TY - JOUR
T1 - Gaming science: The "Gamification" of scientific thinking
AU - Morris, Bradley J.
AU - Croker, Steve
AU - Zimmerman, Corinne
AU - Gill, Devin
AU - Romig, Connie
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Science is critically important for advancing economics, health, and social well-being in the twenty-first century. A scientifically literate workforce is one that is well-suited to meet the challenges of an information economy. However, scientific thinking skills do not routinely develop and must be scaffolded via educational and cultural tools. In this paper we outline a rationale for why we believe that video games have the potential to be exploited for gain in science education. The premise we entertain is that several classes of video games can be viewed as a type of cultural tool that is capable of supporting three key elements of scientific literacy: content knowledge, process skills, and understanding the nature of science. We argue that there are three classes of mechanisms through which video games can support scientific thinking. First, there are a number of motivational scaffolds, such as feedback, rewards, and flow states that engage students relative to traditional cultural learning tools. Second, there are a number of cognitive scaffolds, such as simulations and embedded reasoning skills that compensate for the limitations of the individual cognitive system. Third, fully developed scientific thinking requires metacognition, and video games provide metacognitive scaffolding in the form of constrained learning and identity adoption. We conclude by outlining a series of recommendations for integrating games and game elements in science education and provide suggestions for evaluating their effectiveness. © 2013 Morris, Croker, Zimmerman, Gill and Romig.
AB - Science is critically important for advancing economics, health, and social well-being in the twenty-first century. A scientifically literate workforce is one that is well-suited to meet the challenges of an information economy. However, scientific thinking skills do not routinely develop and must be scaffolded via educational and cultural tools. In this paper we outline a rationale for why we believe that video games have the potential to be exploited for gain in science education. The premise we entertain is that several classes of video games can be viewed as a type of cultural tool that is capable of supporting three key elements of scientific literacy: content knowledge, process skills, and understanding the nature of science. We argue that there are three classes of mechanisms through which video games can support scientific thinking. First, there are a number of motivational scaffolds, such as feedback, rewards, and flow states that engage students relative to traditional cultural learning tools. Second, there are a number of cognitive scaffolds, such as simulations and embedded reasoning skills that compensate for the limitations of the individual cognitive system. Third, fully developed scientific thinking requires metacognition, and video games provide metacognitive scaffolding in the form of constrained learning and identity adoption. We conclude by outlining a series of recommendations for integrating games and game elements in science education and provide suggestions for evaluating their effectiveness. © 2013 Morris, Croker, Zimmerman, Gill and Romig.
KW - Cognitive development
KW - Metacognition
KW - Motivation
KW - Science education
KW - Scientific reasoning
KW - Technology in education
KW - Video games
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/947afb19-23e6-3e57-8a0d-fd4992834401/
U2 - 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00607
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00607
M3 - Journal Article
C2 - 24058354
SN - 1664-1078
VL - 4
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
JF - Frontiers in Psychology
IS - SEP
ER -