Investigate the impact of specific design software or digital tools on the identity formation of aspiring designers or engineers.
• Explore how gamified design challenges influence a designer's self-perception and creative confidence.

Source

Pre-service EFL teachers’ identity construction in relation to digital gamification: A social theory of learning perspective · The JALT CALL Journal · 2023 · 10.29140/jaltcall.v19n3.1062