Game-Based Learning in Professional Development for Practicing Educators: A Review of the Literature

Many game-based learning (GBL) researchers working in K-12 educational settings have supported the incorporation of gaming technologies into classroom practice, but little has been communicated about the effect of incorporating GBL into practicing K-12 educators’ professional development. This review is a critical appraisal of the quantity and scope of knowledge published on this topic to answer two questions: to what extent does research support incorporating GBL into K-12 staff development sessions to improve practicing teacher perceptions of the value of GBL; and, to what extent does research support incorporating GBL into K-12 staff development sessions as a method of increasing the adoption of GBL in the classroom? Current themes in GBL research with practicing teachers are presented. The author suggests that, while this is a valued line of study that many scholars insist be expanded, the directions in which it has proceeded thus far are very limited in scope.