Teaching through video games? Perceptions of future Spanish and Portuguese teachers on their use in history teaching

Abstract

Emerging technologies have brought about the development of new resources for teaching. In the teaching of history, video games have become a tool with great educational potential that enables learning that goes beyond memorizing data to work on historical thinking. However, the implementation of video games in the classroom requires teachers to be familiar with their use and possibilities. With the aim of understanding and comparing the views and knowledge that teacher trainees from two universities in Portugal and Spain have about this resource, a quantitative study was conducted through a survey distributed among 112 students at the University of Minho and the University of Castilla-La Mancha. The analysis of the data reveals that future teachers believe that video games can contribute to the teaching-learning process in general and of history, as well as to the development of essential skills such as problem resolution and critical thinking. Despite this, they still lack the necessary training to introduce them in the classroom. In addition, the results also reveal significant differences between the two countries that make up the sample. Opinions differ especially in the stages in which to implement the resource, the conception they have about the teachers who use it and what skills videogames help to develop.