This document discusses a study on how game design and development supports students' digital literacy skills and 21st century skills like creative thinking, collaboration, and problem solving. The study used surveys, student interviews, and observations of a game design class to understand students' perceptions. The results showed that students felt the class helped develop their creative thinking and problem solving abilities. It also supported collaboration as students shared ideas and helped each other. The study aims to provide insights into how game design can engage students in developing important 21st century competencies.

1. Digital literacies and 21st century
skills: the students’ game design
and development experience
Cesar C. Navarrete
Learning Technologies
Curriculum & Instruction
University of Texas at Austin
EdMedia 2014, Tampere, Finland

2. Game Design & Development
• Constructivist Learning environment
• Constructionist approach involving
productivity skills
• Computational thinking
Thomas, M. K. X. G., Ge, X., & Greene, B. A. (2011)
Robertson, J., & Nicholson, K. (2007)
Wing, J. M. (2006); Barr, V., & Stephenson, C. (2011).

3. Digital Literacies
• Design literacy
• Visual & Media literacy
• Text(&ing) literacy
• Gaming literacy
• Technology literacy
• Code literacy, etc.
Hockly, (2012)

4. 21st Century skills
• Creative Thinking
• Collaboration
• Problem solving
Problem
Solving
Collaboration
Creative
Thinking
Mishra, P., & Yadav, A. (2013)

5. Research Questions
• What are students’ perceptions of game
design and programming in terms of digital
literacy skills?
• How does game design support the students’
foundational 21st century skills?

6. Method
• Mixed-methods
• Data sources
Survey questionnaire--CTPSCI
Selected individual student interviews
Student produced game artifacts
Classroom observations

7. Setting
• Public Charter school in a southwestern US state
• Student population included students 6-9th grade
Hispanic
85%
African
American
12%
White, Not
Hispanic
3%
Students not in
special
populations 46%
Exited ELL
Students, 16%
ELL Students,
24%
ELL/SPED
Students, 5% SPED Students,
9%

8. Game construction
• Daily technology class for all students
• Flash based games with Action Script 2.0
• Project-based
• Online wiki design and development support

9. Creative Thinking Survey Items
Item Mean
Standard
Deviation
CT1 I am able to create new, original
games in design class 5.62 1.24
CT2 I am NEVER able to create original
games in design class 5.34 1.71
CT3 I am able to try new, original ideas
when I design games. 5.65 1.25
CT4 I am able to be MORE creative in
game design class than in my other
classes.
5.15 1.59
CT5 I can use my imagination in game
design class.
5.70 1.44

10. Creative Thinking Items
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neutral
Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
N=193

11. Collaboration Items
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neutral
Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
N=193

12. Problem Solving Items
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
PS1_solve_problem PS2_never_solve PS3_learn PS4_learn_code PS5_info_decide
Strongly Agree
Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neutral
Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
N=193

13. Survey Open Responses
• “I love my game design class because I can be creative I
can learn some stuff that I never new what to do and
I'm verry happy that I'm taking this class”
• “I really like the game design class because it is really
fun creating games. I also like to learn new things, and
here I am learning how to create my own game.
Whenever I fix a problem with the codes to make my
game work, I feel like I am able to do a lot. Game
design class is really cool and I like helping people so
they can learn how to do the things on their own.”

14. Code Talk: “Hard fun”
• I like Game Designing games and I like to draw
the pictures. But the most thing I don't like
about it is the coding.
• I don't Like this class that much because is
hard working with codes.
Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas.
New York: Basic Books

15. Student Interviews
• Antonio in grade 7:
“It’s pretty fun but it’s kind of complicated with all the
codes you have to put in to make a game. You have to
design it first, make a game prototype and plan it out and
add or take away from your game, the game prototype
design. And, it’s pretty fun though. You learn from your
mistakes.”
• Terri in grade 9:
“I think it helps because, just to see other people’s point of
view, about how their imagination is, what they would do
and you can get an idea of how, if you make it like theirs or
make it your own way, in a better way of being more
original.”

16. Student Games

17. Implications
• Survey: CTPSCI (creative thinking, problem
solving, & collaboration inventory)—potential
instrument for 21st century skill
Problem Solving
Collaboration
Creative
Thinking

18. Digital literacies in Game construction
1 Language-based literacies:
linguistic codes
2 Information-based literacies:
filtering the wealth of information
3 Connection-based literacies:
networks and participatory
4 (Re-)design-based literacies:
design and re-purpose media
Pegrum(2011)
Dudeney,Hockly,& Pegrum2012)

19. Engaged Learning
• Deep-level embodied
learning—active,
authentic, engaged
learning
• K-12 Instructional
design—Creating
educational games
Vos, N., van der Meijden, H., &
Denessen, E. (2011)
Laird, T. F. N., & Garver, A. K. (2010)
Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2009)

20. Further research
• CTPSCI (creative thinking, problem solving, &
collaboration inventory)—use in other settings
or population
• “Soft” and “Hard” technology skills
• Digital literacies—framing with empirical
study—code literacy

21. Thank you!
• Questions?
Contact information:
Cesar C. Navarrete
ccnavarrete@utexas.edu
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX, USA
Navarrete, C. C. (2013). Creative thinking in digital game design and
development: A case study. Computers & Education, 69, 320–331.
doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2013.07.025
Navarrete, C. C., (in press). Creative Thinking in K-12 Education:
Game Design and Development Curricula for Digital Literacies and
21st Century Learning. In Advances in Game Design and Development
Research, Nova Science Publishers Inc.