[Paper Review] Games as a Platform for Student Participation in Authentic Scientific Research

Rikke Magnussen, Sidse Damgaard Hansen+2 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Nov 5, 2015

Educational Games and Gamification13 references16 citations

TL;DR

This paper presents Quantum Moves, an educational game that engages high school students in authentic quantum physics research by having them solve real scientific challenges in quantum computing. The study finds that students are highly motivated by contributing to real research, especially when given expert roles, which significantly enhances their perceived learning and engagement in physics education.

ABSTRACT

This paper presents results from the design and testing of an educational version of Quantum Moves, a Scientific Discovery Game that allows players to help solve authentic scientific challenges in the effort to develop a quantum computer. The primary aim of developing a game-based platform for student-research collaboration is to investigate if and how this type of game concept can strengthen authentic experimental practice and the creation of new knowledge in science education. Researchers and game developers tested the game in three separate high school classes. The tests were documented using video observations of students playing the game, qualitative interviews, and qualitative and quantitative questionnaires. The focus of the tests has been to study players motivation and their experience of learning through participation in authentic scientific inquiry. In questionnaires conducted in the two first test classes students found that the aspects of doing real scientific research and solving physics problems were the more interesting aspects of playing the game. However, designing a game that facilitates professional research collaboration while simultaneously introducing quantum physics to high school students proved to be a challenge. A collaborative learning design was implemented in Class 3, where students were given expert roles such as experimental and theoretical physicists. This significantly improved the students feeling of learning physics compared to Class 1 and 2. Overall the results presented in this paper indicate that the possibility of participating in authentic scientific experiments, which this class of games opens, is highly motivating for students. The findings also show that the learning design in the class setting must be considered in order to improve the students' experience of learning and that various design challenges remain to be addressed further.

Motivation & Objective

• To investigate whether game-based platforms can enhance authentic scientific inquiry in high school science education.
• To examine how student participation in real scientific research through games affects motivation and learning outcomes.
• To evaluate the impact of collaborative learning design, including expert role assignment, on student engagement and perceived knowledge gain.
• To identify design challenges in integrating professional research tasks into educational games for high school learners.

Proposed method

• The researchers developed an educational version of Quantum Moves, a scientific discovery game originally designed for quantum computing research.
• Three high school classes participated in testing the game, with varying instructional designs: two classes played without structured roles, while the third used a collaborative learning design with expert roles.
• Data was collected via video observations, qualitative interviews, and mixed-method questionnaires assessing motivation, learning, and perception of scientific inquiry.
• The game interface allowed students to manipulate quantum systems in ways that contributed to real research data, simulating experimental conditions in quantum physics.
• Quantitative and qualitative analysis of student responses was used to assess learning experiences and motivation levels across the three classes.
• The study compared student perceptions and experiences across different learning designs to evaluate the impact of role assignment on learning outcomes.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How does participation in authentic scientific research through a game influence high school students' motivation to learn physics?
• RQ2 To what extent does assigning expert roles (e.g., experimental or theoretical physicist) improve students' perception of learning in a game-based science environment?
• RQ3 What are the key challenges in designing a game that simultaneously supports professional scientific research and effective high school science education?
• RQ4 How do students experience the integration of real research tasks within a game-based learning platform?

Key findings

• Students in the class with expert role assignments reported a significantly stronger sense of learning physics compared to those in the two control classes.
• The most motivating aspects of the game were the opportunities to perform real scientific research and solve authentic physics problems.
• The collaborative learning design in Class 3 led to higher perceived learning gains, indicating that role assignment enhances engagement and knowledge perception.
• Despite high motivation, designing a game that balances professional research contribution with accessible science education for high schoolers remains a significant challenge.
• Students in the first two classes found the real research and physics problem-solving aspects interesting, but lacked the structured role-based engagement that enhanced learning in Class 3.
• The study confirms that authentic scientific participation through games is highly motivating, but effective learning design is essential to maximize educational outcomes.