ERIC Number: EJ1444437
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jun
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: EISSN-1938-1328
NanoAdventure: Development of a Text-Based Adventure Game in English, Spanish, and Chinese for Communicating about Nanotechnology And the Nanoscale
Natalie V. Hudson-Smith; Wilanyi Alvarez-Reyes; Xiaoxiao Yao; Jiayi He; Rebeca Sarahi Rodriguez; Stephanie Mitchell; Mahmoud Matar Abed; Eleni Spanolios; Miriam O. P. Krause; Christy L. Haynes
Journal of Chemical Education, v100 n6 p2269-2280 2023
Video games and immersive, narrative experiences are often called upon to help students understand difficult scientific concepts, such as sense of scale. However, the development of educational video games requires expertise and, frequently, a sizable budget. Here, we report on the use of an interactive text-style video game, NanoAdventure, to communicate about sense of scale and nanotechnology to the public. NanoAdventure was developed on an open-source, free-to-use platform with simple coding and enhanced with free or low-cost assets. NanoAdventure was launched in three languages (English, Spanish, Chinese) and compared to textbook-style and blog-style control texts in a randomized study. Participants answered questions on their knowledge of nanotechnology and their attitudes toward nanotechnology before and after reading one randomly assigned text (textbook, blog, or NanoAdventure game). Our results demonstrate that interactive fiction is effective in communicating about sense of scale and nanotechnology as well as the relevance of nanotechnology to a general public. NanoAdventure was found to be the most "fun" and easy to read of all text styles by participants in a randomized trial. Here, we make the case for interactive "Choose Your Own Adventure" style games as another effective tool among educational game models for chemistry and science communication.
Descriptors: Educational Games, Video Games, Chemistry, Science Education, Science Instruction, Scientific Concepts, Instructional Effectiveness, Educational Technology, Learner Engagement, Usability
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A