Undergraduate general chemistry students have struggled with understanding the concepts behind arithmetic-based problems they often encounter in homework or lecture. Conceptual understanding in chemistry fosters both problem-solving and critical thinking, skills that are useful beyond the discipline. New opportunities for students to gain conceptual knowledge have been reported with case-, problem-, and game-based learning. These strategies all relate chemistry concepts to a real-world problem often relevant to student interests. For this reason, they have helped to motivate students as well as increase engagement in the classroom.

In this study, eye tracking and retrospective think a-louds were used to investigate student’s conceptual understanding while answering chemistry questions in a gamified online homework system. In the previously developed homework system, ISLAND C, students are challenged to save an island struggling with sustainability issues as articulated by some of the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) by answering conceptual chemistry questions related to those problems. Game elements (story, progress bar, and levels) were implemented based on their projected impact on students’ sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness – characteristics that impact intrinsic motivation, according to Self-Determination Theory (SDT). This direct effect on student attitudes indirectly impacts the learning outcomes outlined in the game.

Conclusions about how students demonstrated these learning outcomes – conceptual understanding of thermochemistry and intermolecular forces – were made by analyzing student’s interactions with ISLAND C. These interactions include their performance on concept-based questions, eye movements recorded in an eye-tracking session, and thought processes articulated in retrospective think-alouds. This information can be useful to instructors, researchers, and game developers on student learning and conceptual understanding in this gamified context.

Dr. Thomas Holme

Morrill Professor, Iowa State University of Science and Technology

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