A Game-Based Approach To Learning the Idea of Chemical Elements and Their Periodic Classification

In this paper, the characteristics and results of a teaching unit based on the use of educational games to learn the idea of chemical elements and their periodic classification in secondary education are analyzed. The method is aimed at Spanish students aged 15-16 and consists of 24 1-h sessions. The results obtained on implementing the teaching unit are assessed with a focus on the development of students' understanding of the topics covered and their perceptions toward the role of games in the learning process. The data collection methods used included a learning assessment test (administered before the unit was started and one month after completion of the unit) and a questionnaire to assess the students' learning experience. As a complementary method to acquire data, the teacher keeps a diary. The main conclusion was that students progressed significantly in the areas of learning related to knowledge of the Periodic Table and its nature and history, but a lower level of progress was found in the application of knowledge and the use of evidence to draw conclusions. Furthermore, to some extent, the teaching unit helps to overcome learning difficulties associated with the study of this subject. In addition, most responses to the questionnaire indicated that students who followed the teaching unit with games achieved statistically better final results than those in the control group, who followed a traditionally taught program. A positive assessment was provided by students concerning the role of games in the proposed unit, and there were also positive perceptions regarding the influence of games on learning and their potential to encourage participation in the classroom. Finally, this research identifies a new type of educational resource, namely task involving play (TIP), that can be defined as intermediate between play and game scenarios. The TIPs may include artistic or technological creations by the student, and they allow the student to play an active role in the learning process. Such tasks help students to improve their learning through educational games, and they can be perceived as intermediate in terms of their simplicity, usefulness, attractiveness, and interest with respect to educational games.