Gamifying a Platform for Natural Sciences Education in Primary School

The paper deals with a platform for Natural Sciences education, with a specific focus on the narrative based gamification approach adopted to support the children in the autonomous discovery and consultation of resources available on it. Developed in the framework of the LINNEO project (Erasmus plus action), the web-based platform is aimed at providing teachers and pupils in primary education with high quality and engaging digital resources and at bringing opportunities of innovation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. Indeed, while there is an increasing attention to STEM education also in primary school, teaching and learning these disciplines raise several challenges due to their complex and abstract nature. In the field of STEM, the traditional transmissive approach shows some disadvantages and more active and innovative solutions are suggested. Digital game-based learning (DGBL) and gamification can serve this purpose; indeed, they are widely recognized as making learning more interesting and interactive and support problem-based and inquiry-based learning, which are effective and authentic approaches for teaching and learning STEM subjects. Moreover, they support students’ autonomy in learning and self-regulation through feedback mechanisms. In the light of the above-mentioned considerations, to support pupils in a self-directed exploration of the resources, the platform was equipped with three gamified learning environments (corresponding to three natural worlds: Sea, Animals of the land and Plants) in which a strong guidance was provided through a narrative-based strategy. Besides gamification features, each environment includes ad hoc developed puzzle games, coupled with specific resources to support students learning. In this way, the platform integrates both gamification and DGBL. The narrative was developed grounding on the main theme identified for each environment. The progression of the narrative is basic-linear, so a straightforward story progression, without any alternatives or deviations: the pupil plays the role of the protagonist (e.g. a super-scientist or an explorer) who is presented with a main problem to solve (e.g. find a mysterious creature) and faces a sequence of missions linked to the environment they are exploring. By playing, pupils gain experience on specific topics to complete the missions and, thanks to this experience, solve the main problem and receive a final acknowledgment. The contents to be learnt are well integrated into the gameplay so as to ensure that the pupil does not have the impression of doing exercises not linked with the game experience.