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Empathy in the Classroom through Video Games: How a Video Game Affected the Narrative Empathy of Upper Secondary Students

Skottner, Anders LU and Guldbrand, Sebastian LU (2017) ÄENM92 20171
Educational Sciences
English Studies
Abstract
Though previously viewed as little more than entertainment, video games have gained much recognition as an art form within recent years, slowly taking their place amongst established media such as literature and films. However, such is not the case within the second language classroom, where video games are vastly ignored in favour of other media. This in spite of research showing the benefits of working with video games in the classroom. The interactive nature of games lends itself greatly to allowing students to explore narratives
in a different way than presented by texts or films, and to connect with the characters of those stories on a new level. As the Swedish curriculum for the upper secondary school puts emphasis on students... (More)
Though previously viewed as little more than entertainment, video games have gained much recognition as an art form within recent years, slowly taking their place amongst established media such as literature and films. However, such is not the case within the second language classroom, where video games are vastly ignored in favour of other media. This in spite of research showing the benefits of working with video games in the classroom. The interactive nature of games lends itself greatly to allowing students to explore narratives
in a different way than presented by texts or films, and to connect with the characters of those stories on a new level. As the Swedish curriculum for the upper secondary school puts emphasis on students ability to empathise, this study seeks to explore the empathic abilities of students. If exposure to the interactive nature of a video game, rather than a static piece of text, might cause a greater empathic response within the students. Though previous research
refers to the empathic benefits of video games in the classroom, the findings of this study will present why the interactive medium of video games might serve as a hindrance for empathy rather than as an advantage. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Skottner, Anders LU and Guldbrand, Sebastian LU
supervisor
organization
course
ÄENM92 20171
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
language
English
id
8929599
date added to LUP
2018-01-12 15:49:23
date last changed
2018-01-12 15:49:23
@misc{8929599,
  abstract     = {{Though previously viewed as little more than entertainment, video games have gained much recognition as an art form within recent years, slowly taking their place amongst established media such as literature and films. However, such is not the case within the second language classroom, where video games are vastly ignored in favour of other media. This in spite of research showing the benefits of working with video games in the classroom. The interactive nature of games lends itself greatly to allowing students to explore narratives
in a different way than presented by texts or films, and to connect with the characters of those stories on a new level. As the Swedish curriculum for the upper secondary school puts emphasis on students ability to empathise, this study seeks to explore the empathic abilities of students. If exposure to the interactive nature of a video game, rather than a static piece of text, might cause a greater empathic response within the students. Though previous research
refers to the empathic benefits of video games in the classroom, the findings of this study will present why the interactive medium of video games might serve as a hindrance for empathy rather than as an advantage.}},
  author       = {{Skottner, Anders and Guldbrand, Sebastian}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Empathy in the Classroom through Video Games: How a Video Game Affected the Narrative Empathy of Upper Secondary Students}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}