Players and thinkers and learners

The stronghold that games have on our society has made it imperative that educators understand the impact that video games can have. Owens (2012) presented two frames for how the press discussed the popular game Spore, which incorporates elements of science topics. One frame suggested that the game teaches children about intelligent design, while the other implied the game merely made students excited about science topics. While this debate is nothing new, having foundations in several theoretical perspectives; educators must identify their own perceptions of video games and how even commercial games can be used as tools for teaching.     

Teaching intelligent design or sparking interest in science? What players do with Will Wright’s Spore

The 2008 commercial video game Spore allowed more than a million players to design their own life forms. Starting from single-celled organisms players played through a caricature of natural history. Press coverage of the game??s release offer two frames for thinking about the implications of the game. Some scientists and educators saw the game as a troubling teacher of intelligent design, while others suggested it might excite public interest in science. This paper explores the extent to which these two ways of thinking about the game are consistent with what players have done with the game in its online community. This analysis suggests that, at least for the players participating in this community, the game has not seduced them into believing in intelligent design. Instead the activities of these players suggest that the game has played a catalytic role in engaging the public with science. These findings indicate that designers of educational games may wish to consider more deeply tensions between prioritizing accuracy of content in educational games over player engagement.     

Passion play: Will Wright and games for science learning

Researchers and instructional designers are exploring the possibilities of using video games to support STEM education in the U.S., not only because they are a popular media form among youth, but also because well-designed games often leverage the best features of inquiry learning. Those interested in using games in an educational capacity may benefit from an examination of the work of video game designer Will Wright. Wright designs through a constructivist lens and his open-ended, sandbox games (SimCity, The Sims, Spore) present wide ??possibility spaces?? that allow players to exercise their critical thinking and problem solving skills. His games invoke a delight in discovery that inspire creative acts and interest-driven learning both during and outside of the game. Finally, he reminds us that failure-based learning is a viable strategy for building expertise and understanding.     

Serious science games, social selves and complex nature of possible selves

Margaret Beier, Leslie Miller, and Shu Wang??s paper, Science games and the development of possible selves examines the effects of game-playing in a serious scientific game on science possible selves identity creation, utilizing a possible selves identification instrument they created. This paper continues the discussion that Beier and colleagues start in the paper by calling into question both the idea that a predictive model of science career choice can be attained by serious science game-playing and the nature of the instrument created and used by Beier and her colleagues to identify participants?? creation of science possible selves. Recommendations include incorporating the idea of possible selves as being complex, dynamic and intertwined with self-concept in interpreting their findings and casting a wider net to capture the phenomena of their participants?? identities and experiences by potentially making use of possible selves identification methodologies from the career training arena.     

Citizen science in digital worlds: the seduction of a temporary escape or a lifelong pursuit?

There is a vast terrain of emerging research that explores recent innovations in digital games, particularly as they relate to questions of teaching and learning science. One such game, Citizen Science, was developed to teach players about the practice of citizen science as well as lake ecology. Citizen science is a pedagogy that has a long history within the scientific community, engaging the public in ongoing community and environmental surveys to collect data for existing small-scale studies. More recently, citizen science has gained traction as an educational context for teaching and learning science in ways that connect to students?? lives and interests. By placing citizen science within the realm of digital worlds, Matthew Gaydos and Kurt Squire invite new possibilities for knowledge to become more kinetic, moving in multiple directions. In this article we discuss some of the tensions we experienced as we explored the digital game, Citizen Science. We highlight questions about narrative and complexity, emergent game play and transfer to encourage thinking about the development and implementation of games such as Citizen Science.     

Towards multidimensional approaches to early childhood science education

In this forum paper, I respond to issues raised by Kristina Andersson and Annica Gullberg in their article titled What is science in preschool and what do teachers have to know to empower children? (2012). I seek to continue the discussion begun with Andersson and Gullberg’s paper, by further exploring the questions they introduce to guide their paper: “What is science in preschool?” and “What do teachers have to know to empower children?” In particular, I elaborate on the value of drawing on multiple perspectives and different epistemological frameworks, and I argue for the need for a reconceptualized notion of science as a school discipline; one that acknowledges the multifaceted ways in which young children engage in science.     

Pragmatism, Activism, and the Icy Slopes of Logic in George Reisch’s Portrait of the Philosophy of Science as a Young Field

This paper considers several models of politically engaged philosophy with the aim of provoking discussion of George Reisch’s How the Cold War Transformed Philosophy of Science. At issue is the Unity of Science movement’s conception of the philosophy of science in particular and what politically engaged philosophy of science might look like in general. The paper discusses the role that the pragmatist Sidney Hook plays in the book and considers some of the questions raised by the role that he plays: What does it mean to be a politically engaged philosopher of science? Do we want philosophy of science to be politically engaged?     

Examining Student Engagement with Science Through a Bourdieusian Notion of Field

Student engagement with science is a long-standing, central interest within science education research. In this article, we examine student engagement with science using a Bourdiusian lens, placing a particular emphasis on the notion of field. Over the course of one academic year, we collected data in an inner London secondary science classroom through lesson observations, interviews and discussion groups with students, and interviews with the teacher. We argue that applying Bourdieusian theory can help better understand differential patterns of student engagement by directing attention to the alignment between students’ habitus and capital, and the field. Student behaviours that did not meet the requirements of the wider field were not recognised and valued as constituting engagement. Even when the ‘rules of the game’ of the science classroom were understood by the students, the tensions they experienced within the field made engaging with science impossible and undesirable. We discuss how a greater focus on the field can be useful for planning future interventions aimed at making science education more equitable.     

Science identity possibilities: a look into Blackness,masculinities, and economic power relations

This forum paper dialogues with Sheron Mark’s A bit of both science and economics: a non-traditional STEM identity narrative. In her paper, she discusses the development of a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) identity by a young African American male during an informal STEM for Social Justice Program. Here, the discussion focuses on Black masculinities, identity formation, and the role of science educators in making STEM fields a welcoming place for young Black men. Drawing from Mark’s data and discussion, this paper is a dialogue between science identity possibilities in the United States and in Brazil when we look at the intersections of race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Using the shared colonial past of both countries a connection is established to address race relations within science education. The main argument in this paper is that racism can no longer be denied and dismissed by the science education community worldwide and that intersectional approaches are needed to face this issue.     

Promoting inclusive education, civic scientific literacy, and global citizenship with videogames

In this response to Yupanqui Munoz and Charbel El-Hani??s paper, ??The student with a thousand faces: From the ethics in videogames to becoming a citizen??, we examine their critique of videogames in science education. Munoz and El-Hani present a critical analysis of videogames such as Grand Theft Auto, Street Fight, Command and Conquer: Generals, Halo, and Fallout 3 using Neil Postman??s (1993) conceptualization of technopoly along with Bill Green and Chris Bigum??s (1993) notion of the cyborg curriculum. Our contention is that these games are not representative of current educational videogames about science, which hold the potential to enhance civic scientific literacy across a diverse range of students while promoting cross-cultural understandings of complex scientific concepts and phenomenon. We examine games that have undergone empirical investigation in general education science classrooms, such as River City, Quest Atlantis, Whyville, Resilient Planet, and You Make Me Sick!, and discuss the ways these videogames can engage students and teachers in a constructivist dialogue that enhances science education. Our critique extends Munoz and El-Hani??s discussion through an examination of the ways videogames can enhance science education by promoting inclusive education, civic scientific literacy, and global citizenship.     

On the Relationship Between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Belief</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acceptance</Emphasis> of Evolution as Goals of Evolution Education

The issue of the proper goals of science education and science teacher education have been a focus of the science education and philosophy of science communities in recent years. More particularly, the issue of whether belief/acceptance of evolution and/or understanding are the appropriate goals for evolution educators and the issue of the precise nature of the distinctions among the terms knowledge, understanding, belief, and acceptance have received increasing attention in the 12 years since we first published our views on these subjects. During that time, our own views about these issues have evolved, and this article presents a reconsideration of both these distinctions and the propriety of these goals. In particular, the present paper continues our discussion of the nature of belief as it relates to science education, and more specifically to evolution education. We extend that work to consider the import of the distinction between belief and acceptance.     

The role of cognitive apprenticeship in learning science in a virtual world

This article extends the discussion started by Margaret Beier, Leslie Miller, and Shu Wang??s (2012) paper, Science games and the development of possible selves. In this paper, I suggest that a theoretical framework based on a sociocultural theory of learning is critical in learning in a virtual environment. I will discuss relevant research on the application of various components of the sociocultural perspective of learning in classroom environments and the potential for applying them in virtual worlds. I propose that research in science education should explore the processes underlying cognitive apprenticeship and determine how these processes can be used in virtual environments to help students learn science successfully.     

The Name of the Rose: A Path to Discuss the Birth of Modern Science

Various science education researchers believe that science tuition should include some discussion about how science has developed over time. Therefore, deliberations about the nature of science should be integrated in the science curriculum. Many researchers argue that teaching the history of science is a good way to place the nature of science in science classes. This paper contributes to this debate and argues the importance of having young students study the birth of modern science. Such study could allow students to understand that some of the issues about the nature of science arose in the seventeenth century with the birth of modern science. To achieve this purpose, it is important to discuss the different factors that immersed the birth of modern science. To accomplish this goal, the novel The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco may be used. Beyond introducing issues surrounding the nature of science, this strategy could help overcome the separation between the arts and humanities in education.     

Questions as a tool for bridging science and everyday language games

Research has shown how students can shift between different ways of communicating about natural phenomena. The point of departure in this text is that school science comprises science ways to communicate as well as everyday ways to communicate. In school science activities transitions, from for example everyday ways to explain to science ways to explain, occur and the purpose of this paper is to show what role questions play in these transitions. Data consists of video observations of a group of 24 students, 15 years of age, doing their ordinary school science work without my interference in their planning. Relevant conversations including questions were transcribed. The analysis was made by examining the establishment of relations between utterances in the transcribed conversations. Relations that bridge science and everyday language games are described in the results. Questions that were formulated in an everyday language game illustrate the difficulties of making transitions to a science language game. Without teacher guidance, students’ questions are potential promoters for making the topic drift and to develop into something totally different from the topic as planned by the teacher. However, questions promote transitions to an everyday language game. These can be used by teachers for example to adjust an everyday explanation and guide students in making science knowledge useful in daily life.

Mobile Gaming and Student Interactions in a Science Center: the Future of Gaming in Science Education

This article explores the impact of an augmented reality iPad-based mobile game, called The Great STEM Caper, on students’ interaction at a science center. An open-source, location-based game platform called ARIS (i.e. Augmented Reality and Interactive Storytelling) was used to create an iPad-based mobile game. The game used QR scan codes and a challenge-based game structure to encourage engagement in science. Participants wore head-mounted GoPro cameras to record interactions within the physical and social environment. The purpose of this research was to study the impact of a mobile game on student interactions in a science center. Gender differences in gameplay behaviors and perceptions were compared. The study included a quasi-experimental design with two groups: one group that played the iPad mobile game during their science center visit, and one group that explored the science center in a traditional free exploration manner. Video data from the GoPro cameras provided examination of the different ways students interacted with the science center. The female students outperformed the male students on every measure of the iPad game achievement. Lazzaro’s (2004) four types of fun was used to describe the gender differences in game perceptions and interactions. Females tended to enjoy hard fun and collaborative people fun, while males enjoyed easy fun and competitive people fun. The females tended to be more goal-oriented, persistent in the face of difficulty, and appreciative of hard fun. The results of this study have implications for the design of mobile-based gaming technology to encourage interaction in an informal science center setting.     

Accessing the elite figured world of science

This review explores Jackson and Seiler’s “I am smart enough to study postsecondary science: A critical discourse analysis of latecomers’ identity construction in an online forum” by considering the analytic framework for figured worlds guiding this study. We consider the specific affordances of cultural production theory for examining how sociohistorical and cultural discourses of science as elite impact individuals at every level of education. We then extend this discussion by exploring how an informal learning space at a prestigious science museum was designed to explicitly tackle cultural discourses of science as elite that act as barriers to identification with science.     

Collaborative online projects for English language learners in science

This paper summarizes how collaborative online projects (COPs) are used to facilitate science content-area learning for English Learners of Hispanic origin. This is a Mexico-USA partnership project funded by the National Science Foundation. A COP is a 10-week thematic science unit, completely online, and bilingual (Spanish and English) designed to provide collaborative learning experiences with culturally and linguistically relevant science instruction in an interactive and multimodal learning environment. Units are integrated with explicit instructional lessons that include: (a) hands-on and laboratory activities, (b) interactive materials and interactive games with immediate feedback, (c) animated video tutorials, (d) discussion forums where students exchange scientific learning across classrooms in the USA and in Mexico, and (e) summative and formative assessments. Thematic units have been aligned to U.S. National Science Education Standards and are under current revisions for alignment to the Common Core State Standards. Training materials for the teachers have been integrated into the project website to facilitate self-paced and independent learning. Preliminary findings of our pre-experimental study with a sample of 53 students (81 % ELs), distributed across three different groups, resulted in a 21 % statistically significant points increase from pretest to posttest assessments of science content learning, t(52) = 11.07, p = .000.     

The Impact of a Science Education Game on Students’ Learning and Perception of Inhalants as Body Pollutants

This study investigated the knowledge gains and attitude shifts attributable to a unique online science education game, Uncommon Scents. The game was developed to teach middle school students about the biological consequences of exposure to toxic chemicals in an environmental science context, as well as the risks associated with abusing these chemicals as inhalants. Middle school students (n = 444) grades six through eight participated in the study consisting of a pre-test, three game-play sessions, and a delayed post-test. After playing the game, students demonstrated significant gains in science content knowledge, with game usability ratings emerging as the strongest predictor of post-test content knowledge scores. The intervention also resulted in a shift to more negative attitudes toward inhalants, with the most negative shift occurring among eighth grade students and post-test knowledge gains as the strongest predictor of attitude change across all grade levels. These findings suggest that the environmental science approach used in Uncommon Scents is an efficacious strategy for delivering both basic science content and influencing perceived harm relating to the inhalation of toxic chemicals from common household products.