Identifying the User Needs of Educational Video Games in Bulgarian Schools

In the last decades, game-based learning has gained an increasing popularity in many countries worldwide. Learning by playing computer games gives school students some undeniable advantages over classical teaching: students are motivated to learn; they are an active part of the learning process; information is acquired in a pleasant way and is remembered for a longer period of time; students develop a more positive attitude towards the subject matter. Despite the undoubted advantages of using educational games in the learning process, this practice is still slightly unpopular in countries like Bulgaria. Recent studies show that most Bulgarian teachers are not quite acquainted with the concept and application of learning games. This paper outlines most important findings of a case study focused on the identification of the needs of target user group (schoolteachers and students) for specific types of educational computer games in classroom practice. The study is conducted in the scope of the APOGEE (smart adaPtive videO GamEs for Education) research project and aims at establishing a clear and relevant view of the current problems and needs of using game-based learning in Bulgarian schools. After a brief introduction of the main types of educational video games, their origins and their application in school education both worldwide and in Bulgaria, the paper provides a background in the previous research studies in the area. Next, it defines the target group and describes the methodology of the case study including structured interviews with the target users, aiding in the identification of the main problems, followed by a quantitative study applying a specially created questionnaire about the need of specific types of educational video games. The paper outlines some of the preliminary results gathered from two surveys conducted online and targeted to teachers and to school students and, as well, provides an initial analysis of the statistical significance of the difference of the answers to some specific questions. The results will serve as an up-to-date foundation for the development of further stages of a project based research in automatic construction of educational video games.