Abstract
In this chapter, the authors report on a mobile augmented reality game designed to support serious science learning in a playful, collaborative way. School Scene Investigators: The Case of the Mystery Power immersed eighth grade students in a fictional crime scene investigation at their school. Game-based learning was compared to business-as-usual. In the post-hoc analyses, the authors investigated how individual level factors affected learning. First, girls and boys both learned more during the game, yet boys seemed to experience a slightly bigger impact from the treatment. Second, students from both teachers learned more during gameplay; however, the game seemed to mitigate the novice teacher's inexperience resulting in a teacher effect. Lastly, there is some evidence that treatment varies by prior knowledge; students with lower prior knowledge may have benefited more from the game. This study demonstrates that the non-traditional practice of mobile augmented reality gaming promotes more effective learning than business-as-usual.
TopBackground
People enjoy learning…learning new things makes us feel good. Unfortunately, the way today's schools treat learning, you wouldn't know that learning is supposed to be enjoyable (Gee, 2007). One way to bring joy back to learning is through play; according to Stuart Brown (2009), a contemporary expert on play, the ability to play is critical to being happy and to being a creative, innovative person. Brown (2009) is adamant about the relationship between play and learning—learning is enhanced by play. Unfortunately, in today's society, play is often seen as an unproductive waste of time. To use a famous quote from Mister Rogers (2002), “play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning” (p.47).
Fortunately, we can bring play back to schools. When a learning game is designed effectively, students have a strong perception of playing (Lu & Lien, 2020). The experience afforded by GBL is not only playful but also serious learning. Research has shown that GBL can promote a deeper learning experience than non-game learning (Bressler & Bodzin, 2016; Clark, Tanner-Smith, Hostetler, Fradkin & Polikov, 2018). Games are particularly effective learning environments; students demonstrate higher learning gains in games than in simulations and virtual worlds (Merchant, Goetz, Cifuentes, Keeney-Kennicutt, & Davis, 2014). One might argue that games offer higher learning gains because games are more playful.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Scientific Practices: According to the 2012 report published by the National Research Council, science education should be designed around eight scientific practices—such as asking questions and constructing explanations—as outlined in the report. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has created educational standards designed to support these scientific practices which include more emphasis on higher-order thinking skills, rather than fact memorization.
Quick-Response (QR) Code: Visual markers that are similar to two-dimensional barcodes. When special software is used to scan the marker, digital information connected to the code can be accessed such as a website address.
Augmented Reality: Augmented reality is a technology that overlays digital information on top of a real-world view or object to create a composite view.
Game-Based Learning (GBL): Simply put, games used for educational purposes could be categorized as game-based learning; this is one definition used within this study. However, the term game-based learning is also used to describe the effective learning experienced during gameplay.
21st Century Skills: This set of skills includes critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration. Such skills and expertise are essential for today’s work-life.