Can Virtual Science Foster Real Skills? A Study of Inquiry Skills in a Virtual World

Autor/in	Dodds, Heather E.
Titel	Can Virtual Science Foster Real Skills? A Study of Inquiry Skills in a Virtual World
Quelle	(2013), (132 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit Ph.D. Dissertation, Capella University
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
ISBN	978-1-3033-3832-8
Schlagwörter	Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; Online Courses; Inquiry; Simulated Environment; Computer Simulation; Science Education; Statistical Analysis; Quasiexperimental Design; Control Groups; Experimental Groups; Comparative Analysis; Pretests Posttests; Skill Development; Late Adolescents; Adults; Teaching Methods; Genetics; Science Instruction; Educational Technology; Technology Uses in Education + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Thesis; Dissertations; Academic thesis; Online course; Online-Kurs; Künstliche Umwelt; Computergrafik; Computersimulation; Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung; Statistische Analyse; Kompetenzentwicklung; Qualifikationsentwicklung; Halbstarker; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Humangenetik; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Unterrichtsmedien; Technology enhanced learning; Technology aided learning; Technologieunterstütztes Lernen
Abstract	Online education has grown into a part of the educational market answering the demand for learning at the learner's choice of time and place. Inquiry skills such as observing, questioning, collecting data, and devising fair experiments are an essential element of 21st-century online science coursework. Virtual immersive worlds such as Second Life are being used as new frontiers in science education. There have been few studies looking specifically at science education in virtual worlds that foster inquiry skills. This quantitative quasi-experimental nonrandomized control group pretest and posttest study explored what affect a virtual world experience had on inquiry skills as measured by the TIPS (Test of Integrated Process Skills) and TIPS II (Integrated Process Skills Test II) instruments. Participants between the ages of 18 and 65 were recruited from educator mailing lists and Second Life discussion boards and then sorted into the experimental group, which received instructions to utilize several displays in Mendelian genetics at the Genome Island location within Second Life, or the control group, which received text-based PDF documents of the same genetics course content. All participants, in the form of avatars, were experienced Second Life residents to reduce any novelty effect. This study found a greater increase in inquiry skills in the experimental group interacting using a virtual world to learn science content (0.90 points) than a control group that is presented only with online text-based content (0.87 points). Using a mixed between-within ANOVA (analysis of variance), with an alpha level of 0.05, there was no significant interaction between the control or experimental groups and inquiry skills, F (1, 58) = 0.783, p = 0.380, partial eta squared = 0.013, at the specified 0.05 alpha level suggesting no significant difference as a result of the virtual world exercise. However, there is not enough evidence to state that there was no effect because there was a greater increase in scores for the group that experienced a virtual world exercise. This study adds to the increasing body of knowledge about virtual worlds and inquiry skills, particularly with adult learners. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.] (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01