The Soft Skills Hidden in Educational Escape Experiences for Middle School Students: A Case Study in South Texas, USA

Abstract

Gamification of the classroom motivates students and improves both academic and soft skills. The use of educational escape games as a form of gamification shows potential in developing students’ soft skills such as teamwork, problem solving, and communication skills. This study sought to determine if middle school students engage in similar soft skills experiences while participating in educational escape rooms. An eighth grade English Language Arts teacher and the primary investigator participated in an action research project to design educational escape experiences over the course of eight months for a middle school in South Texas. The goal of the project was to design classroom experiences to engage students in the content curriculum while also encouraging the growth of soft skills (skills such as teamwork and leadership that are desirable and apply across a variety of situations). The research questions guiding this project were: 1) What soft skills do middle school students engage in while participating in an educational escape experience?, 2) How do students engage in the use of these soft skills?, and 3) How can teachers manipulate the escape experience design to include soft skills? Results of the study showed that during educational escape experiences students demonstrated a growth mindset through their motivation to engage in the problem, use of problem-solving skills involving using background knowledge and looking for patterns, and resiliency in completing the challenges. Students believed they could complete the challenges and persisted until the challenge was completed, regardless of beating opponents or winning prizes.

Keywords: escape experiences, soft skills, hidden curriculum, innovative teaching, middle school

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-14-04

Publication date:May 31^st 2020