Feeling alienated – teachers using immersive digital games in classrooms

Significant barriers to using digital games in classrooms exist despite evidence to indicate digital games can enhance academic achievement. This qualitative, grounded theory study purports an interpretive understanding of the experiences of 13 Australian teachers who have used immersive digital games (IDGs) in the classroom. These teachers participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews that were one to two hours in duration. A key finding of this study is that teachers who use IDGs in the classroom can experience varying degrees of alienation from their teaching colleagues. This paper presents a model of the process of ‘Feeling Alienated’ experienced by some educators using IDGs in their classrooms. It begins with ‘the lone believer’ teacher who has strong beliefs in the value of using IDGs for student learning. Resentment by some colleagues, curriculum and classroom concerns, and insufficient advocacy contribute to the lone believer feeling alienated. This leads the lone believer to minimise the impact of their use of IDGs. The study concludes that, whilst negative teacher attitudes towards the use of IDGs in the classroom persist, the potential impact of IDGs in the classroom will not be fully realised.