Datorspel i historieundervisningen

This study aims to answer what the perceptions of history teachers are, concerning working with computer games as a tool for teaching history, but also how to use this in order to further develop student’s use of history based on the teacher’s own experiences and knowledge. Furthermore, with this study I aim to discover how teachers believe computer games could impact student motivation in the subject of history. In order to conclude this, interviews with four teachers from different schools across Skåne county are being used as the framework for this discourse. These interviews have then been analysed through history didactical theories such as use of history and historical consciousness. This analysis is presented thusly in the result paragraph as well as the discussion paragraph of this essay. The conclusion of this study is that the teachers interviewed in in this study generally have a positive attitude towards adapting computer games as a tool for history education. Some of them have already started, while others encounter too many obstacles to successfully be able to use computer games in classrooms, therefore deciding not to do so as of right now. However, all teachers agree that computer games can be a useful tool to further develop use of history. Additionally, it has also proven to further develop students’ historical consciousness. A few examples on how one could work with computer games, based on these teachers’ experiences, are presented in the in the result paragraph, but one specific example is to play a suitable game to then analyse the use of history conveyed. To conclude, this study shows that the teachers with a better understanding of what students of the Swedish schools demand and want, points to the fact that some groups of students would not be as motivated by the implementation of computer games as a tool for history education. However, this is highly dependent on both the teacher’s knowledge on how to implement computer games as a tool correctly, as well as choosing a suitable game