New Perspectives in Science Education
Elementary Pre-Service Teachers' Conceptions on Gamification n Science Education
Laura Martin Ferrer, Universitat de Vic - CoDi (Spain)
Arnau Amat Vinyoles, Universitat de Vic (Spain)
Mariona Espinet Blanch, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain)
Abstract
This presentation discusses a preliminary exploratory research that was carried out in an elementary pre-service teacher science education course. Our courses follow the ideas of Abell et al (2006). That is, the course promotes reflection on how pre-service teachers learn science, how science is taught to them, how they teach science, and what other authors have said about science. The main purpose of this study is to explore the pre-service teachers’ intuitive ideas regarding the use of gamification in teaching science in elementary school. Data was collected using two open-ended questionnaires, designed to explore the conceptions of students about games in science education and to explore the ability of pre-service teachers to design science games in a didactic sequence. Our results suggest that elementary pre-service teachers have certain conceptions about the emotional benefits of using games in education. They also show that teachers tend to design reproductive and close-ended
science games, instead of focusing on the importance of game methodology and designing games according to Couso’s (2014) ideas. According to her principles, which emphasize the duality of "what" and "how", the primary objective of science classes should not be that the class is fun, but that the
objective of the session (in terms of the object of reflection) is clear.
Keywords: gamification, pre-service teacher education, science games, student teachers’ conceptions;
Keywords: gamification, pre-service teacher education, science games, student teachers’ conceptions;
References
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