Game-based learning of multi-cultural team competencies: The effects of playing BAFÁ BAFÁ on attitudes and skills of future engineers

Learning multi-cultural team competencies is important for engineering students to prepare for an increasingly global workspace. We evaluated the game BAFA BAFA with groups of Master students from varying engineering programmes using a mixed methods approach. The game experience of 118 participants was measured. These participants experienced the game overall positively, although difficulties to understand other players in the game triggered mild stress and confusion. 91respondents also completed questionnaires before and after the game about certain attitudes, skills, and values related to working with people from other cultures: willingness (attitude) and ability (skill) to understand those people; and appreciation (value) of working with them. We used paired t-tests and qualitative analysis to determine the game’s effectiveness: after playing the game the players’ willingness increased significantly (t(90) = 3.6, p=.001), but their ability to do so decreased significantly (t(90) = 3.3, p=.001) and their appreciation remained constant (t(90) = 1.3, p=.195). The qualitative responses supported our quantitative results: after playing the BAFA BAFA game, players were more willing to understand people from other cultures. Moreover, players had become more aware of their own shortcomings in understanding people from other cultures. Finally, the learning effects were likely not caused by a test effect, since the appreciation (value) of working with people from other cultures had not increased after playing the game. We concluded that the BAFA BAFA game is a powerful instrument to embark upon teaching multi-cultural team skills, and therefore, to train more culturally aware engineers.