Classroom digital game integration practices framework: exploring science teachers’ constructivist beliefs and digital game-based learning practices

Abstract Despite growing evidence of the effectiveness of digital game-based learning (DGBL) and the recognised influence of teachers’ pedagogical beliefs on technology integration, research on how constructivist beliefs are enacted in actual classroom DGBL practices is still needed. This study explores how science teachers’ student-centred pedagogical beliefs are enacted in their integration of DGBL within classroom practices. By employing a multiple case study design, five Indonesian high school science teachers were purposively selected based on their strong student-centred orientations and experience with DGBL. Data were gathered through classroom observations, document analysis, and a questionnaire, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings revealed two distinct patterns of DGBL integration practice: parallel practice (where digital games were used primarily for assessment apart from constructivist instruction) and integrated practice (where digital games are seamlessly embedded within constructivist teaching). This study also developed the Classroom Digital Game Integration Practices (CDGIP) framework, which classifies teachers’ DGBL practices into four categories: delivery, supplementary, enhancement, and transformative, based on the pedagogical role of digital games. By applying this framework, the study found that integrated practices align with enhancement and transformative categories, whereas parallel practices remain largely supplementary. While participating teachers espouse strong constructivist beliefs, their actual DGBL implementations vary, indicating that the juxtaposition of beliefs and practice is not always directly reflected in classroom enactment. The findings carry important implications for teacher professional development, highlighting the need for deeper pedagogical training in using digital games to support student-centred learning goals.