Improving Learners’ Understanding of Environmental Accumulations through Simulation

Abstract

Background. Poor public understanding of accumulation principles obstructs public engagement in environmental decision-making. Simulation-based learning environments (SBLEs) show promise for improving understanding. Purpose. This study tested the hypothesis that use of stand-alone, self-contained, online SBLEs can improve user understanding of and ability to apply basic principles of accumulation. Method. We used pretest/posttest measures to examine (a) whether user understanding of accumulations principles increased after exposure to a set of two SBLEs in an undergraduate Environmental Science course ( n =126), and (b) how the extent of simulation use affected depth of user understanding. Results.Understanding improved significantly after simulation use. Further, extent of simulation use affected performance although it is not a simple linear relationship. Those who ran the simulation a moderate amount of times (total of 14-24 runs) scored better than the low-range group (0-13 runs, p < .05) and better than the high-range users (25+ runs, p < .10). These results hold when controlled for prior systems understanding, graphing ability, motivation, and science background. Conclusion. The results support the value of simulations for building operational understanding of accumulations and suggest design considerations that may further increase the effectiveness of such SBLEs.