Effectiveness Of Educational Games In Enhancing Information Seeking Behavior Among Primary School Children In Nsukka Education Authority

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of educational games in enhancing information seeking behavior among primary school children in Nsukka Education Authority. The study was guided by five research questions. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised all the primary six children in Nsukka Education Authority, from which a sample size of 325 children was sampled using simple random sampling techniques. A structured questionnaire titled, “Educational Games and Information Seeking Behavior Questionnaire (EGISBQ)” was used as the main instrument for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts and its reliability was established using Cronbach Alpha method which yielded a reliability coefficient of .93. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions. The findings of the study revealed that the types of educational games commonly used in teaching include card games, board games, quiz competitions, role-playing or drama-based games, puzzle games, and reward-based strategies such as points and badges, while computer-based and online games are less frequently used. The study further revealed that the level of information seeking behavior among pupils after exposure to educational games is high. In addition, the findings showed that educational games improve pupils’ ability to identify their information needs, locate relevant information sources, and evaluate information critically to a high extent. The study concluded that educational games are effective instructional tools for enhancing pupils’ information seeking behavior and overall learning outcomes. Based on the findings, it was recommended, among others, that teachers should integrate more educational games into their teaching, government should provide adequate ICT facilities to support digital game-based learning, and training programmes should be organized to equip teachers with the skills needed to effectively use educational games in the classroom.