The World of Games: Technologies for Experimenting, Thinking, Learning: XXIII Professional Culture of the Specialist of the Future, Volume 2 (Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, 829) 3031480155, 9783031480157

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Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems 829

Daria Bylieva Alfred Nordmann   Editors

The World of Games: Technologies for Experimenting, Thinking, Learning XXIII Professional Culture of the Specialist of the Future, Volume 2

Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems

829

Series Editor Janusz Kacprzyk , Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

Advisory Editors Fernando Gomide, Department of Computer Engineering and Automation—DCA, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering—FEEC, University of Campinas— UNICAMP, São Paulo, Brazil Okyay Kaynak, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Türkiye Derong Liu, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Witold Pedrycz, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland Marios M. Polycarpou, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, KIOS Research Center for Intelligent Systems and Networks, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus Imre J. Rudas, Óbuda University, Budapest, Hungary Jun Wang, Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

The series “Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems” publishes the latest developments in Networks and Systems—quickly, informally and with high quality. Original research reported in proceedings and post-proceedings represents the core of LNNS. Volumes published in LNNS embrace all aspects and subfields of, as well as new challenges in, Networks and Systems. The series contains proceedings and edited volumes in systems and networks, spanning the areas of Cyber-Physical Systems, Autonomous Systems, Sensor Networks, Control Systems, Energy Systems, Automotive Systems, Biological Systems, Vehicular Networking and Connected Vehicles, Aerospace Systems, Automation, Manufacturing, Smart Grids, Nonlinear Systems, Power Systems, Robotics, Social Systems, Economic Systems and other. Of particular value to both the contributors and the readership are the short publication timeframe and the worldwide distribution and exposure which enable both a wide and rapid dissemination of research output. The series covers the theory, applications, and perspectives on the state of the art and future developments relevant to systems and networks, decision making, control, complex processes and related areas, as embedded in the fields of interdisciplinary and applied sciences, engineering, computer science, physics, economics, social, and life sciences, as well as the paradigms and methodologies behind them. Indexed by SCOPUS, INSPEC, WTI Frankfurt eG, zbMATH, SCImago. All books published in the series are submitted for consideration in Web of Science. For proposals from Asia please contact Aninda Bose ([email protected]).

Daria Bylieva · Alfred Nordmann Editors

The World of Games: Technologies for Experimenting, Thinking, Learning XXIII Professional Culture of the Specialist of the Future, Volume 2

Editors Daria Bylieva Department of Social Sciences Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University St. Petersburg, Russia

Alfred Nordmann Institut für Philosophie Darmstadt Technical University Darmstadt, Germany

ISSN 2367-3370 ISSN 2367-3389 (electronic) Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ISBN 978-3-031-48015-7 ISBN 978-3-031-48016-4 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Paper in this product is recyclable.

Preface

We are living in a world of games. Many embrace this idea. A world of games is fun and engaging, friendly and entertaining. People learn and work better when it feels like playing a game. Social skills can be acquired in playfully competitive and cooperative ways. Others are more reluctant. To imagine a world of games is to indulge in deceptive pleasures that distract from and perhaps devalue the real world. What may seem like fun usually serves ulterior purposes that are far from harmless. There are scarce resources and wars, power relations and conflicting interests. One must not sleepwalk through such a world but be wakeful and attentive to its dangers. Games have a place in our world but it must be a well-defined place. Their value lies in offering an alternative logic to that of public life—as with the Olympic Games in antiquity which were a festive interruption for which one would take a break from the war. And then there is a third point of view which seeks to discover how we learn to know the world through games and in the mode of play. It does not endorse gamification nor does it insist on a purist clear-cut division of spheres. It might look, quite literally, at the way in which chemists know the world. In the nineteenth century, they developed balland-stick models of molecules, and these were actually billiard balls and sticks. These human constructions required considerable work, one molecule at a time. In the twentieth century, quite another generation of chemists had grown up playing with modularized building blocks such as Lego bricks, and they imagined a world of atoms and molecules that can be nanotechnologically combined at will, the whole world a toolbox where things can be broken apart and put together, infinitely plastic. Today‘s biochemists grew up in the digital age of video games. They are less interested in the building blocks of matter and to construct things from the bottom up. Instead, they intervene in the flow of things, optimizing their strategies as they become attuned to the dynamic processes that they seek to modulate and control. For all these scientists one can say that they learned from games that showed them a way of being in the world. At the same time, the games they played guided their imagination in specific ways, perhaps limiting and constraining them. Today’s world of games is primarily a digital world, for sure though one should not underestimate the continuing power of playing ball on streets, backyards, and parks, or the continuing power of board games that assemble players around a table, or the continuing power of role-playing games that begin with children interacting with their dolls and continues with cosplay and very adult battle reenactments. However, if only by virtue of its much-discussed virtualization of reality, digital technologies seem to be a new kind of driving force toward gamification. It is not that games can now be played in the computer as well, but the logic of digitalization thrives on and promotes gaming. Just one example of this is that self-learning algorithms develop protein-folding strategies or image recognition capabilities through digital gaming by users who do something just for fun and thereby advance knowledge production. The game thus turns out to be the principle of the modern world order, informing its worldview, cultural practices and

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social dramaturgy. The game serves as a model or mechanism for organizing and simulating urban, organizational and production processes. Games therefore play a special role also in the educational process. Games, virtual and augmented reality, metaverse explorations, simulations, application skills and routines become a natural part of the process of edutainment. This proves useful in a variety of educational contexts: teaching hard and soft skills, developing professional competencies, teaching languages and addressing ethical issues. This collection of papers reflects the world of games in these various aspects. On the one hand and especially in this second volume, it provides examples, developing and assessing tools, gathering together experience with old and new features of games. In the first volume, on the other hand, it reflects the human condition in this world of games as it becomes a digital world. We neither inhabit anymore the closed world of the ancient cosmos where everything has a meaningful place in the order of things nor the modern universe which is governed by general principles and rules that might unify the infinite variety of events. Instead, the world of games might turn out to be a semiverse which draws on two orders at once, the digital order of gamelike rule-governed structures and a seemingly irrational real world, with a mindset from the digital world extending to, permeating and shaping expectations. If these are theoretical considerations that are more and less explicit in many of the contributions, especially to the first volume, there is also a practical conviction that motivates many papers in this second volume: The notion that game-based learning motivates and engages students has not lost its popularity for a long time. We offer not only to look at how games can influence education, what are the positive and negative aspects of gamification and edutainment, but also the specific application of games in the educational process. Especially this second volume presents the multifaceted practical experience of teachers and developers. There are the games that draw on the latest technological developments as well as traditional role-playing games. There are games to be played and games to be created or studied; games for the development of skills, for communication, for feedback or evaluation. In particular, the book is divided into several sections: The first half of the collection begins with “Games of Life” which considers how human identity is questioned and framed through games in the present condition. “Cities and Societies, Organization and Cooperation” shifts the focus to human sociality and communication, considering how it is shaped through games. The third section of part I finally concerns “Edutainment and Gamification” and ambivalent attitudes toward them. This volume‘s part II explores in many facets of the practices of game-based learning. “From Building Blocks to Augmented Reality Glasses-Technologies for Gaming” looks at educational benefits from the technical side of things: What do gaming techniques and technology enable and how do students appreciate and evaluate them? The final section looks at matters from the educational side of things which includes the wide spectrum of educational environments.

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vii

Even as they appeal to somewhat different interests, the two parts belong together like the two sides of the same coin and the two halves of a fractured world of games. Daria Bylieva Alfred Nordmann

Contents

From Building Blocks to Augmented Reality Glasses - Technologies for Gaming The Metaverse: Changing the Landscape of Media Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marianna Yu. Ababkova, Nadezhda N. Pokrovskaia, and Bibars Al Haj Bara Application of Phygital Games at the University in the Context of Digitalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ekaterina V. Zaitseva, Natalia V. Goncharova, and Liudmila V. Daineko An EON-XR Augmented Reality Application for Motivation Stimulation and Vocabulary Training of Master’s Degree Students Majoring in Civil Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evgenia Tsimerman and Polina A. Fratkina Game Technologies and High-Fidelity Patient Simulation in the Field of Psychology and Medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elena V. Seredkina, Svetlana Yu. Zhdanova, Liubava O. Puzyreva, and Alexander A. Yuzhakov Video Games in Teaching Audiovisual Translation to University Students . . . . . Natalia E. Anosova, Anna Rubtsova, and Komila Makhkamova Development of a Play and Program Mobile Application Based on the Gamification Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ivan Onuchin, Alfira Akhmedova, Guzel Khabibullina, and Irina Zhazhneva Experience of Non-linguistics Students Creating Online Games on Foreign Language Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julia N. Karyakina, Svetlana A. Korableva, Galina I. Pankrateva, and Natalia A. Katalkina

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35

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Games in Various Educational Environments Using Game Practices to Identify Teams Capable of Generating Entrepreneurial Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viola A. Larionova, Natalia V. Goncharova, Liudmila V. Daineko, Ekaterina V. Zaitseva, and Elena V. Bespamyatnykh

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The Phenomenon of “Social Responsibility” as a Construct of the Humanitarian Educational Ecosystem for the Training of Future Engineers: Perspectives, Forms, Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Nadezhda Almazova, Liudmila Khalyapina, Ivan Kolomeytsev, Olga Noskova, and Ekaterina Shostak The Use of Gamification Elements for the Development of Creativity in Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Maria Odinokaya, Anna Rubtsova, Elena Krylova, Darina Barinova, and Olga Zhelezniakova Designing Tabletop Games for Individuals with Disabilities Through Student Project Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Tatiana Yu. Bystrova and Liydmila V. Tokarskaja Computer Games and Literary Education: Opportunities and Limitations . . . . . . 160 Larisa Tyutelova, Valeria Lisovitskaya, Ksenia Sundukova, and Daria Moroseeva A Gamification Conceptual Framework for Marketing Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Irina Firsova, Dinara Vasbieva, and Alan Abaev The Formative Role of “Model UN” in the Development of the Professional Personality of Diplomats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Ekaterina A. Samorodova, Olga I. Martynova, and Victoria Lobatyuk Unlocking the Power of Gamification: Evaluating the Efficacy of Wizer.me in EFL Vocabulary Acquisition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Ekaterina Osipova and Ekaterina Bagrova Assessment of the Creative Freedom of Students Trained in the Acting Technique “Demidov Études” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Maria Chetina, Marina Saryan, and Alsu Gabdullina The Development of Ethno-Cultural Empathy Within a Multicultural Educational Environment: Peculiarities and Role-Playing Experiences . . . . . . . . 230 Fatima Valieva and Regina Fazlitdinova Moot Court Competition in a Foreign Language: Developing Professional Competencies Through a Business Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Ekaterina A. Samorodova, Sofia A. Bakaeva, and Elena S. Zakirova

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Gaming Technologies in the Formation of Legal Students’ Professional Competencies: Moot Courts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Anna Mokhorova, Ekaterina Dolzhenkova, Dmitriy Mokhorov, and Baxtiyor Rasulov Technologies for Innovative Potential Development of University Students Majoring in Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Maria Odinokaya, Anna Rubtsova, Yuri Eremin, Evgenia Tsimerman, and Komila Makhkamova Gamification in Teaching Foreign Languages to Economics Students: A Case Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Artyom Zubkov Visual Novels as a Means of Business Communication Skills Development for Computer Science Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314 Galina Borschenko, Anna Rubtsova, and Olga Zhelezniakova WebQuest as a Means of Students’ Soft Skills Development in Engineering Foreign Language Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 Olesya Medvedeva Problem-Based Role Plays in Teaching English to Students of Humanities . . . . . 335 Yulia Komarova and Olga Aleksandrova A Business Game Introduction into Foreign Language Training of Materials Science and Engineering Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348 Evgenia Tsimerman and Victor A. Klinkov Gamification in Foreign Language Education: Development of Lexical Skills in Teaching a Second Foreign Language at the University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 Maya A. Morozova Gamified Communication as a Didactic Tool for Mastering a Professionally Oriented Video Course in a Foreign Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 Vladimir Burov, Anna Kuzmina, Nina Popova, and Yuri Eremin The Use of Role-Playing Games to Develop the Skills of Constructive Communication of Healthcare Professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390 Liliia Metelkova, Elena Khrisanova, and Aziza Azizova The Use of Games in English Language Lessons as a Means of Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399 Natalia Kopylova Author Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

From Building Blocks to Augmented Reality Glasses - Technologies for Gaming

The Metaverse: Changing the Landscape of Media Education Marianna Yu. Ababkova1(B) , Nadezhda N. Pokrovskaia1,2,3 and Bibars Al Haj Bara2

,

1 Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University LETI, Professora Popova 5,

197022 St. Petersburg, Russia [email protected], [email protected] 2 Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya, 29, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia [email protected] 3 Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, Naberezhnaya Moyki, 191186 St. Petersburg, Russia Abstract. As the Metaverse gradually penetrates the educational landscape of secondary and tertiary education, the research was conducted to find out if it will be a welcome idea by students and educators in marketing and media communications. The most popular areas of VR/AR technologies in the foreign and Russian universities are Arts and Humanities, Engineering and technology, Chemistry and Physics, Language practice, Security in Emergency Situations and Medicine Training. 293 Russian and foreign students and 62 educators took part in the survey. The results of the study indicate that the students and educators have differing views on benefits and risks from VR/AR technologies in education. The students see the main advantages of VR/AR technologies in lower cost of training and better involvement, whereas the educational practitioners expect students’ better immersion into the learning process and a valuable contribution to understanding of difficult training material. Despite the fact that 66% of the educational practitioners see VR/AR technologies in their future work, only a small amount of them is aware of the specific VR/AR projects in their universities. The top concerns of the students and educators coincide in such points as health risks and anxiety that educational process would turn inevitably into entertainment. The main educational fields for implementation of VR/AR technologies mentioned the students and educators were the same (Physical Sciences, Engineering and technology, Computer Sciences, Research Work, Art and Humanities, Business and Economics), which concurs with the previous research and content analysis of VR/AR technologies of the most advanced universities of the world. Keywords: Metaverse · Metaversity · VR/AR technologies in education · Media education

1 Introduction The modern post-industrial digital society fosters neuroscience growth, and its achievements have led to the formation of neurotechnologies widely spread in various fields of activities [1, 2]. The largest possible dimension of neuroeducation emerges in the © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 3–18, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_1

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form of neurodidactics, which primarily ensures the success of educational activities and the development of students’ personality. The core of neurodidactics contributes to the formation of educational concept based on the actualization of students’ cognitive functions, such as perception, attention, memory, thinking, the innate (genetically determined) curiosity of student and his emotional state. It is also postulated that the electronic forms of learning provide an opportunity to implement personalized trajectories of students’ development. Cognitive technologies in education can be described as falling within three interrelated spheres: – interactive technologies that include various kinds of lectures, conversations, group discussions, case studies, gamification, etc.; – virtual learning technologies that comprise immersive technologies (VR/AR), virtual training workshops, simulators of real processes, etc.; – transpective technologies covering foresight technologies, psychobiographic methods, reflection of the future, mental maps, and so forth [3, p. 34]. Meta-subject learning outcomes (problem-solving skills, critical thinking, media and communicative literacy, a capacity to adapt to uncertainty and dynamic socioprofessional future) are considered to be the principal benchmark of neuroeducational technologies’ implementation in education [4, p. 127]. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit company’s assessment, the development and implementation of VR/AR technologies will contribute to the creation of up to 23.3 million new jobs worldwide by 2030, and revenue growth in education will reach 294.2 billion dollars [5]. The estimation of Fortune Business Insights indicates that the VR education market will grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 42.9% in 2021 to a value of over $13 billion by 2026, and A Holon IQ report forecasts that global spending on VR education will soar from $1.8 billion in 2021 to $12.6 billion by 2025 [6]. Some researchers are confident that VR/AR technologies have the indisputable capacity to modernize the quality of education, specifically in such fields of education as humanities, chemistry, physics, biology, linguistics, emergency skills, medicine, architecture and engineering, business and communication [7–9]. VR/AR technologies could be considered not only as drivers of the decisive changes in the educational content, but also serve as one of the tools for the digital transformation of the secondary and tertiary sectors [10, p. 86]. The next level of VR/AR technologies is the Metaverse that provides seamless multisensory experience and intercourse with virtual surroundings, individuals and objects [11] and promises to overcome the constraints that are typical for asynchronous and synchronous e-learning systems. Taking into account that asynchronous tools (e.g., Moodle) and synchronous e-learning systems (e.g., Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet) often have negative impact on the educational process due to low self-perception, isolation, inactivity and crude emotional expression, [12– 14] the Metaverse bridges the existing gaps as a multiuser 3D environment that merges physical reality with virtual world [11].

The Metaverse: Changing the Landscape of Media Education

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2 Literature Review The Metaverse as a concept of a shared virtual space is a fully immersive and interactive three-dimensional digital world that opens up not only a new level of education, but also increases the recognition of university, distinguishes it from competitors and attracts new students from other countries and cities, giving them the opportunity to study without leaving their homes, with a higher degree of involvement in the educational and research process [15, 16]. The new terms were coined to underline the Metaverse’s potential for educational crucial innovations. As meta-education is taken to be a unified term for VR/AR-powered and supported online distance education that embraces simulation, instruction and skills development [17, 18], it assumed to implement extensively bright learning experiences into co-created personalized curricula in so-called “metaversities” (a new definition for online 3D virtual campuses) [11–19]. The notion “metaversity” initially thought to be another buzz word and firstly attributed to one form or another of distance learning, nowadays explicates as a potential context for “meta-education” and includes university systems that create a presence in virtual environments and converges virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual worlds [20]. Different types of environments of the Metaverse can combine the features of social networks and immersion technologies within the learning process, thus transforming and reshaping distance education. This hybrid learning in virtual 3D campuses online could bridge the divide afflicting the poorest countries of the world and stem the consequences of the distance learning, such as loneliness, isolation, and a need for constant feedback [21]. Virtual presence, a mixed active pedagogy, deeper experience are believed to be a strong democratizing factors, as well as boundaries’ expansion in education [11]. The incorporation of VR/AR technologies into education initially focused on the areas of practicing and training in dangerous areas and activities, rendering a negative working scenario, visiting an anatomic theater or performing a surgery training [22], later another Metaverse benefits were taken into account, namely, social aspect (perception or stimulation as another level for students’ autonomy within the learning procedure and experience or presence [23] to apply theory or equipment without any harm or damage in the real world). The analysis of the related articles from the WoS and Scopus databases showed that a constantly growing interest in this new concept is apparent according to the various research articles on the Metaverse issues in education. Some researchers focus on the analyzing the issues and challenges during the process of designing, developing and implementing virtual worlds in education; exploring the development of concrete and specific resources in detail, such as avatars, platforms, virtual laboratories, prototypes of 3D environments or pedagogical methods; identifying the impact of the metaverse on students [24, 25]. As some researchers point out, the Metaverse in education increases the involvement of students in the learning process, and creates immersive experience for students instead of writing, listening and reading. It prompts interaction with the educational content as it simulates a real-world experience, since students have access to more learning materials and resources. Moreover, processing information within the Metaverse will require allegedly less cognitive load. As students often want a campuslike experience, so the Metaverse provides that opportunity from interactive classrooms

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to libraries [26]. Nevertheless, some researchers are skeptical about the universal penetration of the Metaverse in educational process, limiting its implementation either to a number of subjects or areas of training [4–10], or to maintenance of diversity of activities within the “gaming” or a problem approach to education [17–19]. A content analysis of VR/AR technologies in education was carried out on the sample of the most advanced universities of the world, according to World University Rankings 2023 [27]. The list of the universities under review included Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkley, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, 16 universities in total (Table 1). Table 1. The Metaverse technologies embedded in the learning process. Subjects taught at the university

AR /VR technologies

Arts

9

Engineering and Technology

7

Humanities (History, Philosophy, Cultural studies, etc.)

6

Chemistry, Physics

6

Geology

5

Programming

5

Design

5

Biology

4

Medicine

4

Foreign Languages

2

The most popular areas of VR/AR technologies in the top universities reported to be Arts and Humanities (9 and 6 respectively); Engineering and technology (7); Chemistry and Physics (6). As to Russian universities, the most popular areas of VR/AR educational technologies and their development coincide with the above-mentioned ones in the foreign universities: – Biology (XReady Lab: virtual laboratories and travel immersion in the microcosm, VR simulations of the immersion inside the living cells); – Chemistry and Physics (VR Chemistry Lab); – History (virtual time machine); – Language practice (Varvara module on the platform of the Russian company VR Supersonic); – Security in Emergency Situations (VR-Life Security); – Medicine; – Metaverse development platform (UniVRsity mode by Far Eastern Federal University, Moscow Aviation Institute, Kazan Federal University, Tomsk State University) [28, 29].

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Thus, the meta-education covers such the most popular thrusts of education as biology, development, medicine, art and design, humanities and biology worldwide [15]. Still, VR/AR technologies application is not fully-fledged in media education, there is no marketing, advertising or event VR/AR platform that was reported by a university. If VR/AR technologies would be of a great benefit in media education, namely, in journalism studies, advertising and PR? The literature review revealed not so many papers and studies dedicated to the aforementioned directions of education. The majority of research embraces the field application of the Metaverse technology in digital advertising, brand communication and consumer behavior research, and it is understandable: still, only a luxurious, national or international company can afford such an expensive technology. However, the experts insist that it will trickle throughout all marketing and advertising landscape very soon to other market actors [30]. The first direction of the Metaverse technology application is remote marketing research of consumer behavior, deep dive (insight research) of consumption decisions, advertising testing in a consumer environment, marketing research of consumer experience, trading space research [31–33]. The next direction is event marketing, such as virtual events, conferences, exhibitions. For instance, IEEE Virtual Reality Conference (IEEE VR) as a virtual event was very successful and attracted more than 1200 registered paying participants, included dozens of workshops and tutorials, and hundreds of technical papers. The organizers and researchers used the virtual environment platform Virbela/iLRN, along with discussion tools and videoconferencing/broadcast/online tools to provide effective social interaction and increase engagement into this event [25]. Immersive journalism, as the third dimension of the Metaverse technology application, provides the opportunity to launch panoramic photos and videos spherical video with surround sound content to create an eyewitness effect and reinstitute the audience’s emotional involvement in current events [34]. New advertising strategies as the fourth direction of the Metaverse technology application include the contextual advertising and interactive storytelling techniques in spatial, temporal, and emotional modes [31], and thus creating the whole the impression the consumers are being through [30–35]. For example, some recent studies already have been made to figure out how young consumers perceive VR in apartment rental advertisements, and how VR advertising affects young consumers’ intentions to rent an apartment [36]. VR/AR/XR advertising performances play a role of a link between native advertising and in-game experiences. According to a survey conducted by Obsess in 2022, 70% of consumers who have visited a virtual e-commerce store have made a purchase, 75% of Gen Z consumers have purchased a product through a video game, and 41% of Gen Z consumers suggested that brands should sell their products in the Metaverse [37]. Reportedly, Gen Z and Millennials are already existing in the Metaverse, making up approximately 60% of all users [38]. Thus, another stage in advertising, so called advergame, where the presence of a brand in a game is core priority, is coming. Games’ customization includes brands’ style and value, as well as active consumers’ participation [30].

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In a nutshell, the Metaverse as the largescale societal shift from flat media viewed in the third person to immersive media experienced in the first person will impact the marketing industry in profound ways, transforming the tools, tactics, and techniques. While digital advertising is currently dominated by flat images and videos, the tactics in the Metaverse will likely change to immersive experiences including Virtual Product Placements (VPPs) and Virtual Spokespeople (VSPs). These techniques have the potential to be highly persuasive forms of advertising as they target users through natural and personal interactions. For the same reasons, these techniques have significant risks, as they can be abused by metaverse platforms in predatory ways. For these reasons, regulation should be considered [39].

3 Materials and Methods The researchers from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and the Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University LETI decided to find out if students and educational practitioners in media education are ready to use VR/AR technologies in education, and whether they understand the potential and prospects of these technologies. The prerequisite to launch the study was the data reported by the Centre of National Technology Initiative in VR/AR (Far Eastern Federal University, Russia) that the most of teachers are still at the awareness stage about VR/AR technologies in education (26.6%), and the indicators of the transitional stage of “study” and the stage of “understanding” are slightly less high (21.7% and 23.4%, respectively). This may indicate the positive dynamics of the development of virtual reality technology: more and more teachers are beginning to understand the process of using this technology and can apply it [29]. 293 Russian and foreign students participated in the study, as well as 62 lecturers and educational practitioners from Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University and Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University LETI took part in this survey. Of this number, 195 participants (66.5%) are from Russia and 98 participants (33.4%) are from China (12.9%), Syria (11.9%) and Kazakhstan (8.6%). Among them, 124 respondents (42.3%) are males and 169 (57.7%) of them were females. More than half of the respondents (184 participants, 62.8%) constitute the age group of 17–21 years, almost one third of them (93 participants, 31.7%) are from the age group 22–26 years, The smallest group (11 participants, 5.5%) is aged 26–30. The vast majority of the students (246 respondents (84.2%)) are bachelor students, 47 participants (16%) represent masters students. The respondents take their qualification degree in the following specialties: Humanities (Advertising and PR, Social and Political Sciences, Publishing) (33%), Economic sciences (Economics, Marketing, Management) (20.4%), Engineering and Technology (46.6%). As to the lecturers’ sample, 100% of participants are from Russia. 46 respondents (74.2%) are females and 16 (25.8%) of them are males. The age of the respondents varies from 28–35 years (34.2%) to 36–45 years (56.7%) and 46 and more (9.1%). The scientific disciplines are Advertising and PR, Social and Political Sciences, Publishing (44.1%), Economics, Marketing, Management (10.2%), Engineering and Technology (45.8%). The data collecting process lasted 20 days, the questionnaire consisted of 14 open and closed questions, which investigated the understanding of the possibilities of AR/VR

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9

technologies in the learning process, the applicability of these technologies in various specialisms. The hypothesis was that the students are more interested in the Metaverse technologies in education, than the lecturers. The first unit of the questionnaire was dedicated to social and demographic profile, country and the specialty of the respondents. The second unit embraced general questions on the respondents’ familiarity with VR/AR concept and the Metaverse, their experience with the Metaverse. The third unit was focused on the major benefits and top concerns of using VR/AR in education, readiness to use VR/AR, and fields of study where it’s possible to implement such technologies according to the respondents’ opinion. Also, the questions in the third unit concerned the level of the respondents’ awareness about VR/AR projects in their universities. The questionnaire was based on Google forms, the link was sent to students’ group emails. The participants took part in the study voluntarily and anonymously.

4 Results The results of the study showed low degree of engagement in vr/ar technologies in respondents’ educational activities despite some level of vr/ar technologies implementation in both universities. The male participants of the survey (65%) demonstrated a greater degree of familiarity with VR/AR technologies than female ones (35%). The level of the students’ awareness with VR/AR showed the flexibility and openness to the harnessing new technologies in their lives. The question “Have you used any type of VR/AR technologies (mobile, laptop, desktop) at least once in your everyday life” indicated that 48% of all students are somewhat familiar with these technologies, and 28% are proficient with them. More than 60% of students have tried VR/AR more than once. 46% of the participants believe that VR/AR can be used in their future work. About 48% of the educational practitioners are familiar with the concept of the Metaverse, 83% are familiar with the concept of VR/AR in education, 57% have tried one or another type of VR/AR systems more than once, and 37% have tried it once. Thus, these results are more optimistic than aforementioned data reported by the Centre of National Technology Initiative in VR/AR (Far Eastern Federal University) [29]. According to the students’ opinion, such technologies in education can significantly reduce the cost of face-to-face-classes and internships (74%); help to learn and participate actively, instead of passive attendance to classes (68%); facilitate the assimilation of complex concepts (62%); and give the opportunity to attend classes, internships and excursions from anywhere (58%). The educators suppose that VR/AR in education make difficult concepts easier to learn (100%); sensory involvement prompts a better understanding of educational material (85%); students are encouraged to learn and participate, instead of passive attendance to classes (77%) (Table 2). Thus, marking the statements, the educational practitioners focused on the students’ involvement, attendance and understanding the learning material, while the students were attracted by the cost of internships and excursions, and involvement into the learning process.

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Table 2. The main advantages of using AR/VR in education according to the students and educational practitioners. Statements

Percentage of agreement Students

Students learn better through interaction

Educators

51

45

The visual VR stimuli are fascinating to students 50

64

Shared experiences induce involvement and active group work

42

54

Sensory involvement prompts a better understanding of educational material

62

85

Students are encouraged to learn and participate, 68 instead of passive attendance to classes

77

Significantly lower cost to take internships and excursions

74

30

There are no distractions during a classwork

32

46

Difficult concepts are easier to learn

51

100

It encourages students’ creativity

39

25

It provides a possibility to attend university from 58 anywhere

70

The question “Do you expect or plan to use VR/AR in your work in the nearest future?” got 66% positive answers from the educational practitioners. Thus, some courses or themes could be planned on the basis of a metaverse platform to ensure content diversity. Only 5.1% of the students and 7.7% of the educational practitioners from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University are aware that the virtual art laboratory as a key component of the project “SmArt Space of an innovative multidisciplinary university” (SmArt Campus) was implemented within the framework of the strategic project “Technopolis Polytech” of the Priority 2030 program. Also, there few students (6.1%) and lecturers (9.4%) from Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI” are informed about a “smart” VR simulator for operators of vehicle inspection systems. This means that the universities should make their innovations more visible through communication campaigns, staff development and embedding the projects into the everyday educational activities. The main issues associated with VR/AR technologies in education as the students stated, were as follows: “It is expensive and difficult to implement in education” (85%), “VR in a classroom transforms learning into entertainment” (73%), “Complete immersion in the VR world frightens” (65%), “It may cause headaches or brain damage” (61%) and “There is not enough VR content available yet” (48%). The main concerns about VR/AR technology, according to the educational practitioners included “It is too hard to manage VR/AR class” (100%), “The infrastructure of my university isn’t fit for such

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technologies (80%)”, “It takes a lot of professional preparation, skills development and further training. I am not ready for it” (74%) (see Table 3). Table 3. What are the top concerns regarding AR/VR technology according to the students and educational practitioners. Statements

Percentage of agreement Students Educators

It may cause headaches or brain damage

61

58

It is expensive and difficult to implement in education

81

64

It is too hard to manage VR/AR class

28

100

There is not enough VR content available yet

48

41

Complete immersion in the VR world frightens

65

56

VR in a classroom transforms learning into entertainment

73

66

It isolates students

45

67

It might be a serious distraction during the learning process

46

56

The infrastructure of my university isn’t fit for such technologies

44

80

It takes a lot of professional preparation, skills development and further 25 training. I am not ready for it

74

The student-teacher relationship might become shallow

33

59

I have no concerns about VR

3

0

The assumption that “It may cause headaches or brain damage” almost equally concerns the students and the lecturers (61% and 58% respectively), as well as “VR in a classroom transforms learning into entertainment” (73% and 66% respectively). Also, the educational practitioners are approximately four times more concerned about VR/AR class management than the students, and two time more that the infrastructure of the university isn’t fit for VR/AR technologies. Only 25% of the students fear professional preparation, skills development and further training for taking VR/AR class, while the educators are three times more preoccupied with their skills upgrading. The interaction between students and lecturer worries the educators more than the students (59% and 33% respectively). Thus, it could be concluded that the educators are more concerned with procedural and organizational issues, as well as with preparation for VR/AR classes. The next question was dedicated to the students and lecturers’ opinion about the main educational fields to implement VR/AR technologies. The students think that Physical Sciences (81%), Engineering and technology (90%), Computer Sciences (69%), Research Work (84%), Art and Humanities (54%), Business and Economics (6,8%) are the most promising applications for VR/AR technologies. The educators suppose that that it is possible to introduce VR/AR technologies in such areas of knowledge, as Physical Sciences (100%), Engineering and technology (100%), Computer Sciences (83%), Research Work (100%), Art and Humanities (35%), Business and Economics

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(34%). Thus, Physical Sciences and Engineering and Technology are the most popular results both with the students and the educational practitioners. Communication and Media Studies are not popular choice as a possible area for VR/AR technologies implementation (only 24% and 31% respectively). The question “Which areas of Advertising and PR could be involved into VR/AR learning?” was difficult both for the students and the educational practitioners. Still, the answers obtained show that Arts and Humanities, Design, as well as Marketing achieved the highest level of responses (Table 4). Table 4. The possible spin-offs of Advertising and PR for VR/AR learning mentioned by the students and the educational practitioners. Areas of Marketing, Advertising and PR Graphic Design in Advertising and PR

Percentage of agreement Students

Educational practitioners

54%

96%

Product Design

26%

90%

Media Production

22%

51%

Intercultural communications

40%

72%

Consumer Insight

19%

56%

Event Marketing

67%

72%

Media planning

11%

33%

Advertising Campaign

13%

38%

Communication Studies

85%

95%

Visual Advertising

89%

93%

Corporate Identity

81%

98%

Research Work

87%

100%

The most popular directions where VR/AR technologies could be implemented, according to the students cover Visual Advertising (89%), Communication Studies (85%), Corporate Identity (81%), Event Marketing (67%) and Research Work (87%). Almost all students supposed that VR/AR as a research technique in education would broaden professional skylines and networks both for educators and learners, and boost students’ creativity as well as inspire the students to participate in the research work more enthusiastically. The educators think that the use of VR/AR technologies is possible in different configurations and mixtures with real-world classes in media education. To implement the features of VR/AR into media education it will require a more thorough investigation and detailed development and design of a high-quality 3D model of the university, including its buildings and classrooms. 78% of the students stated that VR buildings and classes should be realistic, but should still have the features of futuristic design to encourage forward-looking and aspiration for innovations. The image of the university and classrooms in the Metaverse were created with the help of

The Metaverse: Changing the Landscape of Media Education

13

AI art generator Adobe Firefly (Fig. 1, 2). As the most popular directions of VR/AR technologies implementation mentioned by the students were Visual Advertising (89%), Communication Studies (85%), a preliminary visual concept of a virtual ad museum was drafted (Fig. 2). In this museum students will explore the ad history from the protoadvertising to the modern forms. The museum will be divided into different eras, each of which will have its own expositions.

Fig. 1. VR representation of Peter the Great Polytechnical university campus and classrooms generated by Adobe Firefly (drawn by the authors of the paper)

Fig. 2. VR representation of a classroom and a virtual ad museum generated by Adobe Firefly (drawn by the authors of the paper).

Several assumptions were defined for the more efficient learning space in the Metaverse to foster with student’s engagement. In the first, the VR class must evoke a feeling of real-world class with peer-to-peer-based interactions and student-to-teacher interactions, to prevent the learners’ behavior like watching television during the e-learning lecture. The avatars of educators and students must be recognizable. In the second, the AI-based classroom assessment system has to enable educators to produce assessments and to send the results are automatically to students. The draft scheme of a VR classroom

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displays a teacher, 3D models, and visuals, while auto proctoring disables some of the functions depending on the type of learning activity, for example, controls switching tabs in the browser, or data sharing during the exam [40].

5 Conclusion VR/AR technologies are already changing the educational landscape in many educational areas. The Metaverse enthusiasts and the trend followers suppose that the multisensory experience of the virtual reality will inspire a wide range of innovations to change educational landscape [41]. The main difficulties in implementing VR/AR technologies into the learning process are the high prices of equipment and software, which become a significant barrier for many users and educational organizations. VR/AR technologies can enhance the way educators teach and students learn on all levels from the primary school to post graduate education and in all specialisms’ areas. This new way of experiencing and understanding the world can bring about great opportunities to improve teaching environments and support teachers in their mission to improve the skills and experiences of their students [42]. The hypothesis that the students are more interested in the Metaverse technologies in education, than the lecturers, was confirmed. For example, only 25% of students are not ready to upgrade their skills to use the Metaverse, while 74% of educators expressed their unwillingness to develop competence in this area. The results of the study indicate that less than half of the students are somewhat familiar with VR/AR technologies, and only one third is proficient with them, while the majority of educational practitioners (83%) are familiar with the concept of VR/AR in education, more than half have (57%) tried one or another type of VR/AR systems more than once, and more than one third (37%) have tried it once. That means that VR/AR implementation requires professional training and refresher courses for all participants of educational process. According to the students, VR/AR technologies in education can significantly reduce the cost of face-to-face-classes and internships, help to learn and participate actively, facilitate the assimilation of complex concepts and give the opportunity to attend classes, internships and excursions from anywhere. So, the students see the main advantages of VR/AR technologies in lower cost of internships and excursions, and better involvement into the learning process. The educational practitioners also expect students’ better immersion into the learning material. The question “Do you expect or plan to use VR/AR in your work in the nearest future?” showed that 66% of the educational practitioners anticipate VR/AR technologies in their work. But only a small amount of the students and the educational practitioners are aware of the VR/AR projects in their universities (5.1% and 7.7% respectively). The assumption that “It may cause headaches or brain damage” as the main issue of VR/AR technologies implementation in education almost equally concerns the students (61%) and the lecturers (58%), the next item is “VR in a classroom transforms learning into entertainment” (73% and 66% respectively). The top concern of the educators is the management of VR/AR class (100%), the inability of the university’s infrastructure

The Metaverse: Changing the Landscape of Media Education

15

(80%) and the need for professional training (74%). Those findings partly match the study of risks related to AR (physical health and psychology) [11]. It may be interesting to emphasize that moral and ethical issues and data privacy were not noticed by the respondents. The main educational fields to implement VR/AR technologies according to the students were Physical Sciences (81%), Engineering and technology (90%), Computer Sciences (69%), Research Work (84%), Art and Humanities (54%), Business and Economics (6,8%). According to the educators the main fields of VR/AR technologies were the same. The results of the study correspond with the previous research [7–9] and content analysis of VR/AR technologies of the most advanced universities of the world (Table 1). Some studies argue that the Metaverse is applicable only in the areas of training in dangerous areas and situations, performing a surgery training [11–22] or in specific branches of training, such as foreign language learning and music learning [24]. As the analysis of the Metaverse technology application in marketing, media communications and advertising showed, VR/AR technologies already change the landscape, tools, tactics, and techniques. Ignoring such a considerable development in media education would mean that learners would be outcasts of current practices and concepts. The agenda for the future directions of VR/AR technologies research in education could be divided into the following branches: – VR/AR design and development, and the issues of information perception and its processing during virtual learning; – Imaging VR/AR techniques’ improvement; real images’ construction, including the tools for controlling VR/AR graphics machines to create the total immersion and the impression of learning and working in reality; – Psychology of perception of the VR/AR environment. The issues of taking into account the patterns of the thinking and cognitive strategies of youth, who are accustomed to receiving most of the information through the phone screen and computer monitor. – Choosing an individual trajectory of interaction both with VR/AR and real-world classes. – The development of the basic principles of virtual didactics. Didactics and methodological issues of determining the optimal ratio of knowledge transmitted in reality and VR/AR forms [43, p. 14]. Though the core educational methods and principles remain unchanged for a long time and spin around content transfer during lectures and workshops, classrooms attendance and textbooks reading despite the boost of technologies [44], meta-education can provide extensive active learning experiences in 3D virtual environments where students could be co-owners and co-creators of the virtual spaces and adaptive, personalized curricula.

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Application of Phygital Games at the University in the Context of Digitalization Ekaterina V. Zaitseva(B)

, Natalia V. Goncharova , and Liudmila V. Daineko

Ural Federal University, 19 Mira Street, 620002 Ekaterinburg, Russia {e.v.zaitceva,n.v.goncharova,l.v.daineko}@urfu.ru

Abstract. The digitalization of the educational process, which became a necessity during the pandemic, has led to an increased interest in the use of digital services in the educational process and in the post-pandemic period. This article explores the possibilities of using phygital-gaming technologies in higher education. Phygitalgame is considered in the paper as a dichotomy combining two types of reality: traditional and digital. The design of our study consisted of three stages. At the first stage we analyzed theoretical sources, normative-legal acts, developed the research toolkit, at the second stage we conducted an expert survey in the form of a semi-standardized interview. At the third stage, after clarifying the research hypotheses, the discussion seminar was conducted. The results showed a great interest in the application of phygital games in the educational process at the university. The game fulfills a learning function while maintaining a competitive aspect and competition. At the beginning of the article the classification of phygital games is given, basic definitions are given. The authors highlight the features of a new methodology in learning - phygital approach, and the formation of the phygital education model. This model has advantages over the traditional and digital models of education. New forms of educational work with students within the framework of the phygital approach require a serious restructuring of the educational process and carry many risks: social, economic, organizational, legal and health risks. The application of phygital games in higher education is possible in the form of augmented reality, virtual reality or mixed reality both in the implementation of general disciplines and special professional disciplines. Such advantages of phygital-games application as individualized learning, motivation for the result, formation of teamwork and analytical skills, cognitive abilities, applicability in inclusive education are highlighted. Keywords: Digitalization · Phygital-game · Game · Phygital education model · Students · High Education

1 Introduction The digitalization of the economy and social space cannot but have an impact on the educational environment of the university. The COVID-19 pandemic and the limitations associated with it have changed the way of life in all spheres, including education. There © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 19–34, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_2

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have been major changes in the way students learn in the face of the pandemic. Universities have carried out serious work on the digitalization of education [1]. These processes have been intensified by the need to continue the learning process in conditions of isolation. The digitalization of the educational process took place through the development of two forms of online learning: synchronous and asynchronous [2]. However, the days of isolation are over and the learning process is back in the classroom. At the same time, university professors have accumulated extensive experience in the use of digital game technologies in the educational process [3, 4]. Universities over the pandemic period of 2020–2022 have created a digital learning environment consisting of the following subsystems: • • • • •

The university’s Internet portal; The system of accounting of students’ progress; The system of faculty scientific activity record keeping; Electronic information educational environments (asynchronous format); Classes in synchronous format.

All this made it possible to apply modern technologies, including gaming technologies in the educational process [5]. A new term has emerged in modern society, which means a new type of communication based on the merge of physical and virtual worlds: phygital-interaction or phygital-communication (the word phygital is a compound of physical and digital words and means integrated communication at the junction of digital and physical spaces) [6]. Accordingly, concepts are formed by analogy: • cyber sport - cyber game, • phygital sport – phygital game. The popularity and prevalence of digital games is growing worldwide and in Russia [7, 8]. Along with the development of cybersports (computer or e-sports) the trend of phygital sport is also developing [9]. Phygital-sport is recognized and included in the first section of the register of sports, which development is carried out at the all-Russian level. On February 22, 2023 there was registered the All-Russian Federation of Phygital Sport. At the time of writing this article there are regional federations of Phygital -sport in 26 regions of the Russian Federation. There was also initiated the project “PHYGITAL EDUCATION”, the executors of which are the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation together with the Agency of development of computer and other types of sport. The project is supposed to create a digital platform for placing educational and other useful materials on technical and sports disciplines, contributing to the development of the digital industry. We can say that we are entering a new era, the era of digital education. This means that phygital games will be widely used in the educational process.

2 Problem Statement Many researchers are studying various aspects of digitalization of the educational process, including the new phygital approach to education. Thus, Del Vecchio, Secundo & Garzoni noted that publications on the phygital sphere are still fragmentary and far from

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a full understanding of the meaning and implications [10]. And Lupetti, Piumatti & Rossetto in their 2015 study, noting that phygital games are in a preliminary stage of development, believe that they can engage children in real play activities by reducing time in front of a screen and limiting sedentary behavior [11]. Sumathi & Angelin Devakumari attribute the emergence of phygital mode of learning to the impact of the urgent transfer of the educational process into a distance format and believes that this approach will become the norm for higher education in the future. Studying the phygital approach to education they note that the integration of digital online resources and traditional offline education is an urgent need [12]. Barola et al. agree with this opinion, calling phygital learning the revolution of the education of the future, justifying their opinion by convenience and the possibility of scaling this format of education, also calling it an inclusive alternative [13]. Dolzhich, Dmitrichenkova & Pozuelo, exploring the ethical challenges of distance learning, note the emergence of a new phygital environment as the interaction of physical and digital reality [14]. Salenga-Talavera, considering the ways of educational ethics development, notes the need for teachers to distinguish new educational models, including phygital mode [15]. The researcher justifies this by the fact that digital natives of Generation Z and Generation Alpha prefer learning using the Internet. Nandini, studying phygital education in the post-pandemic era, notes that educational innovations disrupt traditional processes and means of knowledge transfer, revealing new ones [16]. Goretti et al., investigating the phygital approach for teaching special children found that a hybrid reality game incorporating physical and virtual reality improves the therapeutic treatment of these children [17]. Moreover, playing on an interactive screen effectively supports the educational process. Vate-U-Lan, Quigley & Masouras, studying the concept of phygital learning, believe that phygital learning opens a new dimension of learning compared to physical and digital, transforming theory into practice [18]. De la Cruz-Campos J. C. et al. analyze the features that make up gamification as a learning method to revitalize and renew education [19]. Heljakka & Ihamäki concluded that phygital games have the potential to influence individuals by stimulating improvements in their physical, cognitive, and social well-being [20]. Finocchiaro M. et al. believe that simulation training is a valuable opportunity to acquire technical and cognitive skills suitable for different paces of training and to limit risks to patients and that gastrointestinal endoscopy simulators are an effective solution to allow doctors to practise in preclinical conditions [21]. Kuznetsov et al. describe the advantages of using visualization models of human movement during evacuation from the building during emergencies in an educational institution compared to studying technical regulations, instructions, etc. [22]. Dani R. et al. describe the possibilities of using virtual reality (VR) in tourism for education, destination marketing, entertainment, heritage prevention, and for people’s access to inaccessible places, etc. [23]. Coulton et al. believe that phygital games blur the boundaries between toys and games, providing opportunities for free physical play outside of virtual play and creating new requirements for interaction design [24]. However, the possibility of applying the phygital games in the educational process of the university has not been sufficiently investigated.

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3 Materials and Methods The analysis of theoretical sources and normative-legal acts on the subject of digital games was used in the research. In the conditions of insufficient coverage of the issue of development and distribution of digital games, and the total absence of statistical observation of the studied process, the analysis of documents could be the only independent method of research. However, when developing the research program, the authors decided to apply other qualitative methods (interviews with experts, discussion seminar (authors’ note: discussion seminar “Cyber-state, cyber security, cybersport: future or reality?” within the conference IX International Scientific and Practical Conference “Strategies of development of social society, institutes and territories” was held at the School of Public Administration and Entrepreneurship of Institute of Economics and Management of Ural Federal University Therefore, a comprehensive research program was developed, consisting of three stages, as shown in Fig. 1. The interview and discussion seminar was attended by the experts on phygital games, teachers, phygital trainers and students of the university.

Fig. 1. Comprehensive study program

In the course of the study the authors conducted: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Analysis of documents, regulatory legal acts; Development of the research instrument; Conducted expert Interviews; Transcription, systematization and analysis of interview texts;

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5. 6. 7. 8.

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Refinement of hypotheses; Conducted Discussion seminars; Conducted a comprehensive analysis, writing the text of the article; Results are summed up, recommendations are developed.

The environment of phygital games is still very narrow. There are very few people who are seriously immersed in the subject of phygital games, and the majority of the population is not familiar with this term. The authors took semi-standardized interviews with five experts, as well as held a discussion seminar on the subject of phygital games, in which the positions of the study and the results of the interviews were clarified (n = 9).

4 Results Very often in today’s world we talk about cyber-world, cyber-state, cyber-game. However, a fully digital reality will not exist for quite a long time, and maybe never. Man, society cannot exist without traditional forms of interaction, friendship, communication, love, social and physical contacts. Therefore, the use of such terms is more a tribute to fashion than reality. The experience of past years, with the instant pandemic transition to digital format in work and study showed that everyone experienced tension and digital fatigue [25]. The term phygital is still undergoing a period of institutionalization. Let’s look at how different authors use different definitions of phygital (Table 1). Table 1. Definitions of the concept of phygital Authors

Definitions

Batat [26]

The phygital concept transforms physical stores into mixed digital stores. This gives continuity of value delivery by connecting offline and online offerings

Ballina [27]

The phygital phenomenon represents a change in people’s personal and social behavior

Gelsomini, Spitale, Garzotto [28] A form of interaction where digital and physical content are combined so that the location of multimedia information is separated from the physical material manipulated by the user Kuzmenkova [29]

Phygital is the fusion of two realities – physical and virtual

Lupetti [30]

Phygital represents the interconnection of everyday objects with the environment

Mamina, Tolstikova [31]

A type of interaction associated with a digital environment that merges the physical and virtual worlds

Mele & Russo-Spena [32]

Phygital – social interactions in the intertwining of physical and digital contexts

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The authors suggest that the concepts of cyber games and phygital games should not be used synonymously. Interviews with experts allowed to draw the boundaries of cyber-games and phygital games. According to experts cybergame is a separate sport that has all the trappings of sport and sporting meaning: Expert 1: “Cybersport is a computer game in which people play for results and where there is a winner. What makes it a sport is the rules of sport, the competition, the awarding of sports titles and titles, the rules of refereeing. Expert 4: “Cybersport is a computer game in which there are sports rules, all the sports paraphernalia. And if we talk in essence, why the name Cybersport is the most accurate. “Cyber” means a special field of activity in which computers, i.e. machines, play a major role, and it is the classic title of Norbert Wiener’s “Control and Communication in the Machine and in Animals” (authors’ note: “Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine” was published in 1948). The only thing he didn’t add there was a human being. And in this sense, the game of Cyber-sport is an interaction and competition in the same pro-space between man and computer, where the game becomes a subject of interaction in itself, because this program is the Artificial Intelligence, which makes as if its decisions, but man perceives these decisions as a kind of autonomy. From this point of view, Cyber-Sport is computer-human interaction in the format of the game according to the rules of sport. Cyber games are better known to the average person today than phygital games, because they emerged much earlier. However, at its core, phygital-game is an intermediate option between classic sports (classical forms of games) and computer games. Because the format of these games takes place both in ordinary sports and in the form of a computer game. Accordingly, the phygital game is some kind of sports biathlon, which has no precedent before. Let us turn to expert perceptions: Expert 1: “Phygital is more close to traditional sports, because it’s a sports biathlon, where the first part is purely Cybersport, it can be various kinds of games, it’s sports simulators, it’s technical simulators, it’s what is called three-dimensional tactical combat, i.e. CS-GO” (authors note: CS-GO - Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.Multiplayer developed by Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment in 2012. It is possible to play with real players and with bots). Expert 2: “Phygital sport is, in my understanding, a combination of computer games plus real sports, that is, physical activity. It combines computer sports, that is, virtual reality, plus real life sports”. Expert 4: “Phygital is cybersports, where the second part is a physical sport. Classic examples: when people play basketball, soccer, hockey and other team sports on the result between each other first, and then on the court. So it’s a dual sport, where the first part is Cybersports and the second part is Traditional Sports”. Children’s and youth’s fascination with cyber-games and digital games is often perceived by psychologists, educators, parents, teachers as a threat to young people and society. Because young people often choose the game as a departure from reality, not socializing in the traditional way. However, while there may be some questions about cyber games, there is a positive perception about their future and their benefits. Expert 5: “ phygital is a more social phenomenon, because it has physical and social components, it has team interaction, because almost all disciplines of phygital

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are team-based, and it is more suitable for modern interaction, where machines have not yet found such a dominant quality, and it helps us to preserve social reality in the format of games, in the format of sport”. Expert 2: “There is inclusion, let’s say. Cybersports and digital sports can help develop inclusive education. People with disabilities can express themselves in digital and cybersports”. In connection with the rapidly growing interest in the phygital game not only among children but also parents, teachers, representatives of the state, we see that the phygital game will be widely spread and used in various spheres. So far, of course, such dissemination is happening more as a separate kind of sports direction: Expert 3: “… They will become very popular (authors’ note: phygital games), and they will become very popular. It will be known in all corners of our big country. I think that many teams will now develop in this direction, because it is very interesting. When you’re not just playing all the time in front of the console, but you also have the opportunity to prove that you’re the best sportsman. That is, both on a real sports field and as a player, i.e. a cyber-sportman on a console as well. That’s why I think that digital sports will develop in the future and will definitely not be equal to it”. So we can see that the digital game is becoming more and more popular every day, and the number of its admirers is growing. Compared to cyber-games, it has the advantage of combining computer reality and sports competition in the usual sense of the word. Cyber-game is the realization of game practice through virtual reality, phygital-game is realized through augmented reality or mixed reality. Phygital came into existence due to digitalization. Phygital (physical + digital) is a combination of virtual and real. Thanks to phygital technologies we get a completely new experience and opportunities. This concept originated in the field of marketing. A combination of online and offline promotion was used. However, the development of digital technologies has led to a wide application of phygital in various spheres of everyday life. Manifestations of phygital is quite diverse. Thus, according to the type of reality phygital can be divided into the following types: augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) or mixed reality (MR). There are three main categories of diving: tactical, strategic and narrative [33], some authors also distinguish spatial diving [34]. Phygital games in sports are widespread. Sports phygital-games can be divided into the following areas: • • • • •

athletic: phygital soccer, phygital hockey, phygital racing, phygital unicycling; tactical: phygital tactical combat, phygital royal combat; combat: phygital combat arena, phygital combat simulator; technical: drone racing; speed: speedrunning retro console game, retro game.

The classification of phygital games by features of application is shown in Table 2. Phygital in education. The following directions can be distinguished: preschool, school, higher education, additional professional education, inclusive education. However, it was important for the authors to go further and consider the possibility of applying digital games in education and directly at the university. Consequently, we can talk about the formation of a digital approach to the educational process, which combines digital and traditional ways of learning. During COVID-19 pandemic the

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Classification

Types

By type of reality

Augmented Reality (AR) Virtual reality (VR) Mixed reality (MR)

By type of immersion

Tactical Strategic Narrative Spatial

By functionality

Marketing, trade Sport Education Medicine Tourism, cultural heritage Natural-science direction

authors considered the specificity of the educational process at a university through the implementation of offline and online resources in synchronous and asynchronous forms [3, 35]. The pandemic experience showed that the teaching community is not ready for the new challenges. The old educational content is not suitable for broadcasting through new forms of online learning. The main problems of the implementation of digital learning include teachers’ lack of competence to conduct classes online, cultural stereotypes, age restrictions, lack of time to design online courses, lack of skills of new types of interaction [35]. However, so difficult was the emergency transition to distance learning during the pandemic. Accordingly, already in 2020–21 it was clear that the global educational community, under the influence of the pandemic, was entering a new era of learning. Its implementation requires a new integrated approach, which the authors call a digital approach. The result of implementing a balanced figmental approach in the university will be a new educational eco-system, i.e. learning will never be the same again. The introduction of digital games into the educational process will reduce the teachers’ workload and make students practice all or some of their professional skills in a digital format. Skills rehearsal can take place on models, simulators, imitators, etc. Both traditional content and digital content will be used in an optimal way to improve the learning process and learning outcomes: Expert 5: “If we talk about digital games, the essence of this concept is called game engineering and gamification. This is when a computer game suggests repeating some scenarios in life, playing some models. In this sense, examples of digital games are training on technical simulators. For example, when pilots first fly a flight simulator

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in the game space on the ground, and then board the plane. That is, the game has a training function. This is a modern aid in the development of many traditional things, if we talk about professionalization, about vocational training. It allows people to learn dangerous professions such as fireman, pilot, diver, rescue worker, etc. in a safe mode. In a nutshell, digital as a game is most likely a way to teach some real actions on computer models, and probably to a greater extent it manifests itself in the training of professional knowledge.” Expert 3: “For example, take pilots. Now it comes to the point where someone goes to study to become a pilot. Instead of just teaching cadets the boring theory of how to fly an airplane, they are given the opportunity to “fly” through digital reality almost from their first year, and they can use a console or some VR-gadgets to feel what it is like to fly a real airplane! (note of the authors: VR-gadgets are devices that allow us to transmit a technologically created virtual world as reality.) So, if we are not talking about sports, but in general, the same is true for medicine. I think it will soon come to the point where doctors will begin to do virtual surgery, to operate on patients at a distance, so they understand how it all takes place, it is necessary to work out with the help of digital games. So it seems to me that this is about to happen, and it’s only going to be good for them.” Expert 2: “For example, an architecture student or a construction student has some kind of practice that they can’t do in real life because, for example, they don’t have access to anything, or there are risks. Students can use virtual reality to design it, or build it, or test something.” The implementation of the phygital approach will create phygital education, which will enable students to work extensively with digital and traditional content, but it should be understood that the wide application of the phygital games in high education is still far ahead. The educational online world requires time, it is necessary to combine the work of applied (professional) and program specialists, and many methodological pedagogical issues are still unresolved. The application of phygital in higher education is shown in Table 3. Table 3. Application of phygital in higher education. General Disciplines:

Professional Directions and Sciences:

Chemistry

Archaeology

Geography

Surgery

Biology

Control of complex apparatus

Geometry and Trigonometry

Astronomy

Geology

Engineering

History

Architecture and Construction

Foreign Language

Mechanical Engineering

Physics

Trade

Informatics

Maintenance and repair of machinery

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Phygital games are applicable in the sphere of higher education, but it is welcome to reformat the whole educational process. There are opportunities to apply Phygital approach in higher education in traditional form, distance form, mixed form, when part of the students are present in the classroom and part of them work online.

5 Discussion The profound transition from Digital Education to Phygital education requires a major restructuring of the educational process. We need to be prepared for the fact that the roles of the student and the teacher will undergo a serious transformation. The latter will be required to rearrange their thinking not only methodologically, but also methodologically. In this new methodology, the teacher turns from a “mentor” into a facilitator, a tutor, a creative manager, a person capable of modeling and navigating the learning process. In other words, we need a new kind of specialist, a specialist in shaping educational design. Phygital education combines the traditional classroom model with digital learning, usually in the form of games. Phygital education model has some advantages over traditional and digital models of learning. It is known that with online learning students face problems of socialization, loneliness, physical problems such as vision loss, hearing loss, gaining excess weight, problems of emotional order [24]. The application of Phygital games in the educational process will allow students to interact with their peers/peers, teachers, improve their socialization and communication skills, and continue to be active, not only remotely, but also in offline format to participate in the learning process. The application of digital games in the educational process will require the development of a new methodology: • • • •

setting the learning task; definition of the game task; technology for developing digital educational content; elaboration of scenarios of participants’ behavior within the framework of the indicated rules during educational sessions; • formation of the criteria for assessing the results and methods of evaluating its quality, taking into account the pedagogical requirements. In the new methodology of the digital approach the pedagogical aim is solved by achieving a game aim, through game activities and rules, i.e. all game elements are subordinated to the educational aim. We can speak about the beginning of formation of a new model of education by means of digital games: Expert 1: “…the digital model can be seen as an educational model, because the digital game is the acquisition of knowledge and skills through play. The only difference is that it is a game based on a computer game. This, of course, brings these models closer, but also distinguishes, when we do not use computer means in game models, it cannot be called digital. That is, social technology must be used here in its purest form, without the use of technical and computer means”. Expert 1: “The educational model will change, because it will use those means, that culture in the broad sense of the word, which is already familiar to young people. So of

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course it will be closer to life, to the way students and young people understand it. At the same time the introduction of digital game into the educational process should be weighted. Example: we know that there is such a technology of modern management as “Agile"…i.e. step-by-step, without any strategic goals, and when there is some 80th, 90th, 112th iteration, you can forget what was in the beginning, in the first ten. In this sense the implementation of the phygital game, as a model of education, as a model of training skills and knowledge, it should be based on traditional concepts for learning management, such as functions, as a management structure, i.e. the classical theory of management. If we get carried away with fidgeting education, then this educational environment will move in the direction of unbalance and the educational process can lose some managerial effectiveness. There should be a weighted approach to phygitalization of education, i.e. traditional management technologies, traditional management functions and traditional management theory should be taken into account”. Of course, like any new thing, application of the digital approach in education carries certain risks. Such risks as social, legal, resource, personnel, etc. can be distinguished. Alongside with positive effects of digital games in higher education, there are also problematic sides. So, it is obvious that there is a risk of competence insufficiency of some part of teaching community, i.e. lack of necessary set of digital competences. Traditionally the Russian higher school was based on the principles of fundamental research, the transition to Phygital education model may lead to the loss of fundamentality of higher education. Other main risks are seen in reduction of cognitive competences of students, in reduction of the level of critical thinking (digital dementia), in information saturation of both students and teachers, in devaluation of memory capabilities, in replacement of live communication as communication, in worsening of all the participants’ health: stress on eyesight, central nervous and cardiovascular systems. Experts have also pointed out a lot of risks in digital education. Here are some of them: Expert 1: “Proceeding from the fact that the digital game is a certain way of teaching with the help of computer models, with the help of computer game situations, it is teaching some professions with the help of technical simulators, the risk is that we cannot go to full digitalization, we cannot go to full digital gamification. Traditional social technologies of teaching a profession, co-social technologies of teaching children numeracy, mathematics, Russian language, etc., must remain. In this sense, gamification and digitalization can be seen in the fact that today there are computer games that teach children some knowledge, such as math, Russian, physics, etc. And in this sense, we cannot put gamification and digitalization of learning at the top of the list. There should be all technologies of training, all game possibilities for teaching a person as disciplines, knowledge and profession. This, in my opinion, is the main risk of phygital game”. Expert 5: “The legal risks lie in the fact that today the legal framework of digital, it lags behind even cybersport, although there are also many gaps. And the legal risk is that today the fashionable phenomenon of phygital games, it is possible under this sauce to submit many things that may not be. In that sense, there is a legal risk”. Thus, there are certain risks of introducing phygital games in higher education. Along with socio-psychological risks and legal risks, there are the following. As we have already mentioned above, it is the risk of reducing the quality of health and safety of students and teachers (vision, hearing, physical safety, digital fatigue). For this purpose,

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it is necessary to properly organize the conditions for conducting training sessions in safe spaces with clear timing of classes. Technical and technological risks. The first represent the difficulty of mastering software or operating complex equipment. This is due to the fact that students have different levels of digital competence. Technological risks are related to the complexity of developing and implementing digital content in the education process. This gives rise to another risk - financial - the high cost of technology and development. For each discipline, it is necessary to develop individual software and purchase devices and equipment to implement games in virtual or augmented reality. That is why today we observe more application of phygital-games in widely popular areas or disciplines: physical education, sports, language learning, chemistry, physics, etc. As they have a very large audience and the payback period is quite fast. Narrow areas, professions or professional disciplines are not yet covered by the support of phygital games, as it is simply very expensive for any university. However, in the long term, it is possible to save the university money, for example, by reducing the costs of purchasing reagents for real laboratories. Phygital-game allows to familiarize with digital content both in physical and virtual space in the process of learning. This expands the possibilities of the educational environment. It is not a question of completely replacing traditional teaching methods. The main purpose of using phygital games in education is to visualize scientific concepts and important points, to acquire skills and to practice skills. Continuous practice through phygital games is the key to providing high quality university education. The application of phygital games in higher education offers its own advantages: • • • • • •

individualized learning; high level of student motivation; acquisition of teamwork skills; improved cognitive performance; development of analytical skills; possibility of application for students with disabilities

6 Conclusion The educational process is inseparable from the development of society, as under its influence there is a change of educational paradigm. Its change affects the learning process. There is a digitalization of all the processes of our life. IT entrepreneur Martin Ford, in his book “The Robots Are Coming: Technology Development and a Future without Work” predicts that digital technology could lead us to the complete robotization of social and industrial space and total unemployment. Future specialists, graduates of universities will probably face competition in the labor market, not only with graduates with different resources, but also with machines, robots, programs. However, a human being is a creative thinker, he is able to adapt to rapidly changing situations and make nonstandard decisions, so mankind has a future, and university graduates have an opportunity to realize their potential in labor. The requirements to future specialists’ qualification are growing endlessly, that is why, as the recent practice shows, digital education has certain advantages in competence formation. The experience gained by universities in the

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development of digital education during the pandemic should not be lost. According to the authors, an important tool for continuing the development of the educational process in modern conditions, as well as an excellent simulator for working on various skills of students is a phygital game. Universities management have to face the need for consistent and systemic solutions to the problems of digitalization of education, the need to reorganize the educational process. However, as the experience of universities has shown, digital learning technologies have some advantages and disadvantages. If during the pandemic the methods of the educational process were aimed simply at digitizing the traditional context, today we are talking about a more profound restructuring of the entire educational system. Today, the processes of cyber-games and phygital games are moving beyond the narrow scope of sports and are of interest to pedagogical practices as well. In this work we investigated the application of digital games in the educational process of universities. Of course, this topic is pioneer in nature, there are too few experts in this field of knowledge and practice. To clarify the space and to solve the research questions the authors, along with other methods, interviewed the experts through semistandardized interviewing. Based on the analysis of theoretical and legal sources and expert interviews, it is clear that the methodology of phygital games is extremely suitable for applying such games in the educational process. Especially important is the necessity of applying phygital games in complex technical professions, as well as in professions associated with risk. The use of phygital games in the context of digitalization is an important addition to the educational process in higher education. Phygital games are increasingly being deployed in higher education institutions. They increase student engagement in the learning process through high motivation. They make it easier to understand and internalize complex scientific categories. Develop analytical competencies. They allow skills and competencies to be practiced through multiple repetitions. However, from the point of view of organizing the learning process through phygitalgame it is required to: determine the goals and desired learning outcomes; plan the structure of the training course; choose the main technology to work with; determine the technology for developing digital educational content; organize a safe learning environment; develop scenarios for conducting training sessions; form criteria for evaluating learning outcomes. Along with broad advantages and prospects of phygital-games development, their implementation also has some limitations and risks: financial, legal, physical and mental health, social, safety, technical and technological, organizational, legal.

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An EON-XR Augmented Reality Application for Motivation Stimulation and Vocabulary Training of Master’s Degree Students Majoring in Civil Engineering Evgenia Tsimerman(B)

and Polina A. Fratkina

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), Polytechnicheskaya 29, Saint Petersburg 195251, Russia [email protected]

Abstract. The article is devoted to the introduction of augmented reality into English as a Foreign Language classes for future civil engineers. In the research, augmented reality is used as a tool to manage nowadays’ issues with students’ motivation and contribute to vocabulary skills training. Dwelling upon the literature analyzed, the authors explain why augmented reality settings are a powerful intrinsic motive and help students learn naturally. To identify the AR-application required, a number of technical characteristics and characteristics for the language learning objectives set were considered. The analysis of 10 applications helped choose EON-XR. To check whether or not augmented reality settings are beneficial for vocabulary and communication skills, exercises for the topics “Bridges” and “Tunnels” were developed. Some exercises are illustrated and explained in concert with the technical features available in EON-XR. Students from Egypt, Pakistan, China, several South African countries, and Russia took part in the pedagogical experiment conducted. The students’ performance and the efficiency of the exercises developed were assessed using specific descriptors determined for vocabulary skills, communication skills, and motivation. The data obtained clearly demonstrate that AR-based settings stimulate students’ motivation, have high potential for professional vocabulary range and control training, and foster further interaction. Keywords: Augmented Reality · English as a Foreign Language · Motivation

1 Introduction Language teaching pedagogy, being concerned with different theories, methods and techniques of teaching foreign languages, may have various applications in accordance with the educational goal set. Besides teaching the ability to communicate in a foreign language [1], language instructors are to help students fulfill their potential, develop skills and competences needed for the personal perfection and professional mastery they are to achieve in order to enter the job. The objective highlighted seems to be rather complicated since it’s getting harder and harder to create conditions to boost students’ intrinsic motivation. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 35–44, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_3

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The students of today are the digital generation, whose daily routines, values, habits, interests, social behaviors, and interactions are totally dependent on gadgets [2]. Therefore, their attention cannot be easily attracted with the introduction of handouts, printed textbooks, traditional in class game-based activities, video and audio materials. Moreover, the constant use of smartphones has made nowadays’ students completely dependent on them. Educators and psychologists mention that the students of today “feel inseparable from their smartphones” [2, p. 322, 3] and always keep holding them in their hands [4]. The so-called “phubbing” (phone + snubbing) is a burning issue for today’s educators, as it affects students’ attention badly and leads to poor records [2, 5–8]. As a result of widespread use of smartphones, the digital generation ignores the surrounding, gets easily distracted and is reluctant to participate in the educational process. Considering this, educators are trying to develop new teaching methods and introduce the latest technologies to make the educational process more interesting and motivate students [9]. As a result, various online simulation games and immersive technologies are becoming popular. In this research, such immersive technology, as augmented reality is considered. The objective of the article is to analyze whether augmented reality-based EFL-settings can boost students’ motivation and be beneficial for their vocabulary and communication skills or not.

2 Augmented Reality in Education Such immersive technological advances, as virtual and augmented reality, are gaining momentum in education. Whereas virtual reality (VR, henceforth) is rather costly to implement, different affordable mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) have made augmented reality (AR, henceforth) popular and widespread. First AR technology appeared in the 1960s with the application of a see-through display [10]. The term itself was introduced in the 1990s at Boeing Corporation. The most well-known definition of AR was coined by Ronald T. Azuma in 1997. In comparison to VR, AR doesn’t replace the existing reality with virtual elements, as it only complements the real image with some additional 3D objects. The reason why AR-objects projected are in 3D is that they are to provide us with hands-on experience due to the sense of their belonging to the real world. The user can interact with 3D-objects illustrated contextually and digitally, so that virtual and real worlds are mixed. All modern mobile devices are equipped with cameras and the internet and can be used for different AR applications. In order to augment any traditional classroom with virtual elements, a user is to choose a 3D model available in the application’s database and use the camera to project it on any real object–classroom desk, floor, wall, etc. However, this type of interaction with the object alone isn’t enough in order to organize a learning environment with AR. AR applications shouldn’t be associated with fun and extracurricular activities. The main objective of their implementation is to educate students. Therefore, besides new tools, new motives should be considered. When looking for motives to adhere to, it’s important to keep in mind that today’s generation is not willing to follow any specific steps or, in other words, do the algorithmic work, which is controlled by traditional extrinsic stimulus. According to researchers, people can be

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motivated intrinsically through the heuristic work they inherently want to do, as long as it is not regulated by any set procedures [11]. These ideas can also be explained by the fact that people like to control their actions themselves, as in this case there is “less likelihood of danger” recorded in their “old brains” [12, p. 142]. Besides control, people like the feeling that they are learning new things and making progress. Therefore, it’s crucial to give students tools so that they could track their records themselves and experience the sense of skills and knowledge mastering. Autonomy and tools to organize it provide a powerful intrinsic motive, which stimulates people to keep going. Control and autonomous work can be organized through students’ responsibility for all procedures: when to complete the task, how to complete it, self-management and self-performed record tracking. The pros and cons of AR in terms of students’ motivation have been studied by education sphere scholars from all over the world. The pros we consider in accordance with the information mentioned above are: – in AR, stimulation of various sensors during the educational process is constructive and allows students to learn naturally [13], which, in turn, leads to a student’s brain activity growth and, thus, accelerates the cognitive process [14]. – the availability of AR applications to all students, as they can be accessed through their own mobile devices [13, 15]. – it is recommended to use AR if one wants to achieve greater retention showings, especially in the case of abstract concepts teaching [16–18]. – autonomous interaction with 3D models may take place anytime and anywhere. It stimulates students’ emotional involvement and adapts to their needs and demands, so that they can modify the activities accordingly [13]. Therefore, the general idea behind AR increases students’ control over the educational process and boosts their motivation naturally. When analyzing research papers on AR in education, the percentage of articles revealing the results of AR implementation for Natural Sciences and Mathematics outnumbers the articles in the field of Arts and Humanities [19]. This can be explained by the fact that AR complements the process of learning and teaching of abstract concepts. Nevertheless, it’s worth mentioning that when using AR, students broaden up their spatial vision, which is of great importance not only for the field of Arts and Humanities but also for future engineers and architects, as it was revealed in [19, 20]. AR has also become very popular in language learning and there is already some evidence of its efficiency or inefficiency for particular goals. The review and analysis of articles devoted to AR in language training of university students show that AR applications stimulate students’ motivation, satisfaction, positive attitude and enjoyment [21, 22], enhance EFL students’ writing skills [23] and have a desirable effect on vocabulary training and retention records [24, 25], as AR improves learners’ memory [26]. Moreover, AR applications help create a specific context for future interpersonal communication [27, 28]. However, some pilot experiments described have shown that AR cannot be applicable for reaching long-term language learning goals relating to grammar and reading [29]. According to the analysis conducted, so far, the majority of research papers on AR in language education have been published by Asian researchers. Therefore, there is a lack of theoretical and empirical research demonstrating other geography

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of studies, different AR-applications, various educational contexts and target audiences of students.

3 Research Methods and Materials 3.1 The Choice of AR Application for the Target Audience of Students In this study, AR-based tasks were to be developed for Master’s Degree students majoring in civil engineering. The pilot experiment was conducted at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University at the Institute of Civil Engineering. 40 Master’s Degree students took part in the experiment–22 students of the experimental group and 18 students of the control group. The countries of origin of international students involved in the experiment were Egypt, Pakistan, China, several South African countries. The average level of English language proficiency of the group (Russian and foreign students studied together) was A2-B1; some students had working experience in their field. The choice of a relevant AR application was defined in accordance with two groups of criteria: – technical characteristics (web-platform for authors; bank of various 3D models available; technical functionality to integrate additional texts, pictures, video; user-friendly interface; use of triggers and overlays, etc.); – characteristics required for the language learning objectives set (3D models relevant to the target audience of students–buildings, bridges, roads, tunnels, construction sites, etc.; tracking of learners’ statistics; scale of interactivity available to develop special educational scenarios; additional functionality–tests, quizzes, audio support, video recording, integration with such educational platforms, as Moodle, Google Classroom, etc.). Several AR applications (Eon-XR; JigSpace; AssemblrEdu; 3D Bear; ARTutor; CoSpaces Edu; BlippAR; UniteAR; Onirix Studio; AR-media) were evaluated considering the characteristics listed above. The choice turned to EON-XR, as the application proved to be relevant for the target audience and the objectives for AR introduction into the EFL class set. Moreover, EON-XR meets the technical requirements outlined. 3.2 Materials Developed In accordance with the results of AR implementation given in the literature analyzed, the original reason for using AR was to: – boost students’ motivation and positive attitude towards EFL classes; – enhance students’ vocabulary skills; – stimulate further communication and teamwork in accordance with the contexts created by AR. To analyze the students’ motivation, lesson observation was applied and polls were developed that included such questions as: Do you think implementation of AR can boost your motivation? Would AR-based exercises be useful for your content knowledge? Could AR-based exercises stimulate further interaction?, etc.

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To enhance students’ vocabulary skills, specific lexical units were identified for the topics chosen: 1. “Bridges”: span, cantilever bridge, deck, anchorage, cable-stayed bridge, concrete, steel, R.C.C., arch bridge, beam bridge, truss bridge, truss, suspended bridge, girder bridge, etc. 2. “Tunnels”: tunnel drive, excavation method, drill and blast method, blast hole, bored tunnel-ling, tunnel highway, lights, exit signs, jet fans, lane control signs, speed limit signs, tunnel boring machine, cut-and-cover tunnel, sequential excavation, traffic lights, tunnel, cracks, leakage, fissures, etc. For the control group, all content and language information required was organized with the use of Padlet, additional links, handouts and pictures. To check the efficiency of AR-based educational settings, the following types of exercises were developed for the topics “Bridges” and “Tunnels” in order to use them when working with the students of the experimental group: – vocabulary range and control: define the word using the picture or the part of the 3D model shown; match the words with their definitions; create a mental map using the words given in the video and audio support of the AR-lesson; complete the sentences using the words given; answer the questions, etc. – communication and teamwork in AR-based settings: discussion of professionally oriented topics covered. For instance, “Work in small teams to prepare arguments for the type of bridge you believe should be built for the situation presented; be ready to persuade the other team during the discussion”, “Would you build a tunnel, if…”, etc. It should be highlighted that the materials developed differ from traditional vocabulary skills exercises in terms of lexical units’ introduction and general approach to vocabulary training. Instead of demonstrating traditional 2D pictures or slides to introduce a new notion, in AR, 3D models are used. Interaction with the models helps those included in the educational process relate the notion to the object in all dimensions and, therefore, get a complete understanding of what is being meant and what it looks like. Moreover, the whole process is becoming more authentic, since one can press a special button and listen to pronunciation of any word and its definition. Vocabulary training in AR also differs from traditional exercises. For instance, in traditional settings, we would show a picture of a tunnel and ask the students “What is it? Can you see the jet fans? Where are they located?”. In AR, real actions are required, as the students are to tap on the screens of their smartphones, locate the jet fans and check their expertise by submitting the answers. To control the students’ performance, the so-called “3D assessment” tool can be used. In our case, it was a short lecture that included specific vocabularyaimed actions we developed in EON-XR. The students were to listen to the lecture, and then repeat all the actions presented. Upon the completion, each student and the teacher received reports that demonstrated all correct and incorrect steps, answers and actions, as well as the time the user needed to complete the task. Some exercises developed for the experimental group that get an insight into EONXR functionality are given below (see Fig. 1).

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Fig. 1. The illustrations of the exercises developed in EON-XR for the experimental group.

4 Results and Discussion Descriptors to identify the levels of the students’ vocabulary skills, communication skills and motivation were developed and used. The descriptors helped identify the lowest level–1, the average level–2 and the maximal level–3 of the skills checked. In terms of vocabulary and lexis, the following was considered: – ability to recognize lexical units; – understanding of the context; – percentage of phonetic and lexical errors made, etc.

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– As for communication skills, we assessed: – ability to work with the context and formulate ideas accordingly (analyze, generalize, compare, give reasons, etc.); – understanding of the register; – ability to follow the rules of politeness during professionally oriented interaction; – ability to choose communicative strategies based on the context; – coherence and logic of speech, etc. Before the experiment, the students were to complete Cambridge General English Test and a vocabulary test on the topics “Bridges” and “Tunnels”. To check the students’ communication skills, professionally oriented discussions were organized. To assess motivation aspects, lesson observation and polls were used. They were aimed at: – educational motives observation–systematic or unsystematic; – assessment of students’ ability to establish the relationship between personal and professional goals and the task performed in a foreign language; – identifying students’ desire to avoid mistakes and, therefore, unwillingness to participate in the communication, etc. Taking 3 for the maximum, the arithmetic mean was calculated. The results of the ascertaining experiment are given in Table 1. Table 1. The results of the ascertaining experiment. Showings

Vocabulary

Communication

Motivation

EG

EG

EG

CG

CG

CG

1. The lowest result

3

3

9

7

4

2

2. The average result

16

13

12

8

13

12

3. The maximal result

3

2

1

3

5

4

Total number of students

22

18

22

18

22

18

The arithmetic mean

2.00

1.94

1.64

1.78

2.05

2.11

During the pedagogical experiments, the students of the experimental group worked with the AR-based materials developed, whereas the students of the control groups studied the same information completing tasks organized with Padlet. The students’ final showings were analyzed with the data registered in EON-XR tracking system, Google Forms, lesson observation and students’ polls results. The diagram (see Fig. 2) shows that all students have improved their initial showings to some extent. However, we are to admit that the results of the experimental group outperform the results of the control group. The data received prove that AR can be efficient for vocabulary skills mastering. Moreover, it’s a useful tool to foster students’ interpersonal communication and make a positive impact on their motivation.

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Fig. 2. The diagram with the final results after the experiment for both groups of students.

5 Conclusion The aim of the article was to help find new motivational tools and analyze whether smartphones in general and AR in particular can work in language instructors’ and students’ favour or not. The data obtained during the research conducted clearly demonstrate that: 1. AR-based settings do stimulate students’ motivation, as the nature of AR corresponds with the internal motives of nowadays’ digital generation. 2. AR-applications have high potential for professional vocabulary range and control training. 3. The process of creating professionally oriented contexts for further interaction proceeds more effectively in AR-based settings. The study presented can be of particular interest in terms of geographical scope, as the students from different countries (Egypt, Russia, South Africa, China, etc.) and, thus, of various educational and professional backgrounds took part in the experiment conducted. Moreover, the study demonstrates specific criteria for the choice of EONXR in accordance with the educational situation and illustrates the functionality of the application for vocabulary and communication skills training and development. The information presented can be used for further study of other AR applications in language training.

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20. Tuli, N., Singh, G., Mantri, A., Sharma, S.: Augmented reality learning environment to aid engineering students in performing practical laboratory experiments in electronics engineering. Smart Learn. Environ. 9(1), 1–20 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-022-002 07-9 21. Taskiran, A.: The effect of augmented reality games on English as foreign language motivation. E-Learn. Digital Media 16(2), 122–135 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1177/204275301881 7541 22. Wu, M.: The applications and effects of learning English through augmented reality: a case study of Pokémon Go. Comput. Assist. Lang. Learn. 34(5–6), 778–812 (2019). https://doi. org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1642211 23. Lin, V., Liu, G., Chen, N.: The effects of an augmented-reality ubiquitous writing application: a comparative pilot project for enhancing EFL writing. Comput. Assist. Lang. Learn. 35(5–6), 989–1030 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1770291 24. Costuchen, A.L., Darling, S., Uytman, C.: Augmented reality and visuospatial bootstrapping for second-language vocabulary recall. Innov. Lang. Learn. Teach. 15(4), 352–363 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2020.1806848 25. Jalaluddin, I., Darmi, R., Ismail, L.: Application of mobile augmented visual reality (MAVR) for vocabulary learning in the ESL classroom. Asian J. Univ. Educ. 17(3), 162–173 (2021). https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v17i3.14507 26. Çelik, F., Yangın Ersanlı, C.: The use of augmented reality in a gamified CLIL lesson and students’ achievements and attitudes: a quasi-experimental study. Smart Learn. Environ. 9(30), 1–18 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-022-00211-z 27. Lee, S., Park, M.: Reconceptualization of the context in language learning with a locationbased AR app. Comput. Assist. Lang. Learn. 33(8), 936–959 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1080/ 09588221.2019.1602545 28. Yeh, H., Tseng, S.: Enhancing multimodal literacy using augmented reality. Lang. Learn. Technol. 24(1), 27–37 (2020). https://doi.org/10125/44706 29. Chen, J., Dai, J., Zhu, K.: Effects of extended reality on language learning: a meta-analysis. Front. Psychol. 13, 1–13 (2022)

Game Technologies and High-Fidelity Patient Simulation in the Field of Psychology and Medicine Elena V. Seredkina1(B)

, Svetlana Yu. Zhdanova2 , Liubava O. Puzyreva2 and Alexander A. Yuzhakov1

,

1 Perm National Research Polytechnic University, Perm, Russian Federation

[email protected], [email protected] 2 Perm State University, Perm, Russian Federation

Abstract. The utilization of gaming technologies in education has gained significant attention due to its potential to create engaging and effective learning environments. This article explores the benefits of incorporating game technol-ogy in educational practices, focusing on its impact on motivation, accessibility, individualization, and cognitive development. The use of gaming technologies in the educational process of Perm universities (Russia) is considered. In particular, two cases are described: 1) gamification in the education of international students; 2) gamification and high fidelity simulation for medical education. The article highlights how gaming technologies facilitate better understanding and assimilation of educational material, develop language competencies, enhance problem-solving skills, and improve psychological well-being. The potential of gamification in the online space, personalized learning, and the importance of adequate training and assessment methods for successful implementation are discussed. Moreover, this study emphasizes the role of simulators and high-fidelity simulations in medical education, providing realistic and immersive learning experiences. The possibility of synthesis of simulators and serious games in learning is analyzed, which could be considered as an intermediate stage between “fun” educational content and “serious” technological applications in the real world. Overall, gamification presents a modern and progressive approach to education that fosters deeper learning, motivation, and practical skill development. However, it requires careful planning and assessment to ensure its effectiveness. Keywords: Game Technologies in Education · Learning process · Gamification · Serious games · High Fidelity Simulation · Patient simulator

1 Introduction 1.1 Utilization of Gaming Technologies in Education Digitalization and gamification are current trends in the modern world. On the one hand, with the advent of new technologies and the development of the digital age, gaming technology has become an integral part of our daily lives. They have a significant impact © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 45–56, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_4

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on various areas of activity, including education. On the other hand, modern education faces the challenge of how to create an interesting and motivating learning environment that promotes active and effective student learning. In this context, gaming technology is one of the most promising tools that can significantly improve the process of education and learning. Today gamification is actively used in business, marketing, corporate management, various health programs, and it is one of the most effective ways of learning in education. The use of game technology in the education and training of students has a number of advantages. First, games can make learning material more accessible and understandable by giving students the opportunity to “learn by playing”. Secondly, game technology promotes the development of skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and communication. Third, games allow for individualization of the learning process, taking into account the different needs and interests of each student. Finally, game technology creates motivation for learning and encourages active student participation. 1.2 The Benefits of Gamification in Education and Training The use of game technologies in the educational process is an effective means of shaping students’ consciousness, activates not only visual and sensual perception and cognition, but also contributes to the development of bioethical worldview and valuesemantic sphere of the personality. Gamification can be an effective tool for working with meanings, forms subjectivity, increases the level of awareness and reflection [1]. Particularly significant is the inclusion of the game method in the educational process of those areas where understanding, “feeling” and the solution of value and moral tasks are the key moments. These areas include, first of all, law, medical, psychological, historical and political specialties. Considering the opportunities and potential prospects for the use of game technologies in education, as well as analyzing the functions of the game and its impact on students, it should be noted that game technology has an impact primarily on the motivation of students. Game technology makes the learning process more interesting, contributes to the development of learning motivation and motivation to achieve greater success [2, 3]. The use of game technology in education increases the activity of students, making them more involved in the process of obtaining new knowledge. The important role of game technology is also that it contributes to the effective memorization and assimilation of educational material. A number of studies have shown that game-based technologies used in teaching improve students’ memory, attention span [4], develop logical thinking, problem solving skills, and creativity [5]. In addition to cognitive functions, game technology also forms the ability to work in a team. Active interaction of students during the game supports the process of socialization and personal development, allows the development and integration of existing skills. The use of game technology contributes to changing and improving behavior patterns, increasing the efficiency of students’ activities, conscious assimilation of these patterns [5]. With the help of game technology we can implement an individual approach, for example, in the training of foreign students or students with disabilities. Because of

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its interactivity and accessibility, gaming technology can also help students with learning difficulties [6]. Developing in parallel with the main content of learning, the game plot helps students to intensify the learning process, effectively mastering new learning elements [7]. The obvious advantage of using games in education is their universality: games can be used in teaching different disciplines and at all levels of education – from elementary school to higher education, can be used for regular classes and traditional forms of learning, as well as for online format. Some games have long been utilized in education; however, new gaming platforms and programs offer novel possibilities for enhancing the effectiveness of learning. The key advantage of employing gaming technologies lies in the ability to create simulations and virtual learning environments. The use of game simulators enables students to gain a deeper understanding of and better retention of educational content within various domains. Game simulations prepare students for practical tasks that mirror the real world. One of the most successful educational projects based on gaming technology is the game simulator Foldit, developed at the University of Washington [8]. Through this game, scientists have taught students to fold proteins, leading to the discovery of new treatment methods for diseases such as HIV infection and cancer. Gaming platforms can serve as effective educational tools for enhancing students’ knowledge and skills. For instance, the utilization of the SimBio game simulator enables learners to replicate the work of biologists and gain hands-on experience with genome databases and multicellular organisms [9]. However, the utilization of gaming technologies in education entails specific requirements. These include, first and foremost, an adequate level of the instructor’s professional competencies, as well as the technical infrastructure.

2 Case 1. Gamification in the Education of International Students at Perm State University Analyzing the experience of utilizing gaming technologies in educational practice, an example can be provided in the context of using games with foreign students. In the course of studying “Psychology,” students enrolled in the “Pedagogical Education” program played out situations related to the patterns of children’s mental development. Students were asked to break into micro groups of 3–4 people. In each group, it was necessary to agree on what pattern of mental development the students would like to discuss and illustrate with an example from practice, it was also necessary to come up with a situation based on the action of this pattern. After that, the students had to distribute the playing roles of the participants in the situation within the group and play the situation using the technologies of the psychological theater in front of the entire study group. Students from other microgroups had to guess what pattern of psychological development they are talking about, as well as offer possible solutions to this situation, give recommendations for parents, teachers, and the child. Also, each of the microgroups acted in turn as experts. The experts had to evaluate the proposed recommendations

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addressed to the child, parents, teachers, and also assess how correct the solution of the situation is. These gaming technologies were also used in work with psychology students during the course “Age Psychology, Developmental Psychology”. Experience, as well as objective indicators of assessing students’ knowledge (controls, tests, tests) indicate that this form of student education is quite effective, contributes to the memorization of complex theoretical material, as well as the development of practical skills in practice. In addition, thanks to the use of this form, students could get to know each other better, make friends, which in turn contributed to the successful adaptation of students to the new conditions of the educational space of the university. The utilization of gaming technologies facilitated a better understanding and assimilation of the studied material by the students. Moreover, for foreign students, the application of gaming technologies contributed to the development of language competencies, a sense of involvement in the process, the practice of problem-solving skills in non-standard situations, and their application in pedagogical activities. Gaming technologies were also employed in the teaching process of the discipline ‘Higher School Psychology’ for graduate students. During one of the seminar sessions, organized in the form of a business game, as well as in seminar sessions incorporating elements of gaming technologies, the graduate students practiced problem-solving skills in non-standard situations related to the patterns of development in college-aged individuals, in order to reinforce the theoretical material learned during lectures. To gain a better understanding of the psychological profile of contemporary students and their age-specific characteristics, games were introduced to the graduate students, aiming to enhance their professional skills in the field of higher school psychology, their ability to interact with student audiences, manage group processes, handle situations that arise during the educational process, and comprehend the role and functions of a higher school instructor, as well as the specifics of their professional activities. So, for example, during the question-answer game, graduate students were asked to divide into the following teams: “curators”, “deputy deans for educational work, work with foreign students”, “psychologists”, “teachers”. Each team had to come up with a few questions for other teams related to the subject field of higher education psychology. There was also a team of experts. The experts had to evaluate the correctness of the answers, offer their own options for solving the situations identified in the questions. During the round table game, postgraduate students were asked to break into small groups and come up with several topics related to topical problems in the psychology of higher education. Then focus on one of the urgent problems, describe its essence in detail, and propose solutions. As part of the course “Psychology of higher education” and the topic of the lecture “Conflicts in the university: the concept, classification, causes, strategies of behavior in conflict, ways of resolving” in order to consolidate theoretical knowledge in practice, as well as to develop practical skills related to the prevention of conflict -conflict behavior at the university, graduate students were offered the game “Guess the conflict”. During this game, graduate students had to divide into groups of 2–3 people and come up with a situation that arose at the university, one of the types of conflicts (intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, intergroup, horizontal, vertical, open, closed, psychological, mobbing,

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bossing). Further, each group of graduate students had to play the invented conflict, other groups of graduate students had to guess the name of the type of conflict, suggest possible ways to resolve the conflict situation, as well as ways to prevent the conflict. Also in work with graduate students as part of the psychology course of higher education in order to understand the causes and work out ways to resolve conflict situations at the university, used the business game «Conflict at the university» [10]: The Purpose of the Game. Create a situation in which the teacher finds himself in several conflict situations at the same time. Show graduate students one of the problems that the teaching staff faces, the essence of which is that one has to make a choice between the requirements of the Ministry of Education regarding the quality of training of specialists and the economic need to retain as many students as possible who are unable and/or unwilling to learn the required amount of knowledge. Game Participants: teacher, head of the department, student, parent, dean, teacher’s wife (if the role of the teacher is played by a girl, this role is replaced by the role of the husband), work colleagues (2 people), the conscience of the teacher, a group of experts. From 7–8 to 30 or more people can take part in the game. The order of the game. 1. Distribution of roles is carried out. Each of the graduate students draws out a card with the name of the role and its content. 2. The teacher, who performs the functions of the leader, gives a general installation. 3. After that, the teacher calls in order the participants in the game, who play their roles. 4. At the end of the game, the result is summed up. Experts analyze the actions and strategies of behavior of each of the participants in the game, give recommendations on constructive ways to overcome the conflict situations identified in the game. Installation. There is a test session at the university. In one study group, several students at once have debts in several subjects and are applicants for expulsion from the university. A particularly dramatic situation arose in one of the specialized disciplines, the teacher of which, showing integrity, does not want to reduce the requirements imposed by the educational standard. In the classroom where the teacher is sitting, they come: 1) A student who once again tries to hand over the debt to the teacher in the subject. There is a conflict between the teacher and the student. The student is dissatisfied with the fact that his answer was assessed unsatisfactorily and that now he can be expelled from the institute for poor progress. The student explains his “absenteeism” by the fact that he has to pay for his education, and for this he has to work, and promises to complain to the administration. 2) The teacher: argues the unsatisfactory mark given by the fact that the student almost did not attend classes, did not show himself in any way during the study session, and now did not show the proper level of knowledge. 3) Parent: asks the teacher to give the student a positive mark. At the same time, the applicant can offer something or refer to the fact that in case of expulsion, the student can be drafted into the army, etc.

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4) The dean calls the head of the department to his office and offers to pay special attention to the group in which several students at once are applicants for expulsion. In particular, talk to the teacher who had the largest number of debtors, because. Mass expulsions of students will entail a reduction in the teaching load and a reduction in teaching rates. 5) The head of the department summons a teacher and, referring to the opinion and fears of the dean, asks to give additional tasks to underachieving students and somehow solve the problem. This also creates a conflict situation. 6) The teacher, after talking with the head of the department, enters the “teaching room”, where he has a conversation with his work colleagues. 7) Colleagues at work. In a conversation with the teacher, some of the colleagues support the principled position of the teacher on the observance of educational standards. 8) Colleagues at work who oppose “excessive integrity”, citing the fact that with such integrity, many of them may soon be out of work. 9) Wife: after the working day, the teacher had a conversation with his wife (F), who is dissatisfied with his constant irritability, endless calls from student debtors and low pay for his “ungrateful” work. In turn, the teacher is annoyed by the fact that he is not understood even at home, in the family. 10) Conscience. Throughout the game, the teacher is in constant dialogue with his Conscience. 11) Experts. Their task is to analyze the identified conflicts, suggest ways, ways to resolve the identified conflicts [10]. As a special psycho-pedagogical technology, the game was also employed in the process of teaching psychology students within the course “Developmental Psychology”. Through the use of gaming techniques and methods, students were introduced to the patterns of age-related development and honed their skills in working and interacting with children of different age groups. Additionally, the final assessment was conducted in the form of a business game “Viktorina”, which was organized for all students in the cohort. During this game, the students of the entire course were optionally divided into small groups. Competing with other teams, students had to answer questions (taking into account the time, the content of the answers), perform certain tasks, for example, solve psychological situations that include bioethical dilemmas. Then the overall result was summed up, points were counted, and the winners were determined. Currently, universities not only fulfill educational and upbringing functions but also, according to the requirements of the education law, provide psychological assistance to students. In this regard, to maintain the well-being of students and offer psychological support to all participants within the educational environment, psychological services are established in universities. An important focus of the psychological service’s work is psychological support aimed at facilitating students’ adaptation to the new educational environment. One of the effective approaches in this domain is the use of gaming technologies. Through the application of gaming techniques in both individual and group settings, the correction of students’ psycho-emotional states is achieved, along with the development of skills in self-confidence, effective self-management, teamwork, and peer

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interaction. An interesting example in this regard is the intellectual game conducted for students from the College of Professional Education at Perm State University and the Lyceum with in-depth study of specific subjects at Perm State University. This event was organized jointly with the Ministry of Territorial Security of the Perm Krai with the aim of preventing the use of psychoactive substances.

3 Case 2. Gamification and High Fidelity Simulation for Medical Education at Perm Polytechnic University There are various definitions of the term “gamification”. Throughout this paper, gamification will be considered as the use of gaming elements in non-gaming activities to increase the involvement of participants in the process of problem solving [11]. Gamification in higher education should be supported by the corresponding creation of the special learning environment, including the development of a technological infrastructure. A special role here belongs to the emulation/simulation software and hardware, that could be counted as an integral part of professional training in fields of medicine, transport, energy, and military service. Extensive usage of such a means ensures the successful formation of professional skills in an artificially simulated environment. Most actively, various simulators are used in the process of medical education. Simulation in medical education is considered as “a comprehensive technology for teaching and evaluating practical skills, abilities and knowledge based on realistic modeling, simulating a clinical situation or a single physiological system, for which biological, mechanical, electronic and virtual (computer) models can be used” [9]. Known simulators could be grouped as following [12]: • part-task simulator—non-automated models and medical manipulation simulators; • simulator training phantoms—non-automated whole-body models or models of the separate organs, with the help of which patient care skills are practiced, individual medical manipulations, transportation algorithms, etc. • digitalized mannequins for medical training – the human models or models of separate organs, equipped with additional sensors and actuators under computer control, reproducing various physiological processes in the human body; • virtual simulators – virtual models of a person or their separate organs (digital twins) running in special simulating software, with various specialized medical controllers connected (endoscopes, surgical instruments, etc.) for proper feedback when studying specific medical manipulations. A new generation of medical simulators is represented by high-fidelity manikin/patient simulator). These simulators are able to faithfully reproduce the anatomical structure of the human body, mimic the physiological reactions of the patient in response to the treatment (manipulation and administration of drugs). For example, Laerdal’s SimMan 3G simulates human responses and behaviors in cases of accidents, injuries and disasters, and can recognize over 100 drugs when consumed, recreating the body reactions to them.1 1 More details about the robot SimMan 3G PLUS can be found on the Homepage: https://laerdal.

com/products/simulation-training/emergency-care-trauma/simman-3g/

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Modern digital solutions increase the educational potential of simulators, allowing more and more accurate reproduction of the conditions in which students will subsequently have to act. Following this trend, medical schools incorporate technologyenhanced active learning and multimedia education applications. Education games, medical mobile applications, and virtual patient simulations are together termed gamified training platforms [13, 14]. The introduction of high-fidelity manikin into the educational process may be an adequate method to improve the quality of learning and the overall satisfaction of medical students in preclinical education [15]. In this regard, an important problem arises that requires theoretical reflection. Is it ethically and pedagogically correct to combine dental simulation with fun motivational gamification strategies? After all, healthcare is not fun and not a game, here we are talking about the health of the patient, his quality of life and even death. It would be useful to substantiate the connection between simulation and a serious game as the main forms of game-based learning. A serious game is a type of game that is designed for a primary purpose other than entertainment [16]. Serious games are designed to achieve specific educational and learning goals and can take many forms such as simulations, role-playing games, and educational games. Their goal is to involve participants in a process that must be both interesting and effective in terms of achieving learning outcomes [17, 18]. Serious games address real-world topics in a gameplay context [19]. Many scientists and educators are now recognizing the need to develop evidence-based games specifically designed for medical education. Play therapy is increasingly being used in healthcare to increase motivation, engagement, and skill development. In turn, simulation can be defined as a situation in which a certain set of conditions is artificially created in order to study or experience something that could exist in reality (Oxford English Dictionary 2017). The simulation does not need game elements such as a scoring system and a win/lose condition. However, game design techniques and solutions can be used to create a simulated reality that reproduces some of the important characteristics of the real world in the safest possible environment [19]. Therefore, modeling can be considered as a learning activity that contains some game elements. Probably a certain synthesis of simulations (simulators) and serious games in education could allow us to consider them as an intermediate stage between gamification and practice/real applications of technologies. So, health care is not fun and games, but adding in a little friendly competition to medical simulation exercises can improve students’ teamwork and diagnostic skills [20]. Recent studies have been shown that simulators and virtual patients in medicine with elements of gamification could improve learning results in general. They may also help with promoting risk-free healthcare decision-making, remote learning, learning analytics, and quick feedback [13]. In the Russian Federation, a number of medical and technical universities are actively developing in this area. One of the most developed is a joint project of a digital educational platform for students studying dentistry, developed by a consortium of three universities (Perm National Research Polytechnic University, Perm State Medical University, Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry). One of the main elements of the platform is a specialized dental android [21].

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Dental robot Promobot-CT (Fig. 1, 2) is a customized version of a humanoid robot. It has more than 20 specialized sensors that monitor the details of dental procedures, a model of the patient’s real jaw, as well as a machine vision system. The training software specially developed for this type of robot includes a significant number of interaction scenarios between a doctor and a patient (an element of gamification).

Fig. 1. Outer appearance of the Promobot-CT dental training robot

Fig. 2. Zoomed view of the robot head internals (mimic actuators, dental specific sensors)

Robot simultaneously evaluates more than 20 indicators in real-time and reproduces the behavior of a real patient as much as possible, which allows it to successfully interact

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with a student within an interactive training session. So, at an arbitrary moment in time, Promobot-CT simulates emergency situations (pain sensations of the patient, nervousness and fear) (Fig. 3). Due to the development of the servo drive, this simulation can be accompanied by a plausible change in the robot’s facial expressions, the movement of its eyes, as well as a change in the general position of the body. Dialogue interaction is carried out by using the built-in human speech recognition system. Thus, the process of completing a learning task is unique for each student and for each case. Logging of all parameters available to the robot during the training session allows at the end to obtain a detailed profile that separately evaluates the various competencies of a dental student, for example, the ability to communicate with a patient, the prompt response to emergency situations, the speed and accuracy of dental procedures, the ability to use dental equipment. Thus, the anthropomorphic robot simulator Promobot-Ct with a set of educational cases, whose hardware platform is expanded with additional specialized sensors and actuators reflects the current trends in the digital format of educational technologies in dentistry, which is a new paradigm in the training of medical personnel.

Fig. 3. Interactive training session with Dental robot Promobot-CT in progress

4 Conclusion Considering the prospects of using game technologies in education, it is worth to note that an interesting approach is to use these technologies during the online education process. This allows to implement the personalized learning functions and to realize the pedagogical design that takes the learner’s individual characteristics into consideration.

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For example, within the framework of an online computer game that runs as a simulator for improving practical skills, utilizing of the artificial intelligence systems makes possible to evaluate students’ gaps in specific areas of the educational program. Then an intelligent assistant system can guide learners to the relevant course topics filling detected knowledge gaps and offer specialized training exercises aimed at speed-up of knowledge acquisition and assessment. Overall, it can be concluded that gamification, e.g. the use of gaming technologies, game platforms, and programs for the means of education, is a modern and progressive method of teaching. Educating during the game helps the learner to gain a deeper understanding of the educational material, enhance the motivation and engagement in learning, and aids to develop practical skills for future effective and successful professional endeavors. However, the utilization of game technologies also poses certain challenges, that requires of the appropriate preparation and adequate methods for evaluating its effectiveness. Educational benefits of using games in medical education are clearly visible. Mentioned studies shows that simulators increase the student interest in the educational process, also improving the professional skills. Medical students could gain invaluable experience without having access to the real clinical process, by interacting with simulators and “digital twins” of patients. However, advancing on technological capabilities route does not in itself guarantee the quality of education. Pedagogical approaches to the use of simulations are not yet up to date, lacking conceptualization in terms of the learning theory. What are the functions of simulators for mass vocational education, in what cases is their use effective from a pedagogical point of view - those questions are still remain open. Finally, simulations and serious games as the main forms of game-based learning need to be developed more thoroughly in the future, as they can be seen as an intermediate stage between “fun” educational content and “serious” technological applications in the real world. Such research will help to establish best practices, recommendations and standards for the use of gamification, as well as identify areas for further research.

References 1. Zhdanova, S., Zaripova, L.: Social representations of students about bioethics in relation to gender. Bull. Perm State Human.-Pedagogical Univ. Psychol. Pedag. Sci. 1, 99–105 (2022). https://doi.org/10.24412/2308-7218-2022-1-99-105. (In Rus) 2. Donnelly, M.: Gaming as a teaching tool in nursing and midwifery education: a systematic review. Nurse Educ. Today 34(12), 1432–1438 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2014. 06.006 3. Sitzmann, T.: A meta-analytic examination of the instructional effectiveness of computerbased simulation games. Pers. Psychol. 64(2), 489–528 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1111/j. 1744-6570.2011.01190.x 4. Squire, K.: Video Games and Learning: Teaching and Participatory Culture in the Digital Age. Teachers College Press, New York (2011) 5. Tüzün, H., Yılmaz-Soylu, M., Karaku¸s, T., ˙Inal, Y., Kzlkaya, G.: The effects of computer games on primary school students’ achievement and motivation in geography learning. Comput. Educ. 52(1), 68–77 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2008.06.008

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6. Sandford, R., Ulicsak, M., Facer, K., Rudd, T.: Teaching with games: using commercial offthe-shelf computer games in formal education. Futurelab, Slough (2006). https://www.nfer. ac.uk/teaching-with-games-using-commercial-off-the-shelf-computer-games-in-formal-edu cation 7. Novikov, S.: Learning: interactive approach as a technology of the XXI century. Sci. Educ. 3(4), 90–94 (2017). [in Rus] 8. Cooper, S., et al.: Predicting protein structures with a multiplayer online game: predicting protein structures with a multiplayer online game. Nature 466, 756–760 (2010). https://doi. org/10.1038/nature09304 9. Meir, E.: Strategies for targeting the learning of complex skills like experimentation to different student levels: the intermediate constraint hypothesis. In: Pelaez, N.J., Gardner, S.M., Anderson, T.R. (eds.) Trends in Teaching Experimentation in the Life Sciences: Putting Research into Practice to Drive Institutional Change, pp. 523–545. Springer International Publishing, Cham (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98592-9_24 10. Kozyrev, G.I.: Conflictology: technology and practice of conducting a role-playing game. Social Technol. Res. 2, 83–92 (2015). (in Rus) 11. Bijieva, S.K., Urusova, F.A.-A.: Gamification of education: problems of use and development prospects. World Sci. Pedagogy Psychol. 4(8) (2020). https://mir-nauki.com/PDF/34PDMN 420.pdf. (in Rus) 12. Dudyrev, D., Maksimenkova, O.: Training simulators in vocational education: pedagogical and technological aspects. Educ. Stud. 3, 255–276 (2020). https://doi.org/10.17323/18149545-2020-3-255-276. (in Russian) 13. Krishnamurthy, K., et al.: Benefits of gamification in medical education. Clin. Anat. 35(6), 795–807 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.23916 14. McCoy, L., Lewis, J.H., Dalton, D.: Gamification and multimedia for medical education: a landscape review. J. Am. Osteopath. Assoc. 1(116), 22–34 (2016). https://doi.org/10.7556/ jaoa.2016.003 15. Meyers, L., et al.: The effect of supplemental high fidelity simulation training in medical students. BMC Med. Educ. 20(1), 421 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02322-y 16. Laamarti, F., Eid, M., Saddik, A.E.: An overview of serious games. Int. J. Comput. Games Technol. 2014, 358152 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/358152 17. Damaševiˇcius, R., Maskeli¯unas, R., Blažauskas, T.: Serious games and gamification in healthcare: a meta-review. Information 14, 105 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/info14020105 18. Bylieva, D., Lobatyuk, V., Nam, T.: Serious games as innovative tools in HR policy. IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci. 337, 012048 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/337/ 1/012048 19. van Gaalen, A.E.J., Brouwer, J., Schönrock-Adema, J., Bouwkamp-Timmer, T., Jaarsma, A.D.C., Georgiadis, J.R.: Gamification of health professions education: a systematic review. Adv. Health Sci. Educ. 26, 683–711 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-020-10000-3 20. Jerome, D.: How Simulation and Gaming make better PAs, Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies Homepage. https://news.hofstra.edu/2023/05/09/ how-simulation-and-gaming-make-better-pas/ 21. Arutynov, S., Yuzhakov, A., Kharakh, Y., Bezukladnikov, I., Baidarov, A., Astashina, N.: Dental simulator based on a robotic complex with an integrated smart jaw. Russ. Dental J. 1(27), 63–70 (2023). https://doi.org/10.17816/dent115139. (in Rus)

Video Games in Teaching Audiovisual Translation to University Students Natalia E. Anosova1(B)

, Anna Rubtsova1

, and Komila Makhkamova2

1 Graduate School of Applied Linguistics, Interpreting and Translation, Peter the Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University, 29 Polytechnicheskaya St., 195251 Saint-Petersburg, Russia [email protected] 2 Samarkand State University, 15 University Blv., Samarkand, Uzbekistan 140104

Abstract. The paper discusses the ways of introducing the audiovisual translation of video games into the curriculum of university translation training programs. An attempt was made to customize the curriculum of the program so that it contributed to the development of professional competencies of future translators. The research is aimed to solve the following tasks: to analyze the prospects of video games in educational process; to consider the professional competencies of audiovisual translator; to analyze the relevance of using video games as a tool in teaching audiovisual translation; to suggest the ways of integrating the course project on the audiovisual translation of video games into the curriculum of translation training programs; to conduct a survey to determine the level of students’ learning satisfaction and their attitude towards video games as a tool for mastering translation techniques; to suggest the introduction of video games into the curriculum of translation training master program. The relevance of this study is due to the need to customize programs of academic disciplines, which would allow the future translator to form a set of competencies necessary for high-quality audiovisual translation. Video game localization, as a type of audiovisual translation, is a complex process that requires the translator to have a range of specific competencies, as well as creativity and cultural awareness. Keywords: translator training · audiovisual translation · video game · translation techniques · localization

1 Introduction Digitalization in the higher education system has led to the wide-spread use of various electronic devices and the Internet. New electronic resources take the learning process to a new level, making it more mobile, informative, and motivating [1]. Increasingly, teachers use digital technologies to optimize work and increase its effectiveness, including in teaching foreign languages. Video games have become an important tool in educational environment, and educators recognize their educational potential for teaching foreign languages. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 57–70, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_5

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Video games are an integral part of audiovisual (screen) culture, which is especially popular in modern society, as its versatility allows each consumer to find what they like. It includes television, photo and video filming, video clips, cinematography, computer and multimedia technologies, as well as the Internet. As a result of such a demand for audiovisual culture in the modern world, more and more audiovisual products in foreign languages are released every day. Audiovisual products, and video games, in particular, can be difficult to understand for several reasons: the use of dialectisms, archaisms or other sociocultural language variations in fluent speech, cases of “overlapping” speech with background noise or the voices of other people during dialogues and polylogues, puns, etc. This video game discourse and many other factors generate demand for highquality audiovisual translation, which is necessary for the vast majority of consumers [2]. In Russian translation studies, audiovisual translation has been the focus of attention of linguists since the mid-2000s (V.E. Gorshkova, A.V. Kozulyaev, O.Yu. Kustova„„ etc.). V.E.Gorshkova raises the problem of translating substandard vocabulary found in audiovisual works noting that “translators prefer to rely on their own strategies aimed at the best result in order to keep authentic features of substandard lexical units while rendering them in such a way that they won’t shock the audience” [3]. A.V. Kozulyaev dwells on the methods of teaching audiovisual translation to university students in the context of cognitive revolution. The researcher highlights the main constituents of cognitive revolution, gamification of students’ motivational environment being one of them [4]. O.Yu. Kustova discusses the polycode nature of audiovisual texts and the specifics of audiovisual translation of culture specific vocabulary [5]. International research in this field is even wider (, F. Chaume, D. Cintas„ K. Reiss, D. K. Sayakhova and F. G.Fatkullina, Wang Baorong and Liu Tao, Miguel Á. Bernal-Merino, Ximo Granell, etc.). F. Chaume speaks about the specifics of various types of audiovisual traslation and describes its multidisciplinary character [6]. D. Cintas gives a detailed overview of pedagogical tools for the training of audiovisual translators and describes the specifics of each type of audiovisual translation [7]. K. Reiss highlights the importance of adequate translation quality assessment including in audiovisual translation [8]. D. K. Sayakhova and F. G.Fatkullina highlight the categorical features of both the translation discourse in the field of IT and the discourse of videogames and draw the conclusion that the translation discourse of videogames needs to form its own translation categories [9]. Wang Baorong and Liu Tao argue that it is crucial to properly represent the audiovisual text in the game and reproduce its original flavor through subtitling given that video games tend to attract a large foreign audience. The researchers believe that proper attention should be paid to vulgar language and foreignization of culture-specific items in the game as they represent the personality traits of game characters [10].. Miguel Á. Bernal-Merino highlights the importance of creativity in the translation of video games saying that “culture and language permeate every corner of any video game and without good translation and localisation, not only there is no aesthetic experience, there is no ludic activity, there is no game to be enjoyed because the game turns into and annoying experience, just the opposite of what it has been designed for” [11]. Ximo Granell makes an attempt to set the grounds for teaching Video Game Localisation at higher education institutions and presents a didactic proposal for a Video Game Localisation course for translators [12].

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Thus, the introduction of video games translation into translation training program at a university appears to be relevant. The object of our study is the use of video games in translation training. The hypothesis is the following: by introducing video games into the educational process, we can form positive psychological attitudes towards learning (increase motivation) and develop linguistic and translation competencies, relying on the main features of video games. It should be noted that one of the main features of video games is their interactivity. Data input using the motor-tactile channel allows the player to directly control the actions of the character. Thus, the player has the opportunity to directly influence the events taking place on the screen, which is not possible, for example, when watching a program or a movie [13]. Of course, the possibilities of influencing the game’s narrative largely depend on its genre and are determined by the game developers in accordance with their ideas about the final product. For example, RPG (Role-Playing Game) games usually provide the greatest variability of the plot, where the player’s choices, even the smallest ones, such as the choice of the race or nationality of the controlled character, have a large impact on the outcome of the game. Such freedom of choice for the player requires tremendous work on the part of the scriptwriters, since each twist of the plot must be spelled out and voiced. Translators of games of this genre are faced with the need to translate large amounts of text in a short time, which often leads to various kinds of errors. The main specific features of video games are the following: interactivity, the ability to adjust the pace at which the player receives new information, the replacement of visual code with graphic. However, despite the obvious differences between video games and other audiovisual works, they have common features that allow us to consider the translation of video games from the point of view of audiovisual translation. A video game is a complex product that includes not only factual information, but also a cultural component. A specialist working on the translation of a video game faces not only linguistic, but also intercultural difficulties associated with unique features and realities that must be conveyed in a way that is understandable to the target audience. It is impossible to deny the significant role of audiovisual translation in the modern world, with the ongoing globalization and digitalization processes. Despite the fact that audiovisual translation has become a popular subject in recent decades, it started to be considered as a separate type of translation relatively recently in translation studies [14]. The definition proposed by A.V. Kozulyaev is wide-spread today. In his opinion, audiovisual translation is a complex professional activity aimed at transferring dynamically interacting elements of linguistic and non-linguistic systems from one language to another, taking into account the socio-cultural, institutional and polymodal context [15]. The researcher believes that the study of audiovisual translation requires the perception of audiovisual material as a unique interaction of verbal and nonverbal signs. The researcher of audiovisual translation, Jorge Diaz-Sintas, argues that audiovisual translation cannot be studied from the standpoint of either text-centric approach or pure linguistics [7]. In his works, he describes audiovisual translation as a heterogeneous and interdisciplinary process. According to the researcher, audiovisual translators should take into account the semiotic components of audiovisual works without only focusing

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on verbal components. Many studies confirm that the video sequence and other nonverbal components are the main carriers of information in audiovisual works, and the competencies associated with the decoding of the video sequence, according to scientists, dominate the hierarchy of competencies of an audiovisual translator [16]. So, it follows that audiovisual translator should combine a wide range of knowledge and skills in various disciplines. According to A.V. Kozulyaev, an audiovisual translator must have three groups of competencies necessary for the full reproduction of the image of an audiovisual work by means of the target language in the context of the target culture [17]. The first group of key competencies that the researcher pays special attention to is related to the work of a translator with a visual context, including understanding the mechanisms of interaction between all visual and verbal elements of an audiovisual work. Professional mastery of such skills allows the specialist to correctly interpret all the elements of non-verbal information. The second group of competencies of an audiovisual translator is related to the cultural and psycho-emotional aspects of translation, including the correct understanding and interpretation of specific communicative situations. The third group of competencies is related to the language and provides an adequate audiovisual translation, including the knowledge of different registers of colloquial and official speech [17–19]. In general, it can be concluded that video game localization, as a kind of audiovisual translation, is a special type of translation that requires a special approach and an expanded set of professional translation competencies [20, 21]. Accordingly, to work in the field of video game localization, a specialist needs to have a number of translation competencies. Among them are the following: • knowledge of terminology in the field of localization, as well as the stages of localization; • understanding of the specifics of audiovisual translation; • good command of both source and target language; • creative skills; • cultural awareness; knowledge of culture specific vocabulary, skills of choosing the appropriate translation technique; • knowledge of gaming culture. Thus, we can conclude that the translation of video games poses a number of nonstandard tasks for the translator and requires a certain set of skills and competencies to be developed.

2 Problem Statement The high popularity of video games among various segments of the population indicates the need for a competent approach to the localization of video games and the translation of in-game linguistic content. However, there is a lack of qualified specialists in the field of localization of video games, since the curricula of most universities that train translators do not include the disciplines that allow students to acquire the appropriate competencies. Thus, there is the inconsistency of university translation training programs

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with the needs of the market, where the competencies of an audiovisual translator are highly demanded. This raises the question of whether such courses should be included in the curriculum of translation training university programs. Studying the automated translation tools and other computer programs currently used for the localization of video games seems to be mandatory. At the same time, theoretical aspects, such as explaining the differences between localization and translation, studying the principles of working with a video game as a special kind of audiovisual material, studying the video game discourse, etc. should be included. Video games as a tool for teaching audiovisual translation can be integrated in the translation project module included in the course of Translation within the translation training university programs. The relevance of this study is due to the need to customize academic disciplines of higher educational institutions, which would allow the future translator to form a number of competencies necessary for the implementation of high-quality work on the localization and translation of video games. The aim of the study is to suggest the ways of introducing the audiovisual translation of video games into the curriculum of university translation training programs.

3 Research Questions As can be seen from the research under review, audiovisual translation should be an essential component of the translation training program for university students, and more attention should be paid to the development of students’ translation competencies in the field of audiovisual translation of video games and other audiovisual products. Consequently, the research questions of the paper include several issues: – Can the customization of the translation training program with the introduction of audiovisual translation of video games contribute to the development of professional translator competencies of future translators? – What are the ways of integrating audiovisual translation of video games in the translation training programs for university students?

4 Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to suggest the ways of introducing the audiovisual translation of video games into the curriculum of university translation training programs. An attempt has been made to customize the curriculum of the program so that it contributed to the development of professional translator competencies of future translators. The research is aimed to solve the following tasks: to analyze the potential of video games in educational process; to consider the professional competencies of audiovisual translator; to analyze the relevance of using video games as a teaching aid in teaching audiovisual translation; to suggest the ways of integrating the course project on the audiovisual translation of video games into the curriculum of translation training programs; to conduct a survey to determine the level of students’ learning satisfaction and their attitude towards video games as a tool for mastering translation techniques; to suggest the introduction of video games into the curriculum of translation training master program.

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The object of the research is the process of translation training at a university. The subject of the research is the introduction of video games translation into the translation training program at a university.

5 Research Methods At the theoretical stage of this study, the literature related to the research topic was analyzed. As part of the practical stage of the study, the material for the research was the course projects, as well as the questionnaires, of 31 master students majoring in Translation and Intercultural Communication (Group 1) and 38 students getting their minor as Translators in the field of Professional Communication (Group 2) at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The average age of students was from 18 to 26 years old. The sample of students was practically the same in terms of their previous translation experience: 82.4% of respondents had studied translation techniques as part of their translation course at university, while 17.6% of students had supplemented formal education courses with options of informal education (audiovisual translation courses in language centers, master classes and seminars on audiovisual translation). The learning context falls into two categories: first was a full-time Master program “Translation and Intercultural Communication” and second was a part-time further training program “Translator in the field of professional communication”, designed to acquire the fundamental professional competencies necessary for the work of a translator and editor of technical, economic and media texts. After completing both programs, students are entitled to carry out professional activities in the field of translation and work in the translation departments of large organizations, translation agencies and as freelance translators. The study was conducted within the course of Translation practice, included in the curricular of both programs. The course not only aimed to develop students’ indepth understanding of culture specific vocabulary, but also to equip students with a repertoire of communication strategies and translation techniques. The course included the module of individual students’ work on the translation project, which implied technologically mediated interactions between students, teachers, and resources in learning and required students to work in online contexts in the pursuit of learning outcomes. The online learning component was self-paced independent study hosted in a proprietary Learning Management System (LMS). Students in both groups were divided into teams of 4–5 people, which were responsible for the assigned fragments of the game. The most suitable option of the material for our study are role-playing games (RPG), since video games of this genre involve a more complex, dynamic and emotional interaction of players with characters. The material for the course project was the video game Baldur Gate, which was released in early access on platforms of online publishers on October 6, 2020. The in-game text belongs to different genres and functional styles and covers the available areas of work for the translation team in the video game localization process. Video games of the RPG genre have several storylines with the unknown outcome which is based on the choices made by the player in the process of playing the video game. With the constant feedback from the players, developers add new features and corrections. Such an approach to the development of a video game affects the quality and efficiency of its localization, since with each update there is a replenishment of game content, which cannot be efficiently adapted by translators. Therefore, the

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currently available localization of the game Baldur’s Gate III is not the most effective translation product, as it is full of inept translation decisions and errors. Thus, this video game can be used as a material for translation project that enables our students to analyze the most typical translation difficulties in the process of working on the localization of video games. To measure students’ learning outcomes, the entry course test and the end-of-course test of the same format, both containing multiple choice questions, were used. The tests were designed using the materials and teaching aids included in the syllabus of the course [22–24]. The tests included questions aimed to check students’ knowledge of the essence and the stages of video game localization, basic techniques of localization, main features of video games, main difficulties of audiovisual translation of video games discourse, as well as commonly used translation strategies to work with the typical vocabulary of video games (colloquial speech, jargon, culture specific vocabulary, nonce formations, etc.). Within the test students were asked to suggest the appropriate translation technique for the translation of culture specific words and nonce words to assess their translation competence. The tests comprised 50 questions with the maximum score 50 (100%). Within the course, students’ current performance was assessed using the system for calculating individual student grades. At the end of the work on the translation project students were surveyed to determine their level of satisfaction with learning and elicit their opinions about using video games for mastering translation techniques. The survey was conducted on an anonymous basis. The students of both groups were asked to assess the degree of their satisfaction with learning by a number of criteria, which included relevance of teaching aids, relevance of the thematic areas studied, correlation of the content of training with practical activities, interest/motivation for mastering audiovisual translation of video games; satisfaction with the learning content in general. The questionnaire was designed using the relevant sources in the field of learning satisfaction of students [25–27]. The criteria were assessed using three-point scales ranging from 1 to 3: 1—low, 2—medium, 3—high. For further processing of the results of the survey, the total number of answers in each of the groups was taken as 100%, the number of answers for each question was calculated as a percentage for each of the groups.

6 Findings and Discussion We conducted a pilot experiment in which the syllabus of the course “Translation Studies” (Translation project module) was customized with the introduction of audiovisual translation and localization of video games. The customization was implemented in the following activities: acquisition of knowledge about the specifics and stages of localization of audiovisual products and video games, in particular; development of translation competencies in the field of intercultural aspects of translation; development of translation competencies in the field of culture specific vocabulary such as culture specific words and nonce words; development of translation competencies in the field of audiovisual translation of video games (subtitling, re-voicing, dubbing, etc.). Prior to practical work, classes on theoretical aspects of audiovisual translation were conducted, during which students acquired knowledge about the specifics and stages of localization of audiovisual products and video games, in particular.

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As a practical material for the study a video game was required whose in-game text would belong to different genres and functional styles and whose characters use culture specific vocabulary and various stylistic means. Video games of the RPG genre are distinguished by a large amount of in-game text and have several storylines at once, the outcome of which is not predetermined and is formed solely on the basis of the choices made by the player in the process of playing the video game. Due to constant feedback from the players, developers are able to gradually add new features and corrections, including in the text design of the game, as well as incorporate completely new ideas received from the gaming community into the game play. In turn, early access gives players the opportunity to indirectly participate in the development of game content. Such an approach to the development of a video game could not but affect the quality of its localization, since with each update there is a replenishment of game content, which cannot be adapted by translators in a timely manner. In this regard, the currently available localization of the game Baldur’s Gate III is far from being perfect and is full of inept translation decisions and errors. That is why this video game Baldur’s Gate III was chosen as a practical material for students to analyze the most typical translation difficulties and master basic techniques of audiovisual translation (subtitling) in the process of video games localization. Students worked in teams over different fragments of the video game and were assigned different tasks – editing, translating, making subtitles, making glossary. Those students who aspired to play the video game were guiding the others through the plot and specifics of characters of the video game. It turned out that the translation of subtitles was the most time consuming work of the teams. Working on the project, students analyzed the main areas of localization of an RPG video game using Baldur’s Gate III as an example and identified common translation mistakes that appeared to have been made by the localization team. The suggestions were made to improve the translation by making corrections concerning grammar, vocabulary, stylistics, spelling and punctuation of the text. There were also technical mistakes that were spotted by the students. In Baldur’s Gate III there is a window, which is a log of all actions performed by active characters during the game. To create a new alert line in the activity log, the PLAYER_NAME placeholder is used, which changes the name of the character to the one needed for the new line to be logged. So the original sentence “PLAYER_NAME picked up 1 Hollow Shell.” with the use of this variable enters the action log in the following form “Laura Jane picked up 1 Hollow Shell.” If another character from the squad was used to perform this action, the placeholder changes the name of the character to the required one, for example “Lae’Zel picked up 1 Hollow Shell.” For example, in Baldur’s Gate III there is a companion dog with which you can interact. Depending on friendship level, it can bring various items to its master, which range from useless items like bones to useful items like healing potions. An incorrect variable, which displays the object brought by the dog, can break the integrity of the text and the perception of the situation by the player. The text in the game interface is limited to an area that displays a certain number of printed characters. In the process of working on the localization of a video game, the translator-localizer should try to achieve the adequacy and equivalence of the translation, at the same time not exceeding the number of printed characters specified by the original

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text string. It is recommendable that the number of printed characters in the translated text string should not exceed the number of printed characters in the original string by more than 15%. To analyze the difficulties of video game localization, approximately 15,000 lines of in-game text and dialogues were thoroughly studied by the students. The localization mistakes were divided by the students into two categories: language mistakes (63%) and semantic errors (37%). Distortion of meaning was most frequent of all semantic errors, accounting for 24%. Some of the most striking examples of translation errors that affect the game play and understanding of the nature of the characters are presented in this work. For example, the sentence “And then I will stab this heretic with his own silver sword” is translated “A potom  nacay togo epetika na cvo cepebpny meq”. However, Lae’zel (the character who says this) does not have her own silver sword. They are possessed only by dragon riders, which Lae’zel tells the player at the very beginning of the game. The semantic content of the original statement implies that she promises to pierce the heretic with his own silver sword. There are also mistakes in the localization of some items of the game menu. For example, the item “Steam Cloud: synchronization” is translated as “Oblako papa: cinxponizaci” though Steam Cloud is the name of the cloud storage of files and game saves, so translation of this fragment is unnecessary. Inaccuracies accounting for 13% of semantic errors contain deviations from the original statement and are characterized by a lesser degree of misleading influence than distortions of meaning. For example, the answer of the character: “I’ll remind you we’re newly acquainted, not newlyweds” was translated as: “Ho my – ne gepoi to knigi. Medy nami ne bylo ni tycqi, ni dae odno bpaqno noqi”. In the process of localization, the addition of new information by translators changed the meaning of the original sentence. The suggested translation is the following: “Pozvol napomnit, my poznakomilic covcem nedavno, i medy nami net niqego cepeznogo”. It was found by the students that vocabulary mistakes rank third among the language mistakes (20%) and are often associated with incorrect use of the contextual meaning of the word, as well as the wrong collocations in the target language. For example, the Cantrip description: “Shoot a green arrow that bursts in a spray of acid. Deals 4d4 Acid immediately and 2d4 Acid at the end of the target’s turn” was translated as “Byctpelivaet zeleny ctpely, kotopa lopaetc, pazbpyzgiva kicloty. Hanocit 4d4 Kiclota nemedlenno i 2d4 Kiclota v konce xoda celi.” Correct translation is the following: “Deals 4d4 Acid damage and 2d4 Acid damage at once at the end of the target’s turn”. Stylistic mitakes (29%) are the largest subgroup of language mistakes found in the localization of the game Baldur’s Gate III. For example, the words of Astarion: “You disgust me” were translated as “Mepzka tvo poa. Kaka qepna neblagodapnoct”. The suggestion was made that in this example, the highlighted words need to be replaced with others that have a more neutral connotation. The mistakes in translation found during the project included vocabulary mistakes (20%), grammar mistakes (27%), mistakes in stylistics (29%), spelling (13%), punctuation (11%). At the end of the project students also noted that a professional video game translator should strive to study the game world, story, characters, and how the

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mechanics and locations used in the game work to create a complete and accurate localized version. In the context of the localization of the video game Baldur’s Gate III, the lack of a style guide and glossary was evident. While the lack of a unified style guide harms the uniformity of the game’s design, the lack of a translation glossary can cause a situation where the same term in the source language can be translated by several terms in the target language. The examples of this are shown in Table 1: Table 1. The examples of translation mistakes Source language

Target language

CHARLATAN You’re an expert in manipulation, prone to exaggeration and more than happy to profit from it. Bending the truth and turning allies against each other will bring you success down the road

Xaplatan By – znatok afep i obmana. Cklonny k xvactovctvy i lbite izvlekat iz nego vygody

ACOLYTE You have spent your life in service to a temple, learning sacred rites and providing sacrifices to the god or gods you worship. Serving the gods and discovering their sacred works will lead you to Greatness

Poclyxnik By ppoveli vc cvo izn v xpame, izyqa cvwennye tekcty i ppinoc eptvy boectvy ili boectvam, kotopym vy poklonetec

URCHIN After surviving a childhood on the streets, you know how to make the most out of very little. Using your street smarts bolsters your spirit for the journey ahead

Bpodga Bpodga poc v niwete i golode. On ymeet dovolctvovatc malym – ved zaqacty y nego ne bylo i togo

At the end of the project students made presentations which reflected their main findings and conclusions. The PowerPoint presentations were highly assessed by examination committee and contributed to students’ final assessment of the translation course. So, while working on the project students acquire knowledge of both the specifics of audiovisual translation and the techniques of localization. The purpose of the course is to provide students with substantial insights into the localization of video games and its stages, as well as the translation techniques used for the translation of culture specific vocabulary typical for modern video games. At the beginning of the project students took the entry multiple-choice test aimed at measuring their knowledge of the basic techniques of localization, as well as commonly used translation strategies to work with the typical vocabulary of video games (colloquial speech, jargon, culture specific vocabulary, nonce formations, etc.). The maximum score was 50 (100%). The average score was about the same low in both groups (in Group A it was 45% and in group B it was slightly higher 48%, which clearly indicated that the students had an unsatisfactory level of localization and audiovisual translation techniques before the beginning of the experiment. At the end of the experiment the students took the end-of-course multiple-choice test, similar in format to the entry test. Its purpose was to evaluate their learning outcomes at the end

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of the project. The maximum score was 50 (100%). Unlike the average score in the entry test, the results of the end-of-course test were markedly higher in both groups. In Group A it was 97%, which was quite an impressive result, given the extraordinary complexity of the test. In Group B the average score was a little lower (93%), which clearly indicated that by the end of the experiment students had made considerable progress. Table 2 shows the results of the entry and end-of-course test. Table 2. The results of the entry and end-of-course test Group A

Group B

The average score of the entry test (%)

45

48

The average score of the end-of-course test (%)

95

93

These results in the two groups can be explained by the higher level of motivation and learning satisfaction, which can be summarized as the observation of a few crucial points. It is essential that teachers should use a variety of teaching aids to make the learning process more interesting and engaging for students, which is especially important for those getting part-time education [20]. Using video games in the translation project boosts students’ interest in learning and encourages them to acquire special knowledge in the professional field. Students are aware of the fact that the expertise in the field of audiovisual translation of video games is of high demand in the translators’ labor market, and they highly appreciate the opportunity to develop these skills in the process of learning. Even those who are not fond of video games and have never played them admitted the relevance and effectiveness of using video games as a material for translation studies. Translation tasks based on in-game linguistic content proved to be conducive to high results in both groups. Video games provide authentic audiovisual input from native speakers, and the target language is used in a natural context [21]. Moreover, watching authentic videos calls for greater engagement than reading a text; requiring students to watch videos a few times to fully understand the essence and memorize new information. Apart from multiple revisions of the topic, the learning outcomes of the students involved in collaborative learning activities were much better than those of the students who participated in traditional learning activities based on the course book. Students get the insight of audiovisual translation techniques and deep learning of video games discourse. They also received additional input via multiple audiovisual translation technical skills, which was conducive to the learning outcome. At the end of the work on the translation course project students were surveyed to determine their level of satisfaction with learning and elicit their opinions about using video games for mastering translation techniques. The results of the survey are shown in Table 3. As can be seen from the table, the respondents from both groups showed a high degree of satisfaction with learning in most indicators. Survey participants in Groups A and B highly appreciated the relevance of the thematic areas studied and the level of correlation of the content of training with practical activities. The effectiveness of the

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Group B

high low high low Relevance of the thematic areas studied (%)

95

1

87

9

Relevance of using video games in the Course of Translation Studies (%)

89

5

88

3

Effectiveness of the translation project based on audiovisual translation 100 of video games in terms of translation competencies development (%)

0

99

0

Effectiveness of the translation project based on audiovisual translation of video games in terms of localization competencies development (%)

93

2

94

2

Effectiveness of the translation project based on audiovisual translation of video games in terms of developing technical competencies of audiovisual translator (%)

78

5

84

9

Correlation of the content of training with practical activities (%)

97

2

81

12

100

0

95

3

Satisfaction with the learning content in general (%)

translation project based on audiovisual translation of video games in terms of developing technical competencies of audiovisual translator was the lowest indicator in terms of learning satisfaction, which can be explained by the fact that the translation project had certain time limitations and students could only acquire the basic knowledge of technical skills required for the work of audiovisual translator. In the framework of the translation project they mainly focused on developing the translation skills in the field of in-game linguistic content. The respondents were also asked to give their opinion about the use of in-game linguistic content as a material for translation studies and to assess the potential of video games in the process of learning. The following initiatives were highly appreciated by the students: increasing the number of practical assignments similar to those they will have to do in their professional career; adding creative assignments that stimulate critical thinking; using new educational technologies in class; providing additional materials concerning audiovisual translation of video games; introducing the module of ‘Audiovisual translation of video games’ in the course of Translation Studies; adding more variety to the classroom activities; introducing the translation project based on audiovisual translation of video games in the curriculum of the course.

7 Conclusion The main conclusion of our study is that video games can be an effective tool for teaching translation in a broad sense and for developing professional skills in audiovisual translation, in particular. Despite the increased demand for translators in the field of audiovisual translation of video games, the special subjects are still rather scarce among current translation programs. The scarcity of audiovisual translation modules available at the moment is paradoxically opposed to the growing demand for video games in every language. The

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expectations among students are also considerable. Many students may also be or have been video game players, and know very well how demanding fellow players in their country can be in terms of the quality of the localized version of a game. This fact, along with their commitment as future translators, can result in a high degree of motivation among students. The study has also shown that learning outcomes are remarkably higher when exploiting video games in translation projects. Due to the relevance of the issues discussed above, more detailed attention should be devoted to them in future research.

References 1. Anisimova, A.: Computer game phenomenon in translation discourse. Sci. Bull. South. Inst. Manag. 2, 82–86 (2018) 2. Yakunina, V., Shevchenko, Y.: Linguistic industry: localization and translation. Sci. Without Bord. 6(11), 16–20 (2017) 3. Gorshkova, V.: Audiovisual translation in the light of the main dialectic principles. J. Siberian Feder. Univ. Human. Social Sci. 3(9), 528–535 (2016) 4. Kozulyaev, A.: Teaching audiovisual translation to university students in the context of cognitive revolution. Teach. Methodol. High. Educ. 8(29), 48–56 (2019) 5. Kustova, O.: Polycode text as a factor of film translation strategy. In: Proceedings of the Conference, pp. 279–282. Center for Scientific Cooperation “Interactive Plus”, Cheboksary (2015) 6. Chaume, F.: Film studies and translation studies: two disciplines at stake in audiovisual translation. Meta 49(1), 12–24 (2004). https://doi.org/10.7202/009016ar 7. Díaz-Cintas J., Anderman, G.: Audiovisual Translation. Language Transfer on Screen. Palgrave, Macmillan (2009) 8. Reiss, K.: Translation criticism – the potentials and limitations. categories and criteria for translation quality assessment. Manchester: St. Jerome Target 14(2), 422–424 (2002) 9. Sayakhova, D.K., Fatkullina, F.G.: Discourse and technical features of videogames localization. In: Nechaev, A.S., Bunkovsky, V. I., Beregova, G.M., Lontsikh, P.A., Bovkun, A.S. (eds.) Trends and Innovations in Economic Studies, Science on Baikal Session, vol. 96, pp. 528– 533. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences. European Publisher, London (2020). https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2020.12.69, 10. Baorong, W., Tao, L.: An exploration of audiovisual translation in video games based on audience response. Contemp. Fore. Lang. Stud. 22(4), 46–57 (2022) 11. Bernal-Merino, M.: Creativity in the translation of video games. Quaderns de Filologia. Estudis literaris XIII, 57–70 (2008) 12. Granell, X.: Teaching video game localisation in audiovisual translation courses at university. J. Special. Transl. 16, 185–202 (2011) 13. Kozulyaev, A.: Integrative Model of Teaching Audiovisual Translation (English). Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, Moscow (2019) 14. Morozova, T.: Audiovisual translation in Russia: development and current situation. Innov. Sci. 5, 122–125 (2020) 15. Kozulyayev, A.: Fundamentals of innovative methodology for the formation of professional competence of an audiovisual translator. Innov. Proj. Prog. Educ. 6, 55–62 (2017) 16. Rovira-Esteva, S., Orero, P.A.: Contrastive analysis of the main benchmarking tools for research assessment in translation and interpreting: the Spanish approach. Perspectives 19(3), 233–251 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2011.590214

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17. Kozulyayev, A.: Teaching dynamically equivalent translation of audiovisual works: experience in developing innovative methods within the framework of the school of audiovisual translation. Bull. Perm Natl. Res. Polytech. Univ. Prob. Linguist. Pedagogy 3(13), 3–24 (2015) 18. Petillo, M.: The use of subtitles in foreign language teaching exploring some sociolinguistic, cultural and translation features. Transl. Translang. Multilingual Cont. 9(2), 239–260 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1075/ttmc.00110.pet 19. Hufeisen, B., Nordmann, A., Liu, A.W.: Two Perspectives on the multilingual condition linguistics meets philosophy of technology. Technol. Lang. 3(3), 11–21 (2022). https://doi. org/10.48417/technolang.2022.03.02 20. Carlson, R., Corliss, J.: Imagined commodities: video game localization and mythologies of cultural difference. Games Cult. 6(1), 61–82 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1177/155541201037 7322 21. Chirkova, E.I., Chernovets, E.G., Zorina, E. V.: Enhancing the assimilation of foreign language vocabulary when working with students of the digital generation. Technol. Lang. 2, 89–97 (2021). https://doi.org/10.48417/technolang.2021.03.07 22. Kabakchi, V.: Introduction to Interlinguoculturology: A Textbook for Universities. Yurayt Publishing House, Moscow (2023) 23. Roderick, M., Nuttall, C., Kenny, N. Proficiency. Pearson Expert, Harlow (2013) 24. Popova, N., Khalyapina, L., Devel, L., Alonso Garcia, N.: Cultural Heritage Issues in Polycultural Humanitarian Education: Preservation of cultural heritage. Polytechnic Publishing House, St. Petersburg (2017) 25. Marsh, H., Roche, L.: Making students’ evaluations of teaching effectiveness effective: the critical issues of validity, bias, and utility. Am. Psychol. 52(11), 1187–1197 (1997). https:// doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.52.11.1187 26. Dziuban, C., Moskal, P., Brophy-Ellison, J., Shea, P.: Student satisfaction with asynchronous learning. Online Learn. 11(1), 87–95 (2007). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v11i1.1739 27. Dziuban, C., Moskal, P., Kramer, L., Thompson, J.: Student satisfaction with online learning in the presence of ambivalence: looking for the will-o’-the-wisp. Internet High. Educ. 17, 1–8 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2012.08.001

Development of a Play and Program Mobile Application Based on the Gamification Methodology Ivan Onuchin , Alfira Akhmedova(B) , Guzel Khabibullina , and Irina Zhazhneva Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia [email protected]

Abstract. Learning the basics of programming is very important in our growing digital age. In the modern world, the education system faces the problem of how to interest students in programming, how to teach them to understand and solve problems. The best way to attract people to any activity, including programming, is to instill interest in the field being studied. Currently, much attention is paid to the introduction of mobile gaming technologies in the educational process. The introduction of education-gaming mobile applications into the educational process increases the motivation of trainees and makes the learning process flexible and accessible. The relevance of the work lies in the development of an educationgaming mobile application for interactive learning of the basics of programming. In an effort to identify the most effective tools for developing mobile devices, the authors analyze existing programming training services that use gamification technologies, on the basis of which they select Unity’s cross-platform development environment and MongoDB databases. The authors developed and tested the educational-gaming mobile application Play and Program, designed to study programming during the game, allowing players to acquire theoretical knowledge, as well as practical skills, track the progress of learning at each stage and maintain interest in learning through a motivational system. This educational-gaming mobile application can be recommended both for self-study of the basics of programming, and for introduction into the educational process of secondary schools and other educational institutions. Keywords: Gamification · Mobile Application · Programming

1 Introduction In the modern world, the need for advanced technologies and teaching methods is rapidly increasing every day [1–3]. Programming is currently one of the most popular areas. Despite its popularity, there are many obstacles to the development of this direction: a lack of relevant material in educational programs, an abundance of unstructured information on the Internet [4, 5]. The vast majority of programming training courses are paid and do not provide guarantees for the quality of the material being studied [6, 7]. The most © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 71–82, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_6

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important stage of training is instilling interest in the field being studied, which is almost impossible in the presence of the problems described above. Also, an equally significant difficulty is the rapid loss of involvement in the process of learning new educational material, this problem is most clearly manifested in people of school age [8, 9]. One of the mechanisms of activation of involvement and motivation to study is the introduction of gaming technologies in the educational process.

2 Methodology Observation during classes of a group of schoolchildren and 1st year students studying the basics of programming in C++ showed that it is difficult to keep the interest of students at all stages of learning the subject. It was assumed that the introduction of gaming technologies into the educational process would help to preserve the initial interest of students in programming and develop motivation for further in-depth study of programming languages. Taking into account the target audience, users of the age group from 7 to 18 years, an analysis of existing ready-made solutions was carried out. In the course of the study, the following mobile programming training applications using gamification technology were considered: “CodeCombat”, “Scratch” and “Tynker”, among which it was not possible to identify competitive products [10, 11]. The result of the analysis confirmed the need to develop an educational and gaming mobile application that solves a number of urgent problems: outdated material in the educational programs of schools and universities, an overabundance of unstructured material in the Internet, loss of involvement in the process of learning new material due to the lack of dynamism of knowledge delivery and motivation system. In the course of the study, a comparative analysis of the results obtained by 1st-year students of the “Applied Informatics” and “Business Informatics” training courses while studying the discipline “Fundamentals of programming in C++” was carried out. The final scores of students who studied this discipline using the developed educational and gaming mobile application “Play and Program” and using traditional teaching methods were compared.

3 Methodology of Educational-Gaming Application Creation The authors have chosen the most effective tools designed for the development of mobile applications, taking into account the specifics of performing practical tasks by means of visual programming. The implementation of a mobile application is limited by the choice of a technology stack. In addition to the platform, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of system management in the learning process [5, 12, 13]. This list of requirements is met by the Unity cross-platform game and application development environment, which uses C# as the main programming language. The integrated development environment Visual Studio Code was used to implement the software component. The implementation of an integral function of the designed system – data storage, is provided by the documentoriented MongoDB database management system [14].

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The developed educational and gaming mobile application supports the following list of functionality: authorization and registration of users; viewing the list of levels; passing levels; review of theoretical material; viewing statistics. The access to the main functionality of the system is provided after passing the authentication stage. Passing levels involves of is the compilation of program structures, the sequential execution of which leads to the achievement of a certain point on the map of the game world. The formation of software structures is carried out by manipulating graphical game blocks. The information related to the progress made in the process of playing the game, as well as information about the user account information be stored in the database. The local storage provides information storage about the current session: remembers the user upon completion of using the application and a unique key associated with user data.

4 Development of an Educational-Gaming Application The authors have developed the architecture of the educational-gaming mobile application, which includes four independent modules: – Data interaction module (provides a set of functions for performing basic operations with user data and game levels, as well as methods for authentication); – Module of game process control through visual programming (contains classes for implementing the mechanics of moving game blocks on the control panel, mechanics of connecting game blocks, as well as classes containing code for processing program blocks into game); – Graphical interfaces module (contains classes that process the impact of the user on the system through graphical interface elements); – Module of physics (provides the application with the functionality to implement physical events such as player movement and camera control). The relationship between the modules is carried out by controllers. Each designed module is suitable for further modifications without hindering the functioning of the system as a whole. The described partitioning into components is a modification of the MVC pattern. The architecture of the educational- gaming mobile application is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Modules of the Application

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The data module supports functional for both database interaction and local storage. The collection of users is illustrated in Fig. 2. It is the main content of the database and fully meets the requirements for openness for any proposed modifications. Two components can be distinguished in the collection of users: information related to the account (login and password), as well as game progress data (score, unlocked levels, current level).

Fig. 2. An overview of the Collection of Users ER-diagram

Unlocked levels are a list of objects that include two fields: the ordinal number of the level and the score received for passing the level. The local storage contains two components: a component that stores the user’s last session and a list of all levels. The class that organizes access to the last session allows to remember the user and skip the authorization stage when restarting the application. The list of all application levels contains a list of special classes-data containers designed to store large amounts of data. This class is shown in Fig. 3. Level information includes a list of all program blocks that are available for use in the current level (Fig. 4); the ordinal number of the level; the reward for passing; the name of the scene corresponding to the level; initial player coordinates; list of theoretical material; level name.

Fig. 3. Level Details Class

Collaboration and interaction of local and remote storage is carried out synchronously through the controllers module.

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Fig. 4. Block type Enumeration

There are three components to the module of game process control through visual programming: a game blocks movement module on the control panel; a game blocks layout module on the control panel; and a module of correspondence of game blocks to program structures. Classes for moving game blocks have different behaviour depending on their purpose. So, single-component elements, after being added to the control panel, inherit the basic functionality. The two-part ones, in turn, reveal the second part, which is the boundary of the construction, for example, the completion of the cycle. The composite components of this submodule are shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5. Block Movement Class Diagram

The layout of the blocks on the control panel is also closely related to the type of each element. Ordinary blocks are positioned along the vertical axis, while configuration parts of conditional structures are positioned along the horizontal axis. The main block must not be allowed to be attached to any other elements. Figure 6 illustrates the organization of classes that allow blocks to link with each other. As all scene objects are organized in a tree-like data structure, program blocks are no exception and are physical nodes of the control panel.

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Fig. 6. Layout Class Diagram

In order to achieve the minimum application volume and maximum performance, a high level of reuse of graphical elements involved in the user interface must be achieved. Based on this requirement, certain textures for navigation buttons were developed. And for the program blocks, intuitive textures were developed that display the semantic part and do not include syntactically linked names of construction. The implementation of the mobile application was carried out in several stages in accordance with the selected modules. The data interaction module was implemented taking into account all the key factors identified at the design stage. Each module component includes a repository class that encapsulates methods for directly affecting data. Controllers, in turn, are intermediaries between modules and establish the way they interact, providing a list of all necessary functions. The repository class contains methods for basic operations with a collection of users: writing, reading, modifying, and deleting. The controller is based on the repository of users and contains methods for registering, authorizing users, establishing a rating system, and updating gameplay information as levels are passed. The functionality necessary for the implementation of registration and authorization processes is moved to a separate component, which also belongs to the data storage system. Additionally, components for local storage of user session data have been developed, providing local storage of the list of levels. Movement class of the physics module provides methods for implementing the movement of the game character on a level map. Figure 7 shows an example of a method that implements forward movement. The module of game process control through visual programming calls these functions through the controller class. Below is a fragment of the program code at the time of the character movement. The next step was the development of a module for the layout of blocks on the control panel, which allows you to fasten software components. According to the structuring class diagram (see Fig. 6) the basic behaviour of game blocks is implemented by the Sticky class, illustrated in Fig. 8. The OnDraw function is called when the target block is transferred to the parent block. As a result, the target block becomes a child node in the hierarchy of scene objects, which entails the fastening of blocks and makes it possible to move a group of game blocks on the control panel. The implemented application modules provide an opportunity to develop levels, configure them and fill them with data without changing the program code in accordance with the basic principles of game design.

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Fig. 7. Character Movement Methods

Fig. 8. The Base Class of the Layout Module

The passage of each level represents the achievement of the target point by the character, which is controlled through software game blocks. Each level of the application contains the following list of components: textures placed on several layers; a target point for moving to the next level; a object-character; level data. As a result, 15 levels with a fixed plot were developed, the passage of which consistently opens access to new software structures, from ordinary blocks for moving to conditional constructions and cycles. The length of the path from the source to the target changes at each level in accordance with the specification of software constructions. Figure 9 shows examples of developed levels. At the end of the development, the graphical interface was tested using the Attunity tool, as well as integration testing using the NUnit framework. The tests confirmed the correctness of the main functional component of the mobile application.

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Fig. 9. Examples of Developed Levels

5 Results Using the gamification methodology, an educational-gaming mobile application for learning programming was developed. The game character reaches the target point by completing each of the 15 levels in the system. The goal of each level is to move the character to the target point on the map using visual programming (blocks). With each level, the route to the target point becomes more complicated, new blocks appear (analogous to program constructions from real YAP) to achieve the goal. Levels 1–7 (see Fig. 10) involve the use of basic blocks (all blocks are blue: up, down, left, right) to move the character around the level location. When passing these levels, algorithmic thinking develops during the construction of the algorithm in the form of a sequence of blocks to achieve the goal. Levels 8–10 (see Fig. 11) involve the use of cyclic constructions. Cyclic constructions used to simplify the algorithm and reduce the volume of blocks are being studied. It is not necessary to use cycles at these levels, but their use is encouraged by an increased reward for the level and an intermediate assessment. Levels 11–15 (see Fig. 12) involve the use of conditional constructions. There is familiarization with the conditions and their practical application, the construction of complex algorithms that include both conditions and cycles. It is also not necessary to use conditions at these levels, but their use is encouraged by an increased reward for the level and an intermediate assessment. At each level, the task is the same: to create an algorithm so as to move the character from point A to point B. The formation of students’ practical programming skills is carried out in the process of developing an algorithm by the user, compiled by manipulating intuitive software game blocks. In the course of obtaining practical skills, users of the system receive an assessment for each of the levels passed, as well as in-game currency, which together with the rating system forms the basis of the motivation system. To test the effectiveness of the use of the educational-gaming mobile application “Play and Program”, the program was tested when studying the discipline “Fundamentals

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Fig. 10. Levels 1–7

Fig. 11. Levels 8–10

of programming in C++” by 1st-year students of the direction of training “Applied Informatics” and “Business Informatics”, IVMiIT, KFU. Unlike the control group, where the training was conducted according to the traditional methodology, the students of the experimental group used the developed educational-gaming mobile application “Play and Program” in the process of learning the basics of programming. At the same time, a

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Fig. 12. Levels 11–15

high level of interest and motivation was observed in the experimental group even after the transition from gaming technologies to traditional training. A comparative analysis of the final scores of students in the experimental and control groups showed that the average score academic performance in the experimental group is higher than in the control group: – – – –

experimental group - 4.1 points; control group - 3.6 points. At the end of the approbation, the students of the experimental group noted that: the introduction of gaming technologies into traditional education makes the learning process more vivid and interesting, which contributes to the increase of motivational activity; – the interface of the educational-gaming mobile application is convenient, intuitively understandable and makes it easy to navigate in it; – the educational-gaming mobile application can be used both in the classroom and outside of classes, which makes the learning process more universal in contrast to traditional learning; – the multilevel system of the educational-gaming mobile application helps to feel the progress and encourages further study of the material. The developed educational-gaming mobile application “Play and Program” solves a number of urgent problems: outdated material in the course of secondary schools, an overabundance of unstructured material in the Internet, loss of involvement in the process of learning new material due to the lack of dynamism of knowledge delivery and motivation system.

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6 Conclusion There is a wide variety of educational mobile applications. Very often educational applications use gamification methods. The user gets new knowledge directly during the game. However, among the many educational-gaming mobile applications, it is usually difficult for a teacher to find something that directly meets the learning goals. Many of these applications have limited functional, contain outdated material, or are paid. The authors developed and tested the educational-gaming mobile application “Play and Program” as part of the course “Fundamentals of programming in C++”. The approbation showed a high level of interest and motivation of students even after the transition from gaming technologies to traditional learning. Students demonstrated a high level of involvement in the process of learning new material due to the dynamism of the presentation of knowledge and the system of motivation embedded in the game. The average academic performance in the experimental group was higher than in the control group. The developed educational-gaming mobile application “Play and Program” can be recommended for implementation in secondary educational institutions and universities as a resource for learning the basics of programming. Acknowledgements. This paper has been supported by the Kazan Federal University Strategic Academic Leadership Program (PRIORITY-2030).

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Experience of Non-linguistics Students Creating Online Games on Foreign Language Grammar Julia N. Karyakina1

, Svetlana A. Korableva1(B) , Galina I. Pankrateva1,2 and Natalia A. Katalkina3

,

1 Emperor Alexander I St. Petersburg State Transport University,

Moskovsky Pr., 9, St. Petersburg 190031, Russia [email protected] 2 Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, Naberezhnaya Moyki, 48, St. Petersburg 191186, Russia 3 Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Saint Petersburg, Politekhnicheskaya, 29, St. Petersburg 195251, Russia

Abstract. The article presents the results of the methodological experiment on creating online games on foreign language grammar by university students in academic context. The authors tried to look at students’ interest for online games in terms of motivating them for studying process in general and in learning foreign language grammar in particular by turning it from routine process into more efficient and exciting one. The authors see gamification as a strategy that uses game technology to engage students in real-life, non-game contexts and suggest using it as a currently relevant tool for solving learning problems. The aim of the experiment was to identify the feasibility of using computer games to increase motivation and interest in learning a foreign language. The use of gamification in the educational process also contributes to the development of students’ autonomy, so the students were also offered to create their own online foreign language games to master the studied material. The experiment showed a significant increase of both interest in the learning process and learning outcomes. Independent creation of online games on foreign language grammar by non-linguistic students contributes to the development of linguistic, media, methodological and social competence, and can also provide differentiated learning in heterogeneous groups and serve as a means of motivation for learning a foreign language and development of creative abilities of learners. Keywords: Gamification · Learning Foreign Language Grammar · Online Games · Student Autonomy · Non-linguistics Students

1 Introduction Since 2011, articles on gamification have been increasingly indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Continued attention to this topic has spurred new research, which continues to grow in number [1]. Online games are engaging, interesting, colorful, and have elements of animation. In this regard, gamification makes learning more © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 83–94, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_7

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engaging and promotes better comprehension and learning [1–3]. This deep engagement on an ongoing basis is extremely important for effective learning [4]. Gamification provides students with the opportunity to participate in active and collaborative learning, solve real-world problems, develop analytical, strategic thinking, gain communication skills, and experience. The inclusion of gamification in the educational process also contributes to the development of students’ autonomy. Autonomy is related to the ability to learn independently and is now considered essential for all students. Given the limited amount of research on gamification in higher education, we believe this topic is relevant and requires further study. According to a number of researchers, online games help motivate and engage students intellectually and academically. This is achieved through the most common gamification elements (scores, levels/stages, badges, leaderboards, prizes and rewards, progress scales, storyline, feedback) [5]. The psychological aspect should not be ignored either: when using gamification, students feel at home, relaxed, stress-free, and students’ attitude towards the subject matter is significantly improved [5]. Teachers need to take advantage of learners’ social electronic habits for educational purposes, this approach can be effective in today’s foreign language learning environment.

2 Literature Review Since the 2010s, technology has been increasingly used to motivate people and solving various individual and collective tasks. This phenomenon is now often described as gamification, which supports motivation to participate in various activities [6–8]. The goal of gamification is to transfer experiences that would normally apply when playing into contexts where such experiences are not normally found [7, 8]. Positive experiences while playing, mastery, competence, and enjoyment underlie what is sometimes called gameplayfulness, a term used to describe what we experience when we play games. When we start a game, we accept the randomness of the end result, which means that the process should be enjoyable regardless of the outcome. We play games because we enjoy the effort and are entertained by the process [6–13]. There is a widespread belief among some researchers that the traditional pedagogy and methodology used in education is outdated, resulting in a lack of interest, enthusiasm, and missing an important element such as fun. Gamification provides educators with tools to increase engagement, motivation to learn. Games offer meaningful and stimulating experiences. Examples of several simple gamified systems in the United States are Codecademy, KhanAcademy, and Duolingo, and examples of some complex ones are Foldit, Classcraft, and CodeCombat [14–16]. The term “gamification” itself, has appeared in blogging, spoken and written texts since the early 2000s [7, 8]. However, it took almost a decade of comprehension before the term really began to be widely used. Gamification’s path to its current popularity began around 2010, when the concept had several ardent supporters and was picked up by IT consultants and industry experts [13]. Since then, the concept began to gain more and more attention in academic circles and eventually gained academic appreciation, leading to the first definitions of what the phenomenon is. One of the first academic definitions

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that became widely accepted was by Deterding et al., who framed gamification as “the use of game design elements in non-game contexts” [6]. Authors working in the field of human-computer interaction view gamification as a new concept, quite different from previous ones, and therefore worthy of its own definition [10, 17]. Several review studies have examined the potential impact of gamification on teaching and learning [5, 18–20]. These studies have shown that the use of gamification has the potential to benefit the educational field because the learner can contribute with their knowledge and ideas, collaborate to improve the process with the teacher, and transfer the knowledge gained to other learners. The goal of gamification is to support and motivate users to complete the task at hand [8, 21, 22] by engaging them in activities [10, 21], and also to increase their interest in a particular area, which can improve learning [8]. In an educational context, gamification has great potential to motivate students by making the classroom environment more appealing [23], as it is a process to improve educational performance [1, 24, 25]. Thus, the idea that game-based learning involves only play is limited; learning should not be boring, but motivating and enjoyable [26]. Several authors agree on the benefits of gamification for the target audience [27] because games allow users to make mistakes and try again, to look at learning without fear and therefore become more engaged in learning [23, 26]. The use of online games in the learning process contributes to the development of student autonomy. Autonomy is presented in the current literature as a key competence needed by all professionals in recent international educational documents [28]. Autonomy can help students participate independently in finding solutions and finding appropriate teaching methods for themselves [29]. Autonomy is a relatively new concept in language learning. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to engage students in autonomous learning. This is often due to the fact that students depend on their instructors, instructors manage their learning, and take some actions that the learners themselves must take. Students need to be given opportunities to identify their strengths and weaknesses and address the challenges they face in their learning in order to become autonomous [1]. According to many prominent experts in the field, “autonomy cannot be taught in the traditional sense, it can only be ‘encouraged’” [30], suggesting using a “technological approach” to develop autonomy [29]. This approach includes forms such as Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Computer Mediated Communication (CMC), and others. Researchers have found a strong connection between computer-mediated communication and learner autonomy [31]. The use of gamification has become a research trend in recent years, perhaps because the concept is related to motivation and the promotion of competencies and skills. However, knowledge about gamification and its application in the university educational context is still limited [32]. Therefore, it is necessary to continue to explore what benefits gamification can bring in the teaching and learning process [33]. In the modern didactic paradigm there has been a shift from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered orientation, in particular, according to current trends in pedagogy, learners themselves can and even should design educational materials. The task of the present study is to have non-pedagogical students create games on the grammar of a foreign language. The premise of the current study is the idea that the formation of

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grammatical skill requires a lot of repetition, which, firstly, cannot be fully provided during the classroom, and secondly, doing a large number of exercises for the drilling of grammatical material is tedious and often demotivates students. Having some experience of teaching grammar via non-gamified methods [34], the authors supposed that game forms of grammar practice could solve this problem. There are easy to use and accessible tools, such as online platforms like LearningApps.org, Quizlet, Wordwall, etc. In this study, we limit ourselves by using only the learningapps.org platform, as it is a free and easy-to-use service, and provides the ability to create games of different types. Another problem associated with the gamification of the learning process is the lack of teacher’s time to create a large number of games. We propose to solve this problem by involving the students themselves in their creation.

3 Experiment Description During the study, an entrance questionnaire was offered to the participants of the experiment. They were asked the following questions: 1) Do you like to play online games? (Answer options: yes, very much/not very much/no); 2) Do you use online games in your university during the educational process? (Yes, often/rarely/no); 3) Would you like to learn foreign language grammar with the help of online games? (Yes/no); 4) Have you ever created computer games yourself? (Yes/no); 5) Would you be interested in creating an online foreign language game yourself? (Yes/No). Next, a pedagogical experiment was conducted with the project participants during which students were firstly offered to play ready-made games on previously studied grammar topics, created on the platform learningapps.org, which allowed to acquaint students with the possibilities of this platform and different types of games, presented on it. After that, the teachers showed the project participants how to create games of different types themselves on the learningapps.org platform. Then the students were invited to create an online game of any type with at least 10 tasks on one of the studied grammar materials and send it to the teacher. The students could choose whether to do this work individually or in pairs. Finally, the teachers who conducted the experiment analyzed the games received, taking into account such criteria as the total number of games received during the experiment; the number of games suitable for further use in the educational process; the type of game chosen by the students; the number of tasks in the game; the number and types of mistakes made in the games; the amount of time the teacher spent on explaining and correcting mistakes made by students in games they had created. The analysis made it possible to conclude on the advisability of further use of the method of independent compilation of online grammar games in the learning process. In addition, the students were given the opportunity to test the games created by their groupmates, selected and, if necessary, pre-corrected by the teacher.

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At the end of the project the students were also offered the post experiment questionnaire, which included the following questions: 1) Were you interested in creating an online game? (Rated by a five-point system, from “1”, indicating the least interest, to “5”, indicating the highest level of interest in the process of creating the online game); 2) During the creation of the online game, were you able to better understand and/or remember the rule that was practiced with it? (Yes/No); 3) What challenges did you face when making the game? (detailed answer) 4) Would you like to play online games in a foreign language class in the future? (Yes/no); 5) Would you like to create online foreign language games on your own in the future? (Rated by a five-point system, where “1” indicated no desire and “5” supposed full agreement to participate in the process of creating online games in the future). 108 German and English language learners participated in the entrance questionnaire. The participants of the experiment from the Higher School of International Relations of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University: 1st - 3rd years bachelor’s students, profile “Regional international cooperation” with level of German language: A1–B2. Students from Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The participants from Emperor Alexander I St. Petersburg State Transport University were mainly 1st-year bachelor students, majoring in Railroad Operation, Rolling Stock and Marketing with A2-B2 English language level. All the students are from Russia. The results of the survey show that the vast majority of the project participants like to play online games and would like to learn foreign language grammar with their help (Fig. 1). At the same time, only 15% of the respondents believe that online games are often enough used in the educational process at the university. However, only 51.4% of the respondents would like to create an online foreign language game on their own and only 15% had previously created online games. From all the students participated in the questionnaire only 48% created an online game, which indicates a moderate interest of the students in the experiment. It should be noted that in the groups that received a more detailed explanation of the process of creating an online game and the opportunity to consult with the teacher directly during the creating process, the task was completed by the vast majority of students, while in the groups where the creation of an online game was assigned as homework, only a few students created online games. Students chose to create the game in pairs, and only 20% of students did the task individually. According to this fact we can conclude that students felt some uncertainty in performing this activity and needed support and advice from their teachers. A total number of 24 games were created by students during the experiment, 84% of them with the necessary modifications and corrections were suitable for using in the educational process, which is one of the evidences of the method’s effectiveness. 74% of the games received included, as suggested by the teacher, 10 tasks, 21% of the games had less than 10 tasks, and 5% had more than 10 tasks. This fact probably allows us to conclude that it was quite a difficult assignment for the students to create an online game on their own.

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100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

low average high Interest in Frequency of Desire to learn Desire to online games using online grammar create online games in the through games on your classroom games own Fig. 1. The results of the questionnaire before the experiment

The students chose different types of games in terms of design, however, it should be noted that the test tasks prevailed, in fact, involving the choice of the correct one out of several answers offered. We believe that the test type of task is, on the one hand, the most familiar in an academic context, and, on the other hand, the easiest one, due to which students prefer it. Also, the attractiveness of the design and variety of test-type games most likely influenced the students’ choice of the task type. Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5 show screenshots of games created by the students. In terms of correcting and modifying the students’ works we can assume that only 15% of the received games did not have to be modified in any way, which is a clear indicator of the need for the teacher to support the process of independent creation of online games by students. However, the number of mistakes in the online games was insignificant: 3–5 mistakes per game. In addition, we should state in favour of this method that the revision of the game, including the teacher’s review of the original version, verbal explanation of mistakes to students, their correction by students and double-checking by teacher, took 5–7 min, while the creation of a similar game by teacher takes longer time period: about 15–20 min. Thus, the teachers’ role in the process of creating online games by students can be described in 3 stages: 1) monitoring and controlling the degree of assimilation of the studied grammar material by a student; 2) explaining the material they hadn’t understood; 3) consulting and finding additional methodological materials. All the mistakes made by students in the games were not on the target grammar material, but on some other aspects of language learning: lexical, spelling, punctuation mistakes, as well as methodological ones. So, the teachers consulted the students during the working process allowing students to correct the mistakes. This fact indicates that the independent creation of online games together with teacher’s consulting contributes to a better understanding and mastery of the studied grammar material.

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Fig. 2. A game screenshot

Fig. 3. A game screenshot

After the experiment the students were offered another questionnaire to get their feedback. The results of the exit questionnaire can be seen in Fig. 6. As seen in the Fig. 6, 69.2% of those surveyed demonstrated the highest interest in the process of independent online game creation, while 7.7% of respondents found this process completely uninteresting. At the same time, 84.6% of the experiment participants managed to better understand the grammar material practiced in the online game. The vast majority of the students indicated that they did not have any difficulties during the creation of the online game. In rare cases, difficulties such as lack of time, clarification of sentence context, creation of distractors in game tasks, and boredom were indicated. Despite the rather moderate desire of the respondents to create online foreign language games on their own in the future, 96.2% of the respondents would like to continue to

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Fig. 4. A game screenshot

Fig. 5. A game screenshot

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Fig. 6. The results of the questionnaire after the experiment

use online games in the learning process. Other examples of the students’ online games on English and German language grammar can be seen in the Appendix.

4 Conclusions The conducted study showed that the vast majority of students welcomed the gamification of the learning process in higher education and would like to play online games in foreign language classes more often. The participants of the project also showed quite a high interest in creating online games on the studied grammar material on their own. However, the process of creating online games on the learningapps.org platform, while technically simple, required students to have developed language competence, as well as certain methodological skills, which indicates the need for support of this process by an experienced teacher. Independent creation of online games allows students to better understand and master the studied grammatical rule, and the teacher reduces the time for searching and preparing additional methodological materials. The experiment shows that it is preferable to create online games in pairs, which allows students not only to share knowledge and experiences, but also to strengthen social ties in the team. The fact that 52% of the participants did not create any online games, and 16% of the students could not create an online game proper for the learning process shows that this method of work is not suitable for all students, but allows to provide differentiation in the learning process, in which students inclined to independent creative activities and having sufficiently high language competence make online games, whereas students not ready to productive activities can play them. In addition, we believe that in any case, it was useful for all learners to get acquainted with the productive use of learningapps.org platform, which can serve as a tool for self-study not only in foreign languages.

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Thus, independent creation of online games on foreign language grammar by nonlinguistic students contributes to the development of linguistic, media, methodological and social competence, and can also provide differentiated learning in heterogeneous groups and serve as a means of motivation for learning a foreign language and development of creative abilities of learners.

Appendix Examples of online games obtained in the course of the experiment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

https://learningapps.org/watch?v=pmnodkpqc23 https://learningapps.org/watch?v=phxdi1emk23 https://learningapps.org/watch?v=pdf5abxnk23 https://learningapps.org/watch?v=pr5rxhkij23 https://learningapps.org/watch?v=pc7x579ok23 https://learningapps.org/display?v=pggzqmvta23 https://learningapps.org/watch?v=pkkgug1h323 https://learningapps.org/watch?v=p0a18en1t23 https://learningapps.org/watch?v=pfdeuvmy323 https://learningapps.org/display?v=pkr4xvvc523 https://learningapps.org/watch?v=p1dtf58mc23 https://learningapps.org/watch?v=p4m9t9rxn23 https://learningapps.org/watch?v=pges88f2c23 https://learningapps.org/watch?v=pjyr6jtpa23 https://learningapps.org/watch?v=phkaa8tg323 https://learningapps.org/watch?v=p2shc5yb523 https://learningapps.org/view30262706

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Games in Various Educational Environments

Using Game Practices to Identify Teams Capable of Generating Entrepreneurial Ideas Viola A. Larionova(B) , Natalia V. Goncharova , Liudmila V. Daineko , Ekaterina V. Zaitseva , and Elena V. Bespamyatnykh Ural Federal University, 19 Mira Street, 620002 Ekaterinburg, Russia {v.a.larionova,n.v.goncharova,l.v.daineko,e.v.zaitceva, e.v.bespamyatnyh}@urfu.ru

Abstract. The existing problems of graduates’ employment, constant changes in the labor market are a challenge for educational organizations and challenge universities to change their approaches to the organization of the educational process, forcing universities to find new tools that can involve university students in university technological entrepreneurship. For this reason, universities are developing methodological approaches and looking for formats to work with university startups that provide conditions for finding industry topics for technology startups in the agenda of industry markets. The aim of the study is to develop a methodology for identifying potentially effective student teams at the pre-experimental stage of student project selection. The authors conducted an experiment in the form of game practice with first year students of Ural Federal University, which showed that despite the random assignment of students to teams, the team with the highest cumulative frequency of meaningful words and active verbs and the most harmonious roles according to Belbin and the most cohesive work according to observers won the game. The authors conclude that game practices can identify potentially effective teams capable of generating innovative entrepreneurial ideas that can be attracted to entrepreneurship and to work in accelerators. Keywords: Project activities · game practices in learning · entrepreneurial thinking · team roles · effective teamwork · universal competencies

1 Introduction Universities all over the world face the challenge of graduate employment. Recent graduates represent one of the most vulnerable groups in the labour market. Due to the importance of this problem, the QS Graduate Employability Rankings of the world’s best universities in terms of graduate employability are annually compiled. The ranking evaluates universities according to the following criteria: graduate employability rate, university reputation among employers, achievements and successes of graduates, level of partnership and cooperation between universities and employers, and students’ and graduates’ relationship with employers. Universities make significant efforts for quick and successful employment of their graduates through internship and work practice programmes, employment assistance and support, introducing students to employers at job © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 97–113, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_8

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fairs, assistance in CV writing, preparation for interviews, etc. Nowadays the problem of finding a job is becoming more and more acute for graduates of Russian universities. Every year more than 700,000 graduates from Russian universities enter the labor market. Moreover, as of June 2023 on the site of the federal recruiting database “Work in Russia” [1] there are 108 523 vacancies for university graduates (by filter: higher education, no work experience, full-time employment). Today the labour market imposes a great demand for specialists who posse not only professional but also soft skills. That is why universities are actively introducing courses aimed at soft skills development into their educational programmes. However, the shortage of vacant jobs for university graduates forces the educational community to engage students in starting up their own business. To alleviate the problem of graduate employment, the Government of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation encourage universities to create a system of student entrepreneurship. For this purpose, in 2019, as part of the federal project “Personnel for the digital economy” of the national program “Digital Economy of the Russian Federation” the program “Startup as a Diploma” was updated, which allows students to form a team of participants studying in different areas and having different competencies to prepare a graduate qualification work in the form of a Startup during their studies. Universities solve the problem of involving university students in entrepreneurial activities in different ways - they introduce project-based learning, hold various trainings aimed at developing entrepreneurial competencies, provide business advice, create gas pedals, motivate students to create real business projects as their final qualification work. The idea of stimulating student start-ups received federal status, becoming one of the 42 initiatives of socio-economic development of the country for the period up to 2030 [2]. 66 billion rubles will be allocated from the budget to create “an ecosystem of technological entrepreneurship around universities. Despite the efforts of the Russian government and universities, the development of student start-ups has been slow. In 2022 there were only 504 graduate qualification works in the “Startup as a Diploma” format for the whole country. Students during the study do not even think about entrepreneurship, because they do not know how to create teams, they do not know how to generate ideas, they do not know how to calculate risks, and they are afraid to take responsibility. The authors believe that game practices at the pre-training stage of student project selection can be useful to involve university students in entrepreneurial activities and to identify potentially effective teams. Gamification is a technology of applying game mechanics in the learning activities of pupils/students to increase their motivation, to identify their strengths/weaknesses, thus providing further opportunities for individual learning. The relevance of the research lies in stimulating students to get involved in university technological entrepreneurship, in developing methodological approaches and formats of work with university start-ups, in organizing mentoring and tracking student project teams and in providing conditions for searching industry themes for technological startups on the market agenda of the National Technological Initiative, in searching investors to support the best start-ups and in involving talented students in those areas.

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2 Materials and Methods To test the hypothesis, we developed a research program consisting of eight stages: Stage 1. At the first stage a business game aimed at team-building, improvement of communicative abilities, revealing of entrepreneurial competences and leadership qualities was conducted with first-year students of Ural Federal University. From two academic groups totalling 42 people, four teams of 10–11 people were randomly formed (for the purpose to avoid informal relations). The essence of the business game was the necessity for every team to create a working model of a catapult, able to send in flight a small plastic ball as far as possible in order to defeat other teams. To make the task more complicated and to involve all team members in the game students were asked to divide into two groups within the team: • for the first 15 min, only one group could talk, organizing work on the catapult model; the second group could actively participate in the work on the catapult, but could only communicate in non-verbal ways; • for the next 15 min, the groups switched places. As a result, 30 min after the start of the game, each team must have two catapults, of which one had to be chosen before the test to demonstrate the result obtained and to measure the duration of the ball’s flight. However, during the game, the rules were revised, and after 15 min, all team members could talk without restriction. Thirty minutes after the start of the game the models of the catapult were tested and the winning team was determined. Students were given A4 paper, masking and construction tape, plastic tubing, metal paper clips and clamps, clothespins, rubber bands for money, and plastic cups to work on their catapult. Tennis plastic balls were suggested as a projectile for the kata pullet. High-sensitivity, noise-canceling audio equipment was used to record the discussion of the catapult. Stage 2. The obtained audio recordings of the discussion of the catapult were translated into text format to evaluate the saturation of the discussion with keywords. Semantic analysis service with the exclusion of introductory and auxiliary words in the conversation was used for the analysis of the semantic core. Stage 3. Comparison of teams according to the frequency of using meaningful words and active verbs in discussion using nonparametric Kraskell-Wallis criterion [3]. Stage 4. At the fourth stage the Mann-Whitney criterion [4] was applied to detail the differences between the teams, allowing for a pairwise comparison of the teams and revealing the peculiarities of team discussion. This assessment allowed us to understand to what extent the team communication of the game winners differed from the course of communication of the other teams. Stage 5. At the fifth stage, in order to obtain additional information about the dynamics of discussion in the teams and the role of each participant, a focus group with team observers from among older students was conducted to find out the characteristics of teamwork and communication of team participants.

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Stage 6. In the sixth stage, interviews were conducted with each team in order to determine the opinion on the coherence of the work process and to identify the peculiarities of communication within the team. Stage 7. At the seventh stage, in order to identify the preferred roles in teamwork, students were diagnosed using R.M. Belbin’s test (assessment of functional-role patterns of behavior) [5]. This assessment allowed us to understand how the combination of team roles of the game winners differed from the combination of team roles of the other teams. Stage 8. The eighth stage concluded on what conditions need to be created for good dynamic teamwork stimulated by gamification. How to identify potentially effective teams with the help of gamification practice in order to further involve university students in entrepreneurial activities. The following data served as the basis for the study: 1) Audio recordings of team discussions; 2) Interviews of observers and team members; 3) Results of Belbin’s diagnosis of team roles in the teams.

3 Problem Statement The scientific discussion about the influence of game practice/gamification on the formation of soft skills of students has been going on for quite a long time. However, not all researchers evaluate the application of gamepractices positively. Arnold B. J. believes that when the concept of gamification is applied to education, the opportunities for experiential, selfpaced and lifelong learning expand exponentially, learners are hooked by fun and then rewarded with knowledge and skills [6]. Freitas S. A. A. et al. believes that gamification is a powerful tool to attract students, rise their interest up to learn and caught attention for a long period of time [7]. Larionova, V. et al. believe that game practices help future specialists to acquire the main key competences for their successful implementation in life [8]. Many researchers describe how gamification affects student motivation and grades [9–13], analyze the impact of gamification on students’ cognitive abilities [14, 15], study how the gamification of the educational process is perceived by students [16], evaluate the motivational effects of gamification [11], and explore subject areas that can be gamified and taught using a cloud service [17]. In “Reality is Broken. Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World” [18] McGonigal J. points out that the game has an enormous power of influence. It can help people get rid of serious psychological states, change the rules of business, remove the social and economic problems of man, countries, regions. Recognizes that those people who develop games will own the world. However, with regard to the application of games in the learning process he establishes the opposite thesis. The author assumes that the main rule in the game is its voluntariness. The student has no right to choose, his decision no one asks. And if the teacher has decided to work through a certain material in the form of a game, then all members of the group will have to play. Accordingly, the positive impact of the game on learning is possible only when students voluntarily and willingly participate in a learning game. If there is no such a

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thing, and motivation to learn the material will not be. There will not be a positive impact of the game on learning. Not only he, but other researchers analyze the negative effects associated with gamification [19–21]. However, let us turn to the study of the influence of game practices on the formation of entrepreneurial and soft skills. Donnell, Jeffrey A. et al. back in 2011 drew our attention to the fact that engineering graduates have poor communication skills. At that the evaluation of graduates’ soft skills was quite high by the teachers, but when they and their employers came to the production, they faced with their insufficient level [22]. Despite the preconceived not only soft skills development, but also socialization in general in the process of computer games, Chollet, A. turned to the study of the impact of multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) on the formation of soft skills in its players. He concludes that players develop social and behavioral skills through numerous in-game interactions such as empathy, team spirit, courage and curiosity [23]. Sousa, M. J., & Rocha, Á. analyzing the results of the influence of using game training on the formation of soft skills. The acquired soft skills were typologized into three groups: team management, leadership and time-management. The study showed that game practices can influence the development of soft skills. They develop such skills as people management, resource management, organization, decision making, resource management; stress management, etc. [24]. Researchers argue that soft skills are an integral part of entrepreneurial skills. Ferreras-Garcia et al. studied the relationship between different groups of students’ competences and concluded that universal competences (soft skills) influence specific competences of students and there is a strong relationship between professional, interpersonal and entrepreneurial competences [25]. Costin, Y. et al. have found that decision-making, risk management, problem-solving, business communication, communication and teamwork skills need to be developed in order to build entrepreneurial skills. Researchers note that games and simulations are increasingly being used in both academia and business to develop such skills. They describe a business simulation module in which postgraduate students used a game to simulate the management and running of a business. The game replicated real-life scenarios, providing an innovative and contextualised learning environment. A survey conducted by the researchers showed that most of the students interviewed considered entrepreneurial skills to be very important for setting up their own business and appreciated the impact of simulation on the development of core entrepreneurial skills. The researchers made recommendations for educators to involve game-based learning into the educational process for promoting the entrepreneurial skills development [26]. Leon, R. D. analysed 267 curricula from 21 universities of the European Union member states and concluded that European business schools managed to develop most of the necessary entrepreneurial skills in their students through case study strategies. Their graduates were both task-oriented and people-oriented. On the one hand, they were focused on the efficiency of problem solving taking into account the calculated risks. On the other hand, they knew how to communicate and cooperate in teams. In addition, the researchers have shown that the analysed educational programmes combine the approach “about entrepreneurship” and “for entrepreneurship”, aiming at the development

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of cognitive, functional and behavioural competences by combining lectures with active learning methods [27]. However, the authors were unable to find studies on the use of game practices to identify potentially effective teams and involve university students in entrepreneurial activities. Hypothesis: Practical games can be useful to involve university students in entrepreneurial activities and to identify potentially effective teams during the pretraining stage of student project selection.

4 Results Stage 1. Conducting the Game. A group of 42 first-year students of Ural Federal University was randomly divided into four teams: Team 1 - 11 people, Team 2 - 10 people, Team 3 - 10 people, Team 4 - 11 people. After an explanation of the game conditions, each team worked in a separate room with an observer who monitored the observance of the rules of the game and could apply a system of penalties and punishments if necessary. After 30 min, each team made two catapults from the given materials, tested them and chose one catapult to demonstrate the results. The catapult competition showed the following results: Team 1 - 0.57m. Team 2 5.92m, Team 3 - 1.09m, Team 4 - 0.15m. According to the test results, Team 2 won with a large advantage. Stage 2. Semantic Analysis of the Discussion. After finishing the game, testing the created catapults and identifying the winning team, a semantic analysis of the discussion of the catapult work was conducted. At the second stage on the basis of transcribed audio recordings of team discussions using automated tools of semantic analysis a common semantic core of team discussions was revealed, including 20 most frequent significant words (nouns) and 20 active verbs expressing actions of team participants taking into account all possible word forms and synonyms. Synonyms of meaningful words and active verbs were counted as one word. The frequency of meaningful words and active verbs is presented in Table 1. Stage 3. Hypothesis testing using the Kruskel-Wallis method. At the third stage, all four teams were compared in terms of frequency of meaningful words and active verbs using nonparametric Kraskell-Wallis criterion. The null hypothesis was that all four commands were equal in terms of the semantic core of the discussion. An alternative hypothesis was based on the assumption that the teams differed in the content of the discussion and, in particular, in the frequency of the use of significant words and active verbs. The results of the analysis are presented in Table 2. The analysis showed a statistically significant difference between the teams in terms of the content of the discussion, but the criterion only states the existence of differences in the team discussions, without specifying which teams differ from each other and how significant this difference is. Stage 4. Hypothesis testing using the Mann-Whitney method. In the fourth stage, the Mann-Whitney test was applied to detail the differences between the teams, allowing a pairwise comparison of the teams and identifying the features of team judgment. In

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Table 1. Frequency of meaningful words and active verbs Semantic core element

Synonyms

Gum Scotch

Frequency of meaningful words and active verbs Team1

Team2

Team3

Team4

42

22

17

18

18

55

17

21

tube

piping, straw

15

20

13

2

minute

second, time

10

8

24

2

thing

16

0

9

8

Catapult

13

9

7

2

balloon

Ball

5

18

10

4

tumbler

Glass

3

21

0

6

type

6

8

0

12

clothespin

6

7

3

4

hole

4

3

0

6

scissors

9

5

0

5

Idea

0

8

2

3

structure

orifice, opening

0

2

6

3

paper clip

Mechanism

6

5

2

0

slingshot

0

5

0

4

side

7

0

2

0

arm

3

5

2

0

stick

3

5

0

0

crap

0

0

2

2

give

35

52

20

25

coil

wrap, rewrap, unwind

36

18

2

18

hold

keep it

21

8

5

11

pin

fix, attach

0

18

20

5

pull

pull up, pull back, procrastinate, constrict

8

6

0

14

see

view

7

24

6

4

7

8

0

8

try

attempt

4

11

5

5

come out

get it

5

10

7

2

9

0

5

speak

shoot

0 (continued)

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V. A. Larionova et al. Table 1. (continued)

Semantic core element

Synonyms

Frequency of meaningful words and active verbs Team1

Team2

Team3

Team4

6

5

8

0

13

8

0

2

6

0

0

6

cut

0

8

3

2

0

15

2

0

tie, knot

0

8

0

6

3

5

0

0

stay wait

wait for

silence trim put up link insert carve

5

0

0

3

0

0

2

6

scrub

0

3

5

2

Total frequency

331

413

206

221

go

go away

Table 2. Comparison of teams according to the frequency of meaningful words and active verbs in the discussion process, using nonparametric Kraskell-Wallis test Estimates

Team1

Team2

Team3

Team4

Sum of ranks

3403

3851,5

2698

2927,5

Number of observations

40

40

40

40

The mean square of the sum of the ranks

289510,2

370851,3

181980,1

214256,4

Sum of the average squares of the sum of ranks

1056598

N (total number of observations)

160

K (number of groups)

4

Empirical value of the criterion Hemp at p = 0,05

9,204

Empirical value of the criterion Hmod (modified statistics in the presence of related ranks) at p = 0,05

9,367

Critical value of the criterion Hcrit

7,815

Calculated value p-value

0,026697 (0,05)

0,0086 (0,05)

0,212722 (>0,05)

Conclusion

No reason to reject the null hypothesis

The null hypothesis is rejected

The null hypothesis is rejected

No reason to reject the null hypothesis

No reason to reject the null hypothesis

No reason to reject the null hypothesis

Statistical hypothesis testing based on the Mann-Whitney test revealed a statistically significant difference between Team 2 and the two teams: Team 3 and Team 4, with Team 3 and 4 being close in the frequency of meaningful words and active verbs in the discussion. This indicates that the discussion in the winning Team2 team had distinctive features that the authors suggested led the team to victory. However, the test did not reveal a statistically significant difference between the winning team, Team2, and Team1. The latter did not show any differences with either team, which can be explained by the limitations of semantic analysis based on transcribed audio recordings, in particular the loss of non-verbal information, which may play an important role in the interpretation of team discussions. Stage 5. Focus Group with Team Observers. In the fifth stage, a focus group was held with senior student team observers to obtain more information on the dynamics of the teams’ discussions and the role of each participant. During the focus group, the observers answered the following questions: • • • • • • • • •

What was the main focus of your team’s discussion? Did the Team lose time, and at what point? Did a leader show up in the team? Were there participants in the team who were not involved in teamwork? Was there a clear division of roles in the team? Did the Team follow the set rules? Was the team’s attitude towards the game positive or negative? Was the teamwork dynamic? Describe the overall impression of the team’s performance.

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• Describe the overall impression of the game. The results of the observer interviews were interesting. The first team observer did not notice anyone showing leadership, but the Team was divided and the first part of the team assembled the catapult, and the second part gave more tips on how to do it, giving practical advice. The whole team was involved in creating the model; however, the observer noted that some participants were not involved, in the observer’s opinion those who did not fully understand the essence of the game. In the observer’s opinion, the Team lost time in discussing the rules of the game, in distributing the work among the team members, and was also distracted by scouts from other teams. The mood of the team was positive, but the team did not have enough time allocated to create a working model of the catapult and, in the observer’s opinion, the decision to assemble two catapults was impractical, which eventually led to the team losing, despite having all roles in it. The observer of the third team noted that there was a leader in the team from the first minute and another leader after 15 min of silence. There were two people in the team who did not take part in the general activity, but tried to complete the task silently on their own, but everyone was engaged and there were no participants ignoring the task. The observer noted that there was little discussion at the beginning of the work, everyone was trying to do something on their own, but by the end of the work all team members were involved in the conversation, speeding up the creation of the catapult. The observer noted that there was not enough time for the team to create a working model and the tests were carried out at the last moment, on the way to the common classroom. According to the diagnostics there was no team organiser in the team, which led to uncoordinated work of the team as a whole, resulting in a lack of time to test the created model. The observer of the fourth team noticed that the Team was not actively working on the catapult - 3–4 people took part in the working process, the rest were just watching. In general, the Team perceived the game positively, but did not show obvious activity; the discussion was mainly about how to improve the design so that the mechanism would work. The fourth team lacked the role of critic, but most participants had the attributes of a controller. The observer of the second winning team remarked that there was a strong female leader in the team right away. From the first minute she was working on the catapult, she started actively discussing ideas for the design and assembling it with the other team members. The leader offered her thoughts and listened to the ideas of the other participants. Also in the second part of the team, who had been quiet for the first 15 min, a young man was vigorously trying to explain his suggestions in gestures. The observer also noted that the role of scout in the team was not active, one of the team went to see what the other teams were doing only after representatives of the other three teams had come to the classroom where the Team worked several times. While working on the working model of the catapult, it was the working issues that the Team discussed, with the first 15 min dealing with structural issues for the first catapult model, after 15 min the parallel work on the two catapult models began. The observer also noted that the conceptual idea for the first catapult was conceived during the first 15 min, and then in a joint discussion the idea was realised. According to the observer’s account it was difficult for the team to think through the implementation in the beginning precisely because of the restrictions on talking, but when the Team was able to communicate as a whole the work on the catapults went much faster. The Team generally complied with the

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established rules of the game, however there was not enough space on one table to work on two catapults and several times the teams split up and the observer returned them closer to the microphone. Also, splitting up the team led to a lack of materials to work on the model catapult, which could have affected the final result. The first version of the catapult was designed together and then part of the team got to work on it while the other part started to work on the second model. Both models were completed in time, with the Team managing to run tests and select the more successful catapult, which eventually won the game. The second team’s observer commented that she had enjoyed watching the team members’ thinking, but felt that the rules of conduct during the game should be discussed in more detail, as the organisers’ words “you can see what other teams are doing and you can exchange materials with other teams”, were heard by some guys as “you can obstruct other teams in any way you like”. The focus group of the observers showed well-coordinated teamwork, rapid emergence of a formal leader, active discussion dynamics of all participants of the second team from the first minute of work, constructive interaction, effective collective communication, presence of team spirit and positive attitude of the winning team. However, according to the observers, the work of the other teams was not as well-coordinated, with some participants falling out of the game process and not participating, and roles not being clearly defined. Stage 6. Interviews with Team Members. In the sixth stage, interviews were conducted with each team in order to reveal the opinion on the coherence of the work process and to identify the specifics of communication within the team. Based on the team interviews, it was found that each team showed a leader (formal or informal) who synchronised the work of the randomly assembled team. All the teams felt that they had been actively involved in creating a working model of the catapult, having allocated responsibilities amongst themselves and clearly respected the rules of the game. Team discussions were focused on the process of working on the catapult and they reported that there was no off-topic talk due to time constraints. Participants in the experiment developed positive relationships within the teams, even though the teams were formed from two academic groups at random. Team participants assessed the experience of working together as a cohesive, result-oriented team, respectful of each other and taking into account the opinions of the team members in order to work effectively on the development of the working model of the catapult. According to the students, they succeeded in creating intellectual and emotional bonds between the team members during the game and in “shaking things up” and developing practical skills. The experience of participating in the experiment was evaluated by all the teams as positive, moreover, a week later the students asked the teacher about the possibility of repeating this experiment. It should be noted that the interviews with the team members showed no significant differences in the evaluation of the work process and communication patterns within each team. The authors think this might be because the team members were focused on the work process during the game and did not monitor the characteristics of the other team members’ behaviour as the observers did. Stage 7. Belbin’s Diagnosis of Team Roles. In the seventh stage, in order to identify the preferred roles in teamwork and determine the role structure of teams, students were diagnosed with the R.M. Belbin test (assessment of functional-role behaviours).

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The test consisted of seven blocks of questions and eight answer options for each. A student had to allocate 10 points for each question in any order: to allocate between one or several answers. The following team roles were identified: controller (C), formal leader (FL), informal leader (IL), work organiser (WO), generator of ideas (GI), group organiser (GO), scout (S), critic (CR). Based on the results of the diagnosis, each student individually received a transcript of the test, which indicated his or her preferred team roles and recommendations on how to develop his or her abilities and leadership skills. As a result of the interpretation of the results two most preferred roles in the team were identified for each student: Role 1 and Role 2, which are presented in Table 4. Table 4. Allocation of roles to team members Team1

Team2

Team3

Team4

Role 1

Role 2

Role 1

Role 2

Role 1

Role 2

Role 1

Role 2

FL

S

FL

WO

C

IL

IL

FL

CR

S

IL

CR

C

S

C

CR

CR

GO

C

FL

WO

CR

IL

CR

IL

S

GO

CR

IL

CR

C

WO

IL

C

CR

WO

C

CR

S

CR

C

WO

WO

IL

C

S

FL

C

C

S

S

CR

CR

WO

FL

C

FL

WO

C

WO

WO

S

WO

GO

FL

GO

CR

C

IL

CR

FL

C

S

WO

CR

GO

CR

WO

FL

CR

CR

GO

IL

C

According to R.M. Belbin’s approach, a team is most effective when it is heterogeneous and consists of people with different abilities, ways of thinking and behaviour. This requires that team members are not just different, but complement each other and can perform different functions in the team due to their characteristics, which leads to a successful and balanced team. The reluctance of the team members to take on certain tasks and functions can in turn lead to difficulties and limitations in achieving results. The role structure of teams is presented in Table 5. The test results showed that the design of Team 3 lacked the formal leader (FL) and group organiser (GO) roles, Team 4 lacked the critic (CR) role, and Teams 1 and 2 had all roles. The absence of a formal leader and group organiser in Team 3 indicates that the team may have difficulties in goal-setting, prioritising work, and resolving problems in difficult situations. The presence of three formal leaders could not compensate for the lack of these roles as the team leaders are too soft, compromising and often lose themselves in acute situations. The lack of criticism in the 4th team shows that the team

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Table 5. Role structure of teams. Allocation of roles in teams Team1

Team2

Team3

Team4

Role 1 Role 2 Role 1 Role 2 Role 1 Role 2 Role 1 Role2 Controller (C)

2

1

3

1

4

–

2

4

Formal Leader (FL)

3

–

1

1

–

–

4

1

Informal Leader (IL)

2

–

1

1

2

1

3

–

Work Organiser (WR)

–

3

1

3

2

2

1

1

Generator of Ideas (GI)

2

–

2

2

–

3

–

4

Group Organiser (GO)

–

3

1

1

–

–

–

1

Scout (S)

1

4

1

–

–

3

1

–

CRitic (CR)

1

–

–

1

2

1

–

–

may have had difficulties in analysing different options and being able to anticipate the outcome. In the first team, although all roles are present, there is a surplus of scouts (5) who explore new possibilities but quickly lose interest as their initial enthusiasm dies down. The first team seems to have only one critic who looks at all the options, analyses, tries to think ahead, but lacks the ability to inspire the rest of the team. The team may have difficulties motivating them to achieve their goals. Team 2 had the most harmonious role structure. The second team also had only one critic, but the four idea generators who offered original ideas and solved complex issues. The disadvantages of the ideagenerators, such as poor contact with other team members, were compensated for by the presence of two team leaders, two formal and two informal. This team had someone to come up with unconventional ideas and someone to implement them. A Belbin diagnosis of team roles revealed a distribution of roles (see Fig. 1). Stage 8. Hypothesis Testing. Despite the distribution of students into teams at random, as a result of the game the second team won, which not only had the highest total frequency of meaningful words and active verbs, but also the most harmonious roles according to R. M. Belbin. The observers’ opinion also confirms this result as it was noted that the second team displayed a leader from the very beginning of the game and that all participants of the team except for one person were involved in the process of working on the model of the catapult. It was also observed that all team members immediately found a common language and allocated the correct amount of time to work on the catapult model. Thus, the hypothesis of the study confirms that gamepractices can identify potentially effective teams capable of generating innovative entrepreneurial ideas, which can then be involved in entrepreneurial activities, including accelerators.

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Team1

Team1

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Controller (C) 6 CRic (CR)

4

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2 Scout (S)

0

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Group Organiser (GO) Generator of Ideas (GI)

Fig. 1. Allocation of roles to teams.

5 Discussion Numerous studies confirm the positive impact of games on learning. Research analysis shows a growing interest in the use of games in the educational process. University professors strive to develop educational games to promote engagement, soft and entrepreneurial skills. The authors have repeatedly addressed the issue of students acquiring the necessary competencies to be competitive in the labour market [28, 29]. The main task of students and teachers is to develop both professional competences and soft skills [30]. This implies that they should not only be able to solve professional problems and issues, but also be able to work in a team, have a high level of adaptation to new conditions [31, 32], have entrepreneurial skills [25–27]. Caeiro-Rodríguez et al. also point out that these competencies come to the fore [33]. Gamification is the introduction of game forms into non-game contexts: work, learning and people’s daily lives. However, the application of game practices in learning is not only interesting in the context of motivating students. As shown in this study, even among randomly formed teams, game practices can be used to identify the one in which the team role structure is most harmonious. The combination of a harmonious team and an interesting for the task can interest students and induce the development of their entrepreneurial activity to generate innovative entrepreneurial ideas for implementation in the format of “Startup as Diploma”.

6 Conclusion The authors’ proposed methodology of using game practice in working with students can be applied to identify and acceleration of potentially effective student teams. Comprehensive approach to project team assessment including semantic analysis of transcribed records of team communication during the work on the task, assessment of psychological

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diagnostics results and results of expert evaluation of team role balance allows further formation of these teams depending on learning objectives, determining their design and composition in accordance with the priority behaviours of each student. According to the authors, in further research on the characteristics of effective teams, the game process should be recorded on video, to identify non-verbal features of the behavior of team participants. The results of the study can be used to identify potentially effective student interdisciplinary teams for further acceleration, involvement in entrepreneurial activities and preparation of the final qualification paper in the format of “Startup as a Diploma”.

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The Phenomenon of “Social Responsibility” as a Construct of the Humanitarian Educational Ecosystem for the Training of Future Engineers: Perspectives, Forms, Approaches Nadezhda Almazova , Liudmila Khalyapina(B) , Ivan Kolomeytsev , Olga Noskova , and Ekaterina Shostak Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya, 29, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia [email protected]

Abstract. The paper considers the results of a preliminary study conducted among the first-year students (N = 106) enrolled in various technical educational programs at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The study was designed to achieve three goals. The first goal was to find out the growing role of the phenomenon of “social responsibility” in the changing situation of the ongoing industrial and digital revolution and its impact on humanity as a whole and on everyday life of everyone. The second goal was to find out the respondents’ opinions and interpretations of the phenomenon of “social responsibility’ and to compare the answers of Russian and American students to analyze whether there is any difference in understanding this social issue and whether they are ready to except this responsibility on the personal level. The data were obtained from the students’ answers to the questionnaire. In general, the study revealed a not very high level of understanding of the investigated phenomenon, but we observed some inconsistency in its understanding by Russian and American students, especially in personal responsibility. And the third goal was to develop some new approaches and forms that appear in the modern educational ecosystem, integrating humanities and technical components of higher education, considering gamification as one of the innovative tools to stimulate students’ active participation and transform their perception and practice of social responsibility. The new concept of future engineers’ social responsibility formation in the context of a humanitarian educational ecosystem opens additional opportunities in practical and theoretical areas of modern education, has a high social significance, since it allows conceptually and practically solving the issue of developing unified approaches to the implementation of social responsibility formation tasks, which is extremely important both for existing and for future generations. Keywords: training of future engineers · social responsibility · educational ecosystem · higher professional education · integration of Humanities and Technical education · gamification

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 114–125, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_9

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1 Introduction The information-technological revolution of the late 20th century has led to significant changes in the structure of social and labor relations, in particular, the structure of engineering labor. The most important changes include development of more and more complex infrastructure of information society; increase in the number of interdisciplinary tasks solved during the formation and implementation of projects; diversification of engineer’s labor activity; increasing role and importance of engineers’ interaction with representatives of public and state structures; increasing social responsibility of engineers for the results of their activity. Digital environment, virtual communication, social egocentrism and experience of subjective well-being of modern student youth force a new look at the phenomenon of social responsibility. The concept of “social responsibility” is defined in most works of researchers (philosophers, sociologists, humanitarians) as a desire to make a positive contribution to social development, civic participation in social life. Thus, “social responsibility” is defined as “a sense of obligation to help others, both as an individual and as a professional, with particular attention to helping disadvantaged or marginalized groups of the population” [1]. In Sakellariu’s research, the term “social responsibility” in engineering is contrasted with the term “social justice”, which is often opposed by representatives of the engineering profession [2]. In his historical study, the term “social responsibility” is associated with the characterization of the engineer as a “creator of the public good” as opposed to just employees loyal to the corporation. Thus, “social responsibility” speaks of the influence of the engineer and his obligation to the public good. To reveal various approaches to the definition of social responsibility, one should turn to one of the evolutionary concepts of the existence of mankind on earth – the doctrine of the noosphere. This term, literally meaning “sphere of reason”, was introduced into circulation in the 20s of the XX century in the works of V. Vernadsky and French scientists, and philosophers E. Leroy, and Teilhard de Chardin. V. Vernadsky interpreted this concept through the energy nature and spiritual life of mankind, while French philosophers focused on developing the definition of the concept as a special kind of energy and its spiritual nature. According to Vernadsky’s theory, human activity accumulated in culture and science creates a new form of biochemical energy in the biosphere, which is transformed into the noosphere. Within the framework of our concept, this transformation is impossible without the manifestation of social responsibility as a limited area where, on the basis of the Mind (reasonable human activity), the processes of exchange and mutual influence between nature, society and a person take place. Subsequently, Vernadsky’s disciple N. Kholodny transferred the noosphere as a key category to the worldview of anthropocosmism that he developed. This worldview is in antagonism with anthropocentrism, the concept that the humankind is not only at the center of the universe, but also is displaced (or disconnected) from the other inhabitants of the biosphere, and from the cosmos itself. This worldview debunks the myth of a human being as “the king of nature,” viewing humankind as “one of the organic components and stages of development of the cosmic whole,” declares their connection with other forms of life, points to their duty to those forms, and calls for them to refuse the enslavement and oppression of those forms. Thus, this concept proposes to consider the fate of humanity as an integral part of cosmic evolution. The culture of human activity (in our case the

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culture of manifestation of various forms of social responsibility) becomes one of the powerful factors of the further evolution of nature in the inhabited part of the universe. This imposes on humankind an enormous responsibility, because it makes us a direct participant in the processes of cosmic scale and significance. In our time, when the global problems of humankind are being more and more clearly manifested, we would like to actualize in this article the interdisciplinary theory of “common cause,” which gave humankind meaningful life reference points, a methodology for understanding their history, but also sought to transmit and root a belief in the unlimited possibilities of humanity. The noosphere model of global development, based on the principles of global social responsibility, in this context implies a transition from the imperative (Western tradition) and absolute (Eastern tradition) paradigm of relations between society and nature to their harmonious coexistence, in which a human being is fixed as the most responsible (reasonable) inhabitant of the planet. Such an idea is an ideological response to the challenge of the global problems of our time, which threaten the life of humanity and the planet. The relationship between freedom and responsibility in human activity has always been one of the most significant issues. This relationship as an ideological problem is presented in the works of well-known Western philosophers, culturologists, and sociologists. The moral and ethical aspects of a responsible attitude to the world are presented in the works of Confucius, Mengtzu, Xuntzu, Plato, Aristotle, I. Kant, A. Schopenhauer, J.-P. Sartre, E. Fromm. With the emergence in the middle of the last century and the subsequent increase in environmental problems, humanist thinkers are trying to develop norms for the responsible attitude of people to nature, not only in the utilitarian-consumer sense, but also in the ethical sense. The work of Western philosophers K. Apel [3], G. Jonas [4], C. Mitcham [5], J. Habermas [6], whose work is associated with a revision of the foundations of the traditional approach to the study of the problems of modern ethics of responsibility. Many modern authors point to the underdevelopment of some aspects of the methodology of responsibility, since the main thing in its content falls out of the field of view of researchers of social responsibility – the analysis of the totality of the relationship between the individual and society as the leading determinant of socially responsible human activity. The moral and ethical aspect of social responsibility associated with human activity was studied by P. Berger, T. Lukman [7], T. Parsons [8], the ethical aspects of the relationship between freedom and responsibility in the social sphere are presented in the works of P. Gadzhikurbanova [9], M. Solodskaya [10], R. Frederic, E. Petri [11] and others. The transformation of the concept of social responsibility in Russia was marked by historical events. In the 70s of the 20th century the ideas of reducing the military tension of the “cold war” and nuclear disarmament were prevailing, whereas in the 80s of the 20th century the focus shifted to environmental issues. Started in the second half of the 80s of the 20th century transformations in Russian society required rethinking and changing the methodological approaches to considering the problem of social responsibility of the individual. The desire to approach the study of this category in a new way is typical for the studies of V. Kozlovsky [12], V. Speransky [13], and is aimed at revealing social responsibility as a person’s ability to foresee the consequences of their actions. Social responsibility should be understood as a personality quality that determines the voluntary

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coordination and creative direction of an individual’s actions in the interests of the progress of humankind, as a category for designating the degree of free manifestation by a social subject of his duty and right to choose, under specific conditions, the best variant of attitude to reality, based on the interests of society. Modern theoretical developments of the philosophical foundations of the problem in the works of A. Kolomak [14], as well as sociological studies of the issue in the works of O. Gelikh [15], O. Sitkovskaya [16], O. Noskova [17] demonstrate a new trend in reflecting the idea of the social responsibility of the individual to society and vice versa. Scientific research analyzes the specifics of the social responsibility of the individual in the society’s value system, on the basis of social relations as a factor in the effective development of modern society and overcoming alienation, in terms of its genesis, essence, structure and development in the modern world. Special attention was given to the issue in particular spheres, namely professional social responsibility in engineering [18–20], social responsibility in doctoral students [21], corporate social responsibility [22]. In the history of engineering, the issue of social responsibility has been reflected as well (value sensitive design [23], responsible research and innovation [24, 25], humancentered design [26–28], etc.). As within the framework of the article, it is impossible to cover the entire range of approaches, we will focus on developing social responsibility in the conditions of the humanitarian educational ecosystem of a technical university. With regard to future engineers, the problem is being studied for the first time, although the idea of students’ social and professional responsibility as a factor in social progress is recognized in philosophy, sociology, and pedagogy. Thus, “social responsibility” speaks of the influence of the engineers and their obligations to the public good, but, unlike the term “social justice”, traditionally ignores the issues of depoliticization and meritocracy. Understanding the notion of social responsibility, as well as determining the importance of its development among engineering students, it is important to solve the problem of forming social responsibility in an integrated way. The existing solutions to this problem are isolated and non-systemic. It is necessary to formulate a unified interdisciplinary interpretation of the concept of “social responsibility”, analyze its types and levels, and, on this conceptual basis, develop a concept aimed at forming the social responsibility of future engineers in the humanitarian environment of a technical university based on the unity of all components of the educational ecosystem: educational, upbringing, scientific and research, including the unity of the engineering and humanitarian blocks of the ecosystem.

2 A Humanitarian Educational Ecosystem as a Conceptualizing Tool A humanitarian educational ecosystem is recognized by us as an effective tool to integrate all the blocks of educational environment for the purpose of development of different aspects of social responsibility. As it well known the new system is more flexible: it is built on the principles of adaptability and personalization. Importantly, it is co-managed by multiple actors: business, public associations, parents, media and so on.

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The educational ecosystem is, first of all, a new management paradigm for organizing the process of education and training of students. It will help ensure the maximum realization of the potential of each person and at the same time the maximum demand from society and the economy. Ultimately, educational ecosystems are networks and communities of learners and education providers that are constantly evolving. They are aimed at prosperity on a personal, interpersonal, national and planetary level. According to these qualities we estimate the educational ecosystem as possessing the main recourses for the complex development of social responsibility of future engineers. The result of the work of our research group should be the development of a general concept for the formation of components that are structurally included in the concept of “social responsibility of future engineers”, updated at different levels of the university ecosystem in a single humanitarian educational environment. This integrative concept combines both scientific ideas existing in domestic and foreign philosophy, sociology and pedagogy of research areas of the relevant topics, and practice-oriented ideas of organizing a single space of educational and extracurricular activities of students. The need for a multi-level system for the formation of social responsibility of students in a modern university, dictated by the realities of modern society, the complexity and dynamics of the relationship of its subsystems, including its human-knowledge component, seems to be fragmented, based only on local achievements and representations of each individual university unit. The components of the developed concept include: The first theoretical component: research and comprehensive consideration of the concept of “educational environment as an ecosystem”, which is considered today as a new scientific direction in pedagogy, formed on the basis of such emerging approaches as paradigm, network-centric and ecosystem, and within which the co-evolution of the environment and its subjects is possible. It is within the framework of such conditions that we consider it most promising in the formation of a new type of social responsibility of future engineers. The second theoretical component: modeling and innovative filling of all categories of social responsibility, starting with the conceptualization of the concept of “social responsibility” in the context of a global digital technological civilization, moving on to classifying the types of social responsibility dictated by the new conditions for the functioning of a future engineer; development of a new type of cooperation and coordination of representatives of three groups of organizers of the educational process: teachers of the humanities, teachers of professional (technical) disciplines and organizers of extracurricular (public) work of students in an educational ecosystem. The third theoretical component: research and correlation of the didactic possibilities of the educational environment of a technical university with the methodological tasks of integrated teaching of engineering disciplines and the humanities (resources necessary to create a comprehensive multifaceted knowledge base on the formation of social responsibility by means of integrated courses, project-based learning, gamification, debatable interaction between students of the humanities and technical areas of training).

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3 Methodology and Results of the Study The study was conducted among Russian first-year students from different technical departments. It seems necessary to understand the concept of “social responsibility” not only by teachers and organizers of the educational process, but, above all, by the students themselves. We conducted a survey of 106 Russian engineering students (SPbPU) in terms of their understanding of the definition of social responsibility, its subjects and sources, as well as the actions that students understand as social responsibility. To present the most general picture of the perception of the studied definition by future engineers, we compared the results of our survey with the results of a survey of engineering students conducted in 2015 by American scientists from the universities of Seattle and Colorado, in which 220 respondents took part [22]. The first research question about engineering students’ understanding of the term “social responsibility” shows us the face from which students interpret this definition. Out of the 106 responses, only 22 responded using the first-person narrative, that is, they recognized themselves as an actor who has social responsibility. The remaining 84 respondents defined responsibility through a third party, answering “people”, “individual”, “society”, “humankind”, “subject”, etc. Thus, 79% of Russian students define social responsibility in the third person as an obligation of someone to someone, and not personally to themselves, while in the American study 61% of engineering students answered the same question in the third person Fig. 1.

Definion of social responsibility from the 1-st and 3rd person, % Engineering students, Russia Engineering students, USA 0%

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This may indicate a lack of educational and extracurricular activities in which future engineers are taught about social responsibility and that they are direct participants in the interaction between their professional activities and society, and should be held accountable for the consequences of their work. Next, we asked what or who, in your opinion, is the subject/recipient of social responsibility. The most popular answers – society, people – 77%. In a similar American survey 76% answered “community, society.”

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Commitments to the environment and the world were mentioned much less often – only 9% of the surveyed Russian students. While American students noted these subjects in 15% of the questionnaires Fig. 2.

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These results also make us think about the extent to which future engineers are taught all aspects of social responsibility, rational consumption, implementation of the concept of sustainable development, application of the principles of environmental friendliness and ergonomics in their activities. The third question about the source of social responsibility gave the following results. So, personal qualities and skills were named by 13% of respondents, morality and ethics – by 18%. In a foreign study, 14% and 6%, respectively. The rest named the state, business, culture and history, mass media, society in general, companies and organizations. We are also interested in answers directed at a specific person as a source of responsibility, and the results partly correlate with the answer to the first question about the person of social responsibility. Most of the students in both our and foreign surveys do not take on the role of responsibility, shifting this function to other social institutions. The final research question concerned the nature of social responsibility exercised through actions or relationships that were highlighted between the bearer and the recipient of responsibility. Helping others was mentioned by 21% of the Russian students, promotion of the well-being of society – by 28%. While 47% of American respondents noted helping others and 47% highlighted the positive impact on society, its improvement Fig. 3. Respect, tolerance, vigilance, conscientious performance of duties, discipline, laws, established rules and norms also appeared among the answers of Russian students.

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Acons to implement social responsibility, %

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These answers clearly demonstrate the need to specify the concept of social responsibility in the student environment, since many confuse it with the concept of volunteering. And volunteering is only part of social responsibility. Thus, the survey showed how engineering students see their role in society, how familiar they are with the definition of social responsibility, what they understand as the source and recipient of responsibility. Knowing how students perceive their social responsibility is key to developing our concept because, firstly, it is a reflection of the professional ideas that the modern culture of engineering education instills in engineering students; secondly, it can serve as a starting point for educators to build on existing beliefs to strengthen engineering students’ sense of personal and professional social responsibility. The survey analysis reveals the following challenges that are to be solved by educators: 1. how to encourage students to view social responsibility as a personal concept, not an abstract one; 2. how to amplify the concept of social responsibility in students’ mind, as it involves not only helping other people (e.g., volunteering), but also being conscious of environment, global issues, rational consumption, sustainable development, etc. 3. how to encourage awareness among engineering students so that they could bear responsibility for their professional activity and its consequences on a global scale; 4. how to familiarize them with the ways to implement social responsibility in practice, which can be done through the discussion of bad and good real-life situations. Thus, all the four above-mentioned research questions outline characteristics of a socially responsible future engineer – the one who perceives themselves as an actor of social responsibility, who implements social responsibility in different areas, who acts at

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work in accordance with general values and who is aware of the ethics of social responsibility. To facilitate this shift, you can use the pedagogy of active learning, interdisciplinary interaction with humanities students, volunteering and other activities reflected in our concept. Based on the analysis of this concept, we can conclude about its content and the possibility of updating the process of its formation in the conditions of the university ecosystem. The social responsibility of future engineers is considered in this study as the most important interdisciplinary category, formed on the basis of subject knowledge and formed personal qualities that determine the conscious willingness of the future engineer to participate in the development of society through their professional activities, while observing the legally enshrined norms and rules related to safety, health and well-being of the population.

4 Discussion The results obtained from the study allow us to draw some perspectives on how to develop social responsibility of future engineers in a more complex way. Firstly, the educational process aimed at developing social responsibility among future engineers should include social responsibility as an integral part of daily educational activities, which is implemented on the basis of the unity of all components of the educational ecosystem: learning, research, the unity of technical and humanitarian blocks. As a promising way to solve this problem, which is currently being solved nonsystemically, a systematic approach is proposed, determined by the correlation of engineering and humanitarian disciplines, as well as the unity of the ideology of social responsibility updated at various levels. The following can be distinguished as structural and substantive levels: 1) the conceptual level, at which the development of common approaches to the implementation of educational programs in engineering, technical and humanitarian disciplines is carried out (the principle of regular interaction between engineering and humanities); 2) the methodological level, which determines the format, methods, technologies of training, providing regular interaction (dialogue) and mutual learning of students of engineering and humanities; 3) the social level, which ensures the interaction and active involvement of students in the activities of public organizations. These levels form various types of social responsibility of future engineers. So, at the conceptual level, corporate social responsibility is formed, determined by attitudes towards interaction with society within the framework of subject knowledge, interdisciplinary activities, soft competencies, communicative competence (including in a foreign language), critical thinking, cooperation and creativity; at the methodological level, joint research and development of the ideas of social responsibility of engineering and humanities students contribute to the formation of discrete social responsibility; at the social level, as a result of interaction with voluntary, environmental, patriotic public organizations, the formation of social responsibility through action takes place. Secondly, as a challenging task for methodologists, there is the development of structural and content blocks corresponding to each level and reflecting certain approaches. Thus, at the conceptual level, students should form a structured representation of the semantic field of the philosophical and sociological theoretical foundations of the categories and levels of social responsibility of engineers. The generalization of approaches,

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principles and other theoretical and methodological bases that determine the structural and content aspects of this level should be based on the principle of integrated education in engineering disciplines and the humanities, as well as identify possible new directions for their integration. At this level, innovative interpretation of all categories of social responsibility should be carried out, starting with the conceptualization of the concept of “social responsibility” in the context of a global digital technological civilization, and moving on to classifying the types of social responsibility in relation to the new characteristics of future engineers. As a conceptual task, it is worth developing a new type of cooperation and coordination of representatives of three groups of organizers of the educational process: teachers of the humanities, teachers of professional (technical) disciplines and organizers of extracurricular (public) work of students in an educational ecosystem. At the next levels, which determine the components of the methodology of integrated teaching of engineering disciplines and the humanities, the attention of the organizers of the educational process should be directed to correlating the didactic possibilities of the educational environment of a technical university with the methodological tasks of integrated teaching of engineering disciplines and the humanities, to the development of resources necessary to create a comprehensive multifaceted knowledge base on the formation of social responsibility by means of integrated courses, project-based learning, discussion interaction between students of humanitarian and technical areas of training. The content, methods and technologies used in integration should be updated within the framework of technologies for accentuating debatable teaching methods (panel discussions, debating clubs, tandem learning, meetings and discussions with representatives of business or public organizations); should be focused on the development of new disciplines (for example, “Technical Sciences and Society”), on the creation of a bank of thematic subject material, grouped not only by subject disciplines, but also by topics of a socially significant nature. In this regard, at the methodological level, gamification in education can be seen as one of the effective solutions to the formation of social responsibility of future engineers. Game provides full learner’s engagement into the process through conflict, assigned values and roles, attachment to the outcome, other context or situation, etc. [29, 30], which serves as its main distinctive feature in comparison with other teaching methods. Such conditions although created artificially increase students’ full commitment to the game and make their behavioural patterns explicit – and this is exactly the momentum where their unconscious behavioral patterns can be corrected and modified in conformity with the educational goal. Applying gamification for the formation of social responsibility can be indispensable, since, as follows from the survey analysis, only 22 respondents (out of 106) used first-person narration when talking about social responsibility, which shows that they assume their own personal role in respect to the issue. When playing a student is immersed into a new context (created specifically by instructors) and ends up trying on an assigned role of a socially responsible engineer who acts and speaks in the first person, which in turn gives us opportunity to build up new unconscious behavioral patterns. A separate block in the development of a systematic approach to the formation of social responsibility of future engineers within the humanitarian ecosystem of a technical

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university should be the development of comprehensive demonstration training and testing samples that ensure the implementation of a new vision of the integration of the humanities and engineering education. The task of forming the social responsibility of future engineers is of great scale and requires the coordination and cooperation of three groups of specialists: teachers of the humanities (philosophy, sociology, pedagogy, foreign languages), professional disciplines (subjects) and specialists in extracurricular activities (public organizations, discussion clubs). To sum up, the demand of the society in the specialists in technical professions possessing a high level of social responsibility can be successfully realized in the humanitarian educational ecosystem if to follow all the aspects of correct and scientifically proved recommendations based on the research presented in this article.

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The Use of Gamification Elements for the Development of Creativity in Engineering Maria Odinokaya1(B)

, Anna Rubtsova1 , Elena Krylova1 and Olga Zhelezniakova2

, Darina Barinova1

,

1 Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, 29 Polytechnicheskaya Street, St.

Petersburg 195251, Russian Federation [email protected] 2 Minsk State Linguistic University, 27 Zaharova Street, Minsk 220034, Republic of Belarus

Abstract. The article is devoted to topical issues of using gamification elements for the development of creativity in the project activities of future specialists in engineering areas. The article discusses the didactic potential of using gamification elements to develop creativity in the project activities of future engineers. The following research tasks have been solved: the stages of the implementation of project activities using elements of gamification are described; the changes in the level of creative activity after the implementation of project activities with the use of gamification elements in the framework of the educational process are analyzed. The article attempts to clarify the terms “gamification”, “gamification elements”, “creativity”, “creative activity”, “project activity”. The focus of the study is the evaluation of the effectiveness of the use of gamification elements for the development of creativity in the project activities of future engineering specialists. The object of the study were first-year students of all areas of engineering training. The factors contributing to the maintenance of sustainable cognitive interest of students, the ability to offer original solutions, and exercise self-control have been studied. The opinions of students regarding the usefulness of using gamification elements for the development of creativity in project activities were studied. The analysis of the influence of the use of gamification elements on the development of creativity in the project activities of future specialists in engineering areas was carried out. The results of the study showed that the use of gamification elements for the development of creativity in project activities increases the interest in achieving success and involves future engineering specialists in the educational context. The use of gamification elements allows students to respond to given actions in a timely manner, showing their individuality; achieve focus on the activities performed and improve their effectiveness. Keywords: Gamification · Digital tools · Gamification elements · Creativity · Project activity · Specialist · Engineering direction

1 Introduction In connection with the rapid development of the digitalization of education, which has become widespread in modern conditions, the teaching of any academic discipline, in particular the discipline “Creative thinking and idea generation”, is associated with © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 126–142, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_10

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effective organization and high-quality methodological support for learning [1–3]. One of such high-quality methodological support can be elements of digital tools. In modern realities, future specialists in engineering fields are associated with insufficient knowledge or lack of creativity. In the literal sense, the training of future specialists is focused on the reproduction of educational material and, as a rule, the individual cognitive abilities of students are not taken into account [4]. Professionals who can think creatively and have the ability to use digital tools [5] will remain in demand in the labor market. Currently, future specialists in engineering fields are required to be creative and competent in the field of digital tools [6]. Thus, there is a need to use the most effective digital tools to develop the creativity of future engineering specialists. The objectives of this study are: 1) to describe the stages of the implementation of project activities using elements of gamification; 2) to analyze changes in the level of creative activity after the implementation of project activities using elements of gamification as part of the educational process. The hypothesis of the study is that project activities using gamification elements increase interest in achieving success and involve future engineering specialists in the educational context.

2 Materials and Methods Theoretical and empirical methods were used for the study. Theoretical methods included generalization, systematization, analysis of literature in order to determine the degree of development of the problem of digital transformation in education, analysis of the concept of the terms “gamification”, “gamification elements”, “creativity”, “creative activity”, “project activity” revealing the structural elements of gamification for their use in the project activity of future specialists in engineering areas. Empirical methods included analysis of materials in the context of the identified problem, questioning, testing of future specialists in engineering areas. The author’s questionnaire, “Diagnosis of learning motivation of students” (A.A. Rean and V.A. Yakunin, modified by N.Ts. Badmaeva), test “Diagnosis of the level of non-verbal creativity” (E.E. Tunik), test “Creativeness” (N. Vishnyakova), evaluation of the results of project activities of future specialists in engineering areas, mathematical methods using the Wilcoxon T-criterion. The sample consisted of 139 first-year students – aged from 18 till 23 – all the respondents represented technical sphere. The research was carried out in May-June 2023 at Peter the Great St.Petersburg State Polytechnic University.

3 Theoretical Background, Review and Research Context 3.1 The Phenomenon of Creativity in Engineering Creativity is one of the key skills in the 21st century. Creativity is the ability to look at things differently and see new meanings and applications in them. Creativity goes hand in hand with action. Action is the only way to come to something new. Creativity is born from opportunities and accidents [7]. The ability to find non-standard solutions, to implement ideas, is necessary for every successful person. A modern specialist needs

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to be able to combine already known elements in a unique way, think systematically, adapt to changes, effectively interact with other people, properly manage their time, and develop their own approach to the problem. Creativity is the ability and willingness to consciously organize one’s own activities and the activities of other people in order to come up with new, original and necessary ideas for users and society [8]. Creative thinking is the ability to make non-standard solutions, the ability to go beyond stereotypes and habitual schemes [9]. By creativity in engineering, we understand the following aspects: – internal state. This is a study of the inner world through the reality surrounding a person; – creating links between things; – transfer of skills to a new situation; the creation of what has not yet been [10]; – mindfulness - a synonym for creativity (creativity requires a person to pay attention, notice); awareness of what surrounds you; – this is how a person perceives in his uniqueness and confusion. By creativity in engineering, we understand the following aspects: – internal state. This is a study of the inner world through the reality surrounding a person; – creating links between things; – transfer of skills to a new situation; the creation of what has not yet been [10, 11]; – mindfulness - a synonym for creativity (creativity requires a person to pay attention, notice); awareness of what surrounds you; – this is how a person perceives in his uniqueness and confusion. The creative thinking of an engineer is understood as the ability to make non-standard solutions, the ability to go beyond stereotypes and habitual schemes [12, 13]. Thinking is need-motivated and purposeful. All operations of the thought process are caused by the needs, motives, interests of the individual, his goals and objectives. Thanks to creative thinking, a person becomes more attentive and collected. The goal of creative thinking is to solve a specific, applied problem in the most profitable way with practical benefits [14]. Three conditions are necessary for developing the habit of creative thinking: 1) The presence of a task that requires a creative approach. If a person seems to be stuck in a routine, he needs to search well for tasks that require a creative approach outside the workspace for training. Is it a traditional Saturday family dinner? Another vacation? Does your dog ask you to play something? One should consider each of these possibilities as a creative challenge. 2) The ability to act, try and verify the correctness of various solutions. There are critical work situations where you need to make the right decisions right away. But in most cases, a person has the opportunity to try, get an unsatisfactory result, change something, try again. In the process of trying, third-party support helps: these can be people who try something with you (for example, a person goes to a drawing course), it can be friends who will keep him company in some event, or colleagues who will support the idea of a change of scenery in his office.

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3) Reward for the correct solution of the problem. Many of the people do not have the habit of rewarding themselves for the work done. Or a person traditionally expects reward/approval from others. This is a certain stereotype of thinking that you just need to track and change. It is necessary to take it as a rule: solved a creative task - reward yourself in any way. Among other things, it will also be a significant contribution to increasing overall satisfaction from life. All three conditions are directly related to the involvement of students in the educational context. Gamification is used as a way to encourage students to find answers to a given problem. For creativity, a stimulating environment is needed that contributes to the addition of game content, a bit of excitement and a bit of competition to the learning routine. It is the interaction with the stimulus (gamification elements) that activates the choice of a person’s train of thought. The key element here is the intention to consider information that seems unimportant. Gamification elements perform a coordinating function, allowing the student to see his movement along the educational route with an indication of the state (achievement in solving the problem). Status indicators are badges received by the student, badges, points, progress scales, difficulty levels, ratings, avatars, etc. These indicators evoke emotions in the student. An emotionally charged event is remembered by a student much better than a neutral one. Events saturated with emotions are stored in memory longer. Gamification elements contribute to conveying to the student’s awareness the achieved level of learning, that is, the ability to solve a problem (the level of creativity). Gamification elements give the student an idea of what can be improved in his activity, providing the student with visual information about his level of creativity and the opportunity to express his emotions that encourage action and determine the student’s behavior. Creativity develops when the brain responds to new forms of perception, that is, to what attracts a person’s attention, and such gamification elements as badges, badges, scores, progress scales, difficulty levels, ratings, avatars perform this function to the fullest. Thus, the use of gamification elements contributes to focusing the student’s attention on the activities performed by him, fixing the achieved result and stimulating him to improve. A creative person is a person who is capable and ready for creativity both in the process and in the result [15]. A creative person is also understood as one that calls to go the route from a task to a solution in different ways. Being creative means coming up with out-of-the-box solutions. Creativity always helps to find the answer to some request or task. Creativity is always in some social context, it always requires recognition by other people. If artists, composers, writers, poets create, guided by their own moods and emotions, then creators - for example, copywriters and designers - must work with the subject in such a way that they can then measure the effectiveness of the money spent. Creativity is the creation, establishment and identification of existing connections. This is the ability to discern the connections between the task and what, it would seem, is not directly related to it. And a person can connect with what he knows from his experience. Creativity is the process of combining disparate details in a new way in a long-familiar one.

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The researchers especially point out that the mere habit of thinking creatively is not enough to pass for a creative person. Creativity in decisions will inevitably put a person in difficult situations, the solution of which will require the development of such abilities as: the ability to see problems and the desire to solve them; the courage to take responsibility for the consequences of the proposed solution; the courage to go against the opinion of the majority, relying on one’s own opinion; inner strength that allows you not to obey circumstances, but to overcome obstacles and go towards the intended goal. So, creativity is, to some extent, a challenge. You have to be willing to resist convention if you want to think creatively and act like a creative person. A creative idea/idea/solution is a working idea, it is not a torn off fantasy that cannot be tied to reality. Only in this case is it valuable. Creative ideas of today will be a routine for a person tomorrow, because, for all their originality, they are simple and easy to use and quickly implemented. So, let’s summarize the main features of a creative idea: it must be found away from the usual mental paths of a person; it must be subsequently linked to “routine thinking”. An isolated idea can be both new and original, but not creative. Creative activity, as a rule, includes a subset of goals or methods [16]. The creative activity of a future specialist in engineering activities is associated with the availability of research skills [17, 18]. Thus, in creative activity, three key segments can be conditionally distinguished, namely, the ability to create something new, readiness for creative activity, and the availability of research skills. All of the above segments are best developed through project activities [19]. 3.2 Creativity Assessment The basic principles of the collective method of learning that are used in the learning process: different routes for mastering the training course by students; temporary cooperation of students in the educational process; collective way of learning. The collective method of learning assumes that students realize different goals, study different fragments of educational material, in different ways and means, which leads to different routes for mastering the material of the training course. Such organization of work is carried out through the formation of temporary cooperations of students - non-permanent groups for the implementation of project work. The work of teams is lined up during the semester. The study group in the process of classroom work is divided into teams of 3–4 people, which, after the end of the lesson, break up. Unlike classroom work, the implementation of projects is built on the basis of the formation of teams of 2–4 people, which break up only after the end of the semester, preparation and defense of the project. Creativity is also based on diversity. The more different characteristics the team members have, that is, the more diverse their life and professional experience, the higher the likelihood of coming up with something original together. Lack of diversity often results in herd thinking, leading to intellectual block. Innovation arises as a result of constructive disagreement and tension [20]. The Creativity Formula helps you see the difference between one job and another (Formula 1). Work in which the task was solved in a variety of ways, the result was achieved earlier than planned, and with less effort, will be more creative with an equal result. We offer the following formula for creativity, bringing together people in a team

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and their ideas and describing this in terms of time and emerging creative solutions. The formula itself can give impetus to optimizing the process of finding solutions, generating ideas, to setting up the thinking process for the result. Consider the idea generation productivity factor. It helps to get the relationship between the ability to generate a divergent variety of ideas and compare it with the number of ideas that is accepted for further work. The ratio of ideas refers to the ratio of ideas to hypotheses. A hypothesis is an idea that can be tested during testing and prototyping. I=

I0 Iy

(1)

where I – idea productivity rate, Io – general ideas, Iy – successful ideas. The effectiveness of creative work is equal to the product of the time allocated for work and the coefficient of ideas, divided by the product of the actual time and the number of participants in the process (Formula 2). R=

T •I t•X

(2)

where R – the effectiveness of the creative process; T – time allocated for work assignment; I – the ratio of the sum of generated ideas to successful ideas; t – the actual time of the idea generation process; X – number of participants in the idea generation process. The formula helps to evaluate the impact of the speed of generating ideas for decisions, the impact of teamwork, while taking into account the individual, capable of a productive act of thinking. Hypothesis work. Working with a hypothesis can take place both on the border with testing a prototype, and by modifying the hypothesis in several ways: determine priorities and make them more noticeable; remove unnecessary elements; consolidate - group or combine several elements into one; rearrange - rearrange and move elements to a more meaningful position or space; clarify - reduce ambiguity by giving more weight to the content; scale: how the method can be transferred to other conditions, objects, while maintaining efficiency and obtaining benefits. To determine the level of creativity, J. Gilford singled out intellectual abilities that characterize creativity [21]. Among them: – – – – – – –

fluency of thought - the number of ideas that arise per unit of time; flexibility of thought - the ability to switch from one idea to another; originality - the ability to produce ideas that differ from generally accepted views; curiosity - sensitivity to problems in the surrounding world; ability to develop a hypothesis; unreality - the logical independence of the reaction from the stimulus; fantastic - complete isolation of the answer from reality in the presence of a logical connection between the stimulus and the reaction;

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– the ability to solve problems, that is, the ability to analyze and synthesize; – the ability to improve an object by adding details. Personal qualities that affect productive, applied creativity: – imagination - the ability to focus thinking on something that does not yet exist in reality, but that is possible under certain conditions. These conditions themselves require critical thinking; – perseverance - skill, property, ability to continue to generate and test new hypotheses. You can measure the time cycle of an hour, a day, a week with the frequency of new hypotheses and their verification; – restraint - the ability, skill and desire to be attentive to the expenditure of one’s energy and time. Performance tends to capture data at the idea selection frontier for further testing. At this stage, the generation of hypotheses is completed and the transition to the stage of analysis and evaluation of the results of the act of thinking is carried out. It is important to take into account the difference between the time for which it is necessary to propose ideas, and the actual time of the appearance of ideas and hypotheses. The number of participants in the thinking process also influences, since there is a synthesis of different ideas. 3.3 Effective Conditions for the Development of Creativity in the Project Activities of Future Specialists in Engineering Areas In a number of studies [22, 23], researchers pay attention to the atmosphere in which creative thinking is formed. It is necessary to design conditions that will contribute to the formation of creative thinking. In the educational space, special attention is paid to projects that are implemented in various formats, including digital ones. In our study, elements of gamification were used to expand the possibilities of project activities, to maintain interest in it among future engineering specialists. Gamification is understood as a set of actions aimed at increasing interest in achieving success and involving future engineering specialists in the educational context [24]. By gamification elements we mean components (badges, badges, scores, progress bars, difficulty levels, ratings, avatars, etc.); mechanics (tasks, cooperation, feedback, order of moves, rewards, etc.); dynamics (logic of events, chronology, sequence, features of interaction between game participants, etc.). In order to competently and professionally set goals, develop effective plans to achieve them, you need to master special tools and methods that are applicable to solving practical problems. Modern design contains special tools that allow a person to better understand: what is required, what is possible, what should be done in order to obtain the best result with the available resources and reduce possible negative consequences. A project is developed when a need arises and is recognized for something that is not yet there or when something needs to be improved. The problem is characterized by situations in which: there is an urgent need to detect a discrepancy between “what is” and “what is required”; it is not known how to eliminate this discrepancy, that is, there is no solution to the discrepancy that has arisen.

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The student may encounter a problem in life that needs to be solved. To solve this problem, the student needs to develop a project. In order to develop it, you need to know the concepts of project activities that are necessary to manage this activity. The work on the project includes the following stages: the planning stage, which includes such elements as problematization, goal setting, planning; implementation stage, which includes such elements as implementation, presentation. It is especially important, in our opinion, to note that at each stage of the project activity there is an opportunity to form the creative activity of future specialists in engineering areas. The criteria for evaluating project activities, which allows evaluating the activities of future specialists in engineering areas at each stage of project implementation, are as follows. At the stage of planning activities, the criteria for evaluating project activities can be the development of project stages, the preparation of a tool for project implementation, and consistency. At the project implementation stage, it is proposed to assess the correctness of the methods of work used; clarity of definition of the target group and the validity of its participation in the implementation of the project; compliance with the theoretical, empirical and project parts, their connection with practice and the chosen type of professional activity; compliance with the stated scope of the project. Thus, the presentation of the project is evaluated according to such criteria that we conditionally identified as clarity, consistency, originality, mastery of the topic, clarity, reasoning of answers, creativity. The study took place in four stages. At the first stage, a survey of future specialists in engineering areas was conducted in order to identify their attitude to the elements of gamification in the educational environment. At the second stage, a diagnosis was made of the readiness of future specialists in engineering areas for creative activity. The diagnostics carried out made it possible to identify the level of creativity, creative self-realization of future specialists in engineering areas. On the basis of the methodology “Diagnostics of educational motivation of students” A.A. Rean and V.A. Yakunin, modification by N.Ts. Badmaeva) an analysis of the scale of motives for creative realization was carried out. The test “Creativity” (N. Vishnyakova) made it possible to analyze such qualities of students as creative thinking, curiosity, originality, creative attitude to the profession (Tables 1 and 2). At the third stage, a formative experiment was conducted using elements of gamification to develop creativity in the format of project activities. The purpose of the experiment was to test the effectiveness of using gamification elements to develop creativity in the project activities of future engineering specialists. At the fourth stage, re-testing of future specialists in engineering areas was carried out. We compared the results on the “Creativity” test (N. Vishnyakova), revealed a change in the level of creative self-realization (motivation) according to the method “Diagnostics of educational motivation of students” by A.A. Rean and V.A. Yakunin, modification by N.Ts. Badmaeva), using the Wilcoxon T-test. The creative level was assessed on the basis of the tests “Diagnosis of the level of non-verbal creativity” (E.E. Tunik) and “Creativity” (N. Vishnyakova) (Tables 3, 4, 5, and 6). We have identified two levels of creative activity: high and low.

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The main criterion in identifying the levels of development of creative activity is the degree of formation of the following components of creative activity: creative, motivational, activity. The activity component received a quantitative assessment in the form of points assigned to the university’s point-rating system based on the results of project activities. The project activities were carried out in the following sequence: 1. Choosing a project topic within the framework of the training course “Creative Thinking and Idea Generation” and presenting it. At this stage, such elements of gamification as virtual bonuses, evaluation, badges, avatars, status are used. Formation of the concepts of “gamification”, “digitalization”, “creativity”. Self-study of electronic lectures on the course “Creative thinking and idea generation”. Search for materials through electronic resources. Formulation of the problem. Determining the purpose of the project. Search for ideas to solve this problem. Task formulation. For example, the students chose such topics as “Jedi productivity techniques”, “Optimization of snow removal on the roads”, etc. Determination of the range of tasks. The use of a creativity formula that gives impetus to optimizing the process of finding solutions, generating ideas, to setting up the thinking process for the result. 2. The preparation process includes the following segments: discussion in teams of the plan for the forthcoming work, the main issues and ways to search for information, making a decision in what form the project will be presented. At the second stage, such an element of gamification as a digital progress bar, status is used. 3. Implementation of the project: independent work of team members. At this stage, the collection and selection of information, the study of the problem, the choice of options for solving the problem, the design of the work. At the third stage, it is supposed to apply such elements of gamification as virtual bonuses, difficulty levels, rating. 4. Presentation of the project includes a demonstration of the results of project activities, namely a presentation, a report in the form of a road map, case solutions. After the presentation, the authors of the project answer questions. At the final stage of the project activity, it is supposed to apply such elements of gamification as virtual points, status, diplomas, diplomas. Project evaluation. Evaluation is carried out at each stage of project preparation using elements of gamification. The didactic potential of using gamification elements can be divided into six components, namely: cognitive, emotional, mechanical, aesthetic, social, gaming. Within the framework of the cognitive component, a plot connection is created between the tasks performed, shaping them in the form of scenarios that require the student’s attention and his reaction in real time; there is not one, but several branching routes for solving the problem with a representative representation of the dynamics of the student’s productive activity. As part of the emotional component, game mechanisms can be based on stimulating specific behavior in the study of an academic discipline. As part of the social component, gamification elements allow the student to try himself in various roles and publicly discover his achievements, results, and promote interactive interaction with other participants in the project activity. As part of the mechanical component, scenario

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elements specific to the gameplay, such as badges, virtual awards, statuses, points, passing levels, ratings and other stimulating elements, should be used to maintain student interest in educational content. As part of the aesthetic component, it is necessary to create an overall gaming experience that promotes emotional involvement. Within the framework of the social component, social interaction can be represented by a wide range of techniques that provide inter-user interaction that is typical for games. As part of the game component, points are calculated, the levels of complexity and skill, achievements, rating tables are analyzed, indicators of the completion of the educational task are taken into account, and awards are presented. Thus, the use of gamification elements is to help provide high-quality methodological support for learning, in particular, to help overcome procrastination, use mistakes as an important source of acquiring new knowledge, since a student using gamification elements has the opportunity to monitor his progress, the process of implementation learning task, stimulating self-reflection, as well as identifying the nuances of the successful completion of a learning task, using the opportunity to change the course of work in the right direction. Let us give an example of a case solution performed by one of the teams using one of the creative thinking and idea generation techniques. 1. Our chosen task: optimization of snow removal on the roads. 2. We will use the brainstorming technique to consolidate the learned algorithm. So, the beginning, the “generation” of ideas: – we need to use a lot of cleaning equipment; – we need to hire more people (janitors); – carry out cleaning mainly in the morning and on weekends, when there are few cars and this will not complicate the traffic situation; – use reagents and sand; – remove snow to a special landfill; – leave snow in separate piles around the city; – install sidewalks with heating; – organize mass snow removal by residents of houses; – use heat guns on cars to speed up the melting of snow; – install snow buckets on private cars (fixed so that they move snow towards the roadside); – make heated roads; – build more rail transport so that people can get to more places on trams, metro and other types of trains, and there is no need to travel by car; – build houses with a sufficient number of parking spaces; – build free-standing high-rise parking lots, so that the yards are more convenient to clean. 3. So, as you can see, there are a lot of ideas, but some of them are strange or difficult to implement. Let’s note the superfluous and correct too large-scale options: the use of reagents should be moderate so that people and animals do not suffer; the removal of snow to landfills should be optimally organized so that traffic jams are not created, but at the same time there are no snow mountains that interfere with citizens in the

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city. Heated sidewalks are unrealistic due to the scale of the city, the problem and the high cost of equipment, but can be used on the busiest streets. Heat guns are expensive and not very effective, because the water will turn into ice again, and this is also very harmful to the environment. Heated roads are similar to heated sidewalks. Table 1. Criteria for evaluating the design activities of future specialists in engineering areas using elements of gamification. Project Stages

Type of Activity

Evaluation criteria

4. 1. Project Theme Choosing a project View

2. Planning of project activities

Evaluation Forms Using Gamification Elements

Public significance, the relevance topic, including the of the problem put forward; formulation of goals Compliance with the theme, goals and objectives and objectives of the project; Reasonable scope of work; Originality of the project theme

Virtual Bonuses Grade Badges Avatar Status

Distribution of team roles Presentation of the roadmap for the implementation of the project (determination of the steps that need to be completed); Online consultations with a teacher

Uniform distribution of functionality between all team members; Logic, interconnection and sequence of project stages

Progress bar in digital format

Compliance with the declared time frame for the implementation of the project; Creativity; Compliance with the theoretical, empirical and design parts of the selected project topic; Independence and creative activity of project participants

Virtual Bonuses Difficulty levels (6 levels) Rating Status

3. Project Collection and implementation analysis of theoretical material Gamification modeling in educational activities Project design

(continued)

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Table 1. (continued) Project Stages

Type of Activity

Evaluation criteria

Evaluation Forms Using Gamification Elements

4. Project Presentation

Portfolio that includes: Presentation Digital history (storytelling), including a report Report Answers to questions after the defense of the project Conducting a survey about what inspired the participants, whether there were insights regarding the topic of the project

Clarity, consistency, originality; The degree of ownership of the topic, clarity, argumentation of answers

Virtual Points Status Diploma Certificates

Outcome

Points in the point-rating system of the university Points in the point-rating system of the university

Development of optimal options: it will be optimal if, in a difficult snowy situation, the city authorities develop cleaning regulations, and the heads of districts adjust them depending on the characteristics of the city. So, it is worth cleaning the roads at 6 am, so that by the time active traffic begins, cars have the opportunity to pass, and people have the opportunity to pass. Then, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., it was decided to remove cars from the yards to clear them of snow, so that when people returned, there was an opportunity to park. Then from 14 to 16 again clean the roads before the evening flow of cars and people. It is necessary to build houses with parking lots, as well as nearby parking lots, and make them cheaper or even include them in the price so that there are fewer cars in the yard, which will facilitate snow removal and improve the yard situation. Rail transport can really help a large number of people, it is needed develop.

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5. Results. Thus, for the best solution of the task, it is necessary to use a set of methods that must be under strict control on the part of the governing bodies and on the conscience of the people who are involved in this. The final score is made up of generalized results and is presented in the form of a digital rating of teams. The passage of each stage of the project was presented to the students as the passage of stages using elements of gamification.

4 Results According to the results of the survey, it was found that 39% of respondents believe that opportunities for the manifestation of creative activity are partially realized, 46% of respondents express a desire that elements of gamification be used in the educational process. The majority of students (68%) note the use of gamification elements as promising; more than half of the respondents (68%) believe that the use of gamification elements will help increase their interest in achieving success and involvement in the educational context. Thus, we have identified a positive attitude of future specialists in engineering areas towards the digital transformation of project activities in the format of gamification, which contributes to the manifestation of creative activity. At the stage of diagnosing readiness for creative activity, testing of future specialists in engineering areas was carried out, the level of their creativity was determined (Tables 2 and 3). Table 2. Distribution of the results of the subjects according to the method “Analysis of the level of non-verbal creativity of E.E. Tunic. Critera

High

Above Average

Average

Below the Average

Low

%

28.5

31.76

37.11

2.63

0

learners

41

44

47

3

0

The test results clearly demonstrate that the level of creativity among future engineering specialists is high or above average (60.26%). This indicates the potential readiness of students to carry out creative activities. The current level of creativity of future specialists in engineering areas was recorded in terms of such qualities as creative thinking, curiosity, originality, creative attitude to activity. The diagnostic results showed that in most cases (from 49 to 82%) the average level of development of creative qualities in students prevails. The diagnostic results showed that 55% of respondents demonstrated a high level of motivation for creative self-realization, 43% of respondents have an average level for this indicator. As a result of project activities, 57 projects were defended. Each team consisted of three to five project participants. Students could receive up to 100 points for a project.

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Table 3. The results of diagnostics according to the test “Creativity” (N. Vishnyakova). Creative qualities of the Learner

Creative Thinking

Level (Points) High (10–8)

Average (7–4)

Low (3–0)

31.12%

49.01%

19.87%

Curiosity

4.67%

87.81%

7.52%

Originality

28.13%

62.02%

15.54%

Creative Attitude to Activity

10.11%

51.16%

38.73%

Table 4. The results of diagnostics according to the method “Diagnostics of educational motivation of students” A.A. Rean and V.A. Yakunin, modification by N.Ts. Badmaeva). Scales

Level

Scale. Motives for creative self-realization

High

Average

Low

54.89%

42.76%

2.35%

As a result, 42.71% of projects received from 84 to 100 points, which corresponds to a high level, from 77 to 83 points - 53% of projects, they were completed at an average level; from 69 to 76 points - 9.2% of projects, which corresponds to a low level; from 0 to 68 points - 0% of projects. Table 5. The results of diagnostics according to the test “Creativity” (N. Vishnyakova). Creative Qualities of the Learner

Before Experiment

After Experiment

Creative Thinking

7.31

8.93

Curiosity

5.8

5.48

Originality

6.22

7.51

Create Attitude to Activity

4.7

6.36

The value T = 10 on the scale of motives for creative self-realization falls into the zone of significance (≤ 12). Therefore, it can be argued that the changes recorded in the experiment are not random, that is, the results obtained are significant. Thus, elements of gamification increase students’ interest in achieving success and contribute to their involvement in the educational context. Based on the results of the initial testing, it was revealed that the majority of respondents (60.26%) have the potential to perform creative activities. However, the indicators of creativity (creative thinking, curiosity, originality, creative attitude to the profession) are developed at an average level. This creates a favorable basis for the development of creative activity.

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Table 6. Comparison of the results of the methodology “Diagnostics of educational motivation of students” A.A. Rean and V.A. Yakunin, modification by N.Ts. Badmaeva), before and after the application of gamification elements using the Wilcoxon T-test. Scales Scale. Motives for creative self-realization

Before

After

t-test

3.8

4.9

10

The results of diagnostics of motivation for creative self-realization showed that 43% of respondents have an average level. Therefore, it was decided to use project activities with elements of gamification to develop creative activity, as it allows maintaining interest in educational activities among future engineering specialists. Based on the results of the final diagnostics carried out after the formative experiment, it turned out that such components of creativity as creative thinking, curiosity, originality, and a creative attitude to learning activities showed growth dynamics. Indicators of motivation for creative self-realization have changed. The digital transformation of project activities in the format of gamification contributed to maintaining a sustainable cognitive interest, developing independence skills in performing creative work, the ability to offer original solutions, mental activity, and the ability to exercise self-control. The level of motivation for creative self-realization has increased. Teamwork has become more efficient. Project activities with the use of gamification elements contributed to the development of the creative activity of future specialists in engineering areas. The hypothesis is confirmed. However, the use of gamification elements revealed a number of problematic issues. Their excessive use distracts future specialists in engineering areas from educational activities. In addition, the use of elements implies significant labor costs for the teacher to develop educational materials using them.

5 Conclusions and Recommendations The educational activities of future specialists in engineering areas are based on the understanding and acceptance of digital reality. The development of creativity in project activities can be associated with the use of elements of gamification, since in the era of digital technologies the role of creativity increases in solving both non-standard professional tasks and everyday tasks worked out to automatism. The skills of creative solution of professional problems, existing abilities and professional experience must be constantly developed, since it is creative thinking that is one of the key factors of professional success in the new economy. Creative thinking is nothing more than working with a change in thinking patterns. Particular attention deserves the fact that the creative process includes a conscious and unconscious stage, and the process starts in the conscious sphere, continues in its unconscious structures and again falls into the area of consciousness. One of the incentives connecting the conscious stage of the creative process with the unconscious can be the use of gamification elements. The development of creativity

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occurs due to the formation of certain skills, skills of non-standard problem solving, and it, in turn, is associated with special powers of observation, the ability to more accurately assess the observed (to tell oneself the truth). The use of gamification elements can help achieve better results in the transformation of the surrounding reality, effectively and competently respond to emerging challenges. It is important to note that the ability to be creative is based on knowledge and experience and, therefore, can be the subject of purposeful development, while elements of gamification can become indicators of knowledge gained and experience gained. As our experience shows, the use of gamification elements requires significant labor costs for the teacher to develop educational materials using them. In particular, there is an excessive student’s enthusiasm for the formal aspects of learning (grades, levels, social connections, etc.) to the detriment of the content of the academic discipline. Given that many modern students intensively use various electronic educational resources in the learning process, it is possible to use gamification elements as an additional means of stimulating learning activities when students perform both classroom and independent work. It seems very promising to use gamification elements that contribute to the development of creativity among future specialists in engineering areas, with the possibility of using the educational potential of museums, cultural festivals, etc., both online and in person.

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Designing Tabletop Games for Individuals with Disabilities Through Student Project Activity Tatiana Yu. Bystrova(B)

and Liydmila V. Tokarskaja

Ural Federal University, Mira Street 19, 600002 Ekaterinburg, Russia [email protected]

Abstract. Based on the author’s practical experience, the significance and design of board games in the education of people with disabilities, including those performed by university students as part of their project activities, are analyzed. The projects aimed to create a series of games catering to individuals with different disabilities, including visual and hearing impairments, musculoskeletal disorders, intellectual disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders. These games were developed in response to requests from educational institutions, psychological and pedagogical support centers, and cultural institutions. The games presented in this article are based on pre-project research conducted by the students, which focused on understanding the needs of the target audience and incorporating specific design and architectural elements into the games. The article showcases the concepts, scenarios, and designs of six games, which were created by using tactile, paper-based, and digital platforms. These games not only promote the development of tactile and emotional sensations in children and adolescents but also familiarize them with the functioning of institutions and traditional culture. Throughout the project, over 100 participants were involved in both the pre-project research and the subsequent research conducted after the games’ completion. The proposed games have potential value for educators and psychologists working in various organizations, regardless of their type or affiliation. Additionally, the game creation technology employed in this project can be applied to project-based activities involving students from different universities and fields of study. Keywords: games · board games · student project activities · disabilities · Agile

1 Introduction In Russian psychological science, play is regarded as the primary form of human activity. This concerns, in particular, preschool-age children who need to develop motivation for learning, voluntary behavior, and the cognitive sphere through play. Play possesses immense potential for comprehensive development, socialization, self-realization, and the upbringing of a child. It is often utilized as a form of educational activity, as a unique pedagogical tool, and as a method for teaching and development. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 143–159, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_11

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In the context of normative development, children can develop play skills without the extensive involvement of adults. However, in the case of children with limited health abilities or disabilities (children with special educational needs - SEN), it is essential to provide mandatory training in play skills. In typical development, starting from infancy, a child learns during every waking moment, whereas children with SEN may disregard toys and show more interest in non-play objects. They also learn, but in the process, they do not acquire knowledge about toys, speech sounds, or people. They miss out on important opportunities for learning communication, socialization, and play. In the modern world, this phenomenon is further amplified as many children perceive play exclusively as manipulating gadgets and interact with others primarily in virtual reality settings. All of this highlights the necessity of investing significant efforts into the process of teaching play, not only from the educators’ perspective but also from the game creators’ side. According to Johan Huizinga, “play is a voluntary activity or occupation executed within certain fixed limits of time and place, according to rules freely accepted but absolutely binding, having its aim in itself and accompanied by a feeling of tension, joy, and the consciousness that it is ‘different’ from ‘ordinary life’” [1]. Play is enjoyed not only by children but also by adolescents, adults, and elderly individuals, enabling the adaptation of the most successful approaches to the specific characteristics of each group. The broadening of our understanding regarding the potential of play emphasizes the need to reconsider approaches to its development. One of the effective approaches in this case is to engage students from various fields of study in the design process. In recent years, student projects at the Ural Federal University (UrFU) in Ekaterinburg (Russia) have been implemented by using the Agile method, which prioritizes people and their interactions, a working product, collaboration with the client, and readiness for change. Within this model, students majoring in psychology, clinical psychology and design under the guidance of specialists from the Department of Psychology and Department of Cultural Studies and Design have developed a series of inclusive games for individuals with disabilities, health limitations, or special needs. The interdisciplinary team managed to incorporate not only the semantic content but also the corrective and developmental potential, design characteristics, and game architecture in the design of these games.

2 Methodology Our analysis of resources on this topic shows that there are practically no publications on the issue of project-based learning, in which the product is a game, especially a game for people with disabilities. Thus, in this article the research and design aspects coincide. The most problematic and responsible is the choice of game design methods, for which there are no complete, systematic theoretical sources. Of fundamental importance to us is the indication that “for each category of disability… Both general and sectoral guidelines should be created to assist practitioners who wish to use play-based learning with students with disabilities and parents)” [2], and this extends to design too. Since students are not always ready to solve such interdisciplinary problems, they are solved by the teacher at the pre-project stage and form the conceptual basis of the work as a whole.

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To create a game that serves a specific educational purpose, it is essential to establish a meaningful connection between three key components: carefully crafted content, a suitable design concept, and the characteristics and needs of the intended target groups. In recent years, the term “gamification” has been actively used in the education system. It was first coined in 2002 by Nick Pelling, an American programmer and inventor [3]. Gamifying the learning process at any stage or level helps enhance students’ engagement and motivation in learning [4]. Game-based methods have enjoyed popularity in learning environments, and the advent of digital technology has further amplified their appeal, solidifying their status as a widely embraced approach. Alongside business games and role-playing games, gamification of the learning process “promotes the development of communicability, goal-orientedness, cognitive and intellectual activity of students, and so on” [5, p. 22]. Gamification is applicable at any stage of a lesson or any other educational activity. The essence of gamification lies in utilizing the innate human inclination for play to engage individuals in information exchange and consumption processes [6]. In light of the above, it is necessary to provide an adequate assessment of gamification technologies, which can only be accomplished by taking into account the values and worldview of students or learners, alongside their level of development, while also considering the social conditions within which the educational system operates [7]. In educational projects of any format, it is crucial to ensure the absence of random decisions, the negative effects of which can be long-lasting. At the same time, it is also inefficient to model each product from scratch. The modern design concepts facilitate the implementation of this approach by providing a set of design activities presented in each case. Our project-based activities involving students were underpinned by the ideas of universal design, a relatively new approach that stems from the concept of accessibility. This approach, advocated by the Institute for Human [8], involves identifying common characteristics among different users and ensuring that a product functions for as many people as possible without the need for additional adaptations [9]. It is often described as specifically aimed at expanding the user base. The term “universal design” was proposed by architect Ronald Lawrence Mace, who sought to create products, environments, and systems that are accessible, usable, and beneficial to as many people as possible, regardless of their age, ability, or social background [10]. The possibilities of applying universal design in secondary and higher education were first noticed by Frank Bowe in 1999 [11]. Today, these ideas have evolved into the approach of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which encompasses numerous and diverse forms of presenting educational material to students, forms of representing their understanding of the material, and forms of engaging them in the learning process. Sheryl Burgstahler argues that It is often described as specifically aimed at expanding the user base. The term “universal design means that rather than designing your facility and services for the average user, you design for people with a broad range of abilities, ages, reading levels, learning styles, languages, cultures, and other characteristics. Keep in mind that students, staff, faculty, and visitors may have characteristics that are not defined as disabilities, but may limit their ability to access physical spaces or information. These people could be short, tall, poor readers, left-handed, or speak a different language)” [12].

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This idea underlies the algorithm for universal design of physical spaces and objects, which was used in our work. In 2006, a methodology for evaluating universal design in toys was created [13]. A team of researchers assessed the functional and substantive suitability of a toy for various children (including children with disabilities) as well as its reliability through focus groups comprising parents, toy buyers, and professional designers [14, 15]. However, not all characteristics of universal design in games and toys can be formalized since qualitative subjective characteristics such as “liking,” “loving,” and so on play a significant role alongside quantitative measures of safety or ergonomics. We conducted pre- and post-project research to give due regard to this aspect while developing our own games. According to the general principles of universal design in education, graphic elements should be simple enough and recognizable for children. To meet the criteria of universal design, it is necessary not only to provide color coding of cards and tokens but also to consider other methods of differentiation. It should be noted at this point that there is a multitude of ways to present information, such as instructions, infographics, and teacher explanations [10]. In designing these games, we drew upon the experience of tabletop game designers. Specifically, in the most popular and mass-produced games of this type, the materials are distinguished by their high quality of manufacturing and appropriate organization. The game board and cards have appropriate thematic design, usually featuring hand-drawn graphics combined with simple backgrounds that are practically devoid of details. This meets the criteria for images designed for children with SEN, for which professional artists and designers are typically engaged. Game pieces and other small components are often made of wood rather than plastic. Three-dimensional elements are often used in games to enable people with visual impairments to participate on an equal footing with other players. Information on the game board and cards is almost always represented by pictograms or other visual (rather than abstract) symbols. Firstly, this makes games accessible to children, and secondly, it facilitates the international dissemination of these games since localization often only requires translating the rules. In the graphics, we drew from such methods of organizing games as color differentiation, thoughtful typography, careful use of images and three-dimensional elements [16]. When selecting the most suitable shades, we drew from Max Lüscher’s research: for example, in his interpretation, the color orange evokes a surge of vitality and promotes a feeling of optimism. It enhances energy and at the same time provides a sense of inner balance and emotional harmony. The color red is associated with determination and resolve and has the capacity to evoke a profound inclination in individuals to undertake specific actions. Therefore, the excessive use of this color is undesirable, but it can be used as an accent or to draw attention to an important object. Yellow represents sociability, which is important for the game [17, p. 98]. Children and adolescents, unlike adults, are more responsive to bright, warm colors. Since these colors are related, they do not create disharmony and blend well with each other. Therefore, it would make sense to utilize these colors specifically in the design of products.

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Special recommendations for creating graphic design should be taken into account for different categories of individuals with SEN. However, their creators do not always take into account the age-specific characteristics and the peculiarities of pathologies. For example, there is much ambiguity surrounding the use of color even within one variant of impairment. There is a significant risk of making mistakes when creating graphic materials for inclusive classrooms that include more than one category of students with SEN. For example, orthographic exercises in Russian language lessons for children with visual impairments are recommended to be designed with the help of green and red colors [18]. However, these colors can be problematic for a child who has difficulties with color perception and will not be relevant for a blind child. The design situation presents a challenge due to conflicting guidelines in the same methodological recommendations for creating educational materials for children with visual impairments. On the one hand, it is stated that “geometrized (simplified, approximated to a geometric basis) drawings are well-perceived,” while on the other hand, it is advised that the images should be realistic and should not include three-dimensional objects with many small details [18]. It was evident how independent and complex the process of mastering the game can be for individuals who often manipulate objects without considering their intended purpose. In the process of designing a game, we proceeded from the idea that it should facilitate the development of consistent and holistic object perception and help children understand that the appearance of an object can change depending on the perspective front, back, side, bottom, or top. Finally, it is important that children should develop an understanding that a whole object consists of individual parts, each with its own function but also shape, size, specific position, and spatial arrangement. Thus, even though there are general guidelines for creating graphic materials for individuals with SEN, while working on a specific educational resource for a particular class or group, it is important not only to know the formatting requirements specific to the target group but also to collaborate closely with experts. It is crucial to consider not only the fundamental characteristics but also additional characteristics of children, cultural and age-specific factors, as well as survey data, including those surveys that are conducted by the researcher themselves. As for the broader framework for our work, it relies on the project-based method that is defined by educational specialists as a learning system and a flexible model for organizing the educational process. This method is focused on stimulating selfrealization of individuals through the development of their intellectual and physical abilities, willpower, and creative aptitudes. Such development is achieved through the creation, under the teacher’s supervision, of new products and services that possess subjective and objective novelty and practical significance [19, p. 45]. Although, in our opinion, the mention of supervision in this definition somewhat contradicts the idea of a project as a collaborative team effort, other aspects of the method can prove useful in university work.

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3 Discussion The logic of this part of the article is determined by the ascent from simple to complex - both in the game itself and in its design. We show how important the selection of an appropriate design concept is to find solutions that satisfy the cognitive and emotional capabilities of players with disabilities. The experience of almost a decade of work reveals algorithms for designing a game by students and aspects of board games for people with disabilities that must be taken into account (so far, game manufacturers do not always do this). We emphasize that the choice of format was conscious. It is connected, first of all, with the social and cognitive possibilities of the game as a unique type of activity. All the selected games are tabletop (in various formats). The interest in this category of games is determined, firstly, by spatial factors – they serve as an inclusive activity that facilitates connection, because individuals sitting in wheelchairs and those sitting on chairs appear virtually indistinguishable, fostering a sense of equality among participants. Secondly, such games have a wide age appeal, particularly when its theme is of interest to the players. Furthermore, a tabletop game is relatively simple in terms of design, as it is based on manipulating a small set of objects or cards. In such games, the number of players can range from one to several, depending on the objectives of the game. Games of this category can be played individually in teams and even whole coalitions, which further enhances opportunities for interaction. Another significant aspect is the possibility of utilizing tabletop games not only for leisure but also for communication, development, and education. Huizinga emphasizes that the game is opposed to everyday life and, at the same time, is an integral part of the life experience of the player, remaining in memory for a long time [1, p. 33]. This phrase of an authoritative game theorist justifies the chosen sequence of presentation from simple to complex, which can be followed by both school teachers teaching adapted programs and university teachers leading design disciplines. The higher the level of development, the more complex the game interests a person. At the same time, the simplicity of the game is not identical to the simplicity of its design. On the contrary, it can be difficult for students at the stage of empathy to feel the state of “special” players. 3.1 Educational Tactile Game Psychologist Thalma Lobel demonstrates how sensory reactions to external stimuli influence the subconscious mind, and therefore, our behavior and decisions [20]. The human body is structured in such a way that certain sensations – warmth, softness of touch, sweetness of taste - are pleasant, while others - coldness, hardness, bitterness, etc. – elicit dislike and discomfort, with their intensity varying among individuals. It is known that individuals with specific sensory needs benefit from what is referred to in psychology as a “transitional object” – this can be a blanket, toy, or some other item. It enhances children’s sense of security and reduces anxiety, especially in unfamiliar or distressing situations. A simple touch of an object can help alleviate such children’s behavioural issues and have a positive impact on how they perceive their surroundings.

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Objective: To teach a child to establish cause-and-effect relationships between phenomena while selecting soft elements in a specific configuration designed by the designer. The game is based on psychological and pedagogical developments in sensory design [21]. Target audience: The game is designed for individual interaction with children, starting from an early age. Session format: The child is offered to assemble a picture (Fig. 1): if the two elements are not arranged correctly, it is impossible to find the third element that matches them. Simultaneously, the child can explore different textures, observe the bird character, and engage in discussions about the time of day and activities (if the child is already verbal). Based on pre-project research with a group of young children, which involved presenting fragments of fabrics of the same color but with different tactile characteristics, it was found that the majority of participants in the study preferred felt (it was the material that the group participants manipulated the longest). The playtesting results demonstrate that this game is captivating not only for children but also their parents, who themselves enjoy manipulating the pieces, appreciate its ease of use, intuitive functionality, and more. The game is accessible to children with disabilities, including those with intellectual disabilities, including pre-school and early school age children (Fig. 1). 3.2 Game ‘Nesting Doll’ (Matryoshka) The idea of adaptability in traditional architecture is actively advocated by urban planners and psychologists, and it can be readily applied to design products as well. In addition to semantics, which may be unfamiliar to a particular modern individual, the very arrangement, structure, and decoration of products in traditional culture possess essential levels of scale, self-similarity (principle in design where patterns or elements exhibit similar characteristics at various scales or levels of detail, that it, a smaller part of a design exhibits geometric patterns similar to the larger whole), balance of symmetry and asymmetry, rhythm and arrhythmia that are necessary for human perception. Patterns of any traditional culture have a positive impact on people of various backgrounds. This led us to the idea of creating a game for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that would facilitate integration into the educational environment and foster engagement with culture. The challenge in this case is that imparting social experiences to children with ASD, introducing them to culture, requires emotional connection and engagement, which is not always achieved by those around them. The objective of the game is to popularize Russian culture through the exploration of symbols and archetypes, as well as to develop social and communicative skills in children. Target audience: Children and teenagers with ASD face a shortage of adapted games and educational materials specifically designed for this population. The game can be played by one child or multiple people, with each participant taking turns in selecting the next element. Design features: During the creation of the game, the characteristics of the perception of autistic children were taken into account. Children with ASD tend to focus on the most prominent features and sometimes only on one feature that distinguishes an object from other objects. Special attention was given to the selectivity of perception in this category

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Fig. 1. Tactile game that helps to understand cause-and-effect relationships. Designer: Y. Lipuntsova. Project leader: T. Y. Bystrova. Consultant: L. V. Tokarskaya. 2018.

of children, which results in their having difficulty in discerning the main elements, understanding the internal connections between parts, and struggling to orient themselves in a situation, often ending up disoriented. Children with ASD are less inclined to engage in exploratory behavior due to their limited ability to obtain sufficient information about objects or phenomena, resulting from challenges in developing a holistic perception. Guided by instinctive behavior patterns, children simplify their model of interaction with the objects around them. Taking into account the perceptual characteristics of children with ASD, the format and design of the game were selected. The game design was based on the “nesting doll” principle, according to which various modules used by the players form a single product. The exploration of culture begins through form creation, borrowing the main idea from the traditional Russian nesting doll – Matryoshka. The illustrated guide includes puzzles, stickers, and coloring pages. The game modules have a rounded shape and are convenient for a child to hold in their hand. The dimensions of the modules meet the basic requirements of ergonomics for children’s educational materials and games. The module sizes make them convenient for working on a school desk or table, storing in a desk drawer, on a bookshelf, and for carrying in a backpack. Color, texture, and pattern combinations in module formation are extremely diverse and reflect Russian folk crafts: Gzhel painting, Zhostovo painting, Permogorsk and Mezen painting styles, Khokhloma, Karelian embroidery, cross-stitch embroidery, and wood carving. The stylistic unity of the toolkit is achieved through adherence to proportions, rhythm, color, texture, and material choices of the modular elements. The transformation of the traditional folk doll into a flat modular game was conducted with utmost respect for the products of traditional culture. The pattern was not disrupted, and the color combinations were preserved [22]. Session format: The child is offered to dress the nesting doll (Fig. 2) in a new sarafan using interchangeable removable elements (outfit cards). The child selects an outfit for the doll based on the color combination and size of the elements. An adult helps the

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child master the theoretical material by reading (telling, explaining) the information on the reverse side of the card.

Fig. 2. Cards of the game “Nesting doll”. Designer: A. N. Shanina. Project leader: T. Y. Bystrova. 2017.

Results: From April 10th to April 25th, 2017, experimental classes were conducted with preschool and early elementary school children with ASD at “Umka i Umnichki” Child Development and Creativity Center in Solikamsk and at “Pingvin” Development Center for Children and Parents in Ekaterinburg. We tested the game and showed that it can be used not only for corrective work with autistic children but also for introducing other children to Russian folk culture. 3.3 Interactive Game as a Means of Inclusion The inclusive educational game was developed in 2021 as an initiative of the Regional Library n.a. V.G.Belinsky (Belinsky Library) in Ekaterinburg. Although the library had good equipment and resources, almost no inclusive events were held at that time. The game was conceived as part of the design system aimed at activating inclusive practices. The game encouraged players to explore the Belinsky Library’s space, including areas that are not always accessible to visitors. The objective of the game is to help people with disabilities feel comfortable and safe in the inclusive space of the library. Target audience: Teenagers and adults with visual, hearing, musculoskeletal, and facial impairments, as well as those without impairments. The game can be played by two to four people, including children with different pathologies. Design features: When making decisions about various elements of the game, the designer relied on the results of a survey based on the methodology of Tatiana Bystrova [23], using specific visual materials and products. To determine the preferred material for making game cards and the board, teenagers were asked about whether they pay attention to the quality of paper when buying stationery materials, whether they consider as important the smoothness or roughness of surfaces on notebooks and textbooks they use, and whether they more frequently purchase items with glossy or matte finishes. The online survey took place in spring 2020, and 32 teenagers participated in it (30 of them had

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no special needs, while two had visual impairments). The survey showed that teenagers often pay attention to stylized simplified graphics and are not highly interested in its aesthetic characteristics, preferring catchier images. 80% of the participants expressed a preference for less detailed graphic images. Approximately 70% expressed a preference for warm colors. Session format: The game board represents a map of the three floors of the library [24], created in the original style using black and white graphics (Fig. 3a). This idea correlates with the statement of experts that a game represents a symbolic model of the surrounding physical world [25, p. 101], making possible the exploration of its unfamiliar parts even when they are presented virtually in the game [26, p. 59]. Good design, including game design, takes into account the interests and capabilities of the player to the maximum extent. In this case, players’ motivation is not only stimulated by exploring the library’s space but also by delving into its history, facts, and personalities. The information is presented on cards that the participant receives upon reaching a certain stage. In addition to the printed text on the card, there is also a Braille inscription for visually impaired players (see Fig. 3b). The color scheme is designed with consideration for color differentiation impairments, ensuring ease of use. Players are invited to move around the game board, which fully replicates the layout of the real library. Reading the cards helps the players navigate the library and introduces them to its history. The playtesting results showed that not only does the game enhance awareness of the library’s functionality but also increases the motivation of teenagers and adults with SEN to visit it. To promote the game and generate interest in it, an animated video was created (Fig. 3c). The idea behind the video is to demonstrate how, during the game, children with disabilities can communicate and interact with other children. The exposition depicts a bored girl peeking out of the window and noticing something. The inciting moment occurs when her friends call her from outside. Next, the viewer is shown that the girl cannot go out with her friends for a walk because she is confined to a wheelchair. Her friends are upset, but after some time, they appear at the door of her apartment with a tabletop game in their hands. 3.4 Game for Exploring the School Environment (“Ready for School” Maze Game) The core concept of the project was defined by the phrase “magical school” as a metaphor for an unknown space that contains many interesting things and needs to be explored. The initial hypotheses regarding the game design were tested in focus groups based on the methodology developed by Robert Merton [27], the founding father of the focus group method. One advantage of this method is that it helps elicit spontaneous responses from participants, which makes them more truthful and reliable. The focus group was conducted in February 2021 at “Ekaterinburg School No. 4”, which provides education for children with various degrees of intellectual disabilities, including children with ASD. Twelve children in the 7–8 age group from three classes were surveyed. Since conducting a standard focus group was not possible due to the age and clinical characteristics of the participants, we used a simplified approach. During the process, the child and the researcher were sitting together at a table, engaging in one-on-one interaction. The

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Fig. 3. a, b, c. Sample cards for the game. Fragment of a Master’s thesis tablet. C. A series of frames from the animated video about the “library” game as a means of inclusive interaction. Designer: I. Udartseva. Project leader: T. Y. Bystrova. 2021.

researcher gave the child five 7 × 7 cm squares of paper and laminate and instructed to explore them. Importantly, emphasis was placed on allowing the child to explore them in various ways, such as crumpling, tearing, squeezing, smelling, and so on. Next, the researcher asked the question: “Which paper did you like the most?” In the process, some

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children attempted to choose the paper based solely on its visual appearance. However, after tactile exploration of all the types of paper, their opinions usually changed. The main hypothesis was that the children would choose the textured “linen” paper finding it the most interesting because it provides more diverse tactile sensations. None of the children chose this paper, however. Many children (5 out of 12) chose the matte paper with a weight of 300 g/m2 , explaining that it was “soft” and made a “beautiful rustling sound”. Laminates were chosen less frequently than papers, almost half as often. Children preferred glossy laminate over matte laminate, describing it as “smooth” and “white”. The graphic design of the game is determined by the need to make it sufficiently simple and understandable for the child [28]. Therefore, the technique of outlining photographs is used to soften colors, simplify the image, and maintain its recognizability, which is relevant for children with SEN. Simple 2D graphics are used in the branding elements while isometric graphics are better suited for the game cards and locations. Isometric graphics allow for a greater level of detail while avoiding clutter. An important principle of information design is at work here. Panoramic and perspective images provide viewers with the freedom to navigate visual space, and the viewer, being capable of comparing and drawing conclusions based on these comparisons, benefits from this freedom. The intricate elements of the image are interesting to explore, making it easier for players to get absorbed in the process. This technique is universal and based on the human ability to recognize and comprehend information [29]. Since we are representing real spaces, the traditional top-down view (like a map or diagram) is less readable for children with SEN; an image of the classroom from the door is more realistic and at the same time easy to comprehend. Realistic natural colors are used. Objective: To develop a child’s understanding of the school’s structure and its various locations. Target audience: A group of older preschoolers or elementary school students without developmental peculiarities or with intellectual disabilities. Session format: Children (up to 6 individuals) take turns spinning the spinner, which indicates the number of moves. By reaching a specific location within the school, they can learn about its distinctive features and what activities are allowed and prohibited there. This task is facilitated by the size of the cards, as the rooms are depicted larger (for example, the cafeteria, hallway, and gym), while the objects within them are depicted smaller. Results: Children learn to navigate the school environment even before their first visit to the school or adapt to it more easily. 3.5 Psychological Game “World of Emotions” This game was created in response to the needs of modern children and adolescents who face challenges not only in understanding the emotions of others but also their own emotions. Despite being presented in a digital format rather than a physical one, its principles of use and the presence of printed cards classify it as a tabletop game. Objective: Developing emotional intelligence in adolescents with retained potential capabilities (they may have mild sensory and motor impairments).

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Goals: Developing the ability to recognize one’s own emotions and the emotions of others, fostering skills in emotional self-regulation. Target audience: the game is designed for an age group of 14–17 years, but it can also be played with other age groups. The optimal number of participants is 8–12 people. Based on our experience in conducting similar activities, it is possible to accommodate up to 30 participants, given that the space is properly organized and there is a co-facilitator. Platform: The game is an application designed for the Windows operating system that features an interactive game board for visualizing the gameplay. It is 100% ready. Session format: The participants are divided into teams (maximum number – 6 people). Each team selects a color for their virtual token. Representatives from each team take turns rolling a dice. On the first roll, the number of points determines the initial position of the token on the game board (Fig. 4). On the second and subsequent rolls, the number determines the number of moves in the direction chosen by the players. The task for the participants is to “visit” all emotion sectors by completing exercises. If the token lands in the yellow area, including the starting position, the team making the move answers a question read by the facilitator from their deck of “Question” cards. If the token lands in a “colored” area, the facilitator reads a random card from the “Fact” deck out loud. All participants work together to complete the 6 key tasks. In case of an incorrect answer or failure to complete a task, the team is sent back to the “starting” position. The application’s framework enables the customization of game rules and the incorporation of practical and theoretical content that is tailored to meet the needs of specific target audiences. The results of playtesting show that the game allows participants to improve their ability to recognize their own emotions and the emotions of others. It also develops participants’ skills of emotional self-regulation, especially when keeping a self-observation diary.

Fig. 4. Psychological Game “World of Emotions”. Designer and IT specialist: M. N. Cheremnykh. Project leader: L. V. Tokarskaya. 2022.

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3.6 Game “Safe Walk” The game was developed in response to a request from educators of an educational organization that implements adapted general education programs for children with intellectual disabilities. It is worth noting that fostering safe behavior in these children is considered a crucial aspect of their education. Objective: To develop skills of safe behavior in the forest. Target audience: The game is designed for an age group of 8–16 years old (the age range can be expanded if the skills have not been developed earlier). The optimal number of participants is 2 people. Session format: Each player receives a game piece with which they move across the game board from the first to the twelfth number, taking turns by rolling the dice to determine the order of movement (Fig. 5). When landing on each number, the player takes a card and chooses the difficulty level of the question they will answer. The final score is calculated at the end of the game based on the accumulated number of points (represented by mushroom stickers). At numbers 4, 8, and 11, players receive bonus cards that they can use when needed. When landing on number 9, players find themselves in a swamp and must answer the questions from two cards. The results of playtesting demonstrate that children with intellectual disabilities show significant interest in it. Furthermore, we observed a 20% improvement in children’s comprehension of safe behavior in the forest, as evidenced by the test results obtained during the “Fundamentals of Life Safety” lessons.

Fig. 5. A Game “Safe Walk”. Designer: M. Levina. Project leaders: T. Y. Bystrova, L. V. Tokarskaya. Consultant: L. N. Kobyasheva. 2023.

4 Discussion Today, education is increasingly understood as a social institution aimed at transmitting not only knowledge but also cultural experience, traditions, beliefs, and values [30, 31]. It ceases to be viewed as a self-contained, closed process and it has now acquired in

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the eyes of professionals and society an increasingly prominent social dimension. The creation of games by students for people with disabilities is one of the small yet important parts of this process. The works of students presented in the article show that designing a game for children with disabilities can be an effective tool for shaping the professional thinking and worldview of designers because a lot of reflective elements in the education, which raise its quality [32], deepens knowledge [33] and makes them more prepared for a career [34]. In turn, it was proved that the most successful projects can be brought to the market and expand the range of games for people with disabilities. The effectiveness of the project-based learning approach is confirmed by over seven years of project work by students at the Ural Federal University (UrFU) in creating games and educational materials for children with SEN. This approach involves conducting preliminary surveys among the target audience, following design algorithms, employing design techniques, and relying on scientific data related to perception and the gaming process. Furthermore, it demonstrates how effective interdisciplinary student teams can be in developing various games. Each project team comprises a leader, an administrator, and other members. Other important participants of the process include a faculty-appointed curator and a client, who can be a representative from external organizations or university staff. The client sets the project goal, reviews the overall task list, and oversees the acceptance of results. The games presented in the article have contributed not only to the development of project skills among students from various fields of study but also hold significant practical value and are highly sought after in organizations working with children and adolescents with disabilities. This project demonstrates that only through the collaboration of an interdisciplinary team of specialists and research of the target audience’s needs, it is possible to create truly relevant and functional products for different categories of people. Students involved in game design acquire not only design thinking skills and teamwork abilities, but also a set of humanistic values and specific social orientations, along with knowledge of the most advanced project concepts.

References 1. Huizinga, J.: Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture. Angelico Press, Brooklyn (2016) 2. Tlili A., et al.: Game-based learning for learners with disabilities – what is next? A systematic literature review from the activity theory perspective. Front. Psychol. 12, 814691 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.814691 3. Orlova, O.V., Titova, V.N.: Gejmifikacija kak sposob organizacii obuchenija [Gamification as a way of organizing learning]. Vestnik TGPU [TSPU Bulletin]. 9(162), 60–65 (2015). [in Russia] 4. Kapp, K.: The Gamification of Learning and Instruction. Field Book. Wiley, Hoboken (2013) 5. Butakova, E.S.: K voprosu o podgotovke jelitnyh inzhenernyh kadrov: opyt Rossii i mira [On the issue of training elite engineering personnel: the experience of Russia and the world]. Vysshee obrazovanie segodnja [High. Educ. Today] 2, 20–26 (2013). [in Russia]

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Computer Games and Literary Education: Opportunities and Limitations Larisa Tyutelova1(B)

, Valeria Lisovitskaya1 and Daria Moroseeva2

, Ksenia Sundukova1

,

1 Samara National Research University, 34, Moskovskoye Shosse, Samara 443086, Russia

{tyutelova.lg,lisovickaya.vn,sundukova.ka}@ssau.ru 2 Samara, Russia

Abstract. This paper considers computer games which are based on famous pieces of works from both classic and modern popular literature (“Dante’s Inferno”, “VIY”, “The Witcher”, “Hogwarts Legacy”). Different types of games are defined. In the first type of game, the authors only use the literary plot to create a chain of tests for the hero in the game. In the second type of game, the classics help screenwriters to not only create a story of trials, but also to present their own interpretation of the original text. It is especially important in the situations where the player turns to the primary source to reference the literary pra-text which should help them to understand and complete the tasks, etc. It is only the second type of game, as defined above, which can be used to form students’ competencies related to the formation of skills to use the achievements of world culture in professional activities in non-philological specialties and professional skills in working with a literary text in philologists. According to the authors of the article, computer games, although they meet the needs of modern students, can only be an additional tool for achieving educational goals. And they should be used alongside other methods of gamification of the learning process. The conclusions are drawn from the basis of studying the features of computer games, the content of their scenarios and the main tasks for the players, the features of the “images” of the games’ heroes, as well as the students’ survey responses. Keywords: Literary Education · Computer Game · Learning Gamification · Game Practices in Learning

1 Introduction Modern higher education is changing rapidly. Along with the introduction of blended learning [1] and digitalization [2], changes also affect the content component of education, gradually transforming the goals and methods of teaching classical disciplines [3–5]. Literary disciplines are an integral part of the formation of general professional competencies of students in the areas of humanitarian profile, such as “Journalism”, “Television”, “Advertising and Public Relations”. The current students, belonging to the D. Moroseeva—Independent Researcher. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 160–168, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_12

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zoomer generation, require a special approach to learning: “Always online, multitasking, technically competent and knowledgeable, they are difficult to surprise and keep their attention” [6, 7]. Not being philologists by vocation, students of these areas of study often do not have the tendency nor the motivation to read serious literature, preferring the visual arts. Before the teacher-philologist, along with the traditional goals of studying the history of literature, the task is to explain how the literary image is fundamentally different from any other, to distinguish between high and popular culture, to demonstrate why it is necessary to refer to the primary source – the book, and to not be content with different “translations” into the language of cinema or “digital art”. However, it is possible that turning to “translations” in a language closer to the audience can be productive for studying classical literature and will create conditions for student communication with the classics, for example, will the texts of Dante, Goethe or Gogol encourage them, having experienced the practice of being involved in the plot of a computer game, to turn to original source? Or maybe games based on literary works can become the subject of consideration directly within the framework of teaching the disciplines of the literary cycle? Let’s consider these possibilities.

2 Formulation of the Problem. Methods There are numerous studies on the impact of computer games on involvement in learning processes for health and physical education [8, 9]. Their authors consider computer games as an effective educational tool, which nevertheless has a number of limitations. In the study of games, methods are actively used, borrowed from literary studies [10, 11]. But can a close acquaintance with computer games contribute to the progress in the study of literature? Let’s consider “digital art” through the features of its functioning and interaction with the artistic source text in order to draw conclusions about the applicability of computer games in the framework of teaching the disciplines of the literary cycle. The main research methods in this work are a survey, content analysis, and participant observation. The survey participants were 3rd –4th year students in the fields “Advertising and Public Relations”, “Journalism” and “Television”. The sample was made on the basis of the principle of available cases. The survey was offered to all students of the above directions (general population - 173 people), 126 people completed the survey (17 boys and 109 girls), which is approximately 72.8%. The age of respondents is 19–22 years old. The questionnaire was compiled in such a way that a negative answer to the control question “Have you ever played computer games based on literary plots?” did not end the survey, but instead opened a series of additional questions related to game mechanics in the learning process. The key questions for the study were concerning the personal “gaming” experience of the respondents. The material of the study was computer games based on literary works, namely “VIY” [12], “Dante’s Inferno” [13], “The Witcher” [14], “Hogwarts Legacy” [15].

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3 The Specifics of Games Based on the Plots of Historical Literature First of all, let’s turn to games based on the plots of classical literature. Released in 2010, Dante’s Inferno is based on Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. However, Dante’s Inferno is a free interpretation and does not claim to be factual in relation to the original poem [16]. With the exception of the 9 circles of hell, the relationship with Beatrice, and some key characters, the game has nothing to do with the literary source. The game takes place in 1191, after the hero Dante returns from the third crusade, where he fought against Saladin and participated in the storming of Jerusalem. However, this experience changed the hero of the game, turning a kind and believing man into a cruel and merciless warrior, following the orders of fanatical and greedy bishops. They promised forgiveness of his sins if he continued to fight against the unbelievers. Mired in debauchery and murders, the character becomes intoxicated with impunity and hatred. But, remembering his love for Beatrice, he decides to reunite with his beloved. Upon returning home, the hero discovers that his father and beloved have been killed. The hero goes on a dangerous journey to the underworld to find his love. In this difficult journey, like the hero of the original poem, the hero of the game is accompanied by the poet Virgil, an inhabitant of Limbo. He tells him about the circles of Hell and gives wise advice to help him overcome the dangers. Passing through the circles of Hell and fighting with the inhabitants of the underworld, Dante faces his own sins, realizing the evil he has committed in the name of faith. Among the sinners, he meets his cruel and greedy father, the greedy Florentine feudal lord, his suicidal mother who could not stand the tyranny of her husband, as well as his ally and father-in-law Francesco, who ended up in Hell due to participation in the crusade, but his real intentions were incomprehensible and contradictory. But the most difficult test for Dante is meeting Beatrice, who does not forgive the hero for the betrayal and execution of her brother, which led to her becoming the bride of Lucifer. With great difficulty, Dante convinces his beloved, who has not committed a single sin, to free herself from the influence of the Prince of Darkness and forgive him. In the finale, Dante faces Lucifer, chained in the ice of the last circle. It turns out that the kidnapping of Beatrice was a trap to draw the hero into the last circle and free the devil. But Dante, having gained great strength and the support of the saved souls in his wanderings through the underworld, does not allow Lucifer to escape. Thus, the hero deserves the right to pass through Purgatory, where he meets his beloved. However, the adventures of the heroes are not yet over, because together with Dante, the Prince of Darkness secretly enters Purgatory with a cloth cross with miniatures as a symbol of the hero’s sins, which Dante tied to his body at the beginning of the story. The characters in “The Divine Comedy” are simply recognizable signs of classical literature. The developers do not set themselves the goal of introducing players to Dante’s poem. Therefore, references to Dante Alighiera are not able to tell the player anything about the original source. The developers of the game say that they tried “to include hundreds of details that connect the game back to the source material” [17, p. 147], however, researchers of the issue note that the game also focuses primarily on imitation of bodily experience, and not on the linguistic material of the text: “video game genres privilege the body over language or the verbal in gameplay, at least in part because of the current technological reality that the reproduction of authentic turn-taking conversation

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remains ‘the hard AI problem’, where even the slightest dissonance in generated content or delivery can trigger a sense of the uncanny, risking disruption of the flow state. This focus on a flow-promoting embodied experience within a game has led developers to explore and encode into game play design the mechanisms that cue an illusion of realistic presence: twigs that snap underfoot as you run through a wood, the resistance against your arms and legs as you paddle through water” [17, p. 150]. The complex philosophical and theological aspects of Dante’s world are all the more left out of the equation, when it is not Beatrice who saves the lost soul of Dante, but, on the contrary, he frees her from the clutches of the devil, there is no need to talk about any preservation of the original idea of the poem. Thus, the game is not a link between the classical text and the modern reader; on the contrary, from our experience there are cases when the images of the game replace Dante’s true intention in the minds of the students. In the second game we analyzed, the developers tend to preserve the plot of the original source to a greater extent. However, the story of Nikolai Gogol’s “Viy” still turned into a first-person shooter horror game. The game takes place on a huge map, where the player can find many items needed to survive three nights of vigil at the coffin of the witch he killed. Khoma travels the world during the day and goes to church at night. Having drawn a circle to protect against evil spirits, placing four lit candles and starting to read a prayer, the player encounters the souls of dead people. All of them were held hostage by evil spirits. The player needs to try to save them and at the same time survive himself. Here, the desire of developers to immerse players in the world of Gogol can be seen more clearly. Keeping the original plot outline, the authors of the game recreate the world of a literary work. Rather than simply retelling or mechanically translating the text into a playful form, they instead represent their own understanding of the original work, and also create conditions for players to look at the classics through the prism of their own interpretation. However, the specific techniques of Gogol’s poetics, in addition to the thematic and plot plan, do not fall into the sphere of interests of the game developers and do not affect the interpretation of the plot. A similar situation exists in older generation games such as “Faust” (“Seven Games of the Soul”), “Goethe VR”, in which the literary text does not find an exact match in the text of the computer game, and the meaning of the original is revealed through interpretation, without even repeating the plot of Goethe’s tragedy, through the creation of a situation of ethical choice for the player. The problems of translating Goethe’s Faust into the language of “digital art” are considered in detail in our other article [18]. It is important to note that the most popular games among the students surveyed are still the games created on the basis of works of popular rather than classical literature. They not only immerse players in fictional worlds based on other people’s texts, but also provide the opportunity for an extended story. They create a hyper-realistic environment in which players can develop and bring their creative ideas to life. An example that illustrates this phenomenon is the game series “The Witcher”, based on the book series of the same name. The game developers do not just transfer the world created by Sapkovsky into the virtual reality of a computer game, but create their own unique version. Players get the opportunity to get used to the role of the main character and experience an interactive story with him [19]. The main character in both the books and the games is the Witcher Geralt. However, the developers do not retell the plot of

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the books, but write their own alternative story, which nevertheless unfolds in the same world as in the books in the “The Witcher” series. As players travel through the recreated world of The Witcher, they explore and interact with non-playable characters (NPCs) and their surroundings. While completing side quests or just traveling around the map on foot, or on Roach the horse, players can stumble upon books that reveal the history of this world and key events from the books, as well as discover many references to classical literature and popular cultural phenomena. The developers enter into a dialogue with the original text, rethink it and develop the story, and also allow the players to become active participants in this story. The choices made by the player during the passage of the story organically correspond to the logic of the original. Another exciting game based on the popular fictional universe is “Hogwarts Legacy”. This project caused a lot of excitement among gamers in 2023 and was considered one of the most anticipated games of the time. Like “The Witcher”, the developers took inspiration from a work of fiction but presented their own compelling story. The game takes place in the distant past, long before the events described in the Harry Potter books by JK Rowling. In “Hogwarts Legacy”, each player is given the opportunity to create their own unique character, which contributes to a deep immersion in the game world. If “The Witcher” was the inspiration for the TV series, then in the case of “Hogwarts Legacy” we are seeing the reverse process – the Harry Potter films become the main visual source of inspiration for developers. Major locations such as the Castle of Magic, the Enchanted Forest, and the Haunted Corridor are carefully recreated from film footage, and plot twists are often direct quotations from the original source. It is worth noting that, unlike The Witcher, where knowledge of a literary work is not necessary for complete immersion in the game, in Hogwarts Legacy, an understanding of the Harry Potter books and films plays an important role in understanding the story. So, in the context of computer games, a literary text can never be fully reproduced, but it is possible to extract the meaning of the original without even repeating its plot. It is important to find ways to express your own understanding of the idea, transferring it to the language of other art. Thus, we can discover the values and meanings of the classics, which are important for the effective teaching of literature to students using a computer game. But it will be a completely different task to show exactly how these meanings are formed in a literary work, to teach how to decipher the signs of literature as a verbal art. Analysis of the plots of computer games, already at this stage, allows us to come up a number of hypotheses: – when using someone else’s plot or even alluding to it, computer game scriptwriters are most often unable to become intermediaries between the text of a literary work and its reader. The developers speak to the players in the language of the game, exploring new values and forcing them to make their own choices, without looking back to the time-honored experiences of literary characters. – but there is another type of scenario that clearly indicates the connection between a computer game and a literary source. Through this connection and movement from the past to the future, players are given the opportunity not only to immerse themselves in the distant world of the classical text, but also to better understand their own time

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and themselves. Game technologies make this process exciting, intense, lively and effective. – computer games are just a way to attract students’ attention to literary works, but they cannot be a learning tool when it comes to the need to develop the skill to understand and analyze a classical text, to understand the poetics of a work of art. In the perspective of further research, testing these hypotheses on a wider material.

4 The Results of Survey The survey conducted allowed us to verify our findings. The survey was conducted among students of non-philological specialties who completed their studies in the courses “History of Russian Literature” and “History of World Literature”. According to the results of the survey, 88% of respondents have at least once encountered games based on literary plots, of which approximately 37% played such games. Most often, respondents named “The Witcher” and “Middle-earth: Shadow of War” as examples of such games. One of the students noted that he played all the computer games we analyzed. A 4th year student (Daria), who provided a detailed answer to the question “Do you think computer games can help in the study of literary works?”, noted that “computer games allow you to learn the plot, but we will not be able to see the individual literary devices.” She also noted that “often in games, books are interpreted in a new way. If you only play the games and not read the books, then embarrassment can happen in practical classes.” To the question “can computer games affect your interest in the literary work you are studying?” the vast majority (approximately 97%) responded positively. Respondents noted that this can help them immerse themselves in the world of the work and see the story with their own eyes. However, only 3 people answered positively to the question “Can a computer game replace a book?”. Among the negative characteristics of such games, the respondents named: the substitution of the idea of the original source, a long passage, and therefore the inability to “be in time for the practical lesson”, the discrepancy between the plot of the games and the literary original. We were also interested in what meanings are born in the process of transforming a literary plot into the plot of a computer game. The game Dante’s Inferno served as the material for this stage of the study. The Divine Comedy is studied in the History of World Literature course, so all the respondents were familiar with the plot. We asked a question to participants unfamiliar with this game: “What do you think the game is about?”. The majority responded that the game “probably repeats the plot of the work of Dante Alighieri”. Among those familiar with the game, “journey through hell” was most frequently mentioned as the theme. Survey participants noted that “the game has little to do with the book”. But a few people “wanted to re-read” Dante’s poem after beating the game. A similar situation develops with games based on the plots of popular literature. So, only 25% of respondents are familiar with the original source of The Witcher games, of which 94% turned to books after the end of the gaming experience. The final block of questions reflected the attitude of respondents to game mechanics in the learning process. Absolutely all respondents have a positive attitude towards

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the process of gamification of learning, noting a high degree of involvement and the opportunity to “understand” what they have read. The analysis of the survey made it possible to draw a number of conclusions: – an original literary work can become the basis for the development of the virtual world of a computer game; – computer games cannot replace reading literature. A computer game can only be an attempt to express the understanding of the original source by the game developers (but this is clearly not their main task: it is more important to use the author’s ideas for creating a chain of tests that the player goes through together with the hero of the game); – it takes a long time to complete a computer game and the features of modern games (the story unfolds based on the player’s decisions) create greater plot variability. This does not allow us to consider games as the main material for study; – players are more concerned about their own experiences and meanings that arise during the game. Students perceive them as independent works; – but a computer game may encourage a student to turn to classical texts. Without denying the positive impact of the considered games on the motivation of students to read certain works, we note that, nevertheless, in order to study literature, it is necessary to turn to the classical methods of teaching this subject. But the high demand of students of the zoomer generation for the gamification of learning, formed, among other things, by the experience of interacting with games based on the plots of literary works, requires the inclusion of game mechanics in the learning process. However, these mechanics should not offer a ready-made interpretation of the text, but provoke the student to interpret the text on their own. Among the methods that enliven practical classes in literary disciplines, one can name the creation of “texts of a new nature” borrowed from innovative school practice [20], the technology of debates [21], etc. It is optimal if gamification takes into account the profile of students’ learning. So, an example is the technology we developed for the areas of “Journalism” and “Television” for creating interviews with the hero of a literary text. Creative work is offered already from the first semesters of studying the history of literature and involves careful reading and in-depth study of one of the works of the course to choose from. The student’s task is to choose a text and one of the characters from the proposed list, come up with 10 questions for this character related to the plot, and write their answers to these questions in accordance with the nature of the character, plot and style of the work. In the answers, the student must use at least five quotes directly from the text of the work (direct quotes from this hero or the author’s speech can be used; quotes are in quotation marks). Students studying “Advertising and Public Relations” can be asked to determine the features of the character archetype, which could become the basis of his individual brand. These tasks invariably evoke a response from the student audience, provoking them to read the text carefully, delve into not only the features of the plot, but also the poetics of the work, for example, imitate the poetic form of a chivalric novel or Homeric poems. The need to speak on behalf of the chosen character requires a high degree of generalization, and careful reading of the text. It is interesting that some students, on their

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own initiative, accompany the text of the work with illustrations created using artificial intelligence. As a result of completing the task, we get a translation of a classic text into a language that is close and understandable to a modern young person, as we do in computer games. However, the interpreter in this case is not the screenwriter, but the students themselves, which has a beneficial effect on the understanding of the source text and at least partially compensates for the predominance of visual and auditory images in modern youth culture.

5 Conclusions The distance between today’s youth and the complex world of classical literature is constantly increasing. Students are more attracted to the visual worlds of computer games. The developers justifiably resort to using plots of literary classics, which allow us to display the interaction of a person with the outside world, to emphasize the relationship between the past and the present. Game mechanics allow us to take into account the limited capabilities of modern students. Instead of relying on imagination and creative thinking, they prefer specific visual, auditory, and other images. It is important that teachers remember this and are able to use such technologies in teaching literary disciplines that require an understanding of the specifics of literature as an art form to a greater extent than computer games. Computer games are widely used in teaching humanities, for example language and history teaching [22–24]. However, their use in the study of literature has not yet been the subject of careful study. The authors hope that this topic will be further investigated in more detail both in our works and by other researchers.

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A Gamification Conceptual Framework for Marketing Courses Irina Firsova1

, Dinara Vasbieva1(B)

, and Alan Abaev2

1 Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Leningradsky Prospekt

49, 125167 Moscow, Russia [email protected] 2 Russian State University for the Humanities, Miusskaya Square 6, 125993 Moscow, Russia [email protected]

Abstract. The content and methodological aspects of the modern educational system are changing under the influence of the digitalization of the economy. The use of computer networks, web applications, interactive services makes education more accessible, encouraging students’ cognitive interests and increasing their motivation to learn. Gamification as an innovative trend in modern education has increasingly come to be seen as a system that uses game components in non-game situations. The purpose of the study is to theoretically substantiate the conceptual framework of gamification and develop a business simulation game for teaching marketing to students. The key stages of the research include the review of the theoretical foundations of gamification in the educational sphere, the study of the game-based elements proposed for marketing-related subjects and the educators’ readiness for gamified teaching activities. The development of a business simulation game for marketing classes and an assessment of the educators’ readiness for gamified teaching activities comprise the scientific novelty of the research. The findings show three levels of university educators’ readiness to use game-based elements in the learning environment: low for non-readiness, medium for the level of fear, high for readiness, and prove that the indicators for students’ motivation, cognitive and knowledge aspects are low, while the content aspect of the assessment and self-assessment of competencies is fairly high, but after the game almost all the students decided to improve the acquired competencies through additional courses or self-study in marketing as they are not enough. Keywords: Gamification · Marketing · Game-based Elements

1 Introduction Nowadays a special role is given to game-based elements that are able to stimulate the learners’ activity in the educational setting and form practice-based learning. Gamification is a unique tool that manages the students’ activities in the marketing classroom. It spurs the innovative experiences, creates situational interest in performing cognitive tasks and develops students’ creativity and potential of self-realization. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 169–186, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_13

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Though scholarly discussion of marketing is widespread (Faulds, Mangold, 2014; Mochalova, Nanopoulos, 2014; Bal, Grewal, Mills, Ottley, 2015) [1–3], there has been less previous evidence for its relation to gamification. However, if a specific behavior is the end goal of gamification [4], this behavior could as well become devotion to learning. With that in mind, this study is aimed to find the point where marketing and gamification overlap in the context of education. The integration of game-based methods allows not only to focus on important thinking skills for a person (algorithmization, forecasting, modeling of actions, etc.), but also to provide basic skills that a priori will be relevant in any professional activity [5]. Thus, the research of E. Klopfer (Massachusetts University of Technology) proves the presence of a positive effect of modern gamification in the learning process [6]. In the course of the study, we analyzed the conceptual framework for the game design used in teaching marketing to students, conducted a survey among university educators to find out the perspectives of gamification as a new technology in education. The study aims to theoretically substantiate the conceptual framework of gamification and offer a business simulation game for teaching marketing to students. The research work is significant because of the way in which it fills in a gap in the existing literature about gamified learning that plays a crucial role in preparing students for the labor market. The development of a business simulation game for marketing classes and an assessment of the educators’ readiness for gamified teaching activities comprise the scientific novelty of the research. The practical significance lies in the possibility of using the results of the study to solve problems of the practice-oriented learning and increasing future marketers’ professional competencies in a university classroom setting.

2 Literature Review 2.1 Approaches to Gamification The term “gamification” was first coined by computer programmer Nick Pelling in 2002. He described the practice of using game-based elements outside games [7]. Even before many businesses increased sales through applying this technique in employee training, driving customer loyalty and engagement and recently in marketing. There are at least two approaches to gamification. The first approach suggests defining gamification as a broad concept, which reviews games and game-like experiences as integral part of human society and culture [8]. This means that customs, festivals, rituals and the general way of how things are managed with different cultural and historical backgrounds could be or bear similarities to a game. From this perspective, gamification becomes an ancient phenomenon hardwired in human civilization rather than a buzzword used in the business world. The approach proposed by marketing professionals and gurus has brought up the second definition of gamification related to a game rather than play. According to Deterding, Dixon, Khaled, Nacke (2011), “gamification is the use of game design elements in non-game contexts” [9]. In the gamification study, it is essential to differentiate a play from a game. Unlike a play, a game entails the constraint of rules, structure and a

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clear goal [10], which makes it applicable outside its original field for non-entertainment purpose. 2.2 Game-Based Elements Nowadays gamification succeeds in capturing the meaningful behavioral interactions that make games powerful due to some trivial elements such as points, ranking systems and badges. However, the practice of simply adding a point to an existing process could be called “pointsification”. Despite the fact that most gamified processes fall into this category [11], gamification means more than just points and badges [7]. It embodies design, “psychological aspects through game mechanics” [12], business practices and social media competency to create an engaging experience that leads to change of behavior and real business efficiency. In any area of human activity including education system the use of gamification can increase its efficiency. Menezes and Bartoli (2016) stated that the game should be part of the learning process, which includes not only the process itself, but the relationship between the teacher and the student [13]. They also emphasized the significance of goal-setting, the algorithm of the game, all participants’ motivation and emotional characteristics of the interaction. Caponetto, Earp and Ott (2014) noted the importance of gamification in the attractiveness of the learning process and a high level of interactive learning [14]. Gamification makes it possible to build collaboration between all participants in the learning process. Werbach and Hunter (2012) provided three categories of game design elements: dynamics, mechanics, and components and hereby referred to as the pyramid of gamification elements [7]. Dynamics is reflected in the development of restrictions, received emotions, relationships between players, etc. Mechanics defines a set of requirements for conducting not only the game, as such, but the entire learning process. Also, mechanics makes it possible to identify motivation and feedback. Werbach and Hunter (2015) developed the concept of 6D (6 Steps to Gamification), which enabled the gradual integration of gamification into learning [15]. As noted by a number of authors such as Buckley, Doyle (2017) [16], Dichev, C., Dicheva, D. (2017) [17], the application of gamification in the university classroom setting has several forms: simulation games, role-playing games, cross-industry games, discussion games, etc. The research done by Malone (1980) in the 80-90s of the XX century showed that with the help of video games, students can gain knowledge and competencies [18]. To emphasize the features of gamification in the education sphere, Marczewski (2013) employed the term “game thinking”, which replaces the concept of “gamification”. In his opinion, external gamification is reflected through its technological elements, while internal one is reflected through perception. According to A. Marczewski, there are four methods of gamification: an educational game aimed at learning the material during the real game process, a purposeful game used to achieve the learning goals and objectives, a meaningful game aimed at analyzing concepts and the learning material and obtaining the necessary knowledge and skills, a content-based game which is a game integrated in studying the learning material [19].

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Currently, there are a number of conceptual models for using game-based elements in the learning process (Werbach and Hunter, 2015; Zichermann, Linder, 2014; Chou, 2019; Vetushinsky, 2020) [15, 20–22]. Considering the concept of gamification, Werbach and Hunter (2015) outlined the reasons why it was worth doing game-based activities. “First, gamification is an emerging business practice; secondly, it is motivation and involvement; thirdly, in the course of the game, knowledge from other areas of activity is involuntarily replenished”. The researchers developed the concept of 6 steps to the development of game-based elements, in which he described the phased introduction of these elements into a business process: 1. defining business objectives 2. delineating target behaviour 3. describing the players’ characteristics and role in the game and the principles of interaction 4. devising further activity cycles 5. analysing the level of all players’ interests, motivation, determining the resources of the game 6. deploying the appropriate tools and technologies for the operation of the gaming system. The game toolkit includes a large number of attractive tools: discovery of new content, collection, points, social interaction, quests, virtual items, etc. [15]. Any concept is based on principles and approaches, which will be analyzed as part of the application of game-based elements in the educational process. Zichermann and Linder (2014) paid attention to such principles as the participant’s status, which allows to determine his rights and obligations; remuneration through the received bonuses agreed at the beginning of the game; rewards, which are reflected through getting emotions, creativity, encouragement for game-like activities [20]; motivation, which can be reflected through getting pleasure, recognition and success. Hernández-Sellés, Muñoz-Carril and González-Sanmamed claimed that the game-based learning results in developing the habit of waiting for rewards [23]. Vetushinsky (2020) designated the following principles: voluntary involvement reflected through the players’ desire to participate; choice which makes it possible to join the game in full force; creativity which inspires creative work, finding meaning in everyday routine tasks, changes in behavior; feedback; motivation and goal setting [22]. This approach fits into the framework of the gamification conceptual apparatus [24]. According to Chou (2019), motivation is one of the most important principles. All games appeal to certain sensual motives and thereby induce a person to action. The researcher proposed a model that also reflects the principles of motivation and engagement in the game, such as: recognition, creativity, communication, curiosity, development, possession, achievement and need. Recognition is reflected through values and the satisfaction of one’s needs. Creativity is formed during the game and forms, in turn, the process of constant engagement in learning something new. Communication is built in the process of communication with the team, thereby the players of the game form new social ties. Curiosity and development are the individual’s positive feelings, which constantly make him/her look for something new and form his/her interests in the future.

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Possession is expressed in the desire to acquire new knowledge, skills and competencies that will bring him/her income and recognition in the future [21]. Thus, the integration of game-based elements into the learning process in higher education is relevant and has insufficient theoretical justification, which requires improvement in the formation of the necessary conditions for using game-like activities in the university classrooms setting. It should be also noted that the conceptual foundations for the use of gamification elements in the marketing training courses are not sufficiently described, the specifics of the application and recommendations for the use of game methods are not given. Our interest in the issues of introducing game-based elements into teaching marketing to students stems from meeting employer’s expectations on employability competencies of higher education graduates, as well as the labour market competitiveness. Therefore, a business simulation game has been developed for marketing classes within the framework of this study.

3 Methodology The analysis of scientific, pedagogical and psychological sources within the framework of our study made it possible to identify the main ideas of gamification, which have now become a reality and are embodied in the learning process. Systematic and personalized activity-based approaches as the components of a general scientific methodology allowed us to determine the specifics of using gamification in the Russian higher education system such as students’ motivation and engagement in game-based activities, their readiness for game mechanics and other conditions. Gamification is based on certain principles that formed the framework for gamified application in marketing classes. The activity-based approach in our study is presented as the basis for organizing game-based activities (the model of business simulation game for marketing classes has been developed). We analyzed the research into the problem of gamification in the process of teaching marketing to students, an introduction of game-based activities into the learning environment, the use of motivational features of games in the period from 2020 to 2023. The summative stage of the experiment was carried out from 2020 to 2022. During the experiment, educational organizations that were ready to take part in the experiment were identified. The target sample included 120 respondents (28 professors, 60 associate professors and 42 senior teachers) aged 27–70 who were educators of higher educational institutions in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Ufa (see Fig. 1). They were from Management, Marketing, Advertising and Communications departments. In the process of studying the problem of gamification in education, the following general scientific methods were used: an analytical review of the problem of gamification research reflected in the scientific literature, methods of synthesis, induction, generalization and comparison. Then we developed questionnaires and conducted a survey. The regulatory documents containing the requirements for the students’ competencies in the learning process were studied and an analysis of secondary sources of the formation of students’ knowledge and skills was carried out.

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% 17.6

4.1 45

33.3

27-35

35-50

50-60

60-70

Fig. 1. Target sample of the summative experiment between 2020 and 2022.

As part of the methodology for applying game-based elements to the educational process in teaching marketing to students, the following stages should be noted: • • • • • •

selection of resources and teaching techniques selection of forms of learning target component and tasks development of a simulation game identification of teams and experts determination of teachers’ readiness to use the game-based elements in the educational process • scoring and correction • determination of input and output criteria for student motivation and engagement • integration of gamification into education as a compulsory element of the learning process. Considering the specifics of applying gamification in the learning process, we were trying to find out: • Who are the consumers of this product? • Are educators ready to apply modern gamification technologies in teaching marketing to students? • What kind of game platforms can be used? • What gaming mode is it necessary to use (see Fig. 2)? At the formative stage, which was conducted between 2021 and 2023, the main experiment was related to the readiness of university teaching staff to use gamification in the education process. The purpose of this experiment is to study contradictory trends in application of gaming technologies, higher education teachers’ readiness to use them and further gamification in education.

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Fig. 2. Gaming modes in education [25].

The target sample was 100 respondents, university educators from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Ufa (age category from 27 to 70 years). We prepared a questionnaire for assessing the teachers’ competencies. Research hypothesis: the concept of integrating game-based elements into the marketing training courses will be effective, considering the peculiarities of using these elements in the learning process such as the educators’ readiness for gamified teaching activities, the availability of resources, the choice of game methods and principles in teaching students, etc. We employ survey data collected from answers to the following questions: “In your opinion, how important is the competency of applying gamification?” and “Are you planning to use game-based learning (including computer programs and simulators)?”. The conceptual foundations of the paper are presented by the researchers’ views, which reflect the provisions of gamification and its didactic features. The practice-oriented provisions of the work are shown in the empirical materials on gamification. In this paper for developing a simulation content-based game we tested one of the four game methods suggested by Marczewski (2013) [19]. The sample comprised a total of 84 students: 2 groups of 58 full-time students majoring in Management and 1 group of 26 graduates of the program “Financial technology in tourism and hospitality”.

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We applied a methodological algorithm for the game design that can be integrated into current approaches to teaching marketing. We aimed at correlating one’s own competencies with the employability. Approaches and methods in playing the game as components of the scientific method made it possible to determine the specifics of the application of gamification: • personal-active – students’ motivation and engagement • activity-based approach - designing a business simulation game • expert assessment method – assessment of the game by experts (students). There are three stages in the content-based game “Start a marketing career”. Stage 1: students study the facilities of the Financial University educational portal org.fa.ru to form their own profile and records of their academic and scientific achievements. The students collect and post the results of their achievements (certificates of participation in outside organisations and university scientific events, publications in conference proceedings, participation in the activities of the scientific student club, Student scientific Society, Student Council, etc.). The students enter data on their scientific and professional interests, the subject of completed coursework and written test tasks in the disciplines studied. The work done on their portfolio allows them to draw some conclusions about their inclination and readiness for a particular professional activity in the field of marketing. Stage 2 is associated with analytical activities to study and compare existing national professional standards developed with the participation of the Guild of Marketers. The students will have to analyze three standards: “The marketer”; “The specialist in marketing of children’s goods” and “The Internet marketer”, identify similarities and differences according to the specified criteria. They need to study the real labor market by familiarizing themselves with the vacancies that employers posted on online recruitment platforms, such as hh.ru, superjob.ru, rabota.ru and others. These services have customizable filters that allow employers to select the region, the applicant’s professional skills and other characteristics. A student can also choose an in-depth profile, for example, a marketing researcher; the region of job search is Moscow; the level of education is incomplete higher education; without work experience. A search through the filters will open vacancies on the real market in the “here and now” mode with an equally real and maximally specific list of employers’ requirements, working conditions and pay, a list of soft and hard skills required for the vacancy. Thus, at the third stage of the game, the student should have an idea of both his own professional preferences and possible directions for the professional realization. Stage 3 is the final one. It completes the game situation related to the study of the real labor market, the correlation of the student’s own competencies and desires with his/her requests, enables the student to determine the list of missing, but necessary for the development of competencies to obtain the desired vacancy in the professional labor market.

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4 Results and Discussion The study of the conceptual frameworks identified the lack of practice-oriented principles and factors for applying game-based elements in teaching marketing to students. In the proposed models, for example, there are no principles and approaches to the interaction between educators and students, the principles of educators’ readiness to use the gamebased elements in the learning process, the Federal State Educational Standards (FSES), standards for marketers and employers’ skill requirements. Taking into account these components, below is a conceptual model for the use of gamification elements in teaching marketing to students (see Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. The conceptual frameworks for applying game-based elements in teaching marketing to students.

The authors attributed the following to the principles of using game-based elements: • goal setting to determine the goals and objectives of a particular seminar • the content aspect to underlie the development of a content and storyline aimed at the formation of competencies in accordance with the Federal State Educational Standards • aesthetics and game design of the training course • a sequence that reflects the rules of the game, assessment criteria, tasks and sequence of stages • engagement and motivation in the learning process • teamwork aimed at the formation of soft skills competencies the employers seek. Nowadays, the following consumers of game-based learning have been identified in the world (see Fig. 4). As can be seen from Fig. 4, higher education establishments have not sufficiently mastered gamification for the learning environment. Firstly, today’s game technologies in education have two trends:

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Fig. 4. The indicators of using game-based learning by different consumer groups in the world for 2020 [25].

• development of educational games used in a particular higher education establishment, which due to their narrow specifics are not used in other universities [26] • development of educational games that can be used in all higher education establishments, but they need a number of approvals, as well as a whole list of financial and legal issues related to their application. It is important to note that technical characteristics of mobile technology are progressing [27] that in some cases mobile devices will completely replace computers and laptops. Therefore, cross-platform elements of the digital learning environment supported by mobile devices will become more popular in the electronic resources market. And the use of mobile applications as a means of introducing gamification into the learning process is directly related to the choice of digital educational space, where game-based elements are implemented. In the search for solutions to the educators’ readiness for gamification using the Internet in the learning process, it was determined that the concept of “gaming competency” has not yet been formed. We suggest that it should include the following skills: using network technologies and software; using or creating the game content; computer programming. In the context of digitalization, educators lack those competencies. We attempted to answer the first question addressed in the study about the importance of the competency of applying gamification according to the educators by assessing their game-based technology skills on a five-point system (see Fig. 5). Our research findings relating to the educators’ plans to use game-based learning show the following: • 31% of educators consider traditional in-class or face-to-face teaching more effective with the use of various teaching methods, including games, but without the use of web technologies or MOOCs • 23% of educators are ready to use methodologically developed games in the discipline they teach, provided that the university has all the necessary resources and methodological materials • 27% of educators are ready to conduct such classes subject to further study or the availability of technical staff • 19% of educators are ready to use game-based elements, as the application of digital gaming technologies makes the learning process more effective and engaging.

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Fig. 5. The results of assessing the teachers’ game-based technology competencies based on a questionnaire.

Based on the study, we assessed the educators’ readiness to improve their competencies in game-based learning, i.e. their motivation and technology readiness. Figure 5 shows technological competencies, where technology readiness involves something more than knowledge and skills, namely, the willingness to expand the range of their knowledge and skills. In our study, a range of readiness was formed (from −1 to +1), and the average number of readiness can be expressed by the following formula (1):     n = Cn = (+1) k + (0.5) b + (−0.5) m + (−1) r (1) where  k – the number of selected answers with the index (+1); b – the number of selected answers with the index (+0,5); m – the number of selected answers with the index (−0,5); r – the number of selected answers with the index (−1); n – the number of respondents. In the light of the analysis, we identified three levels of readiness: the level of nonreadiness (low), the level of fear (medium), the level of readiness (high). The level of non-readiness (low) has not been considered in our study as there are no any relationships between technology and motivation (Table 1). where TB – technological level; MB – motivational level.

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Table 1. The levels of educators’ non-readiness to acquire game-based competencies for teaching marketing to students. MB2 f

№

MBf

1

0.5

1

0.5

0.25

100

0.6

0.8

0.48

0.36

25.3

42.0

21.82

Total:

TBi

MBf Tvi

13.5

Source: Compiled by the authors.

The level of fear (medium) shows high motivational level and low technological level of educators’ readiness to use game-based elements in the learning environment. These are mainly professors and associate professors aged 45–60 years (Table 2). Table 2. High motivational and low technological levels (professors and associate professors). №

MBf

TBi

MBf TBi

MB2

1

0.1

1

0.1

0.01

1

2–99

……

….

….

….

….

100

0.4

0.8

0.32

0.16

0.64

Total:

19.4

84.7

20.54

8.78

265.6

f

TB2

i

Source: Compiled by the authors.

Based on the conducted research we obtain high motivational level and low technological level expressed by the following formula (2):    n MBf TBi − MBf · TBi Kr = √ 2  2    (11 MB2f − MBf (n TB2i − TBi 100 · 20.54 − 19.4 · 84.7 =√ (100 · 8.78 − (19.4)2 (100 · 265.6 − (84.7)2 2054 − 1643.18 = 0.1 → 0. =√ (878 − 376.36(26560 − 71740.9)

(2)

Next level demonstrates high motivational and high technological knowledge, skills and competencies in using game-based elements for teaching marketing to students (Table 3). High motivational and technological levels (associate professors and instructors) (3).    n MBf TBi − MBf · TBi Kr = √ 2  2    (11 MB2f − MBf (n TB2i − TBi =√

100 · 27.99 − 26.6 · 87.8 (100 · 9.06 − (26.2)2 (100 · 76.7 − (87.8)2

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Table 3. High motivational and high technological levels (associate professors and instructors). №

MBf

TBi

MBf TBi

MB2

f

TB2

i

1

0.1

1

0.1

0.01

1

2–99

……

….

….

….

….

100

0.4

1

0.4

0.16

1

Total:

26.6

87.8

27.99

9.06

76.7

Source: Compiled by the authors.

=√

2799 − 2335.5 = 0.9 → 1 (906 − 686.4(7670 − 7709)

(3)

So, on the basis of the conducted experiment, we can identify two levels of acquiring game-based competencies in the educational sphere (Table 4). It is necessary to point out the importance of forming the educator’s motivation and technology readiness for gamification as the main future method in the learning process. Table 4. The levels of fear and willingness to acquire competencies in game-based learning. High motivational level and low technological level (associate professors and professors)

High motivational and technological levels (associate professors and instructors)

0.1 → 0

0.9 → 1

In our opinion, introducing gamification into classroom learning requires special teacher training programs. The main possible threats of the game-based learning will probably include the negative educators’ perceptions regarding technology integration into their teaching process due to the high cost of resources in preparing for classes, the lack of competencies and patterns for the use of the game-based learning. It should also be noted that the ideas of gamification in the learning process can be implemented with the help of electronic resources. Currently, there are many elearning platforms such as: Codecademy, Code School, Motion Math Games, Mathletics, Khanacademy, Spongelab, Foldit, LinguaLeo, Radix, Zombie-Based Learning, MinecraftEdu, World of Classcraft. The choice of platforms is carried out by the educational institution. The main genres of computer learning games include: strategy games, puzzles, action, simulator, educational games, virtual games that provide positive results when using educational virtual resources (virtual laboratory, virtual classroom, etc.). The relevance of using game-based elements in learning depends on their relevance and the players’ perception. Clearly, the priority for creating an effective educational game should be directed to the design of the learning dimensions first, and the entertainment value second. In general, this process needs focus on the main learning objective, and the gamification aspect (i.e. points, rewards, etc.) should support this objective. An intelligently-structured

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game provides information, reveals comprehension and difficulties, and knows how and when to proceed so that students actually learn the material, rather than just being present physically in class. Well-designed game shouldn’t reward players for guessing. The focus should be on problem-solving skills to be encouraged when the player has to restart the game level to figure out what they did incorrectly, rather than offer them answers until they click on the right path, just based on the process of elimination. In our opinion, one of the most important benefits of gamification is its ability to provide variety for teaching students how to learn and how to think. Through healthy competition and satisfaction, gamification encourages students to be curious, think critically, and collaborate with each other, especially when teams are involved in the game. Considering four game methods suggested by Marczewski (2013) [19], in this paper we developed and tested only one of them, a content-based game (see Fig. 6).

Fig. 6. The business simulation content-based game.

The methodological algorithm for the game design integrated into current approaches to teaching marketing can be seen as the following (see Fig. 7.). Slightly superior results are achieved with our algorithm. The goal is to correlate the students’ own competencies with the employability. Resources are a computer class, the Internet, the Financial University educational portal org.fa.ru, web portals hh.ru, superjob.ru rabota.ru and others. In this section, we will illustrate some experimental results. At the end of the class with the use of game-based elements, an assessment was carried out according to the criteria such as motivation, engagement, IT skills, cognitive and knowledge aspect, content aspect (Table 5). As shown in Table 5, the indicators for motivation, cognitive and knowledge aspects are lower than the tabular results of the Pearson’s criterion x2 at the significance level ψ = 0.05x2 / Table = 5.99. Motivation for df = 2; a = .05; x2 = 3.61; n = 84; Nk1 = 84. IT skills for df = 2; a = .05; x2 = 4.09; n = 84; Nk1 = 84. Cognitive and knowledge aspect for df = 2; a = .05; x2 = 4.44; n = 84; Nk1 = 84.

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Fig. 7. The marketing game design algorithm.

Since the values from 3.61 to 4.44 < 5.99, the results are less than the value of Table = 5.99, therefore the null hypothesis is accepted. As for the content aspect of the assessment and self-assessment of competencies, it is clear that students accepted a fairly high level of their resume indicators, but after the game almost 95% of students decided to improve the acquired competencies through additional courses or self-study in marketing as they are not enough. In our opinion, the use of computer technologies during the game affects the development of students’ information and computer competencies, promotes the development of students’ analytical thinking, independent learning activities and increases their activity by interacting with the information environment.

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Criteria

Level

Assessment at the beginning of the experiment

Number of participants

Self-assessment at the end of the experiment

Number of participants

Motivation

Low Medium High

63.90 25.00 11.90

53 21 10

54.76 27.38 17.85

46 23 15

IT skills

Low Medium High

60.70 28.50 10.70

41 34 9

40.47 42.85 16.67

34 36 14

Cognitive and knowledge aspect

Low Medium High

58.40 29.70 11.90

39 30 15

42.80 38.09 19.04

36 32 16

Content aspect

Low Medium High

27.38 42.85 24.03

23 36 19

40.47 54.76 11.90

34 46 10

5 Conclusion The paper concludes by arguing that integrating game-based elements into classroom learning requires special teacher training programs as the possible threats will probably include the negative educators’ perceptions regarding technology integration into their teaching process due to the high cost of resources in preparing for classes, the lack of competencies and patterns for the use of the game-based learning. This conclusion follows from the fact that the analysis of the conceptual framework for the game design used in teaching marketing to students defined three levels of educators’ readiness to use game-based elements: low for non-readiness, medium for the level of fear and high for readiness. Importantly, our results provide evidence that the data for students’ motivation, cognitive and knowledge aspects after the class with the business simulation content-based game are lower than the tabular results of the Pearson’s criterion x2 at the significance level ψ = 0.05x2 / Table = 5.99. It is obvious that the participants of the study accepted a fairly high level of their resume indicators, but after the game almost 95% of them understood that the acquired competencies are not enough and they need to be improved. The use of computer technologies during the game is sure to affect the development of the students’ information and computer competencies, promote the development of their analytical thinking, independent learning activities and increase their activity by interacting with the information environment. This assumption might be addressed in future studies. Besides, the simulation game designed for marketing classes could be modified or redesigned for learning other business subjects such as finance, human resources, logistics, etc.

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The Formative Role of “Model UN” in the Development of the Professional Personality of Diplomats Ekaterina A. Samorodova1(B)

, Olga I. Martynova1

, and Victoria Lobatyuk2

1 MGIMO University, Prospekt Vernadskogo, 76, 119454 Moscow, Russia

[email protected], [email protected]

2 Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), Polytechnicheskaya, 29,

195251 St. Petersburg, Russia [email protected]

Abstract. Choosing the right profession is one of the most important and responsible tasks in the world since the fate of a person and society as a whole depends on this choice. In many ways, this becomes the goal of higher education, since even at the stage of studying at a university, students have the opportunity to feel themselves in their chosen profession, to pass the first labor tests. This opportunity is provided by the student role-playing game-conference Model UN. The authors of this article conducted a study based on the analysis of a survey of students, former participants in the Model UN. According to the interviewed former participants, the role-playing game Model UN largely contributes to the self-determination of future specialists and helps to understand the essence of the profession of a diplomat. The UN model forms the professional personality of a diplomat and determines their professional competence. Thanks to the Model UN, its participants have the opportunity to get to know the profession earlier and make their choice. Keywords: Role-Play · Business Game · Professional Competencies · Model UN · Foreign Languages · International Law · Professional Competence

1 Introduction “What is our life? A game!”. It is impossible to disagree with Herman, the main character of Tchaikovsky’s opera “Queen of Spades”. Every person plays a certain role in their life. A profession, correctly chosen, conscious, and felt by a person, is also, to some extent, a role performed throughout one’s life, successfully or not. In many ways, the image of a person is directly related to their activities, what they left behind, and their results. Awareness of oneself in a particular profession, or in another way, professional selfdetermination comes at different stages of life. In childhood, a person often imitates the profession of their parents, especially if their professional image is very bright, they want to be like their mother or father. Love for professional parents, pride in them, and early attachment to the family business often becomes the basis for the birth of family labor © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 187–197, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_14

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dynasties. Thus, since childhood, a person already strives for a certain profession. Most people come to the choice of a particular specialty while studying at school. Many factors influence professional self-determination at this stage. In many ways, the choice depends on the political situation in the state and the world as a whole, on the social environment of a person, and on the economic development of the state. Independent surveys of school graduates in 2020, 2021, and 2022 showed that the majority of respondents chose their profession based on the above factors. Thus, the questions arise: what can then be called a vocation? What is a profession? This is a state order for the functioning of a particular specialist in society, explained by the requirements of the era, the economy, and the state, or is it still a conscious role of a person in life? And another question: is it possible to teach/learn to recognize and love a profession chosen under duress/limply, to feel its philosophy in the learning process? The learning process at a university provides for the implementation of various methods and approaches in the formation of professional competencies of a future specialist, while the main attention of the organizers of the process will be focused on the development of basic knowledge, skills, and abilities of students. Nevertheless, the mechanisms for the formation of a professional personality of a future specialist remain far beyond the usual lectures and seminars [1; 2]. During the period of study in modern universities within the framework of programs of additional education and scientific events, students and undergraduates are invited to take part in national and international professional competitions, which are aimed at the formation and development of both professional and personal qualities of future specialists necessary for their chosen profession. Among the main approaches to education in general, and the training of humanitarian specialists to participate in the above activities, an interdisciplinary approach prevails, which is based on the combination of various scientific areas of professional training of specialists to achieve the desired results. One of the leading principles of the organization of modern scientific education can be called the principle of early professionalization, which is focused on acquaintance and familiarization with the chosen profession during the period of study at the university. Early professionalization, as a principle, and as a method, contributes in many respects to personal orientation in the profession [3; 4], philosophical awareness of one’s specialty, need and necessity, and psychological readiness for it. Additional educational events and intellectual competitions between student groups are mainly held in the form of business or role-playing games. One of the very important and interesting events/activities in the student professional environment is the roleplaying game Model UN. The authors of this article conducted a study based on the influence of this game on the formation of a professional personality of a diplomat in the process of participating in it. The authors rely on a survey of former participants in the game, testifying to the important role that the game Model UN played in their lives, especially in the development of their professional personalities. In addition, the authors consider the role-playing game as an effective mechanism for shaping the professional identity of a student, a future diplomat in the process of their training at the university.

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2 Terminology, Literature Study, and Historical Background Speaking about the history of role-playing games, the relation between the concepts of “play” and “game” is to be established. Based on Bo Kampmann Walther’s approach [5], though connected, gaming and playing are distinct concepts. Unlike playing, gaming is characterized by the presence of established rules, thus, of a certain structure. Additionally, gaming requires progression, whereas playing is more focused on the present moment. According to Walther, playing may transgress towards the state of gaming. Therefore, the use of the term “role-playing game” seems appropriate within the context of the article. Role-playing game provides a “make-believe” world and the necessity to assume a certain role inherent in playing, as well as rules and tactics characteristic of gaming. However, it should be noted that in the current paper the terms “role-play”, “role-playing game”, “play”, and “game” are used interchangeably. The origin of role-play was described by the Soviet and Russian scholar Daniil Elkonin in his classical study “The Psychology of Play” [6], where he primarily examines the subject from the children’s and Marxist perspectives, which, nonetheless, does not diminish its academic value. According to the author, it’s impossible to establish exactly when and where roleplay first appeared, but in the initial stages of the evolution of human society children were immediately, without any prior preparation, introduced to labor activities and working tools because adults were not able to provide for younger generations. Thus, they acquired the necessary skills and knowledge working together with their families. Later, with the complication of production and labor means, children had to learn before they could work. Consequently, tools became smaller in size and transformed into models for the imitation of real-life situations. Elkonin puts forward the hypothesis about the appearance of role-play with the historical development of humanity and its social origin, in other words, role-play is not human’s innate need or quality. A big step in promoting role-play as a learning technique was made thanks to the psychiatrist Jacob Levy Moreno, who developed in the early 1920s his method of group therapy – psychodrama, with the role concept being its integral part. He encouraged his patients to discover different roles to understand better themselves and others’ perspectives [7]. Since the late 1940s, role-play has been applied as a method in education [8]. The following papers became the theoretical basis for this study. Russian and foreign scholars similarly define role-play. According to Harvard’s online database ABLConnect, role-play is the practice when students take on roles and act them out based on a realistic scenario [9]. As stated in the Russian Dictionary of methodical terms and definitions, role-play is a form of collective learning activities, which aims to form and develop speaking skills and abilities in conditions as close as possible to real communication [10]. However, it seems that role-play can develop a larger scale of skills and abilities than just speaking ones [11]. General theoretical information about role-plays can be found in earlier studies conducted by Carol Livingstone [12], Charles C. Bonwell and James A. Eison [13], Henry W. Maier [14], Kristina M. DeNeve and Mary J. Heppner [15].

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More specific information on the use of role-plays in shaping students’ specific competences is provided in articles written by Russian authors. Thus, Vladimir Mykhin and Nadezhda Sangadzhiyeva [16] focus on how role-plays contribute to the student’s personal development, self-reflection, their ability to generalize, analyze, perceive information, and find solutions in extraordinary situations. The article written by Irina Drachinskaya dwells upon role-playing as a tool to teach students the culture and mentality of the country of studied language, conflict resolution, as well as appropriate application of the language [17]. Another aspect to consider is the experience of role-playing in different educational organizations. Authors describe the use of role-plays during language [18–20], history, mathematics method, and school leadership classes [21], as well as for the teaching of medical [22], and nursing [23] students, which can be useful to study, inter alia, in cross-disciplinary purposes. These papers point out elements for consideration when using role-play for developing different kinds of skills. Model UN as a mean to shape professional skills of international relations students is examined by Alla Kolzina [24], whereas Marina Snitko describes the contribution of the Model UN in the Russian Far East in promoting youth leadership [25]. More theoretical aspects of Model UN can be found in the works of Daniel McIntosh [26], and James P. Muldoon [27]. The main principles and mechanisms of the model, are contented in official UN guides [28, 29], as well as training manuals [30].

3 Model UN Model UN, which is also a role-playing game, was inspired by the simulation of the League of Nations held in the 1920s in Great Britain and the USA [31]. After the Second World War, when the United Nations was created, the first Model UN took place in the USA in 1947. The simulation gained popularity in the second half of the 20th century and reunites today hundreds of thousands of participants from all over the world [32]. In Russia, the first official Model UN was organized at MGIMO University under the auspices of the United Nations Association of Russia in 1990. The high status of the Churkin Moscow International Model (C-MIMUN) organized at MGIMO University is confirmed by numerous visits of UN high-ranking officials, including the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations Kofi Annan in 2004. Today C-MIMUN is the largest Model UN in Eastern Europe, held in six official languages of the organization. It simulates the work of the General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, and other UN agencies and committees [33]. Model UN is built on the principles of imitation of the work of the UN, its structures, bodies, and committees. Game participants work on identical projects, acting as official representatives of UN member states. Of particular importance for the game is the international cooperation of student teams from different countries. Participants within the framework of the conference solve complex geopolitical issues and tasks, relying on the main goals and principles of the UN. The main goals pursued by the organizers of the Model UN are to teach people to communicate with representatives of different states, nations, nationalities, and ethnic groups, to understand international political trends, to jointly solve the most complex and topical problems of the modern world,

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to negotiate among themselves, to find compromises, to draw up resolutions. During the game, young people are convinced of how difficult it is to reach a compromise in international cooperation, to find a common language. Participants of the Model UN perform the role of delegates, chairmen of commissions, observers, and experts. In the Model, delegates abstract from a personal point of view and defend the official position of the country they represent, while observing diplomatic etiquette. The ultimate goal of each committee is to adopt a resolution on the issue. The most complex issues of the modern world are submitted for consideration by the teams. In the field of international law, work/imitation of the work of the International Law Commission is simulated. Delegates, and members of the International Law Commission study complex issues, develop texts of treaties and resolutions, adopt them, establish the authenticity of the treaty in the working languages of the UN, and sign them. In this case, a special requirement is put forward for the participants to have a deep knowledge of the main treaties and norms of international law, and to be well-versed in all sectors. Most often, students of the faculties of international relations, international law, political science, and international economic relations become participants in the Model. The specificity of professional training in such areas implies work in various international organizations after graduation from a university, respectively, participation in the Model is one of the stages of entering the profession. The game allows the formation of those professional competencies that are necessary for a future specialist. The game is a deep and serious preparation of the participant for the profession. Each of its stages represents a certain type of professional activity of the future international specialist: from negotiations to the conclusion of a resolution. As it was mentioned before, the most important role of Model UN is to create and promote a professional personality. Personality includes inherent and acquired behavioral characteristics that distinguish one person from another and are most vividly expressed in interactions with others [34]. The theme is of interest to scholars from different aspects: in the context of a particular historical event, within an international organization, from the perspective of self-perception. Jérémie Cornut analyzes the subject through the prism of interviews with diplomats during, before, and after the Egyptian revolt of 2011. The author concludes that a diplomat working abroad combines three roles at a time, namely they produce analyses, represent their government, and act as bureaucrats, which requires from them the ability to successfully manage all the roles, a deep knowledge of the society they work with and its realities, constant interaction with locals, NGOs, and decision-makers [35]. Sharing the experience of work on the margins of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Aleksander Surdej points out the following qualities of a diplomat’s personality: ability to collect, elaborate, and provide solid and convincing arguments, determination, patience, creativity, proactivity, coping with uncertainty, understanding of the context, analytical skills, communication skills, as well as consensus-building [36]. The ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary Igor Melikhov distinguishes innate qualities (strong health, stable psyche, and intuition), inherent and acquired characteristics that are inborn and can be developed with time (intelligence, analytical mindset, leadership, good memory, and the ability to work in team), and acquired qualities

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that are shaped by the environment (discipline, responsibility, integrity). Professional competences include, according to the author, good education, a strong command of foreign languages, strategic thinking, flexibility, communication and negotiation skills, the ability to draft papers, analyze and make forecasts, etc. [37]. Table 1. Professional competencies and soft skills that participants acquire during the game. №

Function

Knowledge, skills, and abilities/soft skills

Stage

Negotiating

 To have the knowledge/competencies (in politics economics, and law) necessary to discuss/resolve the situation;  To master the language of one’s opponent (or the working language of negotiations);  To be able to work in a team environment and respect one’s opponents;  To express one’s position clearly and concisely, without double meaning;  To analyze opposing viewpoints;  To identify the main problematic and secondary issues of the situation;  To ask questions correctly and give clear answers;  To discuss problem situations collegially;  To strive to create an atmosphere of cooperation and collegiality

 Participants’ negotiation (simulation) process;  Discussion of a legal problem situation;  Searching for a solution to the problem

Drafting and adopting necessary regulations: treaties, resolutions, conventions, and covenants

 To know the norms of international law/national law of adversarial parties, doctrine, and judicial practice;  To be able to analyze legal means to solve the situation;  To be able to apply the sources of law to solve a problem situation

• Discussion, development, adoption, and signing of an act: resolution, treaty, or convention

(continued)

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Table 1. (continued) №

Function

Knowledge, skills, and abilities/soft skills

Stage

Public statements, debates

 To formulate one’s position  Public presentation of clearly and unequivocally; one’s position;  To argue a position based  Debate of the parties on the decision of the parties;  To answer questions clearly and concisely;  To be fluent in the language of negotiations

The research conducted by Steven L. Pike and Dennis F. Kinsey [38] using a scientific method for the examination of subjectivity – Q methodology – reveals findings on public diplomats’ self-perception which in general correlates with the aforementioned studies’ findings. The reference to this research seems appropriate as during their careers all diplomats interact to a greater or lesser extent with foreign publics to communicate their governments’ positions and influence public opinions. Both groups that participated in the study agree on the following characteristics associated with public diplomats: building relationships, and negotiation skills. None of the group valued being artificial, whereas being likable was considered less important than other qualities. As for differences, group A named service orientation as one of the diplomat’s positive attributes. Group B highlighted such qualities as being educated, analytical, and protocol conscious. Continuing the theme of self-perception, it is necessary to mention Alisher Faizullaev’s article “Diplomacy and Self”, where it is argued that an individual aspect (a diplomat’s self-perception) cannot be ignored. Diplomats’ personalities are affected by external factors, as well as diplomats, as individuals with their peculiarities, influence political happenings. Thus, the research proves the importance of shaping a diplomat’s personality, with role plays being one of the tools to do that [39]. In their study, Barbara Keys and Claire Yorke underline the interplay between diplomats’ emotions and their professional performance. According to the authors, understanding various dimensions of emotions may be important for understanding the dynamics of diplomacy. Role plays may also be useful for developing the consciousness of that among future professionals [40].

4 Research A survey on the Model UN role in its participants’ careers and lives was conducted by the authors of the present article. The 100 respondents (former students that participated in the game) presented their opinions according to the following scale: 0 – Completely disagree 1 – Disagree

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2 – Unlikely 3 – Maybe, probably 4 – Yes, I agree 5 – I completely agree Table 2. Participants’ opinions on the effectiveness of the Model UN role play and its contribution to their careers, and lives. №

0

1 2

3

4

5

1.

The role play helped me realize the importance and necessity of my profession as a diplomat

–

– 1

14 15 70

2.

Model UN enabled me to fully realize myself as an international relations specialist

–

– –

–

3.

Model UN is just an exciting student conference without any relevance for the future profession

80 2 16 2

4.

It was only while participating in the role play that it became clear to me that I was a born diplomat

–

– 1

10 19 70

5.

Model UN teaches teamwork, understanding, and listening to each participant

–

– –

10 15 75

6.

Thanks to Model UN I managed to find a very interesting job

–

– 2

13 25 60

7.

Model UN shaped my career

–

– 10 16 20 54

8.

Model UN is the best school that opens up a whole world of ideas, – opinions, and impressions, providing unique opportunities for self-realization and self-expression, testing and development of intellectual and creative abilities, erudition, and creative thinking

– –

5

15 80

9.

Model UN is friendship. The strongest friendship, overcoming the borders of states and continents, languages and cultures, times and ages

–

– –

5

15 80

10. Model UN covers many countries, and its participants are a – variety of young people who are united by the desire to make this world a better place

– –

10 15 75

11. Model UN helps to realize the significance of one’s future and to – feel oneself a part of the world community – a necessary, unique, unrepeatable part of it

– –

10 15 75

15 85 –

–

The results reflected in Table 2 lead to the following conclusions. The vast majority of surveyed former participants in Model UN game fully support the opinion that this is a formative and professionally oriented game aimed at developing the necessary professional skills, abilities, and competencies of future diplomats. 70% of the respondents understood and realized the importance of their profession and themselves in it thanks to Model UN, 85% of the participants fully realized themselves in the field of international relations after participating in the game, 60% of the participants found an interesting job thanks to the skills acquired during the game.

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According to 80% of respondents, Model UN is a world of new professionals united by the idea of creating a great and lasting world through multilateral cooperation based on understanding and mutual respect. The number of respondents who do not consider Model UN to be an effective step in shaping the career and professional personality of a diplomat is very small. Only 1% of respondents do not consider the Model as a professional game that forms the personality of a diplomat. For 10% of those surveyed, the Model UN did not play a role in their careers. 2% of respondents admitted that Model UN did not help them to find a job. The authors of the study also asked the former participants of the game to choose the desired option of the questionnaire – I am a diplomat / I am not a diplomat / I am rather a diplomat / I am not a diplomat at all / difficult to answer. Table 3. Participants’ current profession. №

Response

1.

I am a diplomat

55

2.

I am not a diplomat

15

3.

I am rather a diplomat

20

4.

I am not a diplomat at all

15

5.

Difficult to answer

0

%

Table 3 shows that the majority of respondents agreed with the correctness of the chosen profession as a diplomat after playing Model UN. 15% realized that the profession of a diplomat was not for them. 20% of respondents tend to choose the profession of a diplomat, whereas 15% categorically deny the possibility of becoming a diplomat. The most important thing in the study is the fact that none of the respondents found it difficult to choose the profession of a diplomat after the stages of the Model UN game. This makes it possible to appreciate the high practical significance of the Model in the self-determination of future specialists, in the shaping of their professional personality.

5 Conclusions Despite the fairly rich experience of using the game method, namely the role-playing method in the education system, it remains today one of the most effective, both in the field of school education and in the field of higher and professional education. The gaming method is characterized by flexibility, a high level of motivation, and creativity. The game creates a picture of pseudo-reality, which, echoing its real tasks set for the participants, prepares the future specialist for professional life and its real trials. By imitating the labor process, the role-playing game helps the participant to feel themselves in the profession, to realize their role in this profession, and to identify themselves with professionals in the field. The profession of a diplomat is special. In addition to professional knowledge and skills, the future specialist must have the special skills and competencies necessary

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for this profession, the special status of a professional person. The role-playing game Model UN allows the future diplomat, the participant of the game, to fully determine the correctness of their choice, realize the importance of their profession, and their need for this profession, or, conversely, understand that the profession of a diplomat is not for them. The authors of this article believe that the role-playing game Model UN is the most important part of the educational process for the faculties of international relations and must be offered to students as their first professional role.

References 1. Krylov, E., Vasileva, P.: Convergence of foreign language and engineering education: opportunities for development. Technol. Lang. 3, 106–117 (2022). https://doi.org/10.48417/techno lang.2022.03.08 2. Dashkina, A.I., Rubtzova, A.V.: Teaching students majoring in linguistics to communicate in a foreign language by organizing teamwork on virtual communication platforms. Technol. Lang. 4(1), 146–164 (2023). https://doi.org/10.48417/technolang.2023.01.10 3. Serikov, V.V.: Personally oriented education. Pedagogy 5, 16–21 (1994). [in Russia] 4. Serikov, V.V.: Education and Personality. Theory and practice of designing pedagogical systems. Logos, Moscow (1999). [in Russia] 5. Walther, B.K.: Playing and gaming: reflections and classifications. Game Studies (2003). http://gamestudies.org/0301/walther/#top. Accessed 1 Apr 2023 6. Elkonin, D.B.: The Psychology of Play. Vlados, Moscow (1999). [in Russia] 7. Ramalho, C.M.R.: Sociodrama and role-play: theories and interventions. Rev. Bras. Psicodrama. 29(1), 26–35 (2021). https://doi.org/10.15329/2318-0498.20814 8. Blatner, A.: Role playing in education. https://www.blatner.com/adam/pdntbk/rlplayedu.htm 9. Role play. https://ablconnect.harvard.edu/role-play-research 10. Azimov, E.G., Schukin, A.N.: New Dictionary of Methodical Terms and Concepts (The Theory and Practice of Language Teaching). IKAR Publishing, Moscow (2009). [in Russia] 11. Winardy, G.C.B., Septiana, E.: Role, Play, and Games: comparison between role-playing games and role-play in education. Soc. Sci. Human. Open 8(1) (2023). https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.ssaho.2023.100527 12. Livingstone, C.: Role Play in Language Learning. Longman, New York (1983) 13. Bonwell, C.C., Eison, J.A.: Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. The George Washington University, Washington, DC (1991) 14. Maier, H.W.: Role playing: structures and educational objectives. J. Child Youth Care 4(3), 41–47 (1989) 15. DeNeve, K.M., Heppner, M.J.: Role play simulations: the assessment of an active learning technique and comparisons with traditional lectures. Innov. High. Educ. 21, 231–246 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01243718 16. Mykhin, V.I., Sangadzhiyeva, N.A.: The role-playing game as a didactic basis of the formation of common cultural and professional competencies. Sci. Educ. Probl. Civil Protect. 4, 39–41 (2013). [in Russia] 17. Drachinskaya, I.F.: Role plays in the formation of students sociocultural competence. Human. Soc. Sci. 4(8), 98–101 (2012). [in Russia] 18. Mardiningrum, A.: The implementation of role-play based activities: what EFL students learned. J. Foreign Lang. Teach. Learn. 1(2), 14–24 (2016). https://doi.org/10.18196/ftl.1210 19. Shapiro, S., Leopold, L.: A critical role for role-playing pedagogy. TESL Canada J. 29(2), 120–130 (2012). https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v29i2.1104

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20. Levina, E.A., Lazutova, L.A.: The use of role-playing as a practice-based task in foreign language teaching at the pedagogical university. Philol. Theory Pract. 8(86), 207–210 (2018). https://doi.org/10.30853/filnauki.2018-8-1.47 21. Kilgour, P., Reynaud, D., Northcote, M.T., Shields, M.: Role-playing as a tool to facilitate learning, self-reflection and social awareness in teacher education. Int. J. Innov. Interdiscipl. Res. 2(4), 8–20 (2015) 22. Nestel, D., Tierney, T.: Role-play for medical students learning about communication: guidelines for maximising benefits. BMC Med. Educ. 7, 3 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1186/14726920-7-3 23. Brown, L., Chidume, T.: Don’t forget about role play: an enduring active teaching strategy teaching and learning in nursing. Teach. Learn. Nurs. 18(1), 238–241 (2022). https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.teln.2022.09.002 24. Kolzina, A.L.: Model UN as a Means of Forming Professional Competences of Students in International Relations. Udmurt State University, Izhevsk (2019). [in Russia] 25. Snitko, M.V.: Developing leadership qualities of students involved in the activity of «Model Un in the Russian Far East» youth organization. Bull. Amur State Univ. Human. Ser. 98, 79–82 (2022). [in Russia] https://doi.org/10.22250/20730268_2022_96_79 26. McIntosh, D.: The uses and limits of the model united nations in an international relations classroom. Int. Stud. Perspect. 2(3), 269–280 (2001) 27. Muldoon, J.P.: The model united nations revisited. Simul. Gaming 26(1), 27–35 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878195261003 28. The United Nations Guide to Model UN. United Nations Publications, New York (2020) 29. MUN Guide General Assembly. https://www.un.org/node/44556 30. Kovrizhenko, G.M.: Model UN: a Practical Guide for Participants and Organizers. MGIMO University, Moscow (2014). (in Rus) 31. The History of the First MUN. https://www.wisemee.com/history-of-the-first-mun/ 32. Model United Nations. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/mun 33. History and Present of the Model UN Community in Russia and all over the World. https:// modelun.ru/en/about/history/ 34. Personality. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/personality 35. Cornut, J.: To be a diplomat abroad: Diplomatic practice at embassies. Coop. Confl. 50(3), 385–401 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1177/0010836715574912 36. Surdej, A.: Evidence, persuasion and power: diplomats in international organisations. OECD Obs. (2018). https://doi.org/10.1787/1681f929-en 37. Melikhov, I.A.: Personality features and professional competencies of a diplomatic official. Law Gov. XXI Century 2(23), 119–124 (2012). (in Russia) 38. Pike, S.L., Kinsey, D.F.: Diplomatic identity and communication: using Q methodology to assess subjective perceptions of diplomatic practitioners. Place Brand. Public Dipl. (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41254-021-00226-2 39. Faizullaev, A.: Diplomacy and self. Diplomacy Statecraft 17(3), 497–522 (2006). https://doi. org/10.1080/09592290600867578 40. Keys, B., Yorke, C.: Personal and political emotions in the mind of the diplomat. Polit. Psychol. 40(6), 1235–1249 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12628

Unlocking the Power of Gamification: Evaluating the Efficacy of Wizer.me in EFL Vocabulary Acquisition Ekaterina Osipova1,2(B)

and Ekaterina Bagrova1

1 Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Saint Petersburg 195251,

Russian Federation {osipova_es,bagrova_eyu}@spbstu.ru 2 St. Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russian Federation

Abstract. This study validates the effectiveness of Wizer.me as a gamified platform for teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) vocabulary. The aim is to explore the linguo-didactic potential of Wizer.me and to describe the algorithm for using gamified techniques to acquire EFL vocabulary through this platform. The primary goal of gamifying vocabulary learning in EFL is to establish an immersive and meaningful learning environment. By incorporating gamification elements, Wizer.me offers educators a platform to create personalized and interactive learning experiences. The platform’s features, such as customizable worksheets, interactive lessons, automatic assessment and feedback, collaboration and sharing capabilities, and comprehensive analytics contribute to a more effective and tailored vocabulary learning experience.The platform promotes engaging and efficient vocabulary acquisition through interactive and multimedia-rich content, personalized activities, and flexible online access. Prompt feedback, collaboration, and data-driven insights further support student learning. Wizer.me demonstrates significant linguo-didactic potential, enhancing motivation, retention, and application of vocabulary knowledge. The research methodology includes both theoretical and empirical components, including assessment of the key pedagogical principles of gamified vocabulary acquisition, systematization, categorization and generalization of facts and concepts, survey data analysis as well as a set of experiments: educational and control, evaluation of educational outcomes, and questionnaire. The experiment involved 96 EFL students from the Bachelor’s program in Electrical Engineering at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University during the 2022/2023 academic year. The results of the study show an increased average level of vocabulary acquisition, confirming the hypothesis that Wizer.me is an effective gamified tool for teaching vocabulary. This article adds value to the gamification research in the EFL context and provides valuable insights for educators and researchers alike. Keywords: Gamification · Gamified Learning · Wizer.me Platform · Vocabulary Acquisition · EFL Students

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 198–211, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_15

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1 Introduction Gamification has been gaining popularity in the education sector for its ability to make learning more engaging, interactive, and effective. With the rise of distance learning, it has become even more necessary to implement gamification techniques to keep students motivated and focused. However, it is important to note that before any gamified technology is utilized in the teaching process, it is crucial to study its methodological value and effectiveness in solving didactic tasks. For this study, the gamified platform Wizer.me was selected to achieve the following objectives: (a) to investigate the linguo-didactic potential of Wizer.me in teaching EFL, (b) to describe the algorithm for teaching EFL vocabulary through Wizer.me, (c) to assess the effectiveness of the algorithm implemented, and (d) to examine the motivation of students resulting from the use of Wizer.me’s gamified technology in EFL classes.

2 Literature Review Gamification is the use of game design elements to solve problems and engage users in non-game contexts. It has been defined differently by various researchers [1–3], but the most comprehensive definition highlights the use of game-based mechanisms, aesthetics, and thinking to promote learning and action [4]. The elements commonly used in gamification include badges, experience points, leaderboards, rewards, and feedback tools [5–7]. Goals, missions, and the functioning of the gamified environment should be clearly defined to enhance participant understanding. Studies suggest that gamification can improve academic achievement [8–10], motivation [11], satisfaction [12], and attitudes [13]. The use of gamification in English vocabulary acquisition has had a transformative impact on the learning experience. This has led to a surge in research publications on the topic [14]. The widespread adoption of mobile apps has played a major role in the emergence of gamified learning environments and has been instrumental in enhancing students’ vocabulary learning. Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of incorporating gamification into English vocabulary classes, with improvements observed in motivation, engagement, collaboration, problem-solving skills, and learning outcomes among both high and low proficiency students [15–17]. With diverse instructional designs and classroom time limitations, gamification apps offer numerous benefits such as extending vocabulary learning outside the classroom and enabling continuous progress monitoring. English teachers have already been using various gamification tools, including Kahoot, Socrative, and Quizlet, to facilitate vocabulary learning, with mobile apps such as Phone Words showing significant improvements in students’ learning performance, acquisition, retention, and satisfaction [18–20]. While there is still a lack of transparency in published research on digital game-based technology for English language learning, popular apps like Duolingo and Busuu have emerged as useful tools specifically designed for vocabulary learning [20, 21]. Collectively, gamification shows enormous potential for enhancing English vocabulary learning, and the continued development and implementation of these mobile apps offers exciting new possibilities for effective language learning both inside and outside classroom.

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Despite the growing body of research investigating the effectiveness of various single apps aimed at enhancing vocabulary level, there remains a research gap concerning the potential of comprehensive platforms. One such platform is Wizer.me, which offers a wide range of options for students to work on vocabulary. Future research can aim to bridge this gap by investigating whether skillful utilization of this platform can effectively improve vocabulary levels in the EFL context.

3 Methodology Participants. This study focused on first-year EFL students from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, majoring in Electrical Engineering. 96 freshmen students from four groups participated in the study. These students volunteered to participate in the academic year 2022/2023. The students had an average English proficiency level at the intermediate level (B2). The four groups were randomly assigned as either the experimental group (EG) or the control group (CG). This sampling technique was deliberately chosen to ensure randomization. All groups were enrolled in a General English course taught by the same lecturer, which aimed to teach basic English language skills, including vocabulary knowledge. The control group (CG) consisted of 46 students (10 females and 36 males), while the experimental group (EG) comprised 50 students (12 females and 38 males). Procedure. The carried out research lasted three months and consisted of three steps. 1. The educational experiment was carried out to teach vocabulary related to the topic of ‘Travelling and Tourism’ using gamified vocabulary learning via Wizer.me for the experimental group, while the control group engaged in non-gamified vocabulary learning. 2. The control experiment was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the devised algorithm and compare the level of vocabulary acquisition between the control and experimental groups. The control experiment included a vocabulary test of 30 questions based on the topic ‘Travelling and Tourism,’ comprising different types of non-communicative and semicommunicative exercises. Students had to score at least 18 points (out of 30) to pass the test. In addition, students in both groups were given a speaking task, in which they had to deliver a 2-min monologue on the same topic. Here are some examples of speaking tasks on the topic ‘Tourism and Travel’. In your monologue (a) provide reasons for why people choose to travel (economic, cultural, educational, or other reasons), (b) discuss the differences between a tourist and a traveler (e.g., approach to planning, style of travel, and length of stay), (c) share your thoughts on virtual tourism and armchair travel and indicate how they both relate to conventional tourism, (d) share your personal experience of travelling and tourism (e.g., an interesting place you visited, a local culture that you experienced, your favorite activity, or any challenges you faced), (e) describe the advantages and disadvantages of travelling (e.g., personal growth, development of new skills, and increased cultural awareness, versus the environmental impact and financial costs of travel).

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3. The questionnaire was distributed to the experimental group to gather information on their attitude towards Wizer.me as a tool for EFL vocabulary learning. The questionnaire included questions on how satisfied (very satisfied/ satisfied / dissatisfied/ very dissatisfied) the students were with the use of Wizer.me in different aspects of vocabulary learning, such as (1) introducing new vocabulary, (2) practicing vocabulary in receptive exercises, (3) memorizing vocabulary, (4) practicing vocabulary in speaking, and (5) reflecting on what they have learned. In addition, the questionnaire asked (6) how often students would like to use Wizer.me as a tool for gamified vocabulary learning (often, occasionally, seldom, or never). In summary, the study aims to investigate the effectiveness of gamified vocabulary learning via Wizer.me in comparison to non-gamified vocabulary learning in improving vocabulary acquisition in EFL. Moreover, it intends to explore the attitudes of students towards the use of Wizer.me as a tool for EFL vocabulary learning. Methods. The research has employed various methods, including: a) theoretical analysis methods, which involve assessing the key pedagogical principles of gamifiedvocabulary learning, systematizing, categorizing, and generalizing information and concepts, and analyzing survey data; b) empirical methods, which involve the development of a methodological algorithm, conducting both educational and control experiments, evaluating educational outcomes, and distributing a questionnaire to gather feedback; c) presentation of information through tables and graphs, allowing for clear and concise representation of data. Materials. Gamification in teaching English vocabulary in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) refers to the integration of game elements and mechanics into the learning process to enhance student engagement and motivation. It involves using game-like techniques to make vocabulary learning more interactive, enjoyable, and effective. Here are some common gamification strategies used in teaching EFL vocabulary: a) Vocabulary Games: Teachers can incorporate various vocabulary games such as word puzzles, crosswords, word bingo, matching games, and memory games. These games make learning vocabulary fun and encourage active participation from students. b) Rewards and Points: Teachers can introduce a reward system where students earn points, badges, or virtual rewards for their achievements. These rewards can be tied to vocabulary learning goals, such as mastering a certain number of words or completing specific tasks. c) Leaderboards and Competitions: Creating leaderboards or holding friendly competitions can foster a sense of competition among students. They can track their progress, compare their scores, and strive to im-prove. This gamified approach can enhance motivation and encourage students to engage with vocabulary learning actively. d) Role-Playing and Simulation: Teachers can design activities where students take on specific roles or engage in virtual simulations related to vocabulary learning. For example, students can act out dialogues or scenarios using newly acquired vocabulary, promoting contextual under-standing and language production.

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e) Virtual Learning Platforms: Online platforms and apps specifically de-signed for language learning often incorporate gamified elements. These platforms may offer interactive exercises, progress tracking, rewards, and leaderboards to create an engaging learning environment. f) Gamified Apps and Digital Tools: There are numerous educational apps and digital tools available that leverage gamification to teach vocabulary. These apps often provide interactive exercises, quizzes, and challenges to reinforce vocabulary acquisition. The primary goal of gamifying vocabulary learning in EFL is to create an enjoyable and immersive learning experience. By tapping into the intrinsic motivation and engagement that games offer, students are more likely to stay motivated, retain vocabulary better, and apply their knowledge in real-life contexts. One of the platforms which covers the strategies of gamification in teaching vocabulary is Wizer. Wizer is an online learning platform that allows educators to create and distribute interactive worksheets, quizzes, and lessons to their students. It aims to enhance classroom engagement and provide teachers with tools to create personalized and interactive learning experiences. Some key features of Wizer include: 1. Worksheet Creation: Teachers can create customizable worksheets with a variety of question types, including multiple choice, open-ended, fill in the blanks, and more. They can also incorporate multimedia elements such as images, videos, and audio. 2. Interactive Lessons: Wizer enables educators to design interactive lessons that include a sequence of activities, allowing students to progress through the content at their own pace. 3. Assessment and Feedback: Teachers can assess student progress through automatically graded assignments and quizzes. They can provide feedback to students individually or as a group. 4. Collaboration and Sharing: Wizer facilitates collaboration among teachers by allowing them to share and access each other’s content. Additionally, teachers can distribute assignments to students electronically and collect their responses in one place. 5. Analytics and Reporting: The platform provides analytics and reporting features to help educators track student performance and identify areas where additional support may be needed. Wizer offers several advantages for educators and students alike. Here are some potential advantages of using the Wizer platform: 1. Interactive and Engaging Learning: Wizer allows teachers to create interactive and multimedia-rich worksheets and lessons, making learning more engaging and enjoyable for students. By incorporating images, videos, and audio, it helps capture students’ attention and cater to different learning styles. 2. Personalized Learning: With Wizer, teachers can create personalized assignments tailored to individual students’ needs and abilities. They can provide differentiated instruction by including various question types and adapting content to accommodate different learning levels.

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3. Flexibility and Convenience: Wizer is an online platform, which means that students can access their assignments anytime, anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection. This flexibility allows for remote learning, independent study, or completing assignments outside of the traditional classroom setting. 4. Immediate Feedback and Assessment: The app provides instant feedback on assignments and quizzes, allowing students to receive immediate guidance and corrections. This timely feedback helps students understand their strengths and areas for improvement, enabling them to track their progress effectively. 5. Collaboration and Communication: Wizer facilitates collaboration among teachers and encourages sharing of resources and ideas. Educators can access and modify each other’s content, fostering a community of shared learning. Additionally, teachers can communicate with students directly through the platform, providing further guidance and support. 6. Analytics and Data Insights: The platform offers analytics and reporting features that provide valuable insights into student performance. Teachers can access data on student progress, identify trends, and adjust their instruction accordingly. This data-driven approach helps educators make informed decisions and provide targeted interventions when necessary. These advantages can contribute to a more interactive, personalized, and effective learning experience for students while providing teachers with valuable tools for creating and assessing educational content with the elements of gamification. Wizer.me is our selected gamified platform for teaching vocabulary due to its exceptional linguo-didactic potential. Wizer.me offers a plethora of advantages, such as: (a) Incorporating engaging activities, formative assessments, and student collaboration to encourage active learning among students; (b) Creating interactive lessons from PDF and PowerPoint files, allowing for an effective and customizable learning experience; (c) The platform’s provision of compelling graphics, animations, and sounds to facilitate an engaging learning atmosphere; (d) Providing multiple activity options, including multiple-choice races, sorting exercises, fill-in-the-blanks, and other challenges, catering to various learning styles. These features make Wizer.me a suitable tool for promoting vocabulary acquisition among students, allowing them to acquire new knowledge through stimulating, efficient and collaborative activities that keep them engaged.

4 Results 4.1 The Results of the Educational Experiment Having examined the linguodidactic potential of Wizer.me, we devised the algorithm of EFL vocabulary learning via its resources. We devised an algorithm of their use to teach vocabulary to EFL students according to (a) the stage of teaching vocabulary, (b) activity type and (c)Wizer.me tool. The results are presented in Table 1.

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Stage of teaching vocabulary

Activity type

Wizer.me tools

Orienting-preparatory -brainstorming The aim: to organize the presentation of the new -mind-mapping material and the initial revision -matching -ranking -classifying/ organizing

Draw Image Text Matching Sorting

Stereotyping-situational The aim: to launch the assimilation mechanism, based first on imitative-practical actions and actions by analogy with the model, and then, after observation, inductive consideration and analysis of the linguistic phenomena that make up the speech model, on actions of a consciously theoretical nature

-drilling -gap-filling -cloze activity -reconstruction -eliciting -paraphrasing -completion -reproduction

Open question Multiple choice Blanks Fill on an Image Matching Table Sorting Word Puzzle Draw Text Image Video

Varying-situational The aim: to achieve the variability of the combination of lexical units and the ability to use vocabulary in speech

-generalization - making dialogues - story telling - describing pictures - recording video -commenting video -interpreting the meaning

Open Question Discussion Video Text Image Reflection

Table 2 provides examples of the application of the algorithm while teaching vocabulary related to the topic of “Travelling and Tourism.” It demonstrates how the algorithm can be effectively employed to optimize the use of Wizer.me tools in vocabulary instruction. 4.2 The Results of the Control Experiment The graph presented in Fig. 1 demonstrates the shift in the topic-related vocabulary knowledge of students in both the control group and the experimental group. The results show that 65% of the students in the control group and 87% of the students in the experimental group scored a minimum of 18 points out of 30 (60%) in the vocabulary test, indicating a higher level of achievement for the experimental group. While there was not a significant difference in the students’ performance in the speaking test, it is important to note that speaking involves several other key factors, including coherence, grammar accuracy, cohesion, and the use of appropriate linkers. Despite this, the experimental group demonstrated a slightly greater ability to use at least 15 key words and collocations accurately in their two-minute talk. These findings suggest that the devised

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algorithm effectively boosts vocabulary retention and results in better outcomes in both the vocabulary and speaking assessments. Table 2. The algorithm for using Wizer.me tools to teach vocabulary Tool

Exercise

Screenshots and notes

preparatory stage

Divide the class in groups and ask them to write as many nouns and verbs related to one Note: Draw tool with of these groups as possible (guided group students’ findings and tours/ package holiday/ individual trips). ideas can serve as the good start to get into the topic of “Travel” and topic-related vocabulary.

Based on the vocabulary from the mind map ask the students questions about traveling.

Ask students to explain the difference between words which have a similar meaning. Then show them a picture and compare the answers.

stereotyping-situational stage

Match the vocabulary to the definitions

(continued)

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Match the words with the dots.

Divide students into several groups. Give them 3 minutes and ask to find as many words as possible.

Fill in the blanks with the missing words

varying-situational

Watch a video and make up a similar dialogue, using the vocabulary from the unit.

Show the students questions and offer them to discuss them in pairs.

(continued)

Unlocking the Power of Gamification: Evaluating the Efficacy Table 2. (continued)

Offer the students a controversial topic discuss and share your opinion. Each of them should make a comment and express own opinion (agree or disagree).

After the discussion ask the students to arrange their arguments for and against in the table and add some more arguments.

Finish the lesson with the reflection question about travel. Each student has to write 4-8 lines and express his personal opinion.

Fig. 1. The results of the level of topic-related vocabulary knowledge.

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4.3 The Results of the Questionnaire According to Fig. 2, the questionnaire administered to the experimental group revealed that the students expressed a high level of satisfaction with the implementation of Wizer.me in the gamified vocabulary learning process. The questionnaire included the following questions: 1. How satisfied are you with the use of Wizer.me in introducing new vocabulary? (Very satisfied / Satisfied / Dissatisfied / Very dissatisfied) 2. How satisfied are you with the use of Wizer.me in practicing vocabulary through receptive exercises? (Very satisfied / Satisfied / Dissatisfied / Very dissatisfied) 3. How satisfied are you with the use of Wizer.me in memorizing vocabulary? (Very satisfied/Satisfied/Dissatisfied/Very dissatisfied) 4. How satisfied are you with the use of Wizer.me in practicing vocabulary through speaking? (Very satisfied/Satisfied/Dissatisfied/Very dissatisfied) 5. How satisfied are you with the use of Wizer.me in reflecting on what you have learned about vocabulary? (Very satisfied/Satisfied/Dissatisfied /Very dissatisfied) 6. How often would you like to use Wizer.me as a tool for gamified vocabulary learning? (Often/Occasionally/Seldom/Never) The majority of the students (80–100%) found this gamified technology particularly beneficial in introducing new vocabulary, practicing topic-related collocations in vocabulary exercises and speaking exercises, leading to a better understanding of how new vocabulary should be used in context. Additionally, 90% of the students felt that Wizer.me was helpful for memorizing vocabulary. Furthermore, 85% of the participants expressed satisfaction with using Wizer.me as a reflection tool. Over half of the students

Fig. 2. Level of satisfaction with different aspects of Wizer.me (the results of the questionnaire).

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(65%) expressed their desire to continue using Wizer.me, not only in the classroom but also beyond independently. These study findings imply that the integration of Wizer.me in the classroom aided in creating an interactive and engaging learning atmosphere while improving vocabulary retention and increasing students’ interest in continuing to learn.

5 Discussion and Conclusion The importance of digital technologies in education has become increasingly evident in post-industrial society, as education becomes a fundamental part of modern electronic culture. With the digitalization of learning, new opportunities for innovative teaching arise. In the context of vocabulary learning, gamified technologies have proved to be a valid approach in linguistic studies. However, this study aimed to investigate the effects of using a comprehensive platform Wizer.me, rather than single gamification apps not specifically designed for vocabulary learning. While previous studies demonstrated positive results with single gamification apps such as Quizizz [15–17], Quizlet [18], Socrative [19] and Kahoot [12, 13] on students’ perceptions, learner autonomy, and vocabulary outcomes, the novelty of this research lies in offering a comprehensive methodological algorithm for gamified vocabulary teaching based on the Wizer.me platform, which combines most of the functions of the aforementioned apps. The algorithm is designed to systematically develop lexical skills according to the key stages of skill formation (orienting-preparatory, stereotyping-situational, varying-situational), thus providing a more complete and rigorous framework for gamified vocabulary acquisition. We hypothesize that this approach will yield more promising results and contribute substantially to the pedagogical landscape in this field. Although there were no statistically significant differences in speaking vocabulary test between the experimental and control groups, experimental students outscored control group students on the written vocabulary test. It is important to note that while gamified vocabulary learning may add fun features to student learning, the learning outcomes may be comparable to non-gamified vocabulary learning. The study supports the use of gamified technology as a means of practicing homework or exercises, motivating students to get extra practice with the gamified vocabulary platform more frequently, with a link between increased participation and improved learning outcomes. In summary, Wizer.me platform is considered as a gamified vocabulary learning platform with strong linguo-didactic potential that offers unique resources for creating a comfortable environment for vocabulary learning, new modes of curriculum delivery, novel forms of communicative interaction, and greater opportunities for immediate feedback. Our study found that Wizer.me platform is a valid tool for teaching vocabulary, provided that a certain algorithm is employed. Overall, Wizer.me platform shows potential in transforming the way vocabulary learning is approached, through a more engaging and interactive environment that supports learner autonomy and better learning outcomes. The results of our educational experiment indicate a substantial increase in the level of vocabulary knowledge amongst students, which confirms our research hypothesis on the effectiveness of the Wizer.me platform as a gamified tool for teaching vocabulary.

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E. Osipova and E. Bagrova

The accumulated experience of teaching students via Wizer.me Platform can be transferred to the hybrid learning or used in the development of distance courses. Our study’s findings indicate the potential effectiveness of gamified technology for teaching vocabulary and suggest that further investigation is warranted to explore the possibility of utilizing non-specifically built platforms for learner instruction and autonomy. Further research should utilize varying empirical designs to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the potential benefits and limitations of gamified technology in different learning contexts. By expanding the scope of future research, we can better determine how gamified technology can be utilized most effectively in enhancing vocabulary learning outcomes.

References 1. Bouchrika, I., Harrati, N., Wanick, V., Wills, G.: Exploring the impact of gamification on student engagement and involvement with e-learning systems. Interact. Learn. Environ. 29(8), 1244–1257 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.1623267 2. Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., Nacke L.: From game design elements to gamefulness: defining “gamification. In: Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments 2011, MindTrek 2011, pp. 9–15. Association for Computing Machinery, New York (2011). https://doi.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040 3. Zainuddin, Z.: Students’ learning performance and perceived motivation in gamified flippedclass instruction. Comput. Educ. 126, 75–88 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018. 07.003 4. Kapp, K.M.: The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education. John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco (2012) 5. Koivisto, J., Hamari, J.: The rise of motivational information systems: a review of gamification research. Int. J. Inf. Manage. 45, 191–210 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018. 10.013 6. Subhash, S., Cudney, E.: Gamified learning in higher education: a systematic review of the literature. Comput. Hum. Behav.. Hum. Behav. 87, 192–206 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.chb.2018.05.028 7. Buckley, J., DeWille, T., Exton, C., Exton, G., Murray, L.: A gamification–motivation design framework for educational software developers. J. Educ. Technol. Syst. 47(1), 101–127 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239518783153 8. Bai, S., Hew, K.F., Huang, B.: Does gamification improve student learning outcome? Evidence from a meta-analysis and synthesis of qualitative data in educational contexts. Educ. Res. Rev. 30, 100322 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100322 9. Sailer, M., Homner, L.: The gamification of learning: a meta-analysis. Educ. Psychol. Rev. 32, 77–112 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09498-w 10. Tsay, C.H.H., Kofinas, A., Luo, J.: Enhancing student learning experience with technologymediated gamification: an empirical study. Comput. Educ. 121, 1–17 (2018). https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.compedu.2018.01.009 ˇ ˇ 11. Jurgelaitis, M., Ceponien˙ e, L., Ceponis, J., Drungilas, V.: Implementing gamification in a university-level UML modeling course: a case study. Comput. Appl. Eng. Educ.. Appl. Eng. Educ. 27(2), 332–343 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22077 12. Fuster-Guilló, A., Pertegal-Felices, M.L., Jimeno-Morenilla, A., Azorín-López, J., RicoSoliveres, M.L., Restrepo-Calle, F.: Evaluating impact on motivation and academic performance of a game-based learning experience using Kahoot. Front. Psychol. 10, 2843 (2019). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02843

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13. Guardia, J.J., Del Olmo, J.L., Roa, I., Berlanga, V.: Innovation in the teaching-learning process: the case of Kahoot! On the Horizon. 27(1), 35–45 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1108/OTH11-2018-0035 14. Manzano-León, A., et al.: Between level up and game over: a systematic literature review of gamification in education. Sustainability. 13, 2247 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3390/su1304 2247 15. Panmei, B., Waluyo, B.: The pedagogical use of gamification in english vocabulary training and learning in higher education. Educ. Sci. 13, 24 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13 010024 16. Lim, T.M., Yunus, M.M.: Teachers’ perception towards the use of quizizz in the teaching and learning of english: a systematic review. Sustainability 13, 6436 (2021). https://doi.org/10. 3390/su13116436 17. Bal, S.: Using Quizizz. com to enhance pre-intermediate students’ vocabulary knowledge. Inter J. Lang. Acad. 6, 295–303 (2018). https://doi.org/10.18033/ijla.3953 18. Waluyo, B., Tran, H.: Implementing gamified vocabulary learning in asynchronous mode. TEFLIN J. 34, 136–156 (2023). https://doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v34 19. Rofiah, N.L., Waluyo, B.: Using Socrative for vocabulary tests: Thai EFL learner acceptance and perceived risk of cheating. J. Asia TEFL 17(3), 966–982 (2020). https://doi.org/10.18823/ asiatefl.2020.17.3.14.966 20. Ulla, M.B., Perales, W.F., Tarrayo, V.N.: Integrating internet-based applications in English language teaching: teacher practices in a Thai university. Issues Educ. Res. 30(1), 365–378 (2020). https://doi.org/10.3316/informit.086345207436951 21. Zou, D., Huang, Y., Xie, H.: Digital game-based vocabulary learning: where are we and where are we going? Comput. Assist. Lang. Learn. 32(1), 1–27 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1080/095 88221.2019.1640745

Assessment of the Creative Freedom of Students Trained in the Acting Technique “Demidov Études” Maria Chetina(B)

, Marina Saryan , and Alsu Gabdullina

Graduate School of Applied Linguistics, Translation and Interpreting, Institute of Humanities, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg 195251, Russia [email protected]

Abstract. The acting technique “Demidov études” is a little-known method of the actor training, which was developed in the middle of the twentieth century by the Russian theater pedagogue and director N.V. Demidov. It is based on the principles of developing a student’s creative intuition, spontaneity, organicity, improvisational and partnership abilities, which, in turn, contribute to achieving creative freedom. The focus of the research is the assessment of the creative freedom of students trained in the acting technique “Demidov études”. The object of the research is professional theater and film actors, amateur theaters actors and theater studios participants. The analysis of the influence of this technique on the development of spontaneity and the ability to improvise under unforeseen circumstances during a performance/ étude was carried out. The students practicing the étude method were surveyed regarding their sense of creative freedom. The factors obstructing the achievement of creative freedom were examined, as well as potential risks associated with the implementation of this method. The students’ opinion regarding the usefulness of this technique and its disadvantages were investigated. The results of the research showed that the acting technique “Demidov’s Études” contributes to the development of students’ creative freedom. This technique allows actors to directly respond to the provided circumstances in the present, to feel and interact with a partner more subtly, to become more deeply involved in the process of creating a character, to free themselves from standard schemes and norms, and to show their individuality. However, the potential risks of this methodology include actors developing a dismissive attitude towards the author’s text and a tendency to unjustifiably interrupt their scene partners. Keywords: N.V. Demidov · “Demidov Études” · creative freedom · scenic truth · theatrical improvisation · acting skills

1 Introduction In contemporary theater pedagogy there is a growing interest in the intuitive approach to actor training [1–3]. Pedagogical activity within the framework of the intuitive approach involves an educational process aimed at developing knowledge, skills, and abilities of individuals, taking into account the levels of their consciousness and the possibilities of © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 212–229, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_16

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their unconscious mind [4–6]. Intuition, as a psychological phenomenon, serves as an important link between consciousness and unconscious, thus developing intuition helps activate the creative potential of an individual [4; 7; 8]. Within the framework of the intuitive approach, several popular methods in teaching acting skills can be identified, such as the technique of Lee Strasberg [9, 10], Stella Adler’s method [11], Sanford Meisner’s technique [12], Michael Chekhov’s technique [13], Uta Hagen’s approach [14], and others. All these techniques are further development and continuation of Konstantin Stanislavski’s system [15; 16], which is widely recognized as the most influential theory of acting technique. In this regard, a special place is occupied by the methodology of the distinguished Russian theater director and pedagogue N.V. Demidov (1884–1953), also known as the “Demidov études.“ His unique methodology for achieving a creative state (creative freedom) is used not only in pedagogy [17–19], but also in psychology (drama therapy), as well as in training programs for effectiveness, self-development and personal growth. Among the notable followers of Demidov’s school, actively applying his method in practice, is the theater director and pedagogue P.P. Podervyansky (1931–2018) and the Theater of Drama Improvisation (TDI) founded by him in St. Petersburg. Since 1989, performances have been staged and actors have been trained at TDI using Demidov’s methodology. TDI has been holding an annual Festival of Drama Improvisation Theaters that unites creative collectives working with Demidov’s and P.P. Podervyansky’s method since 2019. 1.1 Key Principles of the Demidov’s Method Many theater theorists and practitioners consider the state of creative inspiration (creative well-being) not as the initial condition or the starting point of the creative process, but as its result, which is difficult and not easily achievable [20, 21]. It takes months and years to achieve creative freedom on the stage. Demidov suggests trying a path where the state of creative inspiration (creative freedom) is not a distant goal or a desired result, but the starting point, the normal state of an actor that comes on the stage, who, even without being a master yet, could live freely, organically in public and be themselves [17]. Demidov’s views on the nature of creativity (not only in acting) significantly outstripped the development of scientific thought of his time. S.G. Gellerstein, a well-known psychologist and Doctor of Biological Sciences, wrote: “Some of the positions and conclusions reached by Demidov… Can be applied to other spheres of creativity without any strain. Moreover, scientists involved in stimulating creative abilities in scientific activities, sports, and various forms of work are only now coming to conclusions that are very close to those that Demidov reached long before them” [22]. A distinctive feature of Demidov’s approach to pedagogy is work with the unconscious sphere of the creative process. Criticizing the analytical approach in actor training, Demidov believed that the rational division of the indivisible creative process kills the most important aspect – the immediacy of life on stage, i.e., the creative process [23]. According to Demidov, during the stage of revealing of the actor’s creative potential and providing them with a state of creative freedom, the teacher is prohibited to interfere with the nature of the student, impose their will, or break the actor’s psyche. On the contrary, the pedagogue should listen to the manifestations of the student’s unconscious

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nature and follow it because that is where the truth lies. “The essence of theater lies in the fact that every actor is not just a voiceless and obedient executor of the director’s will but a rich source of creative possibilities and surprises” [23]. The main goal of Demidov’s actor training was to teach his students to live on stage – to surrender to their involuntary impulses, expressions, thoughts, and feelings [23]. For this, it is necessary to “let themselves go, surrender to internal and external impulses – all this life of imagination and fantasy. Students (as well as the most experienced actors) must be taught not to interfere with their own manifestations. By doing this, they can develop and cultivate their inherent imagination that pushes them to action and creates life on stage” [23]. 1.2 What is the Creative State According to Demidov? Some of the key manifestations of creative freedom, or state, or life on the stage according to Demidov are as follows: 1) vivid perception of the circumstances presented by the author, 2) free perception of the surrounding environment, 3) free reaction to impressions, 4) absence of excessive effort influenced by the presence of the audience. The actor is given complete freedom of action within the circumstances provided by the author (during the études - by the pedagogue), but they are not allowed to alter these circumstances according to their own preferences. [23]. Stage freedom is closely interconnected with stage truth. When the actor is free on stage, they live on stage, and their life on stage becomes identical to “real” life - in the sense that stage relationships are built primarily and directly through perception – reaction pattern. However, it should be noted that Demidov, on the contrary, acknowledged and emphasized the specificity, duality of an actor’s stage existence, and his entire methodology is directed towards gaining the organic creative freedom in the word of imagination, that is, within the proposed circumstances. 1.3 Demidov études The main tool in the Demidov’s methodology is études, known in theater studies as Demidov études. Examples of Demidov études from the book “The Art of Living on Stage” [23] are: 1) - I was mending your jacket and found this note. - You read it, didn’t you? - I did. - Well, that's even better

2) - Have you been to the Tretyakov Gallery? - No, I haven't. I'm planning to go tomorrow. - At what time? - At twelve o'clock. Why? - Oh, nothing. Just wondering.

At the initial stage of training, no additional circumstances are introduced during the étude. There are only those circumstances that laid down in the text of the étude itself. Step-by-step technique of conducting Demidov’s études is as follows:

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1. Students listen to the pedagogue’s text, try to memorize it, and then calmly repeat the text aloud to themselves to check whether the text is memorized or not. 2. “Get the text out of your head,” forget everything, extinguish one’s imagination, and “become empty.” 3. Open oneself to impressions, stop hindering oneself, let oneself in and start living. During this stage, which can last several minutes, the student listens to their sensations, expands their sensory perception (I start to hear the noise of the street, music from the adjacent room, the movement of the next chair actor, I feel cold or warmth, comfort or discomfort in the pose I am sitting in, and so on). 4. It turns out that the words of the étude that were just repeated have not disappeared; they have been waiting for their time and start to make their way out. At first, this is done unclearly, indistinctly: they are not yet demanding to be spoken or even appearing in thoughts. But somehow, your imagination builds circumstances out of the surrounding - objects and people - that all these words, after a minute or even earlier, will come in handy for you. In other words, the repeated text organizes the entire étude without any assistance from conscious, fabrication. It turns out that it has not been forgotten and does its job [23]. In the process of performing Demidov’s études, conditions are created for the birth of the creative process and its proper flow. According to Demidov’s, with the help of these études it is clear that the creative process should be neither compose nor construct. Instead, it is necessary not to interfere with the creative process that has already begun, as soon as the actor steps onto the étude. It is necessary to rely on the actor’s subconsciousness (by “subconsciousness,” he meant the nature/organism of the individual) to reveal and develop their free creativity [23]. 1.4 The Stanislavsky System vs the Demidov School According to the fair remark of L.A. Bogdanova [24], the Stanislavsky System and the Demidov School are united by a common goal: both concepts are based on truth (rather than believability) and a creative state on stage. Both masters believe that the desired outcome can be achieved only if there is acting creativity freedom. However, the notion of the essence of acting freedom and way to achieve it in Stanislavsky and Demidov significantly differ. Demidov refers to Stanislavsky’s System as rationalistic-imperative. The approach is based on the performance of a certain predetermined task, action, or activity. The main focus is on acting. As a result of the action, an appropriate assessment and reaction should be arise: a reasonable, deliberate imperative activity during repetition leads to the emergence of specific sensations that cause certain feelings and experiences (each time!). The Demidov’s School, on the other hand, is characterized as emotional-volitional. For Demidov, the main emphasis is on perceiving. It involves perceiving the circumstances proposed by the author (pedagogue) and arising in the course of the play (étude). Both life and action can open out naturally, without predetermined tasks or limitations, in other words, “as it goes.“ Consequently, the reaction to various circumstances of the play (étude) will be different with each repetition. For Stanislavsky, action is actually a disguised perception. At best, for the most talented performers, the assigned action serves as a catalyst for creative perception. In

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Demidov’s approach, action arises as a result of the first involuntary reaction, by allowing and letting it, the actor secures his creative state on stage. For the Stanislavsky has tasks and analysis in the first place, decomposition of the indivisible creative process into elements, working out each element (piece) separately, then merging, connecting them with each other to achieve a creative process. The Demidov’s approach focuses on freedom and involuntary nature of the initial reaction, through honing the acting intuition, as a result of which there is a creative process from the very beginning, it does not need to be created [24]. According to Stanislavsky, circumstances “revolve” as assigned. According to Demidov - the actor “revolves” under the influence of circumstances. The Stanislavsky’s system generates control without freedom. The actor primarily processes the play’s task rationally. The Demidov’s school unlocks, sharpens creative intuition. The first acting perception is not limited by the mind. It immediately “falls” into the subconscious. Stanislavsky relies on the ability, which is honed by constant drill and training. Demidov puts on genius, which exists to a certain degree in every actor’s talent and manifests itself through the development, honing of acting intuition [24].

2 Method The focus of the research is on studying the feeling of creative freedom among theatre and film actors, members of drama studios and participants of drama training courses completed training in the unique acting technique developed by Demidov. The aim of the research is to assess the degree of onstage freedom felt by the actors after their taking course in Demidov’s “étude technique”. The objectives of the research are the following: 1) To determine what actors understand by the concept “onstage freedom”. 2) To assess to what extent actors feel free on the stage/while acting études. 3) To assess spontaneity and ability to improvise in unforeseen circumstances, for instance, in case the partner forgot the text, or the partner did not come to the stage on time, or, suddenly the light went out on the stage. 4) To determine what prevents actors from achieving creative freedom. 5) To determine the degree of freely improvising stage behaviour with regard to the text of the étude or play among actors. As Demidov noted, at the initial training stage in “étude technique”, novice actors do not understand the concept “freedom” in a proper way, and this primarily influence author’s text. 6) To determine how often actors interrupt each other while acting a play/étude. 7) To determine to what extent facilitating heightened creative emotions is easy or difficult. 8) To analyze the student-actors’ understanding of strengths and weaknesses of Demidov’s method. To solve the objectives set, the sociological survey method was used. The questionnaire was conducted among relevant to the research audience. The survey was conducted using the Google Forms service and consisted of 12 questions. “Questionnaire for actors

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and students about N.V. Demidov’s methodology for developing creative abilities and achieving creative freedom” was developed to collect information about the impressions and experience of actors and students who were trained in the technique of the Demidov etudes. The use of Google Forms allowed to collect data online within a limited time frame, ensuring anonymity and convenience for the participants. The sample for this research was formed by inviting actors and studio members from various theaters, schools and theater studios to participate in the survey. The invitation was sent with the aim of receiving information about the Demidov’s methodology and its influence on the development of creative abilities and the achievement of creative freedom. This ensured a representative sample, covering a variety of characteristics and experiences of actors and studio members, and to collect quantitative and qualitative data for further analysis and interpretation. The respondents had different levels of experience, age groups, genders and other relevant characteristics. This helped to ensure more accurate and generalizable results of the research. Nine theatre ensembles, involved in Demidov’s unique acting technique, were taken the survey, among them: Theatre of Drama Improvisation (Saint-Petersburg) –37%, Theatre Sova (Saint-Petersburg) –20%, Acting School named after Demidov (Moscow) –13%, Theatre named after Demidov (Cherepovets) –9,5%, Creativity Lab “Father and children”(Moscow) –7,6%, Theatre Mip (Saint-Petersburg) –3,7%, as well as Theatre Noosphere (Saint-Petersburg), Theatre school Dom-A (Saint-Petersburg), Improvisation workshop (Kazan) and others. The population of the survey was 54 people including professional theatre and film actors, non-professional actors of armature theatre groups, students of institutes of theatre arts, participants of theatre schools and training courses. The percentage of respondents having diploma in Theatre Arts was 16,7%, the rest of respondents 83,3% do not have a diploma in Theatre Arts.

3 Results As a result of the conducted survey, we were able to obtain the following data: 3.1 Duration of Respondents’ Training in Demidov’s “étude Technique” Figure 1 shows the distribution of answers to the question about the duration of training in Demidov’s ‘étude technique”. 17 respondents (32%) have been participating in investigated acting technique for more than 10 years. The same number of respondents (32%) have been participating for 2–5 years. 10 respondents (18%) have 1–2 years of experience. 4 respondents (7%) have been training Demidov’s “étude technique” 5–10 years. 6 respondents (11%) have been training more than 10 years. 3.2 Understanding the Concept “Onstage Freedom” by Respondents Figure 2 shows the participant’s vision of freedom, i.e., what actors understand by the concept “onstage freedom”. The questionnaire suggested two answer options: 1) freedom, creative improvisation and free reaction within the framework of the given circumstances in the play; 2) freedom, creative improvisation and free reaction neglecting the

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How long have you been practicing in Demidov's etude techniques? 11% 32% 18%

7% 32% Less than 1 year

1-2 years

2-5 years

5-10 years

More than 10 years

Fig. 1. Duration of respondents’ training in Demidov’s “étude techniques”

given circumstances in the play. The overwhelming number of respondents (85,5%, 46 actors) chose the first option. And only 2 respondents (3,7%) consider “onstage freedom” as freedom and creative improvisation with no regard to the given circumstances of the play. Moreover, participants were given an opportunity to write their own answer concerning the creative onstage freedom. The most interesting answers for this study were the following: free reaction to the given circumstances of the partner’s behaviour on the stage; active behaviour and spontaneous creative reaction within given circumstances of the play; live performance and creative reaction to the given circumstances of the play even if they are at variance with the play; freedom and creative improvisation as well as naturalness and authenticity of reactions within the taken character sketch; being yourself and acting within your intuitive creative desire “I want”; lack of obstacles that impede a sound of subconscious flow of actor’s creativity concerning periods, themes, when one topic leads to completely different topic and then the third and the forth one, and, it does not scare the actor as well as director does not stop acting process. 3.3 Spontaneity and Ability to Improvise in Unforeseen Circumstances of the Play/étude In order to develop spontaneity and ability to improvise in unforeseen circumstances of the play/étude, respondents were asked to write their feelings and reaction to unforeseen circumstances, for instance, the case when the partner forgot the text, or, the partner did not come to the stage on time, inadequate spectator breaks into pictures or suddenly the light went out on the stage and so on. Figure 3 shows the distribution of answers.76% of respondents showed the high level of spontaneity and ability to improvise (“live performance to new circumstances”). Almost a quarter of respondents (24%) feel confusion, but try to hide their emotions, continuing to stay in character and play the role. None of

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How do you understand the concept "onstage freedom" ? FREE REACTION WITHIN A FRAMEWORK OF THE GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES

85.50%

FREE REACTION NEGLECTING GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES

3.70%

CREATIVE IMPROVISATION WITH NO REAGARD TO THE GIVEN CIRC

1.90%

FREE REACTION TO THE GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PARTNER’S BEHAVIOUR ON THE STAGE

1.90%

LIVE PERFORMANCE AND CREATIVE REACTION TO THE GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PLAY EVEN IF THEY ARE AT VARIANCE WITH THE PLAY

1.90%

CREATIVE IMPROVISATION AS WELL AS NATURALNESS AND AUTHENTICITY OF REACTIONS WITHIN THE TAKEN CHARACTER SKETCH

1.90%

BEING YOURSELF AND ACTING WITHIN INTUITIVE CREATIVE DESIRE “I WANT”

1.90%

LACK OF OBSTACLES THAT IMPEDE A SOUND OF SUBCONSCIOUS FLOW OF ACTOR’S CREATIVITY

1.90%

Fig. 2. Understanding the concept “onstage freedom” by respondents”

the survey participants noted that they feel panic and fear, and want to go off the stage in unforseen circumstances of the play/étude.

What are your feelings and reaction to unforseen circumstances such as partner forgot the text, or partner didn't come to stage on time, the light went out? 0% 24%

76%

Spontaneity and ability to improvise

Trying to stay in character

Go into panic 0%

Fig. 3. Spontaneity and ability to improvise in unforeseen circumstances of the play/étude

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3.4 How Often Do Actors Interrupt Each Other While Acting a Play/étude Figure 4 shows the distribution of answers given to the question “How often do actors interrupt each other while acting a play/étude?” More than a half of respondents (53,7%,) that is 29 actors rarely interrupt their partners, 19 actors (35,2%) sometimes interrupt their partners on the stage, 3 actors (5,6%) never interrupt their partners and the same number of respondents - 3 actors (5,6%) often interrupt their partners.

Do you interrupt your partner on the stage while acting play/etude? 5,6% 5,6% 35,2%

Rarely

Someimes

53,7%

Never

Often

Fig. 4. How often do actors interrupt each other while acting a play/étude?

3.5 Freely Improvising Stage Behaviour with Regard to the Text of the étude or Paly Among Actors Figure 5 shows the answers to the question of acceptability/ unacceptability of freely improvising stage behaviour with regard to the text of the étude or play among actors according to Demidov’s method. The above-mentioned concept involves situations when actor improvises, speaks “offhand”, says inaccurate author’s text on the stage, simplifiers the text without director’s permission, etc. As seen in the diagram, for more than half of respondents it is acceptable to change the author’s text: 16,7% often improvise with text, 37% of the respondents accept improvisation when dealing with contemporary authors, but consider unacceptable to improvise texts written by classic authors. 40,7% of respondents rarely change the author’s text or manuscript, and only for 5,6% of respondents it is unacceptable to improvise and make changes to the original author’s text. 3.6 Control of Heightened Creative Emotions While Acting The data in Fig. 6 demonstrates to what extent facilitating heightened creative emotions is easy or complex among actors while acting. For 63% of actors, it is easier rather than difficult to control their emotions on the stage, 18,5% of actors can control their

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Is it acceptable for you to change the author's text while acting a play/etude? 5,6%

16,7%

40,7% 37%

Often

When dealing with contemporary autor's texts

Rarely

Never

Fig. 5. Freely improvising stage behaviour with regard to the text of the étude or play among actors

emotions on the stage with ease. 13% of respondents state that it is not easy to stay in character and control emotions at the same time. 5,6% of respondents answered that it is difficult to control emotions staying in character.

How easy or difficult is it for you to control your emotions while experiencing the circumstances of the role during the performance? 5,6% 13%

18,5% 63%

Quite easy

Easy

Not easy

Difficult

Fig. 6. Control of heightened creative emotions while acting

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3.7 Self-consciousness of Creative Freedom While Acting Figure 7 demonstrates how free actors feel themselves on the stage while acting play/études. The diagram shows that 68,5% of respondents feel themselves quite free, 24,1% feel absolutely free, 7,4% of respondents rather not free.

Assess your feelings of creative freedom during your existence on the stage [ЗНАЧЕНИЕ] % 7.40% Quite free 21.40%

Absolutely free Rather not free 68.50%

Do not feel free 0%

Fig. 7. Self-consciousness of creative freedom while acting

3.8 Factors Preventing Onstage Freedom Achievement When answering the survey question “What, in your opinion, prevents you from achieving full freedom on the stage?” only 18,5% of respondents answered that they felt absolutely free in any given circumstances. The most frequently noted obstacle in achieving creative freedom on the stage among actors (51,9% of answers) is “incomprehensible or unfamiliar circumstances of acting a role, which should be played and experienced on the stage”. 14,8% of respondents noted “director’s instructions that we need to follow but we do not understand them” as an obstacle in achieving creative freedom on the stage. Among answers suggested by the respondents themselves, the most interesting are: insufficient amount of training/ not enough time dedicated to master acting technique; relationship with a partner (it could possibly refer to the dependence on the partner in the process of building an organic stage relationship); internal feeling/dependance on mood throughout the day; lack of stage time (it could possibly refer to the situations when acting études, at initial stage, students need time to immerse into the role between two phases such as “throw the text” and “let yourself go”, and stage time is limited).

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3.9 Usefulness of Demidov’s Actor Training Method The histogram below (Fig. 8) shows both multiple choices of ready answers and independent answers of the respondents to the question concerning the usefulness of studying according to Demidov’s unique method of “étude technique”. 75,9% of respondents consider that this method cultivate onstage freedom among actors. 68,5% of respondents note that this method helps actors to play organically on the stage. 59,3% of respondents note that Demidov’s method fosters their creative intuition, 51,9% - an increase in emotional openness, 50% - development of imagination, 44% - an increase in sense perception. Among answers, suggested by the participants themselves are the following: Demidov’s method develops peer collaboration; this unique acting technique helps to feel gladness due to subconscious flow of actor’s creativity; “étude technique” helps actors to cultivate the art of living on the stage spontaneously, here and now.

Usefulness of Demidov's educational method CULTIVATES ONSTAGE FREEDOM

75.90%

HELPS TO PLAY ORGANICALLY

68.50%

FOSTERS CREATIVE INTUITION

59.30%

INCREASES EMOTIONAL OPENNESS

51.90%

DEVELOPS IMAGINATION INCREASES PERCEPTION

50% 44%

Fig. 8. Usefulness of Demidov’s actor training method

3.10 Limitations of the Demidov’s “étude Techniques” To the multiple-choice question about the disadvantages of Demidov’s method, the ready answers of respondents were distributed as follows (Fig. 9): more than a half or the participants (51,9%) mention the absence of drawbacks; 38,9% consider that because of the opportunity to improvise and speak “offhand”, contemptuous attitude toward author’s text is developing; 20,4% note that actors interrupt each other during the play/étude. The ready answer option as “actors become unmanageable for the director” was noted only by one respondent (1,9%). Among independent answers, the most interesting are the following: “Demidov’s étude” is a simple dialogue without continuation, a mini-play and hence a some kind of boring process of text repeating for those watching; when taken seriously, there is very great tension at moments of realizing the creative process and trying to head it toward the right direction (referring to the phase during the performance of the étude, where the participants must, in Demidov’s terms, “let themselves go” and “live here and now in the étude”).

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Disadvantages of Demidov's "etude techniques" 51.90%

NO DRAWBACKS CONTEMPTUOUS ATTITUDE TOWARD AUTHOR'S TEXT INTERRUPTION ON THE STAGE

38.90% 20.40%

A SIMPLE DIALOGUE

1.90%

ACTORS BECOME UNMANAGEABLE

1.90%

BORING PROCESS OF TEXT REPEATING

1.90%

ALL VARIANTS ARE POSSIBLE

1.90%

GREAT TENSION WHEN LIVING "HERE AND NOW"

1.90%

Fig. 9. Disadvantages of Demidov “étude techniques”

4 Discussion The phenomenon of creativity and its related issues, such as creative thinking, creative state (inspiration), creativity, creative abilities – have always been and will be in the focus of attention in the fields of world science, business, and culture. This is not surprising, as creative processes have an existential essence, i.e. they are connected with life itself. From a philosophical point of view, creativity is the activity of individuals that transforms social reality and the environment according to their needs and goals. From a psychological point of view, creativity is all kinds of practical or theoretical activity in which new results arise for the subject of activity: knowledge, decisions, methods of action, material products. As for stage creativity, which this study is devoted, it is also connected with life itself. Stanislavski, who is undoubtedly the founder of modern concepts of teaching acting, always strived for artistic truth on stage and tried to bring the actor to “normal, human efficiency”. This dream of Stanislavski was fullfilled by his student Demidov. He created his own original technique for working with the unconsciousness of a studentactor, resulted in the situation where, according to Stanislavski, the students had no “clamp”, no “training”, but a natural perception of everything that is around them on the stage, a sense of partner, free, involuntary self-expression” [23]. According to the thoughts of Stanislavski and Demidov, the main conditions of life on stage are onstage freedom and onstage truth. These two categories are interdependent: if an actor is free on stage, he is truthful (organic), and vice versa. An actor with freedom and organicity lives on the stage. Demidov’s technique is aimed at training and educating such actors. For the first time among researchers of the Demidov’s heritage, was made an attempt to assess the degree of creative freedom of students trained in the technique of Demidov

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études. To accomplish this, we conducted a survey of the actors, which allowed us to draw some conclusions about their spontaneity, ability to improvise, interaction with partners, attitude to the proposed circumstances, and a general sense of creative freedom. As a result of the sociological survey, it is evident that the respondents’ understanding of creative freedom on stage coincides with the author’s vision of the methodology. Out of 54 respondents, 49 (91%) respondents understand creative freedom on stage as ease and spontaneity of expressions and reactions within the given circumstances. According to Demidov, on stage: 1) one can do whatever you want, 2) one cannot do what you do not want to do, 3) one cannot violate the given circumstances. However, 4 participants (7.6%) do not consider the proposed circumstances as limitations of the creative process. Such an incorrect understanding of stage freedom can be due to various reasons. At the initial stage of the process of actor training in the Demidov technique, the pedagogue gives a short text of the étude with no further restrictions. The main task of the pedagogue is to teach students to perceive the surrounding reality (partner, environment), listen to their intuition, “let themselves go”, allow their initial manifestations and unconscious reactions to what is happening around. At this stage, the student develops the skill to perceive the world around quickly and keenly and freely respond to its manifestations, eliminate hastiness, and develop organic existence in the stage realities. At the first stage, the student learns to “do on stage what you want and not do what you do not want.” It forms the key of the Demidov method. At the next stage of training, the pedagogue introduces additional circumstances into the études: time, place, relationships between the characters, stylistic elements and so on. The goal is to learn to act freely and improvise within the circumstances provided by the pedagogue. At this point, it is appeared a clear rule - the proposed circumstances cannot be violated. At the next stage – during the rehearsal of the performance - the circumstances of the play are connected, but the essence remains unchanged - the actor is free and organic within the provided circumstances. Thus, the 4 participants of the survey, for whom the provided circumstances are not a limitation of the creative process, may have passed only first stage of training, lacking experience in participating in performances. According to the survey data, the average duration of training in the étude technique is 2 years for these respondents, which confirms the assumption these respondents having limited professional experience. An essential component of the actor’s creative freedom on stage is spontaneity and the ability to improvise in the face of unexpected impressions or unforeseen circumstances during the performance. The data from our survey indicate that the Demidov’s technique develops student’s spontaneity. It is very effective in developing improvisation skills. None of the respondent’s experience fear if something goes wrong during a performance, with 76% of the participants responding actively to unforeseen circumstances, while 24% feel some discomfort, but remain in character and continue to play their role. The ability to improvise and look for new solutions is an integral part of the creative state. The mastery of the actor primarily implies the ability to live the life of their character within the theatrical realities. However, surrendering to this new life, according to Stanislavski and Demidov, the actor does not lose the ability to control themselves and monitor their own actions. How effective is Demidov’s methodology in teaching acting skills in this aspect? Judging by the answers of the actors who practice this method,

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81.5% of the respondents find it easy to control their emotions, living through the circumstances of the role during the performance. However, 18.5% of the participants answered that it is difficult for them to control their emotions while acting. The question of whether actors are allowed or not allowed to interrupt each other during a dialogue is a highly controversial issue when it comes to creating truth on stage. On the one hand, in real life, in any dialogue, not to mention discussion and dispute, the participants often interrupt each other. It is very organic and natural. On the other hand, there are stage conventions, according to which the actors should not overlap each other so that their speech becomes incomprehensible to the audience. According to our survey, 40% of actors interrupt their stage partners. The data regarding the factors that are an obstacle to complete creative freedom on the stage turned out to be very interesting for analysis. The most popular response 52% of the answers - was unclear or unfamiliar circumstances of the role that actors need to take on and live out on stage. 14.8% of the respondents considered unclear directions from the director to be an obstacle that they must follow. Only 18.5% of the participants felt free in any circumstances. Here, we encountered some inconsistency in the respondents’ answers, as in the previous question about their self-perception of creative freedom during performances/études, the overwhelming majority of respondents, namely 92.5%, stated that they feel free. Perhaps those 74% who noted the obstacles on the way to experiencing complete freedom successfully overcome them during rehearsals and preparation for the performance. Perhaps the most significant side effect of this technique is the development of negligence among the actors in relation to the author’s text. Demidov wrote about this problem: “In the first lessons, when the pedagogue does not yet have an agreement with the students, they still understand freedom in a completely different way, and primarily it responds to the words of the text. They understand it as approximate words. Therefore, without hesitation, they change and alter the text in their own way - as it is more convenient for them”. According to the results of the survey in the framework of this study, more than half of the actors (53.7%) allow free treatment of the author’s text, although Demidov wrote about the inviolability of the text. To avoid this problem, the pedagogue/director should be more demanding of the actors in terms of compliance with the text of the play at the stage during the preparation of the performance. Regarding the respondents’ opinions about the advantages and disadvantages of the étude technique in actor raining, the results were quite predictable. Among the three main advantages of this method, noted by the respondents: this method helps the actor to be free, organic and develop creative intuition. The majority of respondents (52%) do not see the shortcomings in this acting technique. However, some respondents (39%) highlight the development of actors’ disdain for the author’s text and the habit of actors to interrupt each other on stage. Limitations of the Research. Undoubtedly, a significant advantage of this research is that it provides the first time quantitative and qualitative data on the effectiveness of the Demidov’s method in the process of actor training. However, an obvious limitation of this research is the inability to assess indicators of actors’ creative freedom during their actual performances. Unfortunately, due to time

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constraints and lack of specific resources, it was not possible to directly evaluate the creative freedom of actors during their theatrical performances. This limitation restricts the comprehensive understanding of the method’s impact in real-life contexts. Another disadvantage of the research is the development of a single questionnaire for participants with varying durations of training in the Demidov’s method. For future research in this direction, it is recommended to separate actors as research subjects based on their experience and duration of training into several separate groups. Directions for Future Research. Our research, certainly, poses some unanswered questions, and the Demidov method is a vast field for prospective research, particularly in the field of general psychology. It would be interesting to understand the processes and mechanisms that underlie the intensification of the sense perception of using the Demidov method.

5 Conclusions Based on the results of this research, the following conclusions can be drawn: 1. The Demidov method, developed by him in the middle of the twentieth century in Russia, is an effective method which can help theater and film actors achieve creative freedom (creative state). 2. This method is based on an intuitive approach to the pedagogical process, which involves developing creative intuition, stimulating unconscious manifestations and reactions to the surrounding reality, improving sense perception, and emotional openness of the students. 3. The vast majority of the actors who participated in this research understand creative freedom in accordance with the author’s concept, namely: as ease and naturalness of expressions and reactions within the given circumstances. 4. According to the results of the research, the effectiveness of Demidov’s étude technique has been proved in developing creative freedom in students. The vast majority of actors trained in the technique of Demidov étude feel free on stage. The main indicators of the actor’s creative freedom on stage are spontaneity and the ability to improvise in unforeseen circumstances during the performance. All actors who participated in the research demonstrated psychological readiness for unexpected situations on stage, three-quarters of the actors react vividly to unforeseen circumstances, showing high emotional openness, spontaneity, and improvisational ability. Among other manifestations of the actor’s creative freedom on stage: more efficient interaction with partners, the organic existence of an actor in stage reality, the reveal of an actor’s individuality. 5. The most frequently noted factor hindering the achievement of complete stage freedom is the unclear circumstances of the role that actors need to take on themselves and live them on the stage. 6. The potential negative consequences of this method include two tendencies: the neglectful attitude of the actors to the author’s text and the unjustified desire of the actors to interrupt each other during the action.

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References 1. de Wet, M.: Developing intuition for the contemporary actor. Brain, Body, Cognition. 9, 6 (2020) 2. McNamara, A.: Playful learning in actor training: the impact of COVID-19 on spontaneity and intuition. IATC J. 23 (2021). https://www.critical-stages.org/23/playful-learning-in-actor-tra ining-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-spontaneity-and-intuition/ 3. Sheehan, K.: Experience as curriculum: developing and intuitive, affective, affirmative approach to actor training. In: Whitfield, P. (ed.) Inclusivity and Equality in performance training. Routledge, New York (2021). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003125808-12 4. Barbitova, A.D.: The Intuitive approach in pedagogical activity. Vetor of Science. TSU. 7(10), 73–77 (2010) 5. Sadler-Smith, E.: How to develop intuition in management education and development. Proceedings 2022, 12698 (2022). https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2022.12698abstract 6. Vyrypanov, D.: Staging notations. Technol. Lang. 3(2), 81–126 (2022). https://doi.org/10. 48417/technolang.2022.02.07 7. Hardman, T.J.: Understanding creative intuition. J. Creat. 31(2), 12 (2021) 8. Ul-Haq, S., Khan, F.R.: A sufi view of human transformation and its organizational implications. In: Neal, J. (ed.) Handbook of Personal and Organizational Transformation, pp. 3–17. Springer, Cham (2017) 9. Strasberg, L.A.: Dream of Passion: The Development of the Method. Methuen Publishing, North Yorkshire (1989) 10. McAllister, P.: Lee Strasberg’s method Stanislavski Stud. 6, 1–7 (2018) 11. Hammer, M.: The stella adler conservatory. In: Krasner, D. (ed.) Method Acting Reconsidered, pp. 297–301. Palgrave Macmillan US, New York (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-34962271-9_21 12. Meisner, S., Longwell, D., Pollack. S.: Sanford Meisner on Acting. Vintage, Broadway (1987) 13. Chekhov, M.A.: On the actor’s technique. AST, Moscow (2018) 14. Hagen, U., Frankel, H.: Respect for Acting, 2nd edn. Macmillan, New York (2008) 15. Stanislavski, K.S.: Articles, speeches, notes, letters. In: Kristi, G., Chushkin, N. (eds.) Johns Hopkins University Press Journals Publishing, Baltimor (1953) 16. Stanislavski, K.S.: An Actor Prepares. Collected Works. vol 2. Iskusstvo, Moscow (1989). [in Rus.] 17. Podervyansky, P.P.: Director’s Conversations: Experiences and Discoveries of the Theater of Drama Improvisations. Anatolia, St. Petersburg (2017). [in Rus.] 18. Malaev-Babel, A.: Nikolai Demidov – Russian theater’s best-kept secret. Stanislavski Stud. 3(1), 69–81 (2015) 19. Gracheva, L.V.: Affective memory according to K.S. Stanislavski and exercises by N.V. Demidov. Bull. Acad. Russian Ballet 2(61), 88–99 (2019). [in Russia] 20. Schwenke, D., Dshemuchadse, M., Rasehorn, L., Klarhölter, D., Scherbaum, S.: Improv to improve: the impact of improvisational theater on creativity, acceptance, and psychological well-being. J. Creat. Ment. Health 16, 31–48 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2020. 1754987 21. Bylieva, D.: Artistic virtual reality. In: Bylieva, D., Nordmann, A. (eds.) Technology, Innovation and Creativity in Digital Society: XXI Professional Culture of the Specialist of the Future, pp. 462–473. Springer International Publishing, Cham (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/9783-030-89708-6_39 22. Demidov, N.V.: Creative heritage, vol. 4. Book 5. Baltic tempora, St. Petersburg (2004). [in Rus.]

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The Development of Ethno-Cultural Empathy Within a Multicultural Educational Environment: Peculiarities and Role-Playing Experiences Fatima Valieva1,2(B)

and Regina Fazlitdinova1,2

1 Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya, 29,

St. Petersburg 195251, Russian Federation [email protected] 2 The Centre of Culture, Vorontsovskiy Bulvar, 14k2, St. Petersburg 195000, Russian Federation Abstract. The paper explores the significance of ethno-cultural empathy for sociocultural adaptation of students studying in higher education institutions, primarily migrant students. Ethno-cultural empathy is of great importance for understanding cultural differences and getting rid of ethno-stereotypes. The study was carried out on a sample that included three different groups of respondents by type of ethnicity and culture. The experimental part was realized using modern research tools (IRI, M-GUD-S, SEE scales). Descriptive, correlation and factor analysis were used to process the obtained data. As a result, the fundamental componentscharacteristics for three groups differing in ethno-cultural indicators were identified: Russian, Chinese and Turkic-speaking. One of the basic components for the Russian sample is “personal distress”, for the Chinese sample - “relativistic evaluation”, for the Turkic-speaking respondents - the relationship between “fantasy” and “diversity of contacts”. The analysis of the results of the establishing experiment showed that representatives of the Russian culture are inclined to experience other people’s emotions, in particular, negative ones, which leads them to empathy and desire to solve their problems. Representatives of the Chinese sample experience empathy and desire to learn about a new culture against the background of ethno-cultural differences, which help them to self-determine. Regardless of the prerequisites of ethno-cultural empathy, this phenomenon directly affects the adaptation to a new environment. The article stipulates the necessity to use various forms of training and conduct various activities aimed at the formation and development of empathic abilities not only in migrant students, but also in students of the host country. Keywords: Ethno-cultural Empathy · Adaptation · Migrants Teaching · University Education

1 Introduction Participation in academic mobility programs is an opportunity to learn the language and culture of another country not only within a foreign-language educational environment, but also outside it. The number of those wishing to study in another country is growing © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 230–243, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_17

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rapidly. However, students face a number of problems when entering a higher education institution in another country. One of these problems is adapting to the new system of education, to other cultural values. A considerable discomfort for students can also bring a new unfamiliar team, in which migrants will have to spend most of their academic life. These facts reveal the main characteristics of socio-cultural adaptation of migrant students [1, 2]. As part of the adaptation process, students’ behavior is changing all the time, depending on the dynamics and direction of the course of external conditions. This study examines the factors influencing the adaptation of migrant students to a foreign-language educational environment. By migrants, we will consider a special group of people who stay temporarily in another country for getting higher, additional or other education. They find themselves in a new foreign-language educational environment. Foreign-language educational environment is a cognitive, value-oriented communicative environment, which is important in the formation of new processes and properties of personality. The effectiveness of such an environment is provided by conditions of knowledge about the socio-cultural specificity of the country of the studied language, means of development and education, mediated impact on the forming and developing personality, processes of cognition and communication. An important role is also played by socio-cultural education, contributing to the transformation of knowledge about the culture of the country of the studied language. The effectiveness of socio-cultural adaptation is largely influenced by individual psychological characteristics of students. Not only the psychological readiness of a migrant student to learn a foreign culture influences adaptation to a foreign language environment, but also the attitude of students and the educational system of the host country towards foreign visitors. This attitude often includes such phenomenon as “empathy”, which is necessary for both parties. Empathy as an effective tool of communication and emotional response emerged in the early stages of psychological life, from basic reflexive reactions to higher personal forms. The ability to cooperate, get along with others, and adapt in society was essential to the survival of primitive society. The empathic ability develops with the increase of life experience of the person, therefore can be shown differently, depending on the situations experienced by the individual in life [3]. In our study, the main task was to study empathy, which is closely connected with ethno-cultural characteristics and a different socio-cultural environment. As part of academic mobility, these very aspects can act both as supporting factors and as adaptation barriers. Getting an education in another country brings with it a number of different opportunities, but also a number of problems that lead to stress. To prevent such problems, students need to adapt more quickly to their new ethno-cultural environment. This process is facilitated by ethno-cultural empathy.

2 Literature Review The process of the individual’s knowledge of a new culture is only possible when he or she distinguishes the new environment from his or her own culture. The individual is supposed to identify himself or herself with a particular ethnic group. The role of empathic abilities in a person’s identification with an ethnic group is revealed through the phenomenon of ethnic identity [4].

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The issue of cross-cultural features of empathy remains understudied. On the one hand, there is evidence of cross-cultural differences in empathy and its individual components, on the other hand, there is evidence of the universality of empathy [5]. In our opinion, such contradictory data can be explained by insufficient consideration of peculiarities of the formed samples. In addition, when studying the peculiarities of ethnocultural empathy it is necessary to take into account a large number of factors determining the differences between cultures [6]. Ethno-cultural empathy in modern psychological science is defined as empathy directed towards people from racial and ethnic cultural groups different from one’s own ethno-cultural group [7]. The importance of cultural awareness for people studying or working with diverse populations has been shown in several studies [8–10]. Moreover, basic empathy, defined as one person’s response to the experiences of another, is considered equally important in both general interpersonal encounters and in professional settings [11, 12]. An important question when considering ethno-cultural empathy is how different this concept is from empathy that is more basic. Basic empathy is defined as a unipolar construct that has a multidimensional (affective and cognitive) component [13]. Studies have shown that basic empathy depends on age, gender [14–16], and finally, education [17], with higher levels of education being associated with higher levels of empathy. Ethno-cultural empathy (EE) is the understanding and shared feelings “directed toward people from racial and ethnic cultural groups that are different from one’s own ethno-cultural group.” [7, p.221]. The EE phenomenon has been studied in several contexts. Brouwer and Boros (2010) found that ethno-cultural empathy mediates the relationship between intergroup contact and positive attitudes toward diversity [18]. This study suggests that intergroup contact can both influence and be influenced by ethnocultural empathy. Another study found that students with higher levels of ethno-cultural empathy perceived diversity programs more positively [19]. EE is necessary for learners on both sides (adaptors and hosts) in order to understand cultural differences and to get rid of ethno-cultural stereotypes that distort ideas about the country and culture. Moreover, understanding the differences between cultures forms a tolerant attitude between people, which contributes to favorable and effective communication not only between individuals, but also between countries as a whole. The development of ethno-cultural empathy corresponds to an increase in selfawareness and the development of relationships with different people. Given these goals, one would expect ethno-cultural empathy to increase over time and with prolonged communication with members of another social identity group [20]. Particularly, the researchers found significant changes in empathic perspective taking, as an aspect of ethno-cultural empathy, being operationalized by Wang et al. in their Ethno-cultural Empathy Scale. One of the unusual directions in the current research paradigm is the combination of empathy development, and ethno-cultural empathy in particular, and play technologies and forms. This is a new field that has begun to be explored in the last decade by communities of researchers from different fields. This area is important for the study and further development of human beings. Firstly, people spend more and more time playing games, and by playing any game, they may encounter both prosocial and asocial

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interactions. Secondly, games can be another type of experience, along with others including movies, books and theatre, that help us better understand ourselves, others and humanity [21], as well as contributing to the development of social and emotional skills and behaviours. Third, games can help the person playing perceive others as more familiar and as part of their ‘inner group’, which promotes the development of empathy [22]. Understanding the mechanisms by which we can connect with others through experiences such as play can help reduce prejudice and support cultural awareness and understanding. Finally, developing empathy through games can be useful for moral and civic education as they can promote the practice of ethics as well as caring for others [23]. Many researchers have called for the need to teach different types of empathy in educational settings and even in the workplace [24]. This idea underpins the current global concept of SEL. The interaction between empathy and play has been explored in a variety of ways. These include cognitive empathy [25], affective, reactive, historical, literary types of empathy. Research on ethno-cultural/cultural empathy is particularly popular [26]. In an atypical format, researchers also present games as a means of developing different types of empathy. Educational, role-playing, analogue, digital, economic, commercial and other variants of games are considered in different scientific projects [27]. Research is actively conducted on the development of various types of empathy in university trainees studying in professional areas in the system “human-to-human”. It has been repeatedly proved that the most effective methods for the development of empathic skills, including the EE aspect, are game methods with an expressive effect and technologies that involve working with students in the flow. As expressive gaming methods researchers use the forms of literary self-expression, drawing, singing, actionbased methods and others that involve the possibility of expressing one’s own creativity [28]. To define the conceptual frame within our study, we turn to the scientific theories and ideas of Wang as the author of the concept of ethno-cultural empathy [7], Bennett, Pettigrew, Muller and Miles. The corpus theory that the authors relied on in their study belongs to J. Bennett. The theory is based on the basic principles of perception and communication. It assumes that the experience of reality is constructed through perception and depends on the category of complexity [29]. From a theoretical perspective, Pettigrew’s contact theory (1998) was used to look for predictors of EE [30]. As well, we draw on the scientific ideas of Muller and Miles to explore one of the possible mechanisms for the development of an empathic perspective: shared emotional experiences that can be purposefully developed within special forms of both classroom and out-of-classroom communication. We had several objectives for this study: – We wanted to further explore the correlating constructs and components within each experimental sample and determine which ones are the most significant. – To identify predictors in the development of different psycho-empathic characteristics in representatives of different ethno-cultures. – To determine effective game methods and techniques for developing ethno-cultural empathy in multilingual learners.

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2.1 Research Method The study was aimed at determining the level of empathy in students, the role of this phenomenon in the relationship of people of different ethnicities and cultures, as well as the relationship of empathy with the adaptation of foreign students in an ethno-cultural environment alien to them. The experiment consisted of several stages. To begin with, it was necessary to find and study existing scales that touched upon the topics of empathy and a person’s attitude towards a foreign-language culture. The next task was to select appropriate questions for the scales that would form the basis of the questionnaire. The next stage was to conduct the ascertaining experiment, followed by the processing of the data obtained. The final stage involved the selection and testing of the most effective methods and means of developing ethno-cultural empathy in students as part of a special course for adaptants. The open platform “Google Docs” was used to place the questionnaire. The link to the finished questionnaire was sent to various student discussions and groups in the social network “Vkontakte”. It is worth noting that 3 versions of the questionnaire were created: in Russian, English, and Chinese. This helped to achieve a validity of the experiment, and ensure a clearer understanding of the questions by the respondents and a comfortable completion of the scales. Russian and international students from different universities were used as a representative sample in our study. The most important criterion for selecting respondents was that they had studied or started their professional career in a non-native culture. Using social media, we asked people who were students or university graduates to complete a questionnaire, from which we obtained information about their gender, age, education, and nationality. They also filled out scales concerning the level of empathic ability. The results of the survey were systematized in Excel spreadsheets for statistical calculations. Initially, 165 people responded to the request to complete the survey. Thirteen respondents did not complete the questionnaire correctly and their data were not included in the processing. Thirty-five people were from different countries (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, the USA, Wales, Canada, Colombia, Iraq and others), but these samples were not large enough and their data were omitted from the main matrix. At the empirical stage, the figures of 117 people were involved, among them there were 78 girls and 39 fellows. As the results of the questionnaire show, the age of the students who completed the questionnaire ranged from 19 to 26 years old. The experimental sample included: 43 Russian, 42 Chinese and 32 Turkic-speaking respondents. The Turkicspeaking group included representatives of the Tatar and Bashkir cultures, since both are very close to each other ethno-culturally and linguistically. They speak the languages of the Turkic group of the Altai language family. Three scales were used in the survey: “The Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index”, “The Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale”, “The Scale of Ethno-cultural Empathy”. The Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) is one of the most widely used methods in Western countries to assess empathy. The author of the questionnaire, M. Davis, describes empathy in the broadest sense - as a reaction to the observed experience of another. This scale helps us trace the results of a survey on general empathy, in other words, to analyze whether the students surveyed are at all capable of empathizing,

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showing concern, etc. This scale is divided into the following subscales: PerspectiveTaking, Fantasy, Empathic Concern, and Personal Distress. The scale consists of 28 statements (26 statements were used in the adapted version), for each of which the respondent has to evaluate the extent to which he/she agrees or disagrees with it, using evaluation criteria from 1 to 5, where 1-disagree, 5-agree [31]. The Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale (M-GUD-S) was used to diagnose students’ readiness to learn and accept a new culture. The scale includes 15 statements, which are divided into 3 subscales: Diversity of Contact, Relativistic Assessment, and Comfort with Difference [32]. As for the diagnosis of the level of intercultural empathy, at the moment in science there is no generally accepted methodology for its determination. Modern methodology also does not offer a wide choice of methods. The analysis of the material on this question allowed to allocate the scale of measurement of EE - “The Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy” - focused on measurement of the level of empathy of the person in relation to representatives of different nationalities and races [7].

3 Results 3.1 Descriptive Statistics Respondents from different countries, representing different ethnic cultures, took part in the survey. The Russian sample initially included not only representatives of Russian nationality, but also Bashkirs and Tatars. For the convenience of the analysis and the primary characteristic of the empathy level of the respondents, it was decided to divide them into the following groups: Russian, Turkic-speaking (Tatars and Bashkirs living in Russia), and Chinese students. As a criterion-indicator of socio-cultural adaptation, the item responsible for readiness and openness to communicate with representatives of other cultures was selected. To examine the level of empathic ability of each of the previously identified cultural groups, we took the average values of the survey results for each of the subscales. Using the SPSS 23 Statistics computer program, a data reliability analysis was performed using Cronbach’s Alpha formula. This was done for accurate analysis and to identify valid questions on each of the three scales used. In the primary analysis, the reliability coefficient was 0.765. This made it clear that there were invalid questions in the survey, lowering this coefficient. It was decided to analyze the questionnaire and remove from the list those questions that did not allow for a more accurate analysis result and a high reliability coefficient. Having formed a new list of questions, we again conducted calculations through the program and obtained a reliability coefficient of 0.791. Having obtained the necessary result, we continued the study and conducted a more in-depth analysis. To begin with, we compared the coefficients of socio-cultural adaptation of each of the selected samples. As the main indicator of the presence of sociocultural adaptation we chose the indicator of the scale - the eighth item from “The Scale of EE”. The representatives of the Turkic-speaking group (3.33) showed the highest indicator of socio-cultural adaptation. The index of general empathy is higher than other groups, and the index of ethno-cultural empathy and acceptance of another’s culture is higher

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than average. This can be explained by the fact that representatives of this group have lived together with representatives of other cultures for many years within the same state. This data indicates their successful socio-cultural adaptation in a foreign-language educational environment. The lowest indicator of socio-cultural adaptation was revealed in Chinese students (2.62). However, their scores on the three basic scales are quite high. Representatives of China have a desire to learn a new culture, are willing to help other people, but perhaps the long process of adaptation is due to the lack of long-term experience with representatives of other cultures or too great a contrast between the native and foreign cultures. The Russian group had average values of socio-cultural adaptation (2.94). In spite of the high index of general empathy (3.47), not all representatives of this sample are ready to show empathy in relation to other cultures. 3.2 Correlation and Factor Analysis At the next stage of the research with the help of the SPSS 23 Statistics program a correlation analysis of the results of the survey was carried out. We took the average values of the received data as a basis and used Pearson’s coefficient for the analysis. The analysis was conducted separately for each of the cultures, in order to further compare the results, find differences and make conclusions about the ethno-cultural peculiarities of empathy expression. In the correlation analysis, we included all the indicators from the surveys, but not all of the data were found to be related. For the analysis we used indicators with a reliable correlation coefficient, which is equal to p < 0.05 or p < 0.01. The correlation analysis showed that the representatives of the Russian identity are highly empathic, because this group is characterized by personal distress, which is an emotional reaction when perceiving someone else’s emotional state. Representatives of Russian culture also have a high level of imagination, which helps them to understand the interlocutor and show the necessary emotion. The relativistic valuation indicator was fundamental in the correlation tree according to the results of the Chinese sample. Relativistic assessment implies finding differences between people through the process of knowing their feelings. Moreover, this allows us to highlight our own qualities and learn much more about ourselves against the background of the differences analyzed. To identify one’s own qualities and cultural characteristics it is necessary to have experience in communication with a large number of people, this is what proves the direct connection between “relativistic assessment” and “diversity of contacts” (0.357). The process of identifying and accepting differences between people comes after learning about other people’s emotions. This means having the ability to “put yourself in someone else’s shoes,” to look at the situation from the other side, and to understand the reasons for certain emotions or behaviors. This ability is called “perspective shifting,” which is directly related to “relativistic evaluation” (0.383). Moreover, this process implies the moment when a person not only tries to recognize the feelings of others, but also to feel them, which is a “personal distress. There is also a correlation (0.501) with this indicator of “change of perspective. The manifestation of empathy in the representatives of the Chinese sample is influenced by fantasy, since it is the latter that helps to imagine what the other person is thinking or feeling about a certain situation.

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The correlation analysis of the data of the Turkic-speaking sample did not show pronounced connections between the components. However, it is possible to note the preconditions for the manifestation of empathy. So, only one strong correlation between “imagination” and “diversity of contacts” (0,742) was revealed for the representatives of the Turkic-speaking sample. In order to identify the most important components influencing ethno-cultural empathy, we conducted a factor analysis using the principal components method. In particular, groups of values, which are the main causes of most correlations, were singled out. The factor analysis, as in the case of the correlation analysis, was conducted for each of the previously identified cultures. The results of the factor analysis for the Russian culture group allowed us to distinguish 2 block factors. The first factor can be called “empathic ability”. This component included “personal distress”, “variety of contacts”, “empathic care” and “fantasy”. An indicator of gender identity was also included here. The second component included “ethno-cultural empathy” and “relativistic assessment”. Factor analysis of the data of the representatives of the Chinese sample allowed us to distinguish three components. The first factor includes such indicators as “age”, “fantasy”, “empathic concern” and “ethno-cultural empathy”. This combination shows priority in the procedural-prognostic sphere. The second factor included a shift in perspective, relativistic assessment, and personal distress. The last component showed that the level of ethno-cultural empathy in Chinese students would increase if they were willing and eager to learn about cultural and personal differences and the opportunity to interact with representatives of different cultures. When analyzing the survey data of Turkic culture representatives, 2 factors were identified. The first one includes fantasy, diversity of contacts, relativistic evaluation and attitude to differences. The second factor is built on the connection of empathic care, personal distress and ethno-cultural empathy. 3.3 Formative Experiment The final stage of our quasi-experiment involved the development of EE in representatives of the Russian and Chinese cultures through game methods and techniques. The forming experiment was based on the characteristics obtained as a result of mathematical and statistical data analysis. When working with Chinese students, the emphasis was placed on the relativistic indicator and the process-predictive nature of game forms. When building a strategy of work with Russian students, the adapters paid more attention to game techniques for reducing emotional expression and correcting empathy. Also, when selecting game methods and techniques, such components of ethno-cultural empathy development as informational, emotional, cognitive and behavioural were taken into account. For the first meeting, both groups prepared a small presentation/film where they had to present information about the most interesting facts of their own culture, as well as fragments that make them smile. Introducing humour from the beginning of the acquaintance between two cultural groups allows making the atmosphere more reasonable and benevolent. At the next stage, game methods with emotionally expressive content were used. All participants were divided into pairs, where there were necessarily

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two representatives of different cultures. The task involved combining music and drawing. Students were given a piece of music and asked to visualize how they perceived and felt it. Both had to draw their emotions on the same sheet of paper. The participants then viewed the drawings and shared their impressions. Such tasks allow for quick emotional involvement, bypassing the escapism or emotional distancing from the situation, which often occurs in people from different cultures, especially at the initial stage. At subsequent meetings, such game methods as imitation and role-playing games, particularly inverted ones, can be used. Role-playing is of great importance for the formation of tolerant attitude to foreign-language culture. In particular, within the framework of the experiment, students were put in situations where they had to find arguments in defense of a representative of another culture or present a conflict situation on behalf of an opponent. This develops the ability to find a compromise solution in difficult cases. Recently, “fairy tale therapy” has become extremely popular among the participants of such meetings. As an example, students can be immersed in a “fairy-tale journey”. During this journey, they meet fairy-tale characters with certain problems that they need to solve together. The heroes can be characters invented by the presenters or characters from well-known fairy tales. The latter option may be more acceptable, as students may know them. The above mentioned forms of role-playing allow combining informational, emotional, cognitive and behavioural aspects of ethno-cultural empathy. The facilitators and the participants of the training sessions approved this approach. The participants became more open, motivated and interested in contacts with foreign learners.

4 Discussions The most significant factor determining the peculiarities of empathy in a multicultural environment is the differences in the level of empathy and its individual components among representatives of different cultures. The theoretical explanation of the mechanisms of culture influence on empathy is based on a number of grounds [33]. As numerous studies show, representatives of collectivistic cultures care more about other people’s feelings and show compassion, while representatives of individualistic cultures put their own condition first. Second, representatives of collectivistic cultures are more eager to maintain good interpersonal relations and to avoid conflicts, including by suppressing strong emotional manifestations [34]. On the one hand, this may be associated with a higher level of empathy, as highly empathic individuals strive to create and maintain a favorable emotional atmosphere in the group, but, on the other hand, individuals with an extremely high level of empathy find it very difficult to regulate their emotional state. The results indicated that representatives of the selected ethno-cultures equally possess general empathy. The level of general empathy of each group is higher than the average value on the IRI scale (about 3.5). At the same time, the ethno-cultural empathy scores of all groups are lower compared to the general empathy score (about 3). This may indicate that it is much more difficult to empathize with people belonging to another culture and ethnicity, due to ethno-cultural differences and possibly lack of awareness of the customs and norms of other cultures. The lowest indicator of ethno-cultural empathy on the SEE scale, which in our study is 2.9, is for respondents of Russian ethno-culture.

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This result is probably due to the fact that for some reason Russian-speaking respondents do not often encounter representatives of ethnoses significantly different from theirs. In addition, representatives of this group are not motivated to accept ethno-cultural differences. It can also be assumed that representatives of the Turkic-speaking group, for the most part, are unwilling to accept and borrow customs of other cultures in order to preserve their own in original form. Nevertheless, this does not prevent them from displaying empathy and empathizing with other people’s feelings. The high score of acceptance of foreign culture have Chinese representatives (3.3); also, China shows quite high results on all types of scales in comparison with other cultures. This signifies that this group is highly empathic and has a high chance of adapting quickly and effectively in a new country with a foreign culture. Considering separately some of the indicators stated in the scales used, let us pay attention to the backbone components within each ethno-cultural sample. One of the main components for the Russian sample is “personal distress”. Personal distress includes all kinds of reactions to other people’s emotions, problems, etc. This component is directly related to empathy. In addition, “personal distress” has a relationship with the component “fantasy” (0.421). In order to understand what another person feels and thinks, it is necessary to have a developed imagination and possess fantasy. This ability enables one to view a situation from another person’s point of view. People who have a good imagination are more likely to be empathic. In the process of learning about other people’s feelings, a person highlights for himself the differences between them, which allows him to identify his own qualities and learn much more about himself against the background of these analyzed differences. This process can be referred to as “relativistic evaluation”. This is the underlying indicator based on the data obtained from the Chinese respondents. Other researchers obtained similar results [35]. Thanks to the correlation analysis, one more peculiarity of empathy manifestation in representatives of Chinese culture was revealed: empathy with other people’s emotions and feelings occurs due to the awareness of the presence of differences between people. Such a conclusion was made based on the connection between “relativistic evaluation” and “empathic concern”. The data for the Turkic-speaking sample revealed one significant relationship between “fantasy” and “diversity of contacts” (0.742). This is probably because the representatives of the Turkic-speaking culture, having experience in communication with a large number of people of different cultures, have developed the ability to anticipate people’s actions and their reactions to the situation. Note that the manifestation of empathy also depends on gender characteristics and age. Thus, the gender indicator was one of the significant ones for the Russian sample, while age scored the highest in the Chinese respondents. To some extent, this can be explained by the type of culture. Foreign studies of the peculiarities of the development of students’ ethno-cultural empathy reveal various prerequisites and factors influencing students’ empathic behaviour. It can be a personal positive experience of communication with a representative of a foreign-language culture, participation in an academic mobility programme and others. In accordance with studies, it has been noticed that those who have friends

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from different nationalities are more tolerant towards ethnic groups. Reverence for different cultures was stronger in those who were educated abroad [36]. A well thought out and competently organized system of support for migrants plays an important role for successful adaptation in a foreign-language educational environment. To determine correctly the constructs relevant for the development of ethno-cultural empathy for different cultures, especially at the initial stage, a scientific approach should be oriented. This involves the ethically considered use of validated scales. It is necessary to control that communication takes place between students of different cultures, as students often seek to find people from their own country or culture, which is close to them. It is recommended to get acquainted with a new culture not only through regular communication, but also through games, watching films, holding concerts with music from each culture. Positive reactions from students were noted in relation to the techniques used with non-linear presentation of information. The experience gained in this study allows us to emphasize the importance of using game methods and techniques in work with adaptants. Particular attention should be paid to the variety of game forms, taking into account informational, emotional, cognitive and behavioural aspects. Inverted role-playing games are advisable to enhance international students’ understanding of the stimuli and motivations of their foreign-speaking peers. This form will help participants to highlight behavioural features in the representatives of a foreign-speaking culture, as well as to establish contact between different cultures. A professional, mindful approach to the organization and supervision of the adaptation process helps to achieve good results in the enhancement of students’ empathic abilities and general resilience [37, 38]. Games are used to support skills and practice in a variety of areas. Many experts believe that playful learners have better social awareness, which involves the ability to accept and empathize with the views of others, including those from different segments of society and cultures [39].

5 Conclusions Thus, within the framework of this study it was revealed that the most pronounced, significant differences are traced between representatives of Russian and Chinese culture. As stated earlier, the manifestation of empathic ability by representatives of the Russian culture is based on the experience of other people’s emotions and the desire to get rid of their own anxiety about it. In other words, this group has a high level of empathy and is able to solve the problem of another person if it is necessary for the general harmony. Within the framework of our research, representatives of Russian culture do not prioritize self-determination as Chinese respondents do. Chinese respondents also have a high level of ethno-cultural empathy, but this level is conditioned by the differentiation of cultures. In addition, this implies understanding and accepting the differences between ethnicities. The desire to learn about cultural differences helps the Chinese to show ethno-cultural empathy. This has a positive effect on both self-discovery and communication with new people. The process of developing ethno-cultural empathy can occur more successfully with different types of intervention. The greatest influence on the development of ethnocultural empathy has role-playing and inverted games. These forms of work with adapting international or foreign-language students help to experience and understand one process

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or situation from different perspectives. Interactive interaction with representatives of other cultures in the framework of group projects can be a significant help in ensuring successful adaptation in a foreign-language educational environment for migrants. Such tools as different variants of non-linear forms of information presentation (mind-maps) and gamification are also of great help. This allows for a faster and minimally stressful transition from the informational level to the emotional-sensual level, which ensures positive dispositions and attitudes. The development of ethno-cultural empathy is a complex and interesting process. It presupposes a sufficient level of knowledge about different cultures, ethnic traditions and laws. The procedural side of this phenomenon is imbued with emotional and cognitive content with certain ethical boundaries. The game provides an opportunity to master the ability to understand, respect, appreciate and support the ethno-cultural diversity of this world. The only question is whether a person is able to harmonize the traits of Homo Ludens and Homo Sapiens. A limitation of this paper is the unequal quantitative composition of the representative samples. The limitations also apply to the fact that the third sample includes two ethnic groups, although very close in cultural-historical and linguistic aspects.

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Moot Court Competition in a Foreign Language: Developing Professional Competencies Through a Business Game Ekaterina A. Samorodova1(B)

, Sofia A. Bakaeva1

, and Elena S. Zakirova2

1 MGIMO University, Prospekt Vernadskogo, 76, Moscow 11945, Russia

[email protected], [email protected] 2 RUDN Patrice Lumumba University, 6 Miklukho-Maklaya Street, Moscow 117198, Russian

Federation

Abstract. The task of modern education is to shape the specialist of the future. In addition to transferring the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities, the organizer of the educational process has an important goal of forming the professional personality of the future specialist. The composition of modern educational technologies should, in addition to the usual types of work built on the system of lectures and seminars, include business games that are more conducive to the development of professional competencies. The authors of this article highlight the Moot Court business game as fundamental in the development of professional competencies of international lawyers and diplomats, as well as the formation of soft skills necessary for the implementation of professional activities. Thanks to the Moot Court competition, the participant can feel like a player of a real professional space, show their talents and apply the necessary knowledge to solve the tasks set in the game. According to the authors, such professional student competitions should become part of the educational professional environment of universities. Keywords: Moot court competition · Business game · Professional competencies · Foreign languages · International law

1 Introduction Modern education sets new goals and objectives for participants in the educational process. In addition to obtaining basic knowledge and skills, teachers and organizers of the educational process are faced with the task of forming and developing professional skills/competencies among students. In addition to the traditional methods and forms of work provided for by educational programs, the modern educational process requires the integration of new methods and schemes. The game method in education and upbringing has existed since ancient times and is directly related to the history of the mankind development. Every person since his or her childhood begins learning the world around him or her through the game. Daniil Elkonin singled out the following functions of gaming activity [1]. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 244–257, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_18

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means of developing the motivational-requirement sphere; means of cognition; means of developing mental activity; means of developing voluntary behavior.

There are also such functions of the game as educational, developing, relaxation, psychological, educational ones. French researcher, writer and sociologist Roger Caillois [2] offers the following typology of games related to the learning process: 1) such games as Agôn (competitive) in which the participant wants to win and gain recognition: these games require engagement, motivation and concentration; 2) such games as Alea (gambling) are considered to be the games, the results of which are based on chance, coincidence, where the players are equal and everyone has a chance to win: these games learn to evaluate benefits and risks; 3) such games as Mimicry (simulation) in which the participant should pretend, lie, abstract from his or her own personality and create a new one to achieve a specific goal following the context of the game: these games stimulate imagination, fantasy, self-expression and self-control; 4) such games as ilinx (dizzying) combining the mental and physical activity and provoking excitement and adrenaline rush, suggesting massiveness, disorder, danger (e.g. attractions, racing with obstacles and destruction, immersion in VR, and others): these games being, in general, safe for the participant allow him or her to throw out irrational energy, give the experience of a non-standard situation and behavior to the players, train teamwork uniting the players with joint acute emotion. It means that the game, correctly formulated and presented in the right context, allows not only to develop mental abilities, learn a language or master a specific competence, but also develop broader skills necessary for living in society and mastering a future profession. It should be noted that through the prism of the gameplay any child gradually gets acquainted with the world of professions. We can often observe the situations when children begin to play gathering in the school/their house yard or when visiting each other. These games can be different: sports-moving, desktop, role-playing, personal, computer, virtual ones and others. When participating in a plot role-playing game aimed at simulating the labor/professional process, a person/a child associates himself or herself with a possible professional activity realizing himself or herself as a part of society: the importance of his or her role in this activity is filled with a desire to solve professional problems in the future. Therefore, the game method is manifested in one of its varieties as a business game. We consider that a business game being an imitation of a work process or a work situation sets tasks for its participants which are as close as possible to professional ones. These can be constructed training models of a problem situation occurring in a particular area of human activity, requiring an adequate and correct solution from the participants. The theme of the game varies depending on the professional orientation. The content can be different: 1) for students of a commercial university it is a model of opening a commercial store, discussing a transaction for the sale of goods; 2) for future doctors

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it is a complex emergency operation (on mock-ups): 3) for international lawyers it is a model of a trial and so on. Participants in a business/professional game live a professional life, in which their developed skills are greatly manifested allowing to evaluate the features of the players’ mental processes, their strategic, tactical and analytical thinking, the ability to predict the development of the situation and make decisions, as well as assess the level of communication skills and personal qualities of the participants. We consider that the business game also makes it possible to simulate various conditions of professional activity, including an element of an extreme situation that requires an immediate search for a solution to the problem. When imitating aspects of human activity and social interaction, the business game erases the contradictions between the abstract nature of the subject and the real nature of professional activity: it brings the educational process as close as possible to the professional one. In the context of humanitarian non-linguistic education, a business or role-playing game has a very important value. In the modern world, specialists in the humanities, such as lawyers, linguists, philologists, teachers, diplomats and political scientists have many different professional competences. When we are talking about the profession of a lawyer in addition to professional knowledge like the legal system of the state, international law, such a specialist (lawyer) should speak foreign languages fluently, be able to speak in public, organize events of a professional nature and others. Among the flexible skills required by a future international lawyer are stress tolerance, multitasking, communication skills, complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, interaction with people, coordinating with others, judgment and decisionmaking, service orientation, negotiation skill, cognitive flexibility. It should be noted that a new specialist is formed in the process of studying at a university. Initially, until the student realizes the correctness of his or her choice of profession, he or she only has an idea of what his or her professional duties and powers are. In his or her mind, the image of an ideal specialist with all the necessary professional competencies is formed. How he or she will be able to realize himself or herself largely depends on the educational process organization in the context of the development of his or her professional/hard or flexible skills. A business game focused on the development of professional/hard and flexible skills is one of the most successful, effective ways of learning. As mentioned above, the business game successfully combines the work process and the learning process, blurring the lines between the real and the fictional. Being a participant in such a game that contributes to the formation of professional identity, the future specialist defines himself or herself as part of the professional world. Within the framework of this article, business games in a foreign language are considered as methodological devices for the formation of professional competencies of future international lawyers in the process of their studies at a university. The authors of the article conducted a study based on the analysis of professional skills and competencies acquired in the course of a business game, as well as data from a survey of students participating in professionally oriented business games like an imitation of the trial of the International Court of Justice.

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2 Theoretical Basis The following scientific works became the theoretical basis for this study. Despite the existence of a number of works devoted to the business game as an active and effective method of learning, this scientific problem still remains the subject of study. Such scientists as Vygodsky, [3, 4] Leontiev [5], Rubinshtein [6] have developed the general theoretical and methodological foundations of the game method as a way of learning. The game theory as a possibility to obtain and improve legal education has been discussed by the scholars under professor Vorobiev’s supervising within the project “Linguoculturological study of the communicative reality of modern Russia”, being carried out as well as on the basis of the Russian Language Institute of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. The scientists define a business game in different ways, and nowadays there is no exact definition of a business game. According to Isaev “a business game is a complex interactive technology that allows using the analysis of the situation simulation to develop multi-alternative solutions and projects based on a variety of interaction and cooperation of trainees in conditions of conflicting role interests, intellectual and emotional orientation, competition and expert evaluation” [11]. Mizherikov [12], Selyuzhitskaya [13] in their works define the game as “a form of learning activity that imitates certain practical situations. Vorovshchikova [14], believes that a business game is a special game mode of organizing social space and time in which mental activity takes place to find solutions to urgent problems. The works of M.N. Kuznetsova [15] are interesting, which characterizes the language linguodidactic game “as a form of productive group learning activity aimed at developing strategies for verbal and non-verbal communication in an artificially created problem situation that requires students to fulfill the socio-communicative roles that are conditioned with this situation and relevant to them”. In the English-speaking scientific community, attention to the business game was drawn mainly in the 50 s of the 20th century by such scientists as Cantor [16], Biggs [17], Edge [18], Keys [18], Faria [19], Fritzsche [20], Knowles [21], and others. However, many of them referred in their developments to Maria Mironovna Birshtein, who was the first in the world to offer the business games and opened the way to endless adaptations of the game model to achieve various educational goals. According to the authors of this article, a business game is a technology that creates an imitation of real professional actions that contribute to the development and formation of the necessary professional skills and abilities of a future specialist, as well as the formation of his or her professional personality. Nowadays, due to the emergence of a large number of information technologies, podcasts, computer games with educational content, even more questions arise regarding the definition of the concept of a business game. A modern business game should undoubtedly include elements of digital and project-based learning, realizing the main goals - creating a game situation identical to the professional process and communication, forming the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities among specialists. In modern conditions, the business game takes on other forms, but the goals, as mentioned above, remain the same. Depending on the approaches to the classification of the game, Sharonov [22] distinguishes generalizing, professional-methodological,

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professional-technological, scientific-methodological approaches. Within the framework of this study/article, a professional methodological approach is used, in which the game is considered as a method for forming the competence of a specialist.

3 Materials and Methods As mentioned above, within the framework of this article a business game being developed for students of law faculties and institutes (future lawyers and diplomats) which unites students from all over the world on its work/playground has been considered: the Model of the International Court of Justice - Moot Court (MC).The Moot court is a student legal competition, a kind of Legal Olympic Games, which imitate the model of international courts, or rather, the consideration of a controversial case in an international court, arbitration and state courts. It should be noted that for international lawyers, this is the consideration of a controversial case within the framework of the International Court of Justice. Normally, the Moot court is a team type of competition. Moot court participants are the students of law faculties and universities. The participants of the game-process are invited to resolve a fictional case with a deep analysis of the plot, legal documentation, judicial practice as well as prepare written memorandums that present the written positions of the parties. Further, oral rounds take place, in which the parties defend their positions. Competitions are held in a foreign (English, French) language. Most often, the working languages of the International Court of Justice are chosen as in UN. As a rule, teams from different institutions of all over the world are represented in the Moot Court. Each team should present an examination of the case from the positions of the applicant and respondent. Usually each competition provides for the presence of a national and international round. The organizational characteristic of this business game is the presence and participation of real acting specialists, professionals as judges. Very often, judges are the real judges of international or national courts, leading practicing lawyers of large law firms, professors of universities and institutes, experts who follow the oral debate very carefully and strictly evaluate the arguments of the competing parties. The main stages of the game are: I. Preparatory stage: • acquaintance with the text of the case: translation into the native language, definition and study of legal terms; • study of the case: identification of legal problems and tasks to be solved, determination of the applicable law; • compilation of additional questions to the case for game organizers. II. Main stage: A. Studying the answers to questions from the organizers: • drafting texts of plaintiff/respondent memorandums from the parties to the process; • examination of memorandums of the parties. B. Oral debate

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• applicant/respondent statements; • debates. Important conditions for participation in such a business game are the possession of deep knowledge in the field of law (international, national, etc.), foreign languages, as well as a number of flexible skills that are necessary for the legal profession. As a rule, many participants initially do not fully meet the conditions of the game, but in the process of preparing for it, they acquire all the necessary competencies. Table 1 presents the basic professional knowledge, skills and abilities of international lawyers. Table 1. The basic professional knowledge, skills and abilities of international lawyers.  know the theoretical foundations of international law;  know international legal terminology;  understand and be able to analyze the basic concepts and trends in the development of international law;  understand the basic principles of international law;  know the doctrine of international law;  independently formulate and substantiate proposals for solving, on the basis of modern international law, emerging issues in the relations of states;

 be able to conduct a comparative legal analysis of various international legal acts regulating the relations of states within the framework of various branches of international law;  be able to present the problem and approaches to its solution in oral (message, report) and written (information and analytical information, abstract) form;  participate in the development of legal acts in accordance with the profile of their professional activities  carry out professional activities on the basis of a developed sense of justice legal thinking and legal culture;  make decisions and take legal actions in strict accordance with the law;  apply normative legal acts, implement the norms of substantive and procedural law in professional activities;  correctly qualify the facts and circumstances from the legal point of view;  interpret various legal acts;  effectively implement legal education

 have the skills to analyze new international legal acts in the context of international law, national legislation;  be able to use the main methods and means of obtaining, storing, information processing;  be able to work with a computer as a means of information management  independently expand the acquired knowledge, including due to the theoretical generalization of practical experience, the creation of an individual research database on the chosen specialization of international law

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We consider that the Moot Court plays an important role in the formation and development of foreign language professional competence: each participant must be able to take part in professional communication, which requires a high level of proficiency in a professionally oriented foreign language. In addition, the ability to compose and deliver a applicant/respondent speech requires a certain skill to demonstrate legal knowledge, legal culture, communicative ability. The student/participant in the given process must be very good at terminology, traditional clichés of judicial vocabulary (e.g. Honorable Mr. President; Honorable Judges; The Republic of Luticia request the Court to; and others). It should be mentioned that general cultural competencies include the ability of specialists to master the culture of thinking, to generalize, to analyze and perceive information, to set goals and choose ways to achieve them. Moreover, one should not forget about the ability to compose logically, correctly, reasonably and clearly oral and written speech, to aim for self-development and improvement of one’s qualifications and skills. The business professional competition Moot Court most directly contributes to the formation of all the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities along with the professional competencies in the process of participating in it. Table 2 presents the main stages of the game i.e. the necessary professional competencies of young professionals which are formed during this game. According to the Caillois classification, imitation of an international trial business game (Moot Court) belongs to the first type of games, i.e. such games as Agôn (competitive) in which the participant wants to win and gain recognition. During the game, students must study in detail all the sources of law applicable in this case, including those referred to by the opponent as well as conduct a deep analysis of his or her arguments, create a line of defense and prosecution. During oral rounds, very often a team member who is delegated to make a speech by the applicant and respondent has to change immediately his or her arguments, make spontaneous decisions depending on the development of the case. The ability to find the right way in a difficult situation, relying not only on knowledge, but professional intuition states the presence of cognitive flexibility, the most important skill needed in any profession, especially in the legal profession. In real life, destinies depend on the correct decision of the judge, the well-structured and persuasive speech of the lawyer. During the business game Moot Court it is necessary: to protect the rights of a sovereign state, to punish those responsible for committing a crime, to restore the territorial integrity, to return lost material wealth, and so on. The applicant/respondent must be very convincing in his or her speech, must convey to the judges his or her clearly reasoned position. However, during the trial, unforeseen circumstances may arise that may directly affect the decision of the judges, and in this case, the applicant/respondent and team members need to quickly find additional arguments. For each team that participates in the game to be as convincing as possible in their speech, to prove to the court and representatives of states the correctness of their position by building logical argument operating with the norms of international law is the main meaning of the game. Similar situations that require an immediate decision may inevitably arise in everyday professional life, so the business professional game serves as a good basis for developing the skills necessary for this.

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Table 2. Stages of the game Game stage

Knowledge, skills and abilities/professional competencies

Studying the text of the case: 1. Acquaintance with the case, reading, translation into the native language (the game usually takes place in English/French); 2. Study of legal problems to be solved; 3. Compilation of additional questions to the case for the organizers of the games

When studying a case in a business/professional game, the following occurs: - activation of knowledge of the theoretical foundations of international law, international legal terminology; - understanding and analyzing the basic concepts in relation to a specific legal situation; - analyzing the legal information of the case

Search for a solution to the case/development of a position on the part of the defendant and the plaintiff: 1. a detailed study of the positions of the Parties to the dispute, the plot of the case; 2. Searching for the solutions by analyzing the necessary legal documentation: searching for applicable law, studying of doctrinal and regulatory legal sources, judicial practice; 3. Drawing up memorandums of the Parties with a clear reasoning for each decision

At the stage of solving a case such skills are developed: - conduct a comparative legal analysis of various international legal acts regulating the relations of states in a certain industry (in the case of a case); - legally correctly qualify facts and circumstances/interpret various legal acts; - clearly state the problem and approaches to its solution in oral and written form (in this case, in the memorandum of the Parties); - make decisions and take legal actions in strict accordance with the law (in this case, the rules of the game); - to apply normative legal acts

Representing the positions of the Parties in the UN Court of Justice (judges are legal experts) 1. Oral monologue statement/presentation of the position of the Party in court 2. Debate of the Parties: presentation of arguments/counterarguments

At the stage of oral debates, professional competencies are developed: - correctly qualify the facts and circumstances, interpret and argue various legal acts orally; - clearly state the problem and approaches to its solution; - give comprehensive answers to the opponent’s questions; - ask the right questions

Here is an example of one of the moot courts in international air law (abbreviated). 1. The Republic of Marinika is a small maritime agrarian state that derives its main income from agriculture, in particular the sale of apples and kiwis, and some tourism. There is no developed industry in the republic. The absence of plants and factories on the territory of Marinika makes it possible for the state to preserve its natural environment, flora and fauna. The beauty of landscapes attract tourists from other countries. The main mode of transport from other states to Marinika and back is

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air transport. Since 1992, the aircraft fleet of Marinika has been made up of only piston aircraft and airships (have one or more piston-powered engines connected a propeller to provide thrust to move the aircraft on the ground and through the air. Piston-powered aircraft most commonly use 100 octane low-leaded fuel and fly at altitudes below 15,000 feet. 2. Crab is a state with a highly developed industry and economy. The main sectors of the economy are the extensive production of marine products, shipbuilding and the construction of seaports around the world, the production of deep-sea vehicles, the production of energy from wind, water and the sun and the supply of such energy to other countries of the world. Diverse fields of activity attract partners from other countries. The main mode of transport is sea and air. In 1999, the Crab state renewed its aircraft fleet. Currently, the fleet includes only jet and supersonic aircrafts. 3. In 2014, the Republic of Marinika and the Republic of Crab concluded an Agreement on the Common use of airspace over land and water areas. We are talking more about servicing air traffic in the airspace of these states. In addition, both states are parties to the Chicago Convention of 1944 and the Montreal Convention of 1999. 4. On November 20, 2021, a Krabus airline company belonging to the State of Krab with passengers from third countries on board made an emergency landing in the apple plantations of the Marinika State. The landing was caused by the fact that the air traffic controllers of the state of Marinika provided incorrect information about adverse weather conditions in the region. The pilot-in-command of the airline’s aircraft was flying under the rules of visual flight and decided to land the aircraft in view of the possible threat to the lives of passengers. As a result of the emergency landing, the passengers suffered moral and material damage. Two passengers were subsequently hospitalized with a heart attack. Another passenger, Mr. Arturo Donsi, broke a collection vase, which he purchased for the museum of his state, Purpra, worth 3 million dollars. The Crab Republic filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice: • Hold the State of Marinika liable for failure to comply with the 2014 Agreement on the Common use of airspace over land and water areas. • Compensate moral and material damage to citizens, passengers of the flight. • Reimburse material damage to Arturo Donsi 5. For its part, the Republic of Marinika appealed to the court with the following complaints. As a result of the pilot actions, the landing was made on the territory of orchards and led to serious injuries of 10 people working in the orchards, the destruction of 5 greenhouses and 500 fruit trees. The total damage is $4 million. The Republic of Marinika asks the Court for the following • To hold accountable the actions of the aviation authorities of the state of Krab for violation of international law, in particular the Agreement on the joint use of airspace over land and water areas of 2014 • Compensate for moral and material damage to garden workers • Compensate the material damage of Ms. Emanuella Kotche to the owner of the greenhouses

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To operate with professional knowledge orally in a foreign language is one of the most difficult professional skills of an international lawyer. It can take decades to train such a specialist. The business professional legal game Moot Court allows you to bring the learning process closer to the present even during the student’s period at the university. The Moot Court also develops soft skills being characteristic for the legal specialty. Complex problem solving is formed during the game, as participants can offer various multi-stage ways of solving problematic issues, which can subsequently lead to the correct result. Critical thinking develops in the course of studying the case, the plot of the case, the positions of the parties set out in the memorandum, predicting the solution of this case and possible mistakes that may be made. This is the ability to actively and skillfully analyze, synthesize, conceptualize and at the same time fairly evaluate incoming information [23, 24]. Such flexible skills as the people management, coordinating with others, the skill of negotiation develop in the course of teamwork in the process of solving common tasks. As mentioned above, the game Moot Court involves the competition of teams from different universities: this is a very valuable experience for each participant in such a trial. The actions of each team and each member must be very carefully coordinated. In the course of such a game process, participants realize the importance of cohesion and mutual understanding of team members, the high importance of collective thinking in solving a common problem. In a real professional sphere, this skill is necessary in work at any enterprise, no matter what tasks face. The formation of skills and abilities to analyze and make decisions, i.e. judgment and decision-making is one of the most important tasks of the game judicial process [24]. During the game, each participant shows his or her abilities, which until now remained unknown even to himself or herself: for many participants, Moot Court became a ticket to the world of the profession. The authors of the article have compiled a survey of graduates of several Russian universities, former participants in various Moot Courts: Philip C. Jessup international law Moot Court competition, Vismoot Moot Court competition, International Air Law Moot Court. Alumni and participants of Moot Court 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 were interviewed. The survey included statements with which the respondents had to agree, disagree, or leave a comment; 50 people took part in the survey. Based on the results presented in Table 3, we can conclude that the majority of respondents agree that participation in the game Moot Courts undoubtedly has a positive impact on the formation and development of professional competencies and flexible skills of legal professionals. A small number of respondents do not agree with the statement of the questionnaire. This is mainly the opinion of participants whose participation was not provided before, the level of knowledge did not meet the requirements, and whose performance was not successful. The participants who left their comments mostly agree with the statement of the questionnaire, nevertheless they have some additions. Table 4 demonstrates the benefits of participating in the game Moot Courts for the participants’ careers, the further impact of the business game on their professional destiny. The results of the survey indicate that the business game Moot Court is directly related to the process of forming the professional identity of a future specialist. During

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Table 3. Formation of professional knowledge and competencies and flexible skills in the process of business professional Moot Court (%) №

Da Yes Het No My comment

1

The game Moot Court contributes to the development of 72 skills, knowledge and competencies that cannot be developed by other teaching methods

20

8

2

Participation in the game Moot Court contributes to intensive study, assimilation, memorization of the necessary educational information related to the professional training of legal professionals

15

10

3

During participation in the game Moot Court there is an 88 activation of knowledge of the theoretical foundations of international law; international legal terminology; understanding and ability to analyze the basic concepts in relation to a specific legal situation

2

10

4

Participation in the game Moot Courts develop 85 competencies: - conduct a comparative legal analysis of various international legal acts regulating the relations of states in a certain industry (in the case); - correctly qualify facts and circumstances/interpret various legal acts; - clearly state the problem and approaches to its solution in oral and written forms (in this case, in the memorandum of the Parties); - make decisions and take legal actions in strict accordance with the law (in this case, the rules of the game); - to apply normative legal acts

14

1

5

The game Moot Court contributes to the formation of professional self-determination of the future specialist

12

8

6

Participation in the game Moot Court contributes to the 86 improvement of foreign language professional communicative competence At the stage of oral debates, professional competencies are developed: - correctly qualify the facts and circumstances/interpret/argue various legal acts orally; - clearly state the problem and approaches to its solution; - give comprehensive answers to the opponent’s questions; - ask the right questions

6

8

75

80

(continued)

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Table 3. (continued) №

Da Yes Het No My comment

7

The game Moot Court contributes to the formation of the skill of working in a team and making collective decisions

76

14

10

8

Participation in the game Moot Court promotes mind flexibility

65

25

10

9

Participation in the Moot Court contributes to the developing skills: people management, coordinating with others, negotiation

87

3

10

10 Participation in the game Moot courts contributes to the 70 formation of skills and abilities to analyze and make decisions (judgment and decision-making skill)

22

8

11 During the game Moot courts, a complex multi-level problem solving is formed (complex problem solving skill)

71

21

8

12 The game Moot courts promotes the development of critical thinking

76

14

10

Table 4. Benefits of participation in the game Moot Courts for participants’ careers. №

No

MY COMMENT

1

During the game Moot Court, each participant can show 86 his/her hidden professional (legal) abilities

YES

4

10

2

The game Moot Court gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your professional skills, to feel like a real participant in the trial

80

10

10

3

Participation in the game Moot Court will provide participants with self-confidence in any professional situation in the future

85

5

10

4

The game Moot court provides participants with the opportunity to find a good job, experience or practice

75

15

10

5

During the game Moot Court the formation of the professional identity of the participants takes place: the participants get to know their profession better

82

18

-

such a trial, each of its participants can fully feel their commitment to the profession, feel their connection with the professional world of lawmakers, judges, lawyers, and discover in themselves abilities identical to the legal specialty. Most of the respondents are sure that they will feel more confident in a real professional identical situation if they become a participant in a gaming trial. Mostly, they consider that confidence in the

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correctness of their decisions and actions is the guarantor of the stability of life and the prosperity of their career.

4 Conclusion The system of higher education is primarily focused on the implementation of educational programs aimed at the formation of professional knowledge, skills and abilities of future specialists in various fields. To achieve the goals, each organizer of the educational process uses many different approaches, methods, tools and technologies [25–29]. The game method, being one of the most studied and traditional, remains the most effective and used in education. The results of applying a business game in the formation of professional competencies of a future specialist always meet expectations. The effectiveness of business game- Moot Court in the training the specialist of the future in the legal branches is explained by its versatility, professional orientation, flexibility and scale. The participation in Moot Court gives an opportunity to become participants in the professional activity, to show their abilities as a lawyer, applying knowledge and skills in solving a complex case as it was confirmed by a survey of former participants in the game. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary for the organizers of the educational process to provide students with the opportunity to participate in such events. The Moot Court can be proposed as an additional educational event, as part of professional practice or as part of the main learning process. Moreover, the game Moot Court can serve as one of the types of control of knowledge and professional competencies of senior students of higher educational legal institutions.

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Gaming Technologies in the Formation of Legal Students’ Professional Competencies: Moot Courts Anna Mokhorova1(B)

, Ekaterina Dolzhenkova1 and Baxtiyor Rasulov2

, Dmitriy Mokhorov1

,

1 Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya, 29,

195251 St. Petersburg, Russia [email protected] 2 Andijan State Pedagogical Institute, Dustlik Street, 4, 170901 Andijan City, Republic of Uzbekistan

Abstract. The modern labor market requires specialists with practical skills, as a result of which traditional educational approaches that emphasize the deep theoretical knowledge of the graduate give way to innovative teaching methods that allow students to develop practical skills in the field of professional activity. In legal education, various active teaching methods are used, including a legal clinic, case study, quest. Of significant interest is such a game learning model as a simulated trial, which allows us to combine theoretical knowledge with the practical possibilities of their implementation within a certain model of legal proceedings, as well as to form interdisciplinary competencies necessary for a specialist in the field of jurisprudence. The study is aimed at determining the role of game approaches in the formation of practice-oriented competencies of students of law schools and establishing the conditions under which a business game can be effectively implemented in the educational process. The achievement of the research goal is based on general scientific methods, such as analysis and synthesis, as well as methods of questioning, observation, the use of pedagogical experience and legal statistics. As a result, the necessity of using game trials in legal education, based on well-defined criteria for their conduct, was established to form a number of students’ competencies: teamwork skills, professional communication, stress resistance, ability to apply substantive law to specific legal situations. Keywords: Business game · Imitation trial process · Legal education

1 Introduction Modern higher education actively uses both traditional and new methods of scientific cognition, constantly modernizing them to meet the needs of students [1, 2]. There is a consistent increase in the use of active (interactive) educational technologies in the educational process, which suggests the relevance of the study. Special attention is paid to the use of educational games. Educational games act as a necessary condition for the © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 258–269, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_19

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formation of competencies of a modern graduate of a higher educational institution. At the same time, it should be noted that the use of any innovative forms of education is effective if it is based on fundamental theoretical knowledge, becoming a “bridge” for their application in the practical sphere [3, 4]. This study focuses on the use of educational games in legal education. Imitation of legal practice allows students to test their knowledge, identify their strengths and weaknesses in analyzing the situation and making decisions. On the one hand, such methods allow to increase the level of professional training of students, on the other hand, to realize whether there are problems related to communication (interpersonal and business communication) [5] that require further detailed study. It is noted in the scientific literature that game learning as an approach to using real games to improve the teaching and learning process is extremely important and allows achieving high results of applying knowledge in practice [6]. By copying and realizing real-world conditions or applying roles, solving and performing tasks, and repeating problems from real practice, games usually achieve two goals: improve learning outcomes and make learning an enjoyable process [7]. The method of the game in the context of the educational process allows the student to apply knowledge in practice, evaluate himself from the point of view of readiness for work, train public speaking skills [8]. It is also indicated that in the preparation of law students, it is necessary to apply in a complex classical and interactive methods of teaching legal disciplines [9]. Active forms of teaching legal disciplines provide the necessary “innovative climate” at universities, help to develop creative [10, 11] and research activity of students, lay the foundation for further understanding and development of legal knowledge, successful application of acquired knowledge in practice [12]. One of the most effective learning technologies [13] aimed at activating the educational and cognitive activities of students - future lawyers, contributing to the formation of their necessary professional competencies, is the technology of gaming activity, containing business, imitation and story – role-playing games [14]. A business game is a form of quasi-professional activity, quite rightly called “mental athletics”, emphasizing its importance in educational and cognitive activity [15]. Gaming processes in legal education clearly demonstrate to students that law is a practical subject, and also allow them to show where and how it is applied [16]. This, in turn, forms the habit of active and lawful behavior among students, expressed in making creative decisions and performing actions that meet the purpose of legal proceedings, including in a group, which also contributes to legal education [17, 18]. Despite the many studies devoted to business games in various academic disciplines and scientific directions [19–21], in which the positive influence of gaming processes has been revealed, there are a number of works [22] and scientific opinions about the insufficiently productive use of this method of teaching [23, 24]. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of procedural game approaches (moot court) in the formation of practice-oriented competencies of law students and to establish the conditions under which the business game is effectively implemented in the educational process.

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2 Materials and Methods The research methods are the analysis of scientific literature, the use of the experience of pedagogical influence, the survey of students, the observation of participants in games, methods of legal statistics. Based on the analysis of scientific research, it was found that the use of gaming technologies has a positive effect on increasing the level of competence of students. Many law graduates associate their professional career with the bar, prosecutor’s office or court. Participation in a real court case requires not only knowledge of the law, but also a number of other skills and abilities that can be obtained only through participation in simulated moot court proceedings: the ability to communicate with other participants in the process, to use legal vocabulary competently, to defend a legal position, to critically analyze the essential information on the case under consideration on the basis of a systematic understanding of the law and current legislation. As part of the educational process, conducting a survey of students creates grounds for the inclusion of new types of instructional technology or expanding their use in the educational process, as well as prerequisites for changing curricula or programs. The study is based on the results of a survey of fourth year Bachelor’s and first-year Master’s students of St. Petersburg Peter the Great Polytechnic University, studying in the field of “Jurisprudence”. They were asked questions aimed at identifying changes in the level of knowledge, skills, and abilities after training with the use of such a methodology of business game in the learning process as a simulated trial. The answers to the questions reflected their subjective perceptions. Questions about satisfaction with the traditional educational process and the need to introduce active methods in the educational process in general were also formulated. In total, eighty undergraduate and forty-three graduate students participated in the survey. This sample is given separately by the level of education of students, due to the existing age gap between students, as well as due to the presence of additional knowledge in the master’s program and a higher level of awareness of graduate students. Prior to the survey, the students had mastered procedural disciplines (e.g., Criminal Procedure and Civil Procedure), in the framework of which teachers usually apply game techniques. The object of the study is exclusively such a form of game activity as a moot court, which is specific to the direction of training Jurisprudence. On the basis of teaching experience, the advantages and disadvantages of this method, as well as the difficulties of its application are assessed. The use of methods of legal statistics allows us to summarize the objective results of the application of game approaches for teaching students in the context of their real assimilation of the fundamentals of procedural legislation and the application of substantive law.

3 Results The educational trial process allows the student to “prepare” for possible models of his professional activity, “try on” roles that can be performed by legal professionals: judge, lawyer, prosecutor, expert; assess capabilities as an analyst, developer of legal

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documentation, representative, public speaker, negotiator; determine the level of legal training at the time of a particular trial and own ability to use it. Even though game technologies, including model trials, are increasingly used in the XXI century, classical legal education is very slow change the learning process for their use. Educational standards require a courtroom as part of the material and technical support of the educational process, but do not set requirements for the number/share of classes/disciplines to be held in it, which allows educational organizations to independently determine the quality of the use of such a specialized auditorium. According to the results of the study, students’ dissatisfaction with the educational process based solely on traditional forms of education is revealed and the need to include interactive methods in the educational process is established - the results are presented in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

Bachelor course

traditional learning model

innovative learning model

doesn't matter

Fig. 1. Preferred forms of education for undergraduate students.

Magistracy [ПРОЦЕНТ] [ПРОЦЕНТ]

[ПРОЦЕНТ]

traditional learning model

innovative learning model

does not matter

Fig. 2. Preferred forms of study for Master’s degree students.

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Satisfaction of students with the practice of realization of professional knowledge obtained during the period of training is established. The combination of lecture classes, in which a large amount of theoretical material is provided, as well as the material on the discipline, which allows students to independently supplement knowledge during familiarization with additional material, shows quite high results of students’ knowledge. It can also be argued that students are interested in conducting a mock trial during training, as the form of the most interesting and close to real practice classes. This study also revealed that the application of the mentioned game form in the educational process in legal disciplines forms in students “competent legal language”, both oral and written, which is one of the characteristics of a highly qualified specialist in the field of jurisprudence and other competencies. The results of the survey, presented in Table 1, prove the high efficiency of business game application among law students. Table 1. Students’ satisfaction with the business game. Question

Bachelor

Magistracy

Yes, % No, % Yes, % No, % Was the business game close to a real professional situation?

68

32

75

25

Has the application of the business game systematized and 82 expanded theoretical knowledge?

18

95

5

Did the business game allow you to acquire analytical and decision-making skills?

70

30

85

15

Did the business game allow you to gain communication experience?

80

20

98

2

At the end of professional game you improved your skills as a result of the business game?

87

13

99

1

In general, the results of the study are based on the students’ subjective perception of their own knowledge acquired and implemented in the learning process, thus, an additional questionnaire was conducted, according to a subjective assessment, of the knowledge of undergraduate and graduate students after passing business games – moot courts, the results of which are presented in Fig. 3. The methods of experience and observation were used in the course of con-ducting moot court “Legality, independence and adversarial nature of criminal proceedings”, held on 20 December 2021 as part of the PolyLex Polytechnic Legal Forum; moot court. “On the recognition of the transaction on the disposal of the joint property of the former spouses as invalid, application of the consequences of the invalidity of the transaction, recognition of the property as joint property of the spouses, division of the jointly acquired property, recognition of the right of ownership” within the framework of the discipline “Family Law”, and moot court as part of the study of the discipline “Criminal Procedure” on the topic “Trial stage”.

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Subjective assessment of knowledge 30 20 10 0 0

1

2

3

Undergraduate

Master's degree Undergraduate 4

5

Master's degree

Fig. 3. Subjective assessment of knowledge of undergraduate and graduate students on a fivepoint scale.

Moot court, held within the PolyLex Polytechnic Legal Forum, did not allow students fully manifest themselves, firstly because it was held in a distance form, and secondly, because it brought together students of different levels of training who took the initiative to participate in extracurricular activities. However, it also allowed developing teamwork skills and applying theoretical knowledge to solve a real legal issue. The participants were divided into 2 teams: defense and prosecution, each of which acted under the guidance of a particular teacher. The teams analyzed normative legal acts, established judicial practice, developed their own position on the case, prepared its extended written justification and independently chose a person from their team who presented its main theses. The judge was a lecturer in the disciplines of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure. A prerequisite for the participation of lecturers in the trial was practical work experience. This event assessed the work of the team as a whole in analyzing the legal framework and applying it to a specific situation. The other two trials took place in a face-to-face format and represented the work of students of the same course in “small” groups of 2–4 people. The roles were assigned independently by the teacher, and the number of roles was significant, which allowed to involve all students of the academic group. The students themselves also acted as judges in these processes. The teacher remained solely an outside observer, presenting an introductory briefing immediately before the game process, reminding the rules of the game and the order of its evaluation. During the trial, he evaluated the participants’ actions according to a pre-designed algorithm. Within the framework of such a game process, each participant was actively involved in the ongoing action, and the evaluation by the teacher had a personalised character. Depending on the objectives of the moot court the teacher can choose the form of its conduct. If the main objective is practical comprehension of theoretical material, mainly norms of substantive law, and the use of scientific approaches in specific situations,

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it is a team game process. If the task is broader and consists, in addition to gaining experience in the implementation of legal norms, in the formation of skills necessary for participation in real court proceedings, then it is necessary to conduct such processes that would allow each student to participate independently and be responsible for his or her “character”. The latter seems preferable to be conducted within a particular discipline by an individual academic group. While the first type is more scientific in nature, expanding the ideas about the existing legal problem, the second one is oriented precisely to the training of practical skills of participation in court and application of legal norms in specific conditions. The game trial allow to simultaneously assess the knowledge of theoretical material in the discipline and the ability to comprehensively approach the application of legal norms; to confirm that the success of the trial is influenced not only by the level of knowledge of the student, but also by a number of other competencies, which are not given sufficient attention in classical teaching in the system “lecture - practical training”. Using teaching experience and the method of observation of the game process, it can be noted that during it students acquire professional skills (such as interpretation and application of substantive law norms, use of procedural norms), as well as important skills of teamwork, time management, stress resistance and communication. However, the results of each court session directly depend on the quality of preparation for it, primarily on the part of the teaching staff.

4 Discussion At the heart of the moot court method is a simulation model of legal activity, namely, simulated trials, the use of which allows: – develop skills of analysis and critical thinking - situational analysis, the possibility of challenging the opinion of opponents and others. Thus, acting as a judge, prosecutor, defendant, victim’s representative students should prepare a legal position and use such norms of substantive and procedural law, which will allow to present their point of view in the right light and become counterarguments for the opposite position. Thus, in the case “On the invalidation of the transaction on the disposal of the joint property of the former spouses, application of the consequences of the invalidity of the transaction, recognition of the property as the joint property of the spouses, division of the jointly acquired property, recognition of the right of ownership”, students analyzed civil, family, civil procedural legislation from the point of view of the plaintiff and the defendant (former spouses), third parties - the new owners, the prosecutor’s office and the guardianship and custody authorities - as bodies protecting the interests of the underage spouses as well as from the court’s point of view; – expand professional communication skills - the ability to apply knowledge of the legal framework, the ability to be in the role of responsible persons in certain situations. Procedural legislation itself acts as the rules of the game, which is carried out with the participation of a state body - the court, and these rules of the game require their assimilation. The rituals of the beginning and end of a court session, appeals to the court and the prosecutor, the procedure for filing motions, and much more are contained in procedural codes, but are not a model of behavior for students until they

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have participated in the process themselves. In the example of the already mentioned training trial, the court explained rights, the participants in the trial made motions, questioned witnesses and warned them of criminal liability, addressed each other in accordance with the requirements of the procedural law, and observed the order of the court procedures; – simulate problematic and stressful situations that allow them to practice their decisionmaking and response in extraordinary circumstances. Unexpected evidence, witnesses, new data are common trial practices that graduates will have to face. The trial attempts to create conditions close to the real world for practicing quick decision making and practicing behavioral patterns in critical situations; – develop teamwork skills - practicing law involves teamwork, where the success of a case depends on the skills and ability to apply them in practice. Behind each “character” acting in a mock trial “stands” a group of students, whose joint efforts analyzed the legal framework, prepared a position on the case under consideration. Everyone’s participation is equally important, which implies a well-coordinated teamwork, the ability to listen to the opinion of others and equally active participation of all team members; – to work out the skills of preparing procedural documents [25]. In the course of the case under consideration, the students submitted a statement of claim, responses to the statement of claim from the defendant, third parties, prosecutor, guardian-ship and custody authorities; motions to examine witnesses, to demand evidence, to conduct an expert examination, the court made numerous determinations and judicial decision. Participation in the educational trial will give students extensive knowledge on many topics related to the case. In addition, since the knowledge gained was their own discovery, students are more likely to learn the concepts and perceive their application in other situations [26]. In the subject area under consideration, such a business game is formed to achieve several goals simultaneously, both for the formation of competencies relevant to professional activity and for their evaluation, which represents this method as the most acceptable of active teaching methods. The teacher has the opportunity to evaluate students’ knowledge of normative legal acts, their interpretation and application, and students have the opportunity to prove themselves in the conditions closest to reality, as well as fill in the gaps in knowledge in relation to each individual case. Before the moot court is planned for implementation, it is necessary to carry out a number of preparatory measures, on the quality of which its effectiveness de-pends: preparation of a scenario containing a clear plot of the case with sufficient initial data [27], the distribution of roles between participants in the game trial in such a way that it contributes to the development of students’ competencies and corresponds to the goals of the game, conducting lectures and other classes aimed at theoretical preparation of students for conducting an imitation trial and familiarization with the rules of its conduct. Designing a business game is a complex and time–consuming process, which is usually divided into several very important stages. First, the designation of the goal:

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- the purpose of the business game is formed depending on the objectives of the educational process, theoretical problems that have been formed within the frame-work of the discipline being studied, as well as the skills that a student should have at the end of training. For example, a trial in a trial court or an appellate court; ordinary or special proceedings in a criminal trial. At the same time, the goal of the game in any case is aimed at developing the student’s ability to use theoretical knowledge in solving practical procedural situations. Secondly, the formation of the content: - the content is formed based on the most typical cases that occur in practice – you can use specific court cases to fill in the content of a business game. This stage is very significant and requires scrupulous organizational work. The plot of the case is formed by the teacher taking into account the wishes of the students. We can suggest the following criteria for selecting the plot of the case: 1) composition of participants in terms of the number and variety of procedural statuses. When choosing the plot of the case, it should be taken into account that it is necessary to provide the opportunity to participate in the business game to as many students as possible. 2) a variety of procedural actions available for approbation. When selecting a case, the materials of which will serve as the basis for organizing a role-playing game, preference is given to the case that will allow students to test as many different procedural actions as possible during the educational process. 3) volume of the case. The need to organize familiarization with the case materials of all the main participants of the business game in a fairly short time, and the limited time of the game stage itself predetermine the limitation on the volume of the selected plot of the case. 4) the entertainment of the game from the point of view of the interest of students and other persons present in the classroom. In order for the educational goals facing the game to be achieved during the organization and conduct of the game, the plot of the case that will be the subject of the trial should arouse the interest of students. In this connection, the teacher has an important task - to interest students in the course of the process so that they analyze the course of the educational process, note the positive aspects and possible shortcomings, inconsistencies with the material and procedural norms of individual game elements. Thirdly, filling the game context and creating a program (scenario) of a business game. The onset of the game stage itself, working with the plot of the case, students carry out a whole range of activities that develop their professional competence: analytical and research activities – to develop a legal position on the case; legal and technical activities – for the creation of procedural documents; communicative activity to defend their position when interacting with other participants in the process [28]. Thus, the skills of theoretical legal analysis, legal writing and public speaking skills are formed.

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The game stage is an imitation of a court session, the implementation of tasks prepared in advance based on the norms of procedural law and ethical rules. It is extremely important here to distribute the elements of the game by time, which depends on the possibilities of the educational process (how many hours are allocated to study a specific topic in practical classes). The participation of a teacher with an introductory speech is mandatory, in which the emphasis is placed on the most important theoretical and organizational issues. The result of the game stage of the simulation trial is a court decision that completes the consideration of the case, and the result of the business game as a whole is the teacher’s assessment of students’ actions within the framework of the game interaction, which should be based on pre-defined clear criteria developed and brought to the attention of students before the game stage. Such criteria may be: – subject knowledge of students, that is, the volume and level of knowledge that students were able to demonstrate in the course of gaming activities; – the manifestation of skills in performing professional actions (for example, the use of cliches for drawing up procedural documents, knowledge of the basic requirements of procedural legislation regulating the procedure for carrying out various types of activities within the framework of the judicial process); – the quality of students’ work (both from the point of view of the content of the activity – interpretation and application of the norms of law in a particular situation, and forms - entertainment, acting skills); – the presence of intra-group cohesion, psychological contact, organization of the group team.

5 Conclusion In the process of preparing students for model trials, they form and increase the level of their professional skills, which is confirmed by data obtained both on the basis of a survey of students and during the supervision of teachers carried out during the educational process. When implementing the game model in law, progressive changes in the abilities of students are achieved: – formulate a research problem and implement its resolution based on theoretical data and a creative approach; – conceptually correct to express their judgments in accordance with the requirements of a particular situation both in writing and orally form; – implement a team approach. Thanks to the use of active forms of learning, new knowledge is tested in conditions close to real professional practices. At the same time, it should be noted that a simulated trial can be useful in educational activities, subject to a number of conditions regarding: a) prior training of students in legal disciplines (a solid theoretical foundation should be formed for students), b) strategies and tactics for creating a business game (observance by the teacher of the algorithm for its compilation), c) a clear definition of the criteria for its evaluation.

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High quality knowledge of law and law enforcement, as well as experience in solving complex situations, teamwork skills and increased communication abilities affect the level of confidence and awareness of the student, which is an important factor for a potential employer when looking for a job, and makes the future applicant the most in demand in the labor market. Thus, the business game in legal education is one of the important teaching methods for improving the professional training of lawyers.

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Technologies for Innovative Potential Development of University Students Majoring in Engineering Maria Odinokaya1(B) , Anna Rubtsova1 , Yuri Eremin1 Evgenia Tsimerman1 , and Komila Makhkamova2

,

1 Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University,

29 Polytechnicheskaya Street, St. Petersburg 195251, Russian Federation [email protected] 2 Samarkand State University, 15 University blv., 140104 Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Abstract. The article deals with the didactic aspect of the implementation of the techniques and methods of creativity in the educational process, together with the gamification mechanics. An attempt was made to reveal the essence of the use of techniques and methods of creativity in the educational process, as well as how gamification contributes to the disclosure of the innovative potential of engineering students. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the technology for the formation of the innovative potential of engineering students by gamification mechanics in the conditions of university education has been proposed and implemented. A set of pedagogical conditions is proposed that contributes to the innovative potential development of university students majoring in engineering by gamification mechanics (raising the general cultural level in order to strengthen the cultural component of professional competence; formation of motivation in project selfrealization; stimulating the student to achieve the final result within the time limits established by the regulations; introduction of a bonus system; practice-oriented work with real projects that are in demand on the labor market; the sequence of studying special forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic instructions for solving professional problems, etc.). Keywords: Technology · Innovative Potential · Engineer · Gamification · Gamification Mechanics · Algorithmic Prescription · University Students

1 Introduction Significant changes taking place in the Russian education system, associated with globalization and digital transformations over the past decades, have led to the emergence of new requirements imposed by the modern public on graduates in the field of engineering. Among these requirements is also innovative capacity. In modern conditions, innovative potential should be considered as one of the key professional qualities of an engineer [1]. In modern realities, the success of an engineer’s professional self-realization depends © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 270–296, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_20

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on his ability to navigate in a new context, the ability to timely find and make effective original solutions [2]. Accordingly, the university is faced with the task of training engineers with the ability for high innovative skills. In modern realities, the success of an engineer’s professional self-realization depends on his ability to navigate in a new context, the ability to timely find and make effective original solutions. Accordingly, the university is faced with the task of training engineers with the ability for high innovative skills. The lack of pedagogical research on the formation of innovation in future engineers is to some extent compensated by the presence of a number of studies on the history and theory of engineering [3–5]. However, these studies are mainly related to the field of fundamental knowledge and do not analyze the pedagogical process of interaction between theory and its practical application. Awareness of the gap between the theory and practice of training future engineers in the conditions of university education made it possible to highlight the contradictions that currently exist in the field of engineering education, namely: – between the need of society and the demands of employers for engineers who are able to navigate in a new context, who are able to find and make effective original solutions in a timely manner, who are able to creatively solve professional problems, who have the ability for high innovative thinking and the lack of creative indicators among students; – between the need to design a technology for the formation of the innovative potential of future engineers by gamification mechanics during the educational activity and the lack of appropriate methods, teaching aids. In addition, there are a number of more frequent professional contradictions between the accumulated practice of the modern field of engineering and the lack of demand for this experience in university education, between the need to respond quickly to a dynamically developing cultural environment and the lack of mobility in a university education. In this regard, the actual task of engineering education at the university is the search for and scientific and practical justification of effective pedagogical conditions, forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic prescription, technology for the formation of the innovative potential of future specialists by gamification mechanics in the engineering field in the conditions of university education. The purpose of this study was to create a technology for the formation of the innovative potential of engineering students by gamification mechanics in the conditions of university education. The object of the research is the professional training of future engineers in the conditions of university education. The subject of the research is the technology of formation of the innovative potential of engineering students by gamification mechanics in the conditions of university education. The study is based on the hypothesis that the technology of forming the innovative potential of engineering students using gamification mechanics in a university education will be effective if:

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– to substantiate the innovation of engineering students from the standpoint of labor market requirements that correspond to the realities of their engineering field of activity; – identify and describe the indicators of an engineer’s innovation as a professionally significant personality trait; – substantiate the pedagogical conditions for the formation of the innovative potential of future engineers in the conditions of university education; – to explore and test in the experimental work the forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic prescription that form the basis of the technology for the formation of the innovative potential of engineering students by gamification mechanics in the conditions of university education. In accordance with the specified goal, object, subject and hypothesis, the following research tasks were set: 1) Reveal the current state of the theory and practice of training future engineers in a university education; 2) Determine the pedagogical conditions for the formation of the innovative potential of engineering students by gamification mechanics in the conditions of university education; 3) Investigate the forms, methods, techniques, strategies for the formation of the innovative potential of engineering students by gamification mechanics in the conditions of university education and test the theoretical conclusions in experimental work. The theoretical significance of the study lies in the analysis and classification of the main theoretical approaches to understanding the category of innovation in domestic and foreign literature; generalization of modern ideas of researchers about the role of innovation in the field of engineering. The practical significance of the study lies in the creation of methodological support for the process of formation of the innovative potential of future engineers in the conditions of university education; development and implementation of a complex of interrelated forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic prescriptions that make up the technology for the formation of the innovative potential of engineering students by gamification mechanics in the conditions of university education; pedagogical recommendations for the formation of the innovative potential of future engineers are formulated. During the organization of the experiment, the studied parameters were determined: intellectual creativity; individual creativity; social creativity; emotional creativity.

2 Materials and Methods The following complementary methods were used to solve the tasks set in the study, confirm the initial assumptions and test the hypothesis: – Theoretical (definition of the theoretical base of the research, study and theoretical analysis of psychological, pedagogical, popular science, special literature in the field of engineering, creative pedagogy, epistemology of creativity, materials covering work experience on the research topic, analysis of the concept of the terms

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“innovation”, “technology for the formation of innovative potential” revealing the structural elements of gamification for their use in the activity of future specialists in engineering areas; determining the theoretical foundations of the study, developing diagnostic methods and formulating a hypothesis): – empirical (observation, study and generalization of pedagogical experience in the field of education in the field of “Creative thinking and idea generation” in the conditions of university education; testing, conversation, diagnostics, conducting a pedagogical experiment on the formation of the innovative potential of engineering students by gamification mechanics in the conditions of university education and implementation of the formative stage of experimental work). During the experiment, the following diagnostic methods were used: a modified and adapted version of the Williams creative test set, CAP (intellectual innovative potential), diagnostics of personal creativity (E.E. Tunik) (individual innovative potential). The analysis and systematization of the results of the study were also carried out; conclusions are made. The experimental base of the study was the Polytechnic University. All stages of the experiment covered 316 people, including 4 teachers and 312 students. The reliability and validity of scientific provisions, conclusions and recommendations on the organization of the educational process in the framework of the university training of future engineers is provided by the base of the initial theoretical positions; application of a combination of theoretical and empirical research methods; the logic of pedagogical research; sufficient experimental base.

3 Theoretical Background, Review and Research Context 3.1 Concept of Innovation Potential in Engineering The issues of development and formation of the innovative potential of students were raised in numerous studies. As a rule, these studies are associated with the study of innovative activity. So, for example, the ability to innovate was the subject of study by researchers [6–8]. Scientific works of both domestic and foreign researchers can be divided into several areas, namely: the conditions for the formation of innovation [9–11]; study of types of thinking and personality traits [12–14]; development and classification of innovative methods, techniques, technologies for the formation of professional innovative potential in various fields of activity [15–17]. Nevertheless, despite the abundance of research by modern scientists, the issue of the formation of the innovative potential of future engineers in the conditions of university education has not been considered in full until now. Innovation in the activity of an engineer manifests itself as the ability to generate new ideas, find original solutions to emerging problems and obtain valuable results in an unconventional way, deviating from traditional schemes. In this study, innovation is considered from the point of view of the possibility of its formation in the educational process. Considering innovation as an innate quality inherent in every person but lost as socialization under the influence of cultural patterns. A number of researchers [18–20] show that innovation can develop as a result of learned

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mental skills and strategies. The specificity of professional innovation can be expressed in an innovative approach to solving professional problems, that is, in creating an innovative product. The increasing need of employers for employees capable of innovative thinking, innovative activities lead to the fact that a number of researchers come to the conclusion that innovation should be considered as a professional competence [21–23]. Based on the studies analyzed above, in our study we will talk about innovation, a professionally significant quality of the personality of a future engineer. The ideal model of the innovative potential of a future engineer is characterized by the following interrelated indicators (criteria): originality (the ability to put forward a non-standard idea), productivity (the ability to generate ideas), flexibility (the ability to make decisions and overcome difficulties in the process of implementing the author’s project), metaphor (the ability to connect different first glance of a thing), structuredness (the ability to streamline the details of the project), multidimensionality (the ability to see where else it can be applied), fluency (the ability to convey an idea to the target audience), effectiveness (the ability to bring the project to its logical conclusion). The main mechanism for the formation of the innovative potential of the future engineer as a professionally significant personality trait, as the ability to innovate in the conditions of university education, should be the activity of the teacher and the student systematically organized in special forms of interaction. This task can be solved at the level of introducing technologies of innovative potential development of university students by gamification mechanics, modern innovative forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic prescription into the educational process, the development of this practical skill in the process of solving practical professional problems. 3.2 Current State of Theory and Theory and Practice of Training Future Engineers in the Conditions of University Education With the development of society in the light of the ongoing digital transformation, new professions in the field of engineering are emerging, such as a space engineer (a specialist who maintains a near-Earth transport network and is responsible for developing traffic flow corridors, synchronization of launches/launches on Earth), a tissue engineer (a specialist who develops technological process and selecting materials and conditions for the formation of a particular tissue or organ), marine infrastructure system engineer (specialist involved in the development and implementation of technologies that increase the resistance of coastal structures and ships to various types of threats), small aircraft production engineer (specialist engaged in the design and modeling of small civil aviation aircraft of varying complexity), composite engineer, engineer in transport network security (specialist in the analysis, calculation and monitoring of information, environmental and technological threats to transport systems), system engineer of composite materials, system mining engineer, engineer-interpreter of telemetry data (specialist who analyzes the array of data coming from the field to control the progress of the mining process, prevent possible emergencies and make operational decisions), engineer of life support systems (specialist involved in the maintenance of life support systems in difficult conditions), etc.

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Monitoring the requirements of employers for engineers showed that one of the main requirements is innovation. It seems important to note that innovation is considered by employers as the ability to generate innovative ideas, to implement them in a nonstandard way in modern realities. In the modern world, society needs an engineer who is able to generate innovative ideas, able to work in difficult situations in a short time with insufficient resources. Thus, the educational activities of the professional training of future engineers in the conditions of university education must meet the requirements of modern realities. 3.3 Pedagogical Conditions for the Formation of the Innovative Potential of Future Engineers in Educational Activities In our study, pedagogical conditions are understood as an interconnected complex that constitutes the technology for the formation of the innovative potential of a future engineer in the conditions of university education and provides a higher level of achievement by students of the formation of the required competence. For the effective formation of the innovative potential of future engineers in the conditions of university education, it is necessary to identify pedagogical conditions that contribute to this process and ensure the effective achievement by each student of the level of formation of innovative qualities that is possible for him. Thus, for the formation of innovative potential, first of all, it is necessary to create an innovative environment necessary for the development of various indicators of innovative potential. For the effective formation of the innovative potential of future engineers in the conditions of university education, it is necessary to identify pedagogical conditions that contribute to this process and ensure the effective achievement by each student of the level of formation of innovative qualities that is possible for him. Thus, for the formation of innovative potential, first of all, it is necessary to create an innovative environment necessary for the development of various indicators of innovative potential. For the effective formation of the innovative potential of future engineers in the conditions of university education, it is necessary to identify pedagogical conditions that contribute to this process and ensure the effective achievement by each student of the level of formation of innovative qualities that is possible for him. Thus, for the formation of innovative potential, first of all, it is necessary to create an innovative environment necessary for the development of various indicators of innovative potential. Based on pedagogical experience and the studied theoretical material on pedagogical conditions, we found that in order to form the innovative potential of a future engineer in a university education, it is necessary to form and apply the following pedagogical conditions: increasing the general cultural level in order to strengthen the cultural component of professional competence; formation of motivation in project self-realization; stimulating the student to achieve the final result within the time limits established by the regulations; introduction of a bonus system; practice-oriented work with real projects in demand on the labor market; the sequence of studying special forms, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic prescription for solving professional problems. The engineer needs to apply moral duties to himself and to the world around him; be aware of the importance of humanistic values for the preservation and development of modern civilization; respectfully and carefully treats the historical heritage and cultural

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traditions; tolerantly perceive social and cultural differences; be focused on the application of methods and means of knowledge; take full professional responsibility for their ideas, decisions, actions and results. 3.4 Essence of the Technology of Innovative Potential Development of University Students Majoring in Engineering by Gamification Tools For the formation of innovative potential in future engineers, it is not enough for them to receive innovative tasks. The formation of innovative potential should take place systematically and step by step. An analysis of the scientific literature has shown that there are several hundred forms, techniques, methods, techniques, and strategies for developing innovative potential. Some of them differ significantly from each other, others are interpretations of various forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic prescription, development of innovative potential. The conducted typological analysis made it possible to identify the necessary components and to systematize the technology of forming the innovative potential of future engineers in the conditions of university education. Based on the studied classifications, we have developed our own classification of forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies for the formation of the innovative potential of future engineers, which is built in accordance with the stages of an engineer’s work on a project within the framework of educational activities at the Polytechnic University. This classification is based on the following principles: – An engineer must have the skills of individual, independent and team work. In this regard, the technology for the formation of the innovative potential of future engineers in the conditions of university education should include individual, collective and universal forms of the formation of innovative potential; – Students have different levels of training at the university, and also solve educational problems of varying complexity in educational activities, so the technology implies the gradual formation of innovative potential in future engineers. In this regard, the forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic prescription included in the technology of forming innovative potential are becoming more and more complicated. – Students have different levels of training at the university, and also solve educational problems of varying complexity in educational activities, so the technology implies the gradual formation of innovative potential in future engineers. In this regard, the forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic prescription included in the technology of forming innovative potential are becoming more and more complicated. – The procedure for applying forms, methods, techniques, strategies for the formation of innovative potential in educational activities should correspond to the stages of the engineer’s project work, model his professional activities. An analysis of existing forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies for the formation of innovative potential from the point of view of engineers made it possible to classify and adapt them in accordance with the principles of their correspondence to the

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stages of work on an engineering project: 1. Study and definition of the problem; 2. Generation and testing of ideas; 3. Choice of idea; 4. Structuring the idea; 5. Implementation of the idea; 6. Checking the result. Based on this, the ratio between the professional components of the innovative potential of the future engineer and the technology for the formation of this quality in the future engineer was determined. The ability to find a creative solution is called creativity, and the techniques that help in finding solutions are called creativity techniques and methods. The effectiveness of creative techniques and methods is due to two simple factors: they require a clear statement of the problem, that is, what kind of problem a person now wants to solve; they show how you can get off the usual mental path and find a solution to the problem away from the usual channel of thinking. If we recall the numerous stories of how various scientific discoveries were made, we can see that the reason for the revolutionary scientific assumption was often a mere chance. An apple fell on one, another sat down in the bath with a flourish, and by the third, mold accidentally made its way into the test tube. All these accidents just allowed the thoughts of pundits to take a new path. But if these accidents happened unintentionally, then in order to stir up the brains, a person should enter them on purpose. It is on this principle that creative techniques are based, which are based on a random stimulus. A new global trend in the field of education is gamification [24]. By gamification we mean the use of exciting elements of the game process in learning activities to form new experiences in order to achieve a specific goal [25]. The introduction of gamification stimulates creativity. The determining factor determining the increase in interest in gamification is the development of digital infrastructure [26–28]. Gamification can be used as a way to support creativity when student engagement is required. The essence of the techniques and methods of creative thinking with the mechanics of gamification lies in the application of their design features or motivational capabilities in the learning process. Gamification helps to increase the student’s involvement in solving the problem, adds dynamism to the routine process; contributes to retention of attention, maintaining a positive attitude when doing work, seeing new ideas; creating a safe environment, an inspiring atmosphere in which it is easier to generate ideas [29]. The key task of gamification is not to turn a lesson into a game, but only to add game elements to its process (achievement ratings, win rating, awards, progress indicators, points) that attract students to games. Students are engaged enthusiastically and with full dedication in what brings them pleasure. The implementation of gamification in the educational process of engineering students may look like this. The game system consists of three parts: a shell that includes game mechanics; elements and their relationships; thematic content. The choice of just such an approach is justified by the fact that the same type of mechanics can be used to train engineering students of various areas of training with minimal editing. The introduction of gamification into the educational process consists in adding simple elements of the game, for example, a points system, ratings. At a more advanced stage of teaching students, you can use games with a holistic plot, gradual complication of content, a student’s game profile, a progress bar showing which part of the course has already been completed, internal interaction between users; bonuses such as:

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points showing the progress of the game; badges issued to respondents for high results; leaderboards representing the participant’s progress in comparison with other students. Gamification can be especially useful for students of an engineering profile, as it contributes to instilling interest in the process of engineering search for a solution to a problem, making multiple decisions in non-standard situations, makes it possible to try on various roles, reveal some specific features of the participants, gives the opportunity to look at previously studied processes in a new way, thereby developing creative thinking. The process of developing high-tech products must be approached creatively, be able to design impressions. Engineering students need to simultaneously have fundamental knowledge at the intersection of different subject areas and be motivated to design, invent, and offer new developments. And in order for such professionals to appear, it is necessary to be able to focus the attention of an engineering student at the moment of self-determination, to interest them. The desire to increase the effectiveness of the formation of innovative abilities in a person, their motivation for learning, to create conditions for the generation of ideas caused the need to develop a new technology of innovative activity. The technology of innovative potential development stimulates a person to achieve the final result of the task being performed. The technology for the formation of innovative potential is implemented through the introduction of a functional learning model, including including forms (Graphic and semantic metamorphoses, Lettering, Photoidentities, etc.), Methods (Walt Disney Creative Strategy, Mental Maps, Morphological Box, etc.), learning techniques (“Cubing”, “Theory of Inventive Problem Solving”, “Random Stimulus”, “4D Stimulus”, Attention Control Technique “Focus”, Free Association Technique “Associative Experiment”, Decision Making Technique “Foresight”, Freewriting Technique “Creative Diary”, Brainstorming SCAMPER, Six Hats Technique, Eye-tracking, etc.), aimed at developing indicators of innovation. The technology for forming innovative potential can be presented in the form of Table 1. The above table requires some explanation. Let’s take a closer look at all the stages of the technology of forming innovative potential, noting that each form, technique, method, technique, strategy can be used simultaneously at several stages of the project. In general, the organization of the educational process based on projects includes the teamwork of students who carry out problematization, that is, the search and discovery of real problems that need to be solved, as well as an emphasis on the use of certain tools for working with these problems in order to achieve a qualitative result. The organization of technology for the formation of innovative potential by gamification mechanics has several stages. Stage 1. Study and definition of the problem. At this stage, the student chooses the topic himself. The teacher provides a list of indicative topics for the student to choose, but does not limit the student’s choice. It should be noted that the topic chosen by the student must be ethical. Expression of the essence of the idea (definition of the problem) through the claims, which, with any complexity, describes the object, as a rule, consisting of one sentence and includes: the name of the proposed object; the pre-distinctive part (that is,

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Table 1. Technology for the formation of innovative potential of engineering students by gamification mechanics in the conditions of university education. №

Stages of technology

Project management tools

Gamification mechanics

Stages 1. Studying and defining the problem

The implementation of the selection of the problem, which manifests itself as a result of the processing and analysis of the collected information Drawing up an individual roadmap, solving a case using forms, techniques, methods, learning strategies associated with a visual presentation of the project

Interview. Observation. Imitating or immersing oneself in the physical environment in which people are experiencing problems Performing a set of exercises. Freewriting technique “Creative diary”, Brainstorming “SCAMPER”, Attention management technique “Focus”, “Graphic and semantic metamorphoses”, “Simplex”

Points in digital format. Difficulty levels. Bonuses. Badges

Stage 2. Generation and validation of ideas

Performing a set of exercises, using forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies to determine the guidelines for the algorithmization of further innovative activities

Performing a set of exercises. Application of methods of spontaneous generation of ideas or generation of ideas along a given trajectory, “Brainstorming”, “Circulation”, “Force closure, “Innovator’s Kaleidoscope”

Points in digital format. Difficulty levels. Bonuses. Badges

Stage 3. Idea selection

Having chosen the most successful ideas from the point of view of the student, he should test them on the target audience

Performing a set of exercises. Random Stimulus, 4D Stimulus, Six Hats Method, SWOT Analysis, Shared Decision Picture, Disney Creative Strategy, Font Cards, Foresight Decision Making Technique

Points in digital format. Difficulty levels. Bonuses. Badges

(continued)

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№

Stages of technology

Project management tools

Gamification mechanics

Stage 4. Structuring an idea

At this stage, the student needs to develop a structured multi-level concept, set priorities correctly, and outline the phased progress of work on the project

Performing a set of exercises. “Morphological box”, “Osborne’s Checklist”, “Graphic cards”, “Mental cards”, “Techniques of the theory of solving inventive problems”

Points in digital format. Difficulty levels. Bonuses. Badges

Stage 5. Implementation of the idea

At this stage, the student begins to implement the idea

Performing a set of exercises. “Tug of war”, “Random stimulus”, “Eye-tracking”

Points in digital format. Difficulty levels. Bonuses. Badges

Stage 6. Checking the result

Checking the correctness of the chosen idea and ways to implement it. To do this, the student can use surveys. The given vector of work provides for reflection and return, if necessary, to previous stages of work on the project

Performing a set of exercises. “Technique of free associations “Associative experiment”, “Cubing”. “Synectics”, “Express Poll”, “Focus Group”. Lettering”, “Photoidentity”

Points in digital format. Difficulty levels. Bonuses. Badges

Pedagogical conditions: - raising the general cultural level; - formation of motivation in project self-realization; - stimulating the student to achieve the final result within the time limits established by the regulations; - introduction of a bonus system, including gamification tools; - practice-oriented work with real projects in demand in the labor market; - the sequence of studying special forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic prescription for solving professional problems

the common thing that unites the proposed object with its analogue and prototype); goal (usually stated in a very standard and general way); a distinctive part (that is, signs that make up the significant differences between the proposed object from analogues and the prototype, the implementation of which implies a positive effect). Expression of the essence of the idea (definition of the problem) through the claims, which, with any complexity, describes the object, as a rule, consisting of one sentence and includes: the name of the proposed object; the pre-distinctive part (that is, the common thing that unites the proposed object with its analogue and prototype); goal (usually stated

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in a very standard and general way); a distinctive part (that is, signs that make up the significant differences between the proposed object from analogues and the prototype, the implementation of which implies a positive effect). At this stage, there is an awareness of the needs of people. Unacceptable are topics that violate humanistic values, do not respectfully express the attitude to the historical heritage and cultural traditions; intolerant to social and cultural differences, as well as not ethical. The student collects information on the chosen topic, fills in an individual educational roadmap (Table 2) and solves the case using one or more of the forms, methods, techniques of creative thinking and idea generation (Table 3). Based on all the data collected and analyzed during the study of the problem, the student should correctly and accurately define the problem. Only after identifying the problem can one proceed to the development of ideas through the implementation of which this problem can be tried to solve. Stage 2. Generation and testing of ideas. Having previously studied the problem field and identified the problem, you can begin to develop ideas for engineering solutions, forming the basis for their implementation. At this stage, methods of spontaneous generation of ideas or generation of ideas along a given trajectory can be applied. Table 2. An example of a completed individual educational roadmap by a future engineer. № Exercise

Short description

Deadline Grade

1

Tests

Running tests on the lms online portal

11.12.22 100%

2

Learning roadmap

Studying the work program of the discipline Creative thinking and generating ideas, planning your activities, filling out a roadmap in a table format

11.12.22

3

Digital storytelling

Prepare a video that tells an interesting story using digital storytelling tools

03.12.22

4

Case solving using one or more of the techniques, forms, methods, techniques, strategies for creative thinking and idea generation

Prepare a presentation that tells 03.12.22 about an example of solving a real problem using one or a combination of several techniques, forms, methods, techniques, strategies for creative thinking and generating ideas

3 stage. Idea selection. Having developed as many ideas as possible, the student needs to systematize the accumulated material and identify the most viable ideas. At this stage, the future engineer needs to make sure that the ideas chosen for implementation are imbued with deep meaning and bring high cultural and spiritual values to the world. Having chosen the most successful ideas from the point of view of the student, he should

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test them on the target audience. At this stage, studies of the perception of the selected idea or several ideas can be carried out with the involvement of representatives of the target audience in order to test it. Stage 4. Structuring an idea. At this stage, the student needs to develop a structured multi-level concept, set priorities correctly, and outline the phased progress of work on the project. The concept developed by the student determines the strategy and action plan for the implementation of project activities. Stage 5. Implementation of the idea. At this stage, the student begins to implement the idea. Stage 6. Checking the result. Having completely completed work on the project, the student needs to make sure once again that the idea and methods for its implementation were chosen correctly. To do this, the student can use surveys. The given vector of work provides for reflection and return if necessary. For previous stages of the project. Among the main mechanics of gamification, we singled out tasks, cooperation, feedback, sequence of moves, rewards, etc. The passage of each stage of the project was presented to the students as passing the stages using the mechanics of gamification. From the above table it can be seen that the first point of the stage of technology for the formation of innovative potential is to perform exercises after familiarization with the theoretical material. Each teacher, in the process of planning educational activities, thinks about its goals and specific tasks: how to repeat, generalize or systematize knowledge on an educational topic, how to consolidate skills, how to generate interest in a topic, in project activities. He selects the necessary material, composes assignments, etc. And this is where many of the teachers fall into a trap: all questions and tasks are reduced to ensuring that the pupil knows and understands the educational material. But today the issue is not so much the transfer of knowledge (ready information) from the teacher to the pupil, but rather to introduce the methods of obtaining it, comprehending and applying it, as a result of which he masters the methods of extracting knowledge necessary for him for further self-development. Educational activities should be designed in such a way that pupils are given the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of the topic being studied, question certain assumptions, correct beliefs and form their own new understanding. This is where Benjamin Bloom’s taxonomy can help educators. The set of exercises is an intellectual simulator, a real creative workshop. It includes different types of innovative capacity building exercises, each complete with stories, examples and questions, as follows: – exercises (Warrior), providing the impetus needed to start bringing the idea to life; aimed at discovering and communicating new ideas, developments and resources available outside the project, contributing to the establishment of external contacts; – exercises (Architect), leading to a single and clear idea of the problem and its possible solution; – exercises (Company worker) to turn plans and concepts into practical workflows that complete large technological solutions by having the necessary breadth of mind; – exercises (Architect), leading to a single and clear idea of the problem and its possible solution;

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Table 3. An example of a case solution using one or more of the forms, methods, techniques of creative thinking and idea generation by a future engineer. Graham Wallace’s theory Graham Wallace’s theory claims that creativity is inextricably linked with human labor, with painstaking work, but at the same time it requires a departure from the problem, switching attention The theory includes 4 stages: 1) Preparation period (Statement of the problem and attempts to solve it); 2) Incubation period (A person puts off solving a problem and does other things, but does not forget the problem); 3) The stage of insight (As a rule, an unexpected finding of a solution); 4) Verification stage (Assessment and refinement of the idea to the mind) Let us consider each stage in more detail using the example of one of the stages of the course work on engineering graphics Introduction In mechanical engineering, various methods are used for the manufacture of parts: casting, forging, stamping, welding, etc. The choice of a manufacturing method depends on the purpose of the part and the mass production of it. The economic factor also plays an important role - it is not advisable to use casting or stamping for the manufacture of piece parts. In order to study the welding process by students and draw up the relevant documentation, the course “Engineering Graphics” provides for the development of a welded part to replace a part made by another method Scope of welding Welding is the main way to obtain permanent joints. In mass production, automatic welding is used, and for single-unit production, manual arc welding is used. For the manufacture of welded structures, parts manufactured in accordance with GOST are used. These “parts” are called assortment, and it includes rolled products of various sections (square, round, etc.), pipes, cast and forged blanks (see Fig. 1)

Purpose and task (continued)

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Graham Wallace’s theory Purpose: replacement of a cast part with a welded assembly unit that performs the same functions. Task: to develop a welded assembly unit taking into account manufacturability and a complete set of design documentation (see Fig. 2).

Progress 1) Problem statement It is necessary to replace the cast part shown in the figure with a welded part. At the first stage, we need to break it down into its component parts and select the appropriate assortment. However, here we are faced with several problems, which will be discussed below (see Fig. 3).

(continued)

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Table 3. (continued) Graham Wallace’s theory And what exactly is the problem? In accordance with manufacturability, we must simplify the design as much as possible, and the number of assembly operations should be minimal. The first thing that immediately catches our eye is the U-shaped “arc”. There is no such standard product, so you need to somehow make it (see Fig. 4).

And also the surface marked in green is “alarming”: it rises above the main plane, while it has threaded holes, which are very important for assembling the main product. This form is also not included in any GOST. 1) Switch to other problems After tormented in thought for several days, the authors of this work took a forced break due to a serious breakdown of the laptop and the purchase of a new one. By this time, they were able to come up with only not the simplest solutions to the problems that had arisen. In the first case, it was initially decided to weld three plates in the form of the letter “P”, and in the second - to replace the “plate” of a complex shape with a simple rectangular one. 1) Illumination At some point, the authors have an insight that a U-shaped part can be made from a single piece of steel. It is simply enough to bend it on a special machine. In the second case, it is enough to simply make the main plate thicker by the amount of the protrusion of the surface, which we considered earlier. 2) Verification stage In our case, the verification stage is a manufacturability analysis. In the first case, we reduce the number of operations performed: we weld only one part, we need to prepare for welding, again, only one part. By reducing the number of welding operations, we avoided excessive heating of the metal, which would result in the appearance of additional stresses in the material and a decrease in structural strength. In the second case, due to cutting off a thicker plate, we also obtained a decrease in the number of welding operations, while the operations for preparing the main plate remained the same as if we had left it with its original thickness (see Fig. 5). (continued)

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Graham Wallace’s theory

– exercises (Company worker) to turn plans and concepts into practical workflows that complete large technological solutions by having the necessary breadth of mind; – exercises (Architect), leading to a single and clear idea of the problem and its possible solution; – exercises (Company worker) to turn plans and concepts into practical workflows that complete large technological solutions by having the necessary breadth of mind; – exercises (Explorer), identifying places for collecting information, the collection of information itself and understanding the problem from a pragmatic point of view; evaluate ideas and proposals so that balanced decisions can be made; aimed at finding flaws and shortcomings in proposals for solving the problem; – exercises (Judge) to facilitate decision making; – exercises (Artist) aimed at generating new solutions; – forms, methods, techniques (Heraclitus) for the development of innovative potential. Exercises can be conditionally divided into two classes: Exercises aimed at activating innovative imagination and fantasy, overcoming the psychological inertia of thinking and cognitive-psychological barriers; Exercises to generate innovative ideas and improve the efficiency of solving creative problems. The exercises of the first class are mainly used to develop the components of innovative imagination and thinking: flexibility, originality, switchability of attention, memory, etc. The exercises of the second class allow you to get fantastic ideas by purposefully transforming the initial situation. All exercises are challenging. They are aimed at solving a problem situation. The discussion takes place in the form of a brainstorming session. Communicators exchange views on the proposed topic. Arising disagreements are fixed on paper. After the end of

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the discussion, each communicant expresses his opinions on solving the problem situation, one of the communicants writes them down on paper. The task of the communicant is to write down all possible solutions to the problem problem. After all the solutions are written down in detail on paper, one of the communicants invites other communicators to single out those that they consider the most important from the point of view of the problem situation or topic being discussed, and those that will be confirmed in the text. The proposed versions of solving the problematic task are discussed, the most successful ones are selected from the point of view of the communicators, and why these versions are successful are discussed. The teacher can offer to classify judgments, combine them into different groups, naming the basis of the classification, that is, independently structure judgments. The communicant can use key words or phrases that help to bring thinking beyond the usual framework through their forced combination. The expression of the essence of the idea through the claims, which, with any complexity, describes the object, as a rule, consists of one sentence and includes: – Name of the proposed object; – The pre-distinctive part (that is, the common thing that unites the proposed object with its analogue and prototype); – Purpose (usually stated in a very standard and general way); – A distinctive part (that is, the features that make up the significant differences between the proposed object from analogues and the prototype, the implementation of which implies a positive effect). The communicant gets acquainted with the algorithm for forming the choice of a problem task and a creative solution. For students, the course “Creative Thinking and Idea Generation” was developed in the LMS MOODLE system [https://lms.spbstu.ru/course/view.php?id=14786] and is intended for conducting classes with students of all directions undergraduate and graduate programs of the Polytechnic University, being a generalization of the practice of conducting classroom classes and organizing independent work of students since 2021. In the Creative Thinking and Idea Generation course, students learn how to create a new, personal creative product, deviating from the usual patterns. To achieve the effect of innovative orientation, it is necessary: – To create in educational activity a background of centrifugal, open to the field of metaknowledge (including knowledge other than a narrow specialty) supercritical (allowing only benevolent, developing criticism) interaction that contributes to the disclosure and development of human creative abilities; – Reorganize the educational process, during which a person becomes a creator, and the main educational material - a means to achieve a creative goal; – Conduct additional material, including heuristic strategies, tactics, techniques, techniques that allow a person to dramatically increase the efficiency of creative activity. Such an organization of activity contributes to the immersion of a person in the cognitive process and allows the transition from reproductive to innovative activity. The achievement of a creative goal in any productive human activity, in essence, is a solution to some problem, task, idea (in general, a project) and is carried out in the process and according to the laws of design.

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The proposed technology for the formation of innovative potential is based on conceptual design as one of the ways to solve any problem, including educational. All types of knowledge and information generated by the system of science and the education system for various industries and collectively representing metaknowledge are interconnected, and these systems, like communicating vessels, “feed” each other, namely: 1) analysis, synthesis and selection of primary (general and private) human needs; 2) analysis, synthesis and selection of secondary (technically realizable) human needs; 3) analysis, synthesis and selection of functions of the designed technical system (TS); 4) analysis, synthesis and selection of consumer (external) properties and parameters of the designed technical system; 5) analysis, synthesis and selection of the functional structure of the designed technical system; 6) analysis, synthesis and choice of the operating principle of the designed technical system; 7) analysis, synthesis and choice of constructive and technological solution of the designed technical system; 8) optimization of the parameters of the designed technical system. A student in the specialty of any industry goes to the implementation of a specific creative goal according to the laws of design - in stages (from top to bottom), using the capabilities of modern open information and educational environments (for free access to information from different industries) and cyberspace - a virtual representation of the world (for the phased formation at various levels of abstraction of the problem, task, idea, project). At the same time, a person reveals new knowledge, which replenishes metaknowledge. The functional approach and the use of various levels of abstraction allow a person to overcome numerous psychological barriers of thinking. Together with heuristic strategies, tactics, methods and techniques, a person, using traditional educational material (which he studies with increased interest), quickly finds many high-quality alternatives to achieve his goal. Note that such an implementation of the innovative orientation of learning allows us to call it projective, and not only because the project is used as a teaching method, but most importantly, because learning itself is a means of creating and implementing any project that has a life, but not just educational meaning for a person. Unlike mass education, it becomes personalized. The proposed technology for the formation of the innovative potential of future engineers by gamification mechanics requires the creation of information resources that include knowledge about various industries (meta-knowledge). Moreover, along with reproductive knowledge about the objects of study (we remind you that the learning process is implemented as the process of designing these objects), information resources should include the so-called productive knowledge that generates new knowledge that indicates the most likely ways of qualitative improvement of the objects of study (design). The creation of bases of sectoral reproductive and intersectoral productive knowledge requires the cooperation of specialists from various industries. However, at the same time, the resulting effect is cooperative due to the elimination of intersectoral (interdisciplinary) barriers and the possibility of using the knowledge of different industries to solve a specific creative goal. The bases of productive knowledge are replenished by the person himself in the process of learning and solving creative problems, conducting

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a global functional-physical analysis of the objects of study (design) using a special methodology. Education based on the technology of forming innovative potential ceases to be only a learning activity that takes place in educational institutions in specially organized conditions. It becomes a component of any productive activity that occurs throughout the entire active life of the individual, thereby acting as a form of its continuous education. The technology is based on an algorithm for generating creative ideas called INNOVATOR. Each letter of the mnemonic abbreviation NOVATOR denotes an independent stage in the creation of an innovative idea: N - Concept, O - Development, V - Unity, A - Analysis, T - Difficulties, O - Results, P - Implementation. These concepts define actions, each of which is a logical continuation of the previous one. Like any project activity, the methodology for developing a person’s ability to purposefully and effectively go beyond his limits of reproductive activity requires a clear sequence of stages and steps. The algorithm for forming the choice of a problematic task and a creative solution consists of seven steps (Table 4). This algorithm will help you navigate among the chaotic and spontaneous flow of thoughts, minimize human efforts in creating a truly creative idea. Each of the steps of the algorithm solves its own problem, and together they form a non-standard solution and a plan for implementing a person’s idea. It is possible to use individual steps to solve individual tasks. Step 1 - Concept. At this stage, it is necessary to highlight the initial idea with which the student will begin to work and which will underlie his project. The problem is considered from different angles. A person needs to collect as much information as possible that correlates with his problem. Step 2 - Development. The person begins to generate the first ideas. At this stage, quantity is important, not quality. At this stage, there is no room for logic or criticism. The task of this stage is to set out ideas about what a person wants to embody in his life. Step 3 - Unity. At this stage, a person needs to be given the opportunity to intertwine, complement, reinforce each other. Step 4 - Analysis. At this stage, a person will make a list of promising ideas and select the best ones. Step 5 - Difficulties. At this stage, the learner overcomes limiting beliefs. Step 6 - Results in the technology of creative activity - this is the stage where you can and should relax. A person comes to this stage with a certain set of ideas. It’s time to take a break and gain strength before the final push. Step 7 - Embodiment - the final stage of the technology of creative activity. At this stage, the representation of a person is realized. Each of the 7 blocks contains questions, answering which the student will work out a creative idea. Under each question, the answer to which the student needs to write down. Examples of responses from three completely different people are presented. They will help the student set the course of thought. The answers of these people are just a direction in which one can think and think and which can be used as a guide. The first stage of the algorithm for forming the choice of a problematic task and a creative solution is the “Concept”, at this stage the direction of all subsequent work is set, while the task is considered from all sides, questions are asked. The task of a person

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at this stage is to collect as much information as possible. This will allow a person to at least avoid repeating other people’s mistakes, and as a maximum, it will help to find the initial idea with which a person will start working. After the person has decided on the concept, we proceed to the next stage of the algorithm for forming the choice of a problem task and a creative solution - “Development”. At this stage there is no room for logic or criticism. The process of generating ideas begins. No matter how wild, funny, strange, absurd and crazy they may seem, none of them should be dismissed outright. Don’t dismiss possible solutions just because they don’t seem right for the task. At this stage, quantity is important, not quality. Formulate many ideas using different techniques and methods for generating creative ideas. The third step of the algorithm for forming the choice of a problematic task and an innovative solution is “Unity”. At this stage, a person’s ideas reach their creative maximum. A person collects random thoughts, unrelated ideas, objects, events and forcibly combines them into unique combinations. Elements from areas far from each other will allow a person to formulate extraordinary ideas - completely different concepts are taken and forcibly combined. After the “Unity” stage, we proceed to the “Analysis of ideas”. At this stage, a list of the most promising thoughts is compiled and the best ones are selected. In the process of working on ideas, you can notice those that have no chance. They need to be weeded out. Others, on the contrary, will play more brightly. The final step of the algorithm is “Difficulties”. In order to achieve this goal, consider the difficulties that a person may encounter along the way. One of these difficulties can be compliance with deadlines or an emergency mode of operation. When force majeure circumstances that could not be foreseen in advance intervene in the matter, there is, as they say, no comment. If objectively time is too severely limited, or there are too many tasks, or both, then you have to act in an emergency mode, which in itself is not a beneficial environment for creativity. Deadline as a factor influencing creativity is somewhere between perfectionism and time pressure. Delivering a project within a strictly limited time limits human thinking and negatively affects the decision-making process. “Incarnation” is the final stage of the algorithm for forming the choice of a problem task and an innovative solution. The pilot study was conducted at the Polytechnic University from 2022 to 2023. Throughout the study, 316 people took part, including 4 teachers and 312 students. The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of the pedagogical conditions described above, as well as to test in practice the technology for forming the innovative potential of engineering students, which allows us to trace the stages of formation of the innovative potential of future engineers. The first stage of experimental work is a stating experiment. The purpose of the ascertaining experiment is to determine the level of formation of innovative potential among students. Testing was carried out in the control (154 people) and experimental groups (158 people), respectively. The sample is homogeneous in terms of age and gender. The criteria for assessing the innovative potential of future engineers were the following indicators: Intelligent innovative criteria:

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Table 4. Algorithmic prescription for choosing a problem and finding an innovative solution. Step 1. Concept

Stage I. Preparatory Acquaintance of the student with the theory of innovative activity Problem selection Traditional student activities

Innovative actions of the student

Gets acquainted with the topic, theoretical material

- Highlights the initial idea with which a person will start working and which will underlie his project - The problem is considered from different angles -Gathering as much information as possible that correlates with his problem

Step 2. Development

- Generation of first ideas - A statement of the idea of what a person wants to embody in his life - Representation by a person of the possibility for ideas to intertwine, complement, reinforce each other - Making a list of promising ideas and choosing the best ones

Step 3. Unity Step 4. Analysis Step 5. Difficulties

Overcoming limiting beliefs by students

Step 6. Results

Stage II. Procedural Proposal of an innovative solution - Proposing a non-standard solution to the problem

Step 7 Embodiment

Implementation of portfolio items: - Drawing up an individual roadmap; - Case solution using one of the forms, methods, techniques of creative thinking and idea generation; - Development of digital storytelling (group discussion of information) associated with a visual presentation of the project (visualization) Stage III. Final (evaluative) Self-assessment and teacher assessment

– elaboration (the ability to ennoble the idea, expand the idea); – productivity (fluency) (the ability to generate an array of ideas; not one, but several relevant non-standard solutions, flow (fluency) of thought); – originality (the ability to put forward a non-standard idea, deviate from the obvious, generally accepted); – flexibility (the ability to move from one thought to another, the ability to make decisions and overcome difficulties in the process of implementing the author’s project, a variety of types of ideas, the ability to direct thought in a roundabout way);

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Individual innovative criteria: – ability to act (ability to act in unstructured conditions (time limit, lack of resources); – structuredness (complexity) (the ability to put in order the disordered); – metaphorical (the ability to connect things that are different at first glance, the ability to build mental images); – curiosity (show interest in puzzles, the ability to find a way out of confusing situations, following a premonition); – multidimensionality (the ability to see related areas of application of the finished product); – effectiveness (the ability to bring the project to its logical conclusion). Based on the application of the criteria, the levels identified as a result of the analysis were measured, namely: reproductive, variable, productive. An analysis of the results of pedagogical influences showed a change in the levels of formation of innovative potential by future engineers: the number of respondents at the reproductive level significantly decreased (by 19%), the number of respondents at the variable (by 7%) and productive (12%) levels increased. During the experiment, the following diagnostic methods were used: – a modified and adapted version of a set of creative tests by F. Williams, CAP (intellectual innovative potential). It consists of three parts. The first part, the Divergent Thinking Test, requires 20–25 min to complete the twelve suggested drawings. Method of carrying out group (this test is aimed at measuring the intellectual component associated with innovative potential). – The second part of the CAP test set is the Personal Innovative Characteristics Questionnaire; the questionnaire consists of 50 statements, its tasks are closed-type tasks with multiple choice of answers. The questionnaire is aimed at self-assessment of those personality traits that are closely related to innovative potential. Future engineers fill it out on their own. The third part of the set is aimed at identifying an expert opinion on the innovative manifestations of future engineers. This trend allows a comparative analysis of all three parts of the CAP test suite. The diagnostics of the structural components of creativity was carried out: intellectual, individual, emotional, social, and their intercorrelation analysis was performed. The purpose of the training experiment was to introduce into practice the technology of forming the innovative potential of engineering students by gamification mechanics. The control group was trained as usual. In the control group, only diagnostics were performed. In the experimental group using the technology of forming innovative potential. The purpose of the control experiment was to record the result of the introduction of technology for the formation of the innovative potential of future engineers by gamification mechanics in the experimental group and compare the indicators with the control group. Based on the results of the control experiment, the analysis and systematization of the data obtained from the study were carried out.

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4 Results and Discussions At the stage of the ascertaining experiment, the result was analyzed and showed a rather low level of innovative potential in both groups for all indicators. At the stage of the learning experiment at the end of the academic year, intermediate studies of the level of creativity in the control and experimental groups were carried out, which revealed the relative stability of the level of innovative potential in the control group and positive dynamics in the experimental group. At the stage of the control experiment, clear improvements in the creativity indicators of future engineers of the experimental group and a consistently low result in the control group were revealed. After training in the technology of forming innovative potential, future engineers are able to correctly identify the target audience and identify its needs; ready to independently conduct research on professional activities; put forward and develop conceptual, experimental and innovative ideas; choose the appropriate tools for solving engineering problems. The use of various methods for evaluating the effectiveness of engineering products developed within the framework of educational activities by the participants of the experimental group, including traditional surveys, portfolios, showed a high level of effectiveness of the products created by future engineers in accordance with the perception of the target audience. The results obtained in the course of the pilot study show the effectiveness of the introduction of technology for the formation of innovative potential and the positive impact of pedagogical conditions on the process of professional training of future engineers. In the light of current realities, innovative potential is becoming one of the key professional qualities of an engineer demanded by employers. Before the alma mater becomes the task of training engineers with a high ability to innovate and the ability to create an innovative product. The formation of the student’s innovative potential is complementary to the holistic educational process in the alma mater, aimed at mastering the forms, methods, techniques of aestheticizing the world around, its moral and valuebased cultural context. It has been established that the introduction of technology for the formation of innovative potential into the educational process depends on a complex of pedagogical conditions. Important components of the technology of forming innovative potential are forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic prescription aimed at developing indicators of innovation. The results obtained in the course of the pilot study show the effectiveness of the introduction of technology for the formation of innovative. The hypothesis of the study was confirmed, according to which the process of forming the innovative potential of engineering students by gamification mechanics will be effective if: to substantiate the innovative potential of future engineers from the position of labor market requirements that correspond to the realities of professional activity; identify and describe the indicators that make up the innovative potential of the future engineer as a professionally significant quality of his personality; observe the pedagogical conditions for the formation of the innovative potential of future engineers; use in the educational process a complex of forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic prescriptions, which form the basis of the technology for the formation of the innovative potential of the professional training of future engineers.

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The nature of the obtained results of the study makes it possible to effectively use the technology of forming the innovative potential of a future engineer in the development of educational and methodological complexes, author’s courses.

5 Conclusions and Pedagogical Recommendations The nature of the obtained research results allows the effective use of this technology in the training of engineers at various levels of university education, including in the system of additional education, as well as in the development of author’s programs, educational and methodological complexes; with a certain degree of adaptation, the technology of forming the innovative potential of engineering students by gamification mechanics in the conditions of university education can be applied in related fields, as well as in those areas where professional activity in the field of engineering requires a high level of innovative thinking within the framework of project activities. The future engineer needs to decide how to solve specific innovative problems in the field of engineering, but also to form a moral and value model of the world through visual images and cultural meanings embedded in them. The innovation of future engineers is a professionally significant personality trait, which includes a number of indicators (fluency, originality, flexibility, metaphor, structuredness, multidimensionality, effectiveness). The effectiveness of the process of forming the innovative potential of future engineers is ensured under the following pedagogical conditions: increasing the general cultural level of future engineers in order to strengthen the cultural component of professional competence; formation of motivation for project self-realization of future engineers; the orientation of the educational process to stimulate the student to achieve the final result of the educational task being performed; introduction of a bonus system in order to recognize and encourage the success of a future engineer; carrying out practiceoriented work with a real project; the sequence of studying forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic prescription, for solving professional problems, the orientation of the educational process to stimulate the student to achieve the final result of the educational task being performed; introduction of a bonus system in order to recognize and encourage the success of a future engineer; carrying out practice-oriented work with a real project; the sequence of studying forms, techniques, methods, techniques, strategies, algorithmic prescription, for solving professional problems. The development of the innovative potential of future engineers by gamification mechanics in the context of university education in the process of professional training in higher education is implemented through the introduction of a functional learning model that includes forms (Graphic and semantic metamorphoses, Lettering, Photoidentities, etc.), methods (Walt Disney Method, Mind Maps, Morphological Box, etc.), learning techniques (“Cubing”, “Inventive Problem Solving Theory”, “Random Stimulus”, “4D Stimulus”, Attention Control Technique “Focus”, Free Association Technique “Associative Experiment”, “Foresight” Decision Making Technique, “Creative Diary” Freewriting Technique, “SCAMPER” Brainstorming, Six Hats Technique, Eye-tracking, etc.), aimed at developing indicators of innovation. The study also made it possible to outline the vector of further research in line with the stated issues. We see further directions of research in line with the chosen problem in the search for new forms, techniques,

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methods, strategies, algorithmic prescriptions aimed at forming the innovative potential of students by gamification mechanics, a larger sample of subjects and longitudinal research, taking into account the characteristics of the university, the specifics of the specialty, which will allow us to trace the development of the declared parameters in dynamics and use a wider range of statistical methods.

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Gamification in Teaching Foreign Languages to Economics Students: A Case Study Artyom Zubkov(B) Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management, 56 Kamenskaya Street, Novosibirsk 630099, Russian Federation [email protected]

Abstract. This case study takes a deep dive into the implementation of gamification in foreign language instruction for economics students, underlining its significant potential in escalating student engagement, motivation, and consequent learning outcomes. The research serves as tangible evidence of enhanced language skills following the introduction of gamification, thereby underscoring the effectiveness of game-based learning activities in a higher education context. The investigation reveals that gamification techniques not only amplify student participation but also create meaningful and relevant contexts for language application, an aspect particularly advantageous for economics students who are often more attuned to numeric and analytic thinking. Despite the promising implications of gamification, the research does not shy away from the challenges that accompany its application. It carefully scrutinizes issues such as the considerable time and effort required for preparation, the need to strike a balance between the educational and playful aspects of gamification, maintaining fairness in competition, and the diverse impacts on students with varying learning styles and proficiencies. This study contributes to the evolving discourse on gamification in education. It opens up new avenues for future studies to further examine the long-term impacts of gamification, to understand the equilibrium between competition and cooperation in a gamified learning environment, and to explore the differential effects of gamification on learners with different characteristics. Overall, this study propels the conversation on gamification in education forward, paving the way for more effective and inclusive teaching strategies. Keywords: Second Language · Economics Education · Student Motivation · Student Engagement · Language Proficiency · Case Study · Professional Foreign Language Competence

1 Introduction 1.1 Background of Study As our world becomes increasingly interconnected and global economies intermingle more than ever, mastering foreign languages has shifted from being a beneficial trait to a critical necessity for students studying economics. The field of economics, by its very © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 D. Bylieva and A. Nordmann (Eds.): PCSF 2023, LNNS 829, pp. 297–313, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48016-4_21

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nature, transcends national borders. Having proficiency in a foreign language provides students with a more profound understanding of the international economic milieu, paves the way for cross-border collaborations, and grants access to a wider spectrum of data and research [1, 2]. Consequently, cultivating strong proficiency in foreign languages among economics students has become increasingly paramount. Historically, the instruction of foreign languages has leveraged a fusion of methodologies such as the Grammar-Translation, Direct, and Audio-lingual techniques, among others [3, 4]. However, the recent era has seen an uptick in the use of inventive and immersive learning strategies that complement these conventional methods. One emergent trend in this vein is ‘gamification’, defined as the incorporation of gaming elements within non-gaming scenarios [5]. Regardless of the clear necessity of proficiency in foreign languages and the inspiring progression of pedagogical techniques, hurdles remain. Predominant roadblocks in foreign language acquisition often comprise a deficit of motivation, the daunting task of language mastery, and a void of an enticing and supportive learning milieu [6, 7]. These obstacles can be particularly stark among economics students, who frequently prioritize specialized learning over language development. Given these conditions, there is an urgent requirement to investigate fresh, captivating instructional methods that can bolster foreign language instruction for economics students. The focus of this manuscript is to probe into the efficacy of gamification as an educational instrument in this particular context, anchored by a case study. 1.2 Importance of Gamification in Education In the pursuit of methodologies that deliver both captivating and effective learning experiences, educators and scholars are increasingly exploring the concept of gamification. This progressive approach, which draws on the immersive aspects of gaming to enrich learning encounters, is delineated as the inclusion of gaming components within nongaming environments [8, 9]. Over the past ten years, gamification has garnered significant acclaim in numerous fields, with education serving as a paramount application area [10]. The rationale behind this method is to channel the inherent motivation and engagement that games organically elicit, integrating these elements into a scholastic setting. Gaming facets such as scores, accolades, leaderboards, tasks, and characters can be woven into instructional processes to stimulate proactive learning, boost learner enthusiasm, and encourage teamwork [11, 12]. The advantages of gamification in educational contexts are abundant. It infuses a sense of enjoyment into the learning journey, thereby elevating learner involvement and drive [13, 14]. This heightened engagement can catalyze enhanced educational outcomes as learners become more invested in their educational pursuits. Additionally, gamification offers immediate feedback, assisting students in recognizing their standing in the learning trajectory and identifying areas for improvement. Employing gamification in foreign language instruction opens up unique prospects. It can establish a backdrop for purposeful communication, often lacking in conventional language instruction techniques. Through the use of settings, role enactments, or adventures, students can utilize the foreign language in a mock real-world situation, amplifying their language proficiency [15, 16]. Furthermore, game-based learning environments can alleviate anxiety related to language learning, cultivating a more welcoming and relaxed ambiance that

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expedites language mastery [17]. Gamification presents an array of promising pathways to augment foreign language teaching and learning [18]. However, its efficacy warrants empirical investigation, with meticulous focus on aspects like student motivation, educational outcomes, and the totality of the learning experience. 1.3 Purpose and Research Questions This study seeks to critically examine the efficacy of gamification as a teaching strategy for foreign language instruction targeted at economics students. The chosen environment for this study is the renowned Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management, recognized for its rigorous economics curriculum. The research aims to shed light on the potential benefits of gamification in augmenting foreign language proficiency specifically among economics students, leveraging a real-world academic context. The study will be steered by the following guiding queries: 1. What is the effect of incorporating gamification in foreign language education on student motivation? 2. How does gamification affect the foreign language capabilities of NSUEM’s economics students? 3. In comparison to conventional teaching approaches, how does gamification influence student involvement in foreign language studies? 4. What are the students’ views regarding the inclusion of game-based components in their foreign language learning journey? 5. Does the introduction of game-based tasks amplify students’ aptitude to employ foreign language proficiency in contexts related to economics? 6. Is there a variance in the impact of distinct gaming elements (scores, rewards, leaderboards) in fostering students’ language abilities? 7. How does gamification contribute to long-term retention of knowledge in foreign language studies among students? 8. Does the utilization of game-infused teaching strategies alleviate anxiety related to foreign language learning among economics students? 9. How does gamification shape collaborative learning dynamics within the foreign language classroom? 10. What are educators’ perspectives on the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing gamification in foreign language education for economics students? By addressing these questions, this research aims to provide a thorough exploration of the role gamification plays in enriching foreign language teaching, with a specific focus on economics education.

2 Methods 2.1 Setting and Participants The backdrop for this research is the distinguished Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management (NSUEM), situated in Novosibirsk, the third most populous city in Russia. NSUEM is highly acclaimed for its intensive and comprehensive economics curriculum, drawing a global student base [19]. As part of their educational

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requirements aimed at boosting their global acumen and job prospects, economics students at NSUEM undertake foreign language learning. NSUEM’s student body is a mosaic of individuals hailing from an array of cultural and linguistic origins, each possessing varying degrees of previous foreign language competence. The study involved 76 students enrolled in the “Professional Foreign Language” course at NSUEM. The students varied in age, predominantly ranging from 18 to 24 years old. Regarding the gender composition, 64% of the students were female. Additionally, the students came from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and cultural groups. While they were primarily Russian, the study also included citizens of Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan. All the students were future economists, but they specialized in various fields of economics, such as international business, customs payments, finance and credit, enterprise economics, and information technologies in business. The level of English proficiency varied, but all students had a basic knowledge of English. The level of foreign language proficiency was also measured using a standardized comprehensive language test, with most students having an Intermediate (B1) level of foreign language proficiency according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Most of them were motivated to learn a foreign language, but some were not, as studying a professional foreign language is mandatory for students of all fields of study at NSUEM. Nevertheless, the majority had a positive attitude towards the game elements of learning based on their previous experience with foreign language learning. 2.2 Gamification Approach Used Regarding the specific practical application of gamification, a student activity structure has been designed for the NSUEM students studying a professional foreign language – a document that guides various educational activities throughout the semester. This strategy constitutes a weekly plan of different learning and assessment elements, into which gamification components have been integrated – role play, case studies, interactive quizzes, and business correspondence. The student activity structure also indicates student academic rating points, the acquisition of which affects the exam grade in the discipline. An example of a student activity structure is presented in Fig. 1. 1) Role-plays: students were engaged in faux scenarios demanding the usage of the foreign language. They might be assigned tasks like discussing an international trade agreement or debating an economic policy in a simulated United Nations forum. This approach provided students the opportunity to practice and refine their verbal skills while familiarizing themselves with relevant economic terminology. Here is an example of a role play task: The management team at Wrigley meet to discuss a new product in chewing gum. Form two groups and decide on a new gum, its market and its advertising image. Group 1: You want to create a gum that gives you energy. Think of the market (drivers, students, office workers etc.), think of a name and an advertising phrase. Present it to the other group and take questions. Group 2: You want to create a gum that helps you to relax. Think of the market (stressed, too much energy, over excited, etc.), think of a name and an advertising phrase. Present it to the other group and take questions.

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Fig. 1. Student activity structure for students majoring in International Business

2) Case Studies: problem-solving tasks, modeled on real-world economic issues, were introduced as a game-oriented learning tool. The students, divided into groups, had to resolve these challenges using the foreign language. A points-based reward system was employed, with points awarded based on the quality of the analysis, language utilization, and presentation abilities. An example of a case study demonstration is shown in Fig. 2. Here is a short example of a case study task: You are a fast-growing company operating in the manufacturing sector. The company works in Novosibirsk but has enough resources and experience to expand. Your goal is to open a branch, for example, in Ekaterinburg, Krasnodar or Moscow. Hold on a business meeting to choose the location of your new office and a candidate who can manage it. 3) Interactive Quizzes: periodic quizzes, both online and in the classroom, were conducted using platforms like Kahoot! This strategy served the dual purpose of revising previously learned material and injecting a sense of competition. Leaderboards were displayed to share scores, fostering a healthy competitive environment. Examples of organizing interactive quizzes are demonstrated in Figs. 3 and 4. 4) Language Flashcards: an online flashcard system was established using Quizlet, where students could accrue points for correctly recalling and applying economic vocabulary in the foreign language. This promoted repetitive learning, a critical element for vocabulary retention. An example of a language flashcard on the topic “Promotion tools” is shown in Fig. 5.

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Fig. 2. Case study “Where to expand”

Fig. 3. Interactive quiz on promotional tools

Fig. 4. Online interface of interactive quiz

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Fig. 5. Online language flashcard of the term “word-of-mouth advertising”

5) Business Correspondence: in working with business correspondence in foreign language classes, students receive a memorandum in which they get instructions from their imaginary supervisor or colleague. The student is required to assume the role of a company employee and write an improvised business letter in accordance with the structure and content of the assignment. An example of a business letter assignment and the structure of a written business letter are presented in Figs. 6 and 7, respectively.

Fig. 6. Memorandum for business correspondence task

6) Point-based Ranking System: a merit-based system was integrated into the discipline “Professional Foreign Language”. Points were awarded to students for active class participation, assignment completion, performance in game-oriented activities, and demonstrated improvement in language proficiency. These points factored into their final grading, introducing a gamification element to the overall course evaluation. Through the implementation of these diverse gamification strategies, the aim was to establish a vibrant and stimulating learning atmosphere that motivates students and enhances their professional foreign language competence.

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Fig. 7. Business correspondence structure

2.3 Data Collection Methods Data for this research was gathered employing a blend of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to gain a comprehensive grasp of the efficacy of gamification in foreign language acquisition for NSUEM’s economics students: Language Proficiency Assessments: Standardized language tests were conducted prior to and following the introduction of gamified teaching strategies to gauge the progression in students’ professional foreign language competence. These examinations evaluated students’ abilities in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in the foreign language. Surveys: At three different junctures during the academic year - the commencement, midpoint, and conclusion - online surveys were issued to the students. The goal was to ascertain students’ motivational levels, attitudes towards the foreign language, views on the gamified teaching methods, and self-evaluated language enhancement. Interactive Discussions: A select group of students and educators participated in semi-structured discussions, providing rich qualitative data regarding their experiences and observations on the integration of gamification into language instruction. Classroom Observations: Observational data was collected by researchers from several class sessions to directly assess student involvement, collaboration, and practical application of the foreign language in an authentic classroom environment during gamified activities.

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Academic Performance: Lastly, information pertaining to students’ academic performance, including assignment scores, involvement in gamified activities, and progression over time, were obtained from the course management system. This multi-pronged approach aimed to provide a comprehensive view of the influence of gamification on foreign language instruction among NSUEM’s economics students.

3 Results 3.1 Reception and Usage of Gamification On the whole, students responded positively to the gamification strategies. Both interviews and self-administered surveys indicated that students were engaged and motivated by the gamified tasks. Role-playing scenarios and case studies emerged as the most appreciated and beneficial among the gamified initiatives. The competitive edge introduced through leaderboards and point-rating mechanisms seemed to boost students’ motivation, with about 72% of students expressing an increased eagerness to engage and excel in these activities. The data gathered from classroom observations corroborated these sentiments, as educators reported an increase in active student involvement, genuine engagement with tasks, and favorable interactions during gamified activities. 3.2 Student Performance and Language Learning Progress The foreign language proficiency of the students improved significantly, as evidenced by the comparison of test scores before and after the application of gamification techniques. Table 1 below encapsulates these findings: Table 1. Pre- and post-gamification test scores. Pre-Gamification Mean Score

Post-Gamification Mean Score

P-value*

Listening

62.4

79.3