Game-based learning in science: research informed principles and four concrete designs

Game-based learning (GBL) is emphasised in research referring to students’ 21st century skills. In particular games with design-thinking appear to have both a learning and motivational potential. The body of research focusing on GBL in science is however still small, and mainly focused on using games to promote scientific knowledge, not targeting so much students’ problem-solving. The aims of the present study are to condense the research results focused on GBL in science education in particular, and to develop teaching sequences for primary and lower secondary science based on these principles. The teaching sequences are developed and piloted in the frames of the longitudinal Danish research and development project GBL21. The project operates with an iterative approach to theory-informed design, piloting, redesign and adaptation in the developmental phase, followed by an intervention with experiment and control schools. Results in this paper are from the developmental phase, presenting a narrative synthesis from a literature review, and 4x2 teaching sequences for 5th and 7th grade referring to these principles. The teaching sequences are presently being piloted collecting observation data and student and teacher interviews. Four main principles were condensed in relation to the project focus on GBL, design-thinking and 21st century learning. First of all, when focusing on integrating content and process in science education in particular terms like inquiry-based or engineering seems to be used in a very similar way as design-thinking. Furthermore, it needs to be considered how student collaboration and exploratory dialogues can be scaffolded, and how to bridge real and virtual worlds. Finally, framing GBL by socio-contextual questions like UN Sustainable Development Goals can be recommended. The headlines of the teaching sequences are: 1)Build a world - sustainable energy, 2)Students as game-designers - the global water cycle, 3) GBL inspired maker-space and 4) Tragedy of the commons game.