Exploring Students' Scientific Reasoning During Virtual Game in STEAM Problem Solving

José Julián Kenji López Takegami; Valeria Cabello González; Marlenny Guevara Guerrero; Jairo Andres Montes González

doi:10.31129/LUMAT.13.3.2795

Authors

José Julián Kenji López Takegami Universidad del Valle, Colombia; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0280-3061
Valeria Cabello Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6190-9187
Marlenny Guevara Universidad del Valle, Colombia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5534-6864
Jairo Montes Gaming and Learning, Colombia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1778-1096

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31129/LUMAT.13.3.2795

Keywords:

Multivariate analysis, Virtual interactive simulation, STEM education, Scientific reasoning, Problem solving

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the complexity of scientific reasoning elicited during a virtual STEAM problem-solving activity by challenging questions posed to 53 tenth-grade high school students. Using a microgenetic approach, this study analyzed eight measurements from each student as they worked on a STEAM problem-solving game software, utilizing it as an interactive simulation. To measure the complexity of their scientific reasoning, researchers used a coding rubric based on the cognitive demand of questions that were self-administered through the interactive simulation. Multivariate analysis showed that the students’ level of scientific reasoning complexity increased over time, shifting from descriptive reasoning in the early sessions to more complex causal reasoning in the final sessions. It is possible to interpret that this sophistication in scientific reasoning may be related to three points: 1) The demand for practical scientific knowledge regarding the virtual interactive simulation when solving the problem, 2) The challenging questions presented in the situation, and 3) The immersive nature not only of the simulation itself, but also of the repeated measures design of this science education activity. We discuss about the type of reasoning observed, progressively becoming more complex, and the transitions between lower to higher scores as a means of an ongoing process of learning opportunities for developing students’ scientific reasoning in a virtual interactive simulation. Interaction with the designed game allowed students' scientific reasoning to increase progressively over the eight observation sessions.

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