The Development and Evaluation of a Computer-Simulated Science Inquiry Environment Using Gamified Elements

Abstract

This study developed a computer-simulated science inquiry environment, called the Science Detective Squad, to engage students in investigating an electricity problem that may happen in daily life. The environment combined the simulation of scientific instruments and a virtual environment, including gamified elements, such as points and a story for the scaffold and feedback mechanism that guides students to perform a scientific inquiry activity. This study conducted an experiment to understand the effect of this environment. The research findings revealed that students’ electricity knowledge was significantly increased through this activity, and most students had positive perceptions regarding the environment. This study also found that the participants’ inquiry performance gradually declined during the scientific inquiry activity, while performance of data analysis had the highest influence on their success in completing the activity. Thus, some design improvements for this virtual environment were derived from this study.