Developing 21st century skills through esports gaming environment and investigating the transferable effects in near and far contexts

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that esports participation fosters skills needed in 21st century societies and equips college students with the necessary skills for personal and professional advancement. However, its translation into educational settings remains largely unexplored. This thesis encompasses four studies aimed at investigating how esports can be leveraged to facilitate skills development and transfer in higher education.

The thesis begins with Study 1, a systematic review of 66 articles, broadly investigating nine genres of esports in association with ten 21st century skillsets. This review study examined mechanisms behind skills development in esports, methodologies for esports research, and esports trade-offs. The findings indicated several potential benefits of introducing esports into educational settings. To determine the feasibility of esports implementation, Study 2 was conducted. Semi-structured interviews with educators (N = 8) and students (N = 32) sought to explore their perceptions of the affordances and constraints of integrating esports into higher education. Thematic analysis suggested that esports can promote skills development, increase motivation, and foster an interactive learning culture; simultaneously, it revealed potential obstacles at the individual, interpersonal, and organisational levels.

Drawing insights from the prior studies, Study 3 implemented a randomised experiment with college students (N = 110) over a 3-week intervention to examine the effectiveness of integrating sandbox games to facilitate competitions in game-based experiential learning (CGBEL) in developing the 4Cs competencies (i.e., creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication) compared to teacher-led instruction. Knowledge tests, questionnaire surveys, and student performance were utilised for competencies assessment. Results indicated no significant difference in mastering the 4Cs conceptual knowledge between the groups. However, students participating in CGBEL experienced significantly higher improvement in the 4Cs skills. Thematic analysis of a focus group interview (N = 6) indicated that effective skills development might be linked to enjoyment, relevance, increased confidence, and game mechanisms. Conversely, nonsignificant knowledge gains might result from game-induced distraction and time constraints on tasks.

Study 4 further investigated the transferring of the 4Cs skills to both near and far tasks after exposures to each learning environment. No significant differences were observed in the transfer of creativity, critical thinking, and communication skills in near and far settings between the two conditions. However, the gaming environment significantly facilitated the transfer of collaboration to near tasks, as evidenced by performance-based assessments. Additionally, the small to medium effect sizes suggested practical differences in collaboration in near and far tasks between the groups. To understand the phenomena, data mining techniques along with thematic analysis were used to extract insights from individual interviews (N = 41). Results suggested that successful transfer might be associated with factors, including mentorship, inclusive environment, autonomy, and guided checklists, whereas unsuccessful transfer might be related to unfamiliarity with rules, insufficient time and practice, communicative issues, team dynamics, and ingrained cognitive patterns.

In summary, this thesis provides evidence-based recommendations for educators to create effective competitive video gaming learning environments for skills development and transfer. Meanwhile, it contributes insights into the complexity of constructivist learning in facilitating skills development and transfer in various contexts.