Potential Barriers to the Implementation of Digital Game-Based Learning in the Classroom: Pre-service Teachers’ Views

Τeachers seek to attract students’ attention by demonstrating the relevance of learning content to daily activities and enhancing their students’ self-esteem and satisfaction. In the digital world, an example of an innovative learning tool is digital games. Digital game learning (DGBL) is a smart pedagogical approach that utilises digital games. DGBL has a prominent place in learning technologies due to the potentiality of games to engage students, enabling them to effortlessly reach the edges of their competencies, skills, and knowledge. Teachers, students and games per se constitute important agents for the successful and effective implementation of DGBL. In this context, our research was extended to cover the study of teachers’ and students’ perceptions of DGBL. More specifically, the purpose of this research was to examine the pre-service teachers’ perceptions of the barriers to DGBL implementation. To that end, an online survey with closed-ended questions and one open-ended question was conducted. In this paper, we present the answers to the open-ended question. Quantitative and qualitative data processing and analysis were carried out. According to the pre-service teachers’ responses, it is concluded that a major obstacle is the inefficient allocation of available financial resources. Resources are required for the supply of up-to-date equipment, devices and educational software, as well as for the professional development and training of teachers, school administrators and policymakers. Utilizing easy-to-use and inexpensive devices, which most teachers and even students hold, is the answer to the hurdle called “lack of equipment”. Therefore, the implementation of the DGBL, as a smart and innovative pedagogical approach, is primarily a matter of political will to curriculum reform based on ongoing research into appropriate digital learning materials.