Minecraft Education Edition’s Ability to Create an Effective and Engaging Learning Experience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v10i2.1697Keywords:
Minecraft, Minecraft Education Edition, Chemistry Learning, Game-based learning, Student-centered learningAbstract
Effective game-based learning is possible and incredibly important, as it provides effective, engaging, student-centered learning. While it has been successful for history learning, effective game-based learning for STEM subjects is scarce. This study explored Minecraft Education Edition's chemistry features and their ability to create an effective and engaging learning experience, as Minecraft's game mechanics along with Education Edition's chemistry features may provide a solution to the lack of effective game-based learning. The study was conducted with a lesson in Minecraft Education Edition, and participants took a quiz and reflection survey after the lesson to gauge Minecraft Education Edition's viability as a learning tool. While the data in the study was too limited to garner a conclusion on how Minecraft Education Edition affects the engagement and effectiveness of a lesson, it provides insight that not all students/players engage with Minecraft the same way, and discusses many factors that should be considered when creating a Minecraft-based education model.
Downloads
References or Bibliography
References
Arena, D. (2015). Video games as tillers of soil. Theory Into Practice, 54(2), 94–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2015.1010843
Burgos, D., Tattersall, C., & Koper, R. (2007). Re-purposing existing generic games and simulations for e-learning. Computers in Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2006.08.002
Clemenson, Gregory D, Henningfield, Caden M, & Stark, Craig E L. (2019). Improving hippocampal memory through the experience of a rich Minecraft environment. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 13, 57.
Coleman, T. E., & Money, A. G. (2020). Student-centred digital game–based learning: A conceptual framework and survey of the state of the art. Higher Education (00181560), 79(3), 415–457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00417-0
Duncan, S. C. (2011). Minecraft, beyond construction and survival. Well Played. https://se4n.org/papers/duncan-minecraft.pdf
GoE-Craft. (2020). The human body [Video Game]. https://www.playthismap.com/products/goe-craft/the-human-body
Gray, P., Ph.D. (2018, March 27). Benefits of play revealed in research on video gaming. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201803/benefits-play-revealed-in-research-video-gaming
Hofer, C. C. (2015). Crafty chemistry: Science adds a surprising twist to the world of Minecraft. Science World (1987), 71(12), 12.
Kiili, K. (2005). Digital game-based learning: Towards an experiential gaming model. The Internet and Higher Education., 8(1), 13-24.
Maguth, B. M., List, J. S., & Wunderle, M. (2015). Teaching social studies with video games. Social Studies, 106(1), 32–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377996.2014.961996
Mojang. (2016). Minecraft education edition [Video Game].
Mojang. (2009). Minecraft [Video Game].
Mojang. (2021, February 26). Redstone: Hoaw we make Minecraft - episode 7 [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLSeGbecKMw
Nebel, S., Schneider, S., & Rey, G. D. (2016). Mining learning and crafting scientific experiments: A literature review on the use of Minecraft in education and research. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 19(2), 355–366.
Shapescape. (2020). Astronaut training center [Video Game]. https://www.playthismap.com/products/shapescape/astronaut-training-center
Squire, K. D., DeVane, B., & Durga, S. (2008). Designing centers of expertise for academic learning through video games. Theory Into Practice, 47. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405840802153973
University of Colorado Boulder, P. (2021). About PhET. PhET Interactive Simulations. https://phet.colorado.edu/en/about
Watson, W. R., Mong, C. J., & Harris, C. A. (2011). A case study of the in-class use of a video game for teaching high school history. Computers & Education, 56(2), 466–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.09.007
Why you should be using video games in the classroom. (2014, July 14). Stemfuse. Retrieved September 4, 2020, from https://stemfuse.com/blog/why-you-should-be-using-video-games-classroom.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2021 Vennela Panja; Jill Berge
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright holder(s) granted JSR a perpetual, non-exclusive license to distriute & display this article.
