Opportunities of media literacy: Motivation for Science in School Students through the Science Reporters Video Games

Abstract

Scientific literacy among citizens has become a social need, crucial for countering the rampant spread of misinformation. While the educational potential of video games has been explored, their role in motivating interest in science has yet to be thoroughly investigated. These exploratory aims to address this gap by examining how the Science Reporters video game can serve as a catalyst for igniting scientific motivation among young individuals, thereby promoting meaningful learning experiences. The video game in question is designed around five immersive escape rooms, drawing inspiration from the Sustainable Development Goals and weaving them into the history of science. This exploratory research used a mixed methods approach in which, alongside the experiential development and testing of the video games, 11 questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus groups with teachers and students. The study concludes, among other aspects, that students who engaged with these science-based video games exhibited improvements in their scientific knowledge. Furthermore, the games effectively bolstered their motivation to pursue scientific interests, with a particularly noteworthy impact observed among female participants. In essence, the Science Reporters video game emerges as a tool for enhancing scientific literacy and nurturing a future generation of enthusiastic scientists. By integrating entertainment and education, it successfully fosters a passion for science, which is essential in our information-driven world.