Digital games in education: how postgraduate students in education understand their use in school contexts

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the perceptions of postgraduate students in Education about the use of digital games in the school context from a reflective training. For that, a qualitative and quantitative research was carried out with nine postgraduate students in education regularly enrolled in the "Electronic Games and Education" discipline of a Brazilian public university. Data collection took place through a questionnaire and transcript of reports of reflections and experiences of postgraduate students regarding their pedagogical practices with the use of this resource. The results revealed that postgraduate students perceive the potential of the use of digital games in their contexts of action, highlighting difficulties, challenges and possibilities when applied to the school context. In addition, they reported some successful experiences and challenges found in this path, which, reflected in the light of the systematic review, made possible a look at the different aspects involved in this practice, among them, the need for a close look at teacher training in this field. We highlight the importance of teachers being immersed in continuous professional development, learning to integrate technologies and digital games into the school curriculum and in their pedagogical practices. In this sense, it is important that teachers know how to insert digital games in the classroom, understanding the potentialities of their students’ learning, and providing fun experiences in an educational context.