Implementing an intrinsically integrated game on Newtonian mechanics in the classroom: outcomes in terms of conceptual understanding and transfer

Digital educational games have demonstrated large variations in learning outcomes and transfer. Furthermore, educational games are usually embedded in a larger educational setting. This case study evaluates in detail a lesson around an educational game designed to foster transfer. The game, Newtons Race, is an intrinsically integrated game on Newtonian mechanics. The learning goal of the lesson is understanding and applying the relationship between forces and motion. Outside of the game, lesson activities include a debriefing session, a generalisation assignment, and an assignment on transfer situations. This lesson was evaluated using a mixed-methods approach. A pre-post test design (N=27) demonstrated a large significant learning effect (p = .002, d = .908). Transfer, as measured within the posttest, was also fostered significantly. In the qualitative part of the study, students written statements on the worksheets and students utterances during the discussion were analyzed using open coding. 79 percent Of all quotes were coded as scientifically correct.Comment: 25 pagers, 4 figures, 6 table

Predictors of Flow Experience and Knowledge Acquisition in a STEM Game

Prior work systematically investigating the factors contributing to flow experience and learning in educational games is scarce. The relationship between learners’ acceptance of the game and individual difference variables relevant to game-based learning and learners’ flow experience and learning still needs to be systematically explored. To address the gap in knowledge, the study aimed to systematically examine whether variables of technology acceptance and individual differences relevant to game-based learning may predict flow experience and knowledge acquisition in an educational game. A total of 69 undergraduate students participated in the current study. Results indicated students’ flow experience was predicted by some constructs of technology acceptance, namely, perceived playfulness and perceived attractiveness of the game. Five constructs of technology acceptance of the game, however, did not significantly predict learners’ knowledge acquisition, although the correlation between perceived playfulness and knowledge acquisition from the game approached significance. Prior knowledge was found to be a negative predictor of knowledge acquisition from the game, that is, those with insufficient prior knowledge achieved greater knowledge acquisition from the game. Findings were discussed, and suggestions for future research were provided

The second quantum revolution: designing a teaching-learning activity on the quantum manifesto to futurize science education

Questa tesi è la conclusione di un lavoro all’interno di I SEE (Inclusive STEM Education to Enhance the capacity to aspire and imagine future careers), un progetto europeo Erasmus+ coordinato dall’Università di Bologna e che coinvolge altri sei partner (http://iseeproject.eu). Il mio lavoro ha portato allo sviluppo di un’attività didattica intitolata “Applicazioni e implicazioni dei computer quantistici nella società” che è parte di un modulo I SEE sui computer quantistici. Progetto e attività mirano a contribuite a due dibattiti nella ricerca sull’educazione scientifica: quello sulla didattica STEM e sulla sua posizione in contesti di ricerca, istituzionali e didattici; quello sulla percezione del futuro da parte dei giovani in questo mondo in accelerazione. Il primo capitolo riguarda lo stato dell’arte del dibattito sulla didattica STEM, da un punto di vista sia di ricerca che istituzionale, come modo di affrontare temi chiave che riguardano il rapporto problematico tra scienza e società. Nel secondo capitolo, viene presentato il progetto I SEE e collocato all’interno della ricerca nella didattica STEM. È fornita una descrizione di come tale progetto contribuisce a promuovere lo sviluppo delle cosiddette future-scaffolding skills e a disegnare un approccio STEM integrato, con una descrizione dei moduli finlandese e italiano sulle tecnologie quantistiche. Il terzo capitolo include la descrizione dell’attività che ho contribuito a sviluppare. Essa è stata costruita per raggiungere diversi obiettivi tra cui guidare gli studenti di scuola secondaria a familiarizzare con la terminologia, le prospettive e i contenuti di documenti istituzionali come il Quantum Manifesto, e rendersi conto delle tante dimensioni coinvolte, riconoscendo dove e come le tecnologie quantistiche potranno essere d’impatto nella vita del singolo. Infine, si discutono i risultati dell’implementazione dell’attività avvenuta a Bologna nel febbraio 2019 con 25 studenti di scuola secondaria

Teaching and learning special relativity theory in secondary and lower undergraduate education: A literature review

This review presents an overview and analysis of the body of research on special relativity theory (SRT) education at the secondary and lower undergraduate level. There is currently a growing international interest in implementing SRT in pre-university education as an introduction to modern physics. For this reason, insights into learning opportunities and challenges in SRT education are needed. The field of research in SRT education is still at an early stage, especially at the level of secondary education, and there is a shortage of empirical evaluation of learning outcomes. In order to guide future research directions, there is a need for an overview and synthesis of the results reported so far. We have selected 40 articles and categorized them according to reported learning difficulties, teaching approaches, and research tools. Analysis shows that students at all educational levels experience learning difficulties with the use of frames of reference, the postulates of SRT, and relativistic effects. In the reported teaching sequences, instructional materials, and learning activities, these difficulties are approached from different angles. Some teaching approaches focus on thought experiments to express conceptual features of SRT, while others use virtual environments to provide realistic visualization of relativistic effects. From the reported teaching approaches, three learning objectives can be identified: to foster conceptual understanding, to foster understanding of the history and philosophy of science, and to gain motivation and confidence toward SRT and physics in general. In order to quantitatively compare learning outcomes of different teaching strategies, a more thorough evaluation of assessment tools is required

Let There Be Dragons! Towards Designing an Engaging Quest that Enhances Curiosity and Learning About Genetics

This study implemented a convergent parallel mixed methods approach to investigate game-based learning within an educational game compared to a modified entertainment game. Participants (N=31) were recruited from public middle and high schools as well as home school groups. Comparative data of participants’ perceptions, preferences and learning outcomes were investigated to inform better educational game design. This study also considers player personality to determine how dispositional curiosity influences an individual’s approach, acceptance, and interaction with novel learning environments, specifically games. Findings show a statistically significant gain in genetics academic knowledge after the game-based learning intervention. The difference in knowledge gained for the two games was not statistically significant. All dimensions of engagement, motivation and curiosity were statistically significantly higher for the modified entertainment game. Increases in scientific curiosity was statistically significantly higher for the modified entertainment game while scientific curiosity statistically significantly decreased after playing the educational game. Qualitative analysis revealed five themes and provided deeper understanding of game design features that enhance learning, curiosity and engagement from the player’s perception. Integration of quantitative and qualitative results suggest overall convergence and enhanced understanding of theoretical and practical implications of this research and identifies key relationships between game design, player perceptions and learning outcomes to inform better educational game design and implementation

A Framework for Understanding the Patterns of Student Reasoning Difficulties in Quantum Mechanics

Compared with introductory physics, relatively little is known about the development of expertise in advanced physics courses, especially in the case of quantum mechanics. Here, we describe a framework for understanding the patterns of student reasoning difficulties and how students develop expertise in quantum mechanics. The framework posits that the challenges many students face in developing expertise in quantum mechanics are analogous to the challenges introductory students face in developing expertise in introductory classical mechanics. This framework incorporates both the diversity in upper-level students' prior preparation, goals, and motivation in general (i.e., the facts that even in upper-level courses, students may be inadequately prepared, have unclear goals, and have insufficient motivation to excel) as well as the "paradigm shift" from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics. The framework is based on empirical investigations demonstrating that the patterns of reasoning, problem-solving, and self-monitoring difficulties in quantum mechanics bear a striking resemblance to those found in introductory classical mechanics. Examples from research in quantum mechanics and introductory classical mechanics are discussed to illustrate how the patterns of difficulties are analogous as students learn to unpack the respective principles and grasp the formalism in each knowledge domain during the development of expertise. Embracing such a framework and contemplating the parallels between the difficulties in these two knowledge domains can enable researchers to leverage the extensive literature for introductory physics education research to guide the design of teaching and learning tools for helping students develop expertise in quantum mechanics

Learning through Games: Essential Features of an Educational Game

This study investigated the following research questions: (1) Do instructional games augment learning? (2) What is the impact of the challenge and fantasy features in instructional games on learning? For the purpose of this study, a game called Humatan was designed to teach human anatomy to high school students based on the Baltimore County Public Schools curriculum. Four different versions of the Humatan game were created: 1. A game with only the challenge feature turned on 2. A game with only the fantasy feature turned on 3. A game with both the challenge and fantasy features turned on 4. A game with challenge and fantasy turned off High school students from Baltimore County Public Schools (n=202) were randomly assigned to play one of the above four versions of the Humatan game after taking a pretest on human anatomy. After playing the game, they also took a posttest and a survey to obtain information related to their Grade Point Average (GPA), Socioeconomic Status (SES), game skillfulness, gender, and the ethnicity. Since there were no existing survey instruments available for measuring game skillfulness, the researcher created a new survey instrument which was validated by the Survey Research Laboratory in the University of Illinois at Chicago. All the four groups showed an improvement in learning, which suggests that instructional games augment learning. Students who played the game version with only the challenge feature turned on (n=48) scored a higher average gain score than the students who played other variations of the game. Analysis of variance showed a main effect of challenge on the gain score, F (3, 198) = 4.71, p = .003. Students who played with only the fantasy feature turned on (n=52) obtained the lowest average gain score. This implies that the challenge feature significantly improved learning and the fantasy feature did not significantly improve learning. The GPA, SES, game skillfulness, gender, and the ethnicity of the students did not show any significant impact on learning