Educational Validity of Business Gaming Simulation - Essay Example

The article finds its significance in the fact that none among the many educational validity studies in the past successfully suggested a guideline for assessing the educational validity of business gaming simulation. Thus, the purpose of the article is revealed that after analyzing various aspects of educational validity, the article will provide a research methodology framework for assessing the educational validity of business gaming simulation. Thus, the introduction is solely aimed at depicting the background that necessitates the study, and also at narrating the outline of the research paper.

Thereafter, a brief explanation is provided about the method used to conduct research, the usual methods section seen in a research paper. The writers point out that the research was conducted ‘using total enterprise simulation’ (Stainton, Johnson & Borodzicz (2010, p. 705). Then, the researchers resort to a brief literature review to show that the assessment of validity is an ongoing issue and that an effective research methodology for business gaming simulation is yet to come. The article also makes the purpose clear that it is aimed at analyzing validity from an educational or learning point of view.

The next section goes deep into the concept of educational validity and finds the two elements; design and implementation as the factors that dictate educational validity.

After that, the article looks into the factors associated with the design of a business gaming simulation, which ranges from ability and bias of the designer, the need for developing a realistic design, the possibility of oversimplification of issues in simulations, the unmatchable complexity of the real business environment, the critical role the facilitator has to play in helping students reflect on what see and learn and so on. Thus, by providing a significantly long list of issues associated with the designing of a business gaming simulation, the researchers go a long way in showing how a perfect business gaming simulation should be.

The next section looks into the other factor in educational validity; that is implementation. The researchers show how a simulation should be implemented. The first point is incorporating practical experience will present real-life problems, thus giving the students a chance to reflect upon what they learned. In addition, they bring in the point that while the ‘learning by doing approach is adopted, there is the need for a facilitator to provide coaching, support and motivation.

The researchers, after analyzing the problems involved in achieving educational validity, move on to developing a methodology framework for assessing the educational validity of a business gaming simulation.  It is pointed out that none of the presently available studies has developed a process for designing, implementing and validating a total enterprise simulation. It is necessary for any research dealing with educational validity to assess the internal educational validity, external educational validity and external representational validity. According to Stainton, Johnson, and Borodzicz (2010, p. 710), internal educational validity means the ability to teach the student the relations in a business environment and external educational validity means the resemblance of the simulation with the real-world environment. If it represents a real-world environment, it has got representational validity.  Three theoretical propositions are made to assess educational validity. According to the first proposition, if the participants understand the causes of their business results, the internal educational validity is evident. According to the second proposition, external representational validity is achieved if participants are able to relate the simulation to the real-world environment. If the simulation changes the attitudes of the participants towards business, it has got external educational validity; the third proposition.

The next section deals with achieving validity and reliability in research instruments. The researchers point out that the research measures should assess data that are generalizable in nature and should state the real state of affairs. For this purpose, different methods ranging from data triangulation, reflective accounts, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and observation are all useful.

According to the researchers, achieving the internal educational validity for design is to make sure that the students learn from the simulations without any influence from other external factors including participants’ attitude, motivation, and team dynamics. The internal educational validity can be assessed through open-ended questions. To assure external educational validity, multiple cases studies, literal replication and theoretical replication are all useful.

Thereafter, in the opinion of the researchers, to achieve reliability, the research should exhibit stability. For this, it is necessary to minimize bias and error. To achieve reliability, related evidence can be collected to use as a database, thus ensuring that the research retains reliability.

Thus, the researchers present the key design aims based on the analysis. The design should care about representation, content and implementation. In the case of representation, a realistic representation of the business environment, reasonably complex nature, and competitive nature are all important. When content is considered, it should be meaningful, multifaceted, developmental, and deep enough to impact the participants. Finally, in the case of implementation, performance-based results, chances for cognitive application of management theory, learning by doing approach, the possibility of enjoyment and reward, dynamic environment are all important.