Impact of gameplay vs. reading on mental models of social-ecological systems: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach
Climate change is a highly complex social-ecological problem characterized by system-type dynamics that are important to communicate in a variety of settings, ranging from formal education to decision makers to informal education of the general public. Educational games are one approach that may enh...
Published in: | Ecology and Society |
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Language: | English |
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Resilience Alliance
2021
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Online Access: | https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/33827/ https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/33827/1/O%27Garra%20et%20al%20%282021%29%20Impact%20of%20gameplay%20on%20mental%20models%20of%20Arctic%20SES.pdf https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12425-260225 |
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ftmiddlesex:oai:eprints.mdx.ac.uk:33827 2023-05-15T14:58:32+02:00 Impact of gameplay vs. reading on mental models of social-ecological systems: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach O'Garra, Tanya Reckien, Diana Pfirman, Stephanie Bachrach Simon, Elizabeth Bachman, Grace H. Brunacini, Jessica Lee, Joey J. 2021-06-30 application/pdf https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/33827/ https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/33827/1/O%27Garra%20et%20al%20%282021%29%20Impact%20of%20gameplay%20on%20mental%20models%20of%20Arctic%20SES.pdf https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12425-260225 en eng Resilience Alliance https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/33827/1/O%27Garra%20et%20al%20%282021%29%20Impact%20of%20gameplay%20on%20mental%20models%20of%20Arctic%20SES.pdf O'Garra, Tanya </view/creators/O=27Garra=3ATanya=3A=3A.html> ORCID logoorcid:0000-0002-8214-1872 , Reckien, Diana </view/creators/Reckien=3ADiana=3A=3A.html> ORCID logoorcid:0000-0002-1145-9509 , Pfirman, Stephanie </view/creators/Pfirman=3AStephanie=3A=3A.html> ORCID logoorcid:0000-0001-8444-3703 , Bachrach Simon, Elizabeth </view/creators/Bachrach_Simon=3AElizabeth=3A=3A.html>, Bachman, Grace H. </view/creators/Bachman=3AGrace_H=2E=3A=3A.html>, Brunacini, Jessica </view/creators/Brunacini=3AJessica=3A=3A.html> and Lee, Joey J. </view/creators/Lee=3AJoey_J=2E=3A=3A.html> ORCID logoorcid:0000-0003-1368-8660 (2021) Impact of gameplay vs. reading on mental models of social-ecological systems: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach. Ecology and Society <https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/view/publications/Ecology_and_Society.html>, 26 (2) , 25. pp. 1-30. ISSN 1708-3087 [Article] (doi:10.5751/ES-12425-260225 <https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12425-260225>) cc_by_4 CC-BY Article PeerReviewed 2021 ftmiddlesex https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12425-260225 2022-10-06T22:30:36Z Climate change is a highly complex social-ecological problem characterized by system-type dynamics that are important to communicate in a variety of settings, ranging from formal education to decision makers to informal education of the general public. Educational games are one approach that may enhance systems thinking skills. This study used a randomized controlled experiment to compare the impact on the mental models of participants of an educational card game vs. an illustrated article about the Arctic social-ecological system. A total of 41 participants (game: n = 20; reading: n = 21) created pre- and post-intervention mental models of the system, based on a "fuzzy cognitive mapping" approach. Maps were analyzed using network statistics. Both reading the article and playing the game resulted in measurable increases in systems understanding. The group reading the article perceived a more complex system after the intervention, with overall learning gains approximately twice those of the game players. However, game players demonstrated similar learning gains as article readers regarding the climate system, actions both causing environmental problems and protecting the Arctic, as well as the importance of the base- and mid-levels of the food chain. These findings contribute to the growing evidence showing that games are important resources to include as strategies for building capacity to understand and steward sustainable social-ecological systems, in both formal and informal education. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change Middlesex University London: Research Repository Arctic Ecology and Society 26 2 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Middlesex University London: Research Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftmiddlesex |
language |
English |
description |
Climate change is a highly complex social-ecological problem characterized by system-type dynamics that are important to communicate in a variety of settings, ranging from formal education to decision makers to informal education of the general public. Educational games are one approach that may enhance systems thinking skills. This study used a randomized controlled experiment to compare the impact on the mental models of participants of an educational card game vs. an illustrated article about the Arctic social-ecological system. A total of 41 participants (game: n = 20; reading: n = 21) created pre- and post-intervention mental models of the system, based on a "fuzzy cognitive mapping" approach. Maps were analyzed using network statistics. Both reading the article and playing the game resulted in measurable increases in systems understanding. The group reading the article perceived a more complex system after the intervention, with overall learning gains approximately twice those of the game players. However, game players demonstrated similar learning gains as article readers regarding the climate system, actions both causing environmental problems and protecting the Arctic, as well as the importance of the base- and mid-levels of the food chain. These findings contribute to the growing evidence showing that games are important resources to include as strategies for building capacity to understand and steward sustainable social-ecological systems, in both formal and informal education. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
O'Garra, Tanya Reckien, Diana Pfirman, Stephanie Bachrach Simon, Elizabeth Bachman, Grace H. Brunacini, Jessica Lee, Joey J. |
spellingShingle |
O'Garra, Tanya Reckien, Diana Pfirman, Stephanie Bachrach Simon, Elizabeth Bachman, Grace H. Brunacini, Jessica Lee, Joey J. Impact of gameplay vs. reading on mental models of social-ecological systems: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach |
author_facet |
O'Garra, Tanya Reckien, Diana Pfirman, Stephanie Bachrach Simon, Elizabeth Bachman, Grace H. Brunacini, Jessica Lee, Joey J. |
author_sort |
O'Garra, Tanya |
title |
Impact of gameplay vs. reading on mental models of social-ecological systems: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach |
title_short |
Impact of gameplay vs. reading on mental models of social-ecological systems: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach |
title_full |
Impact of gameplay vs. reading on mental models of social-ecological systems: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach |
title_fullStr |
Impact of gameplay vs. reading on mental models of social-ecological systems: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach |
title_full_unstemmed |
Impact of gameplay vs. reading on mental models of social-ecological systems: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach |
title_sort |
impact of gameplay vs. reading on mental models of social-ecological systems: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach |
publisher |
Resilience Alliance |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/33827/ https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/33827/1/O%27Garra%20et%20al%20%282021%29%20Impact%20of%20gameplay%20on%20mental%20models%20of%20Arctic%20SES.pdf https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12425-260225 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Climate change |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change |
op_relation |
https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/33827/1/O%27Garra%20et%20al%20%282021%29%20Impact%20of%20gameplay%20on%20mental%20models%20of%20Arctic%20SES.pdf O'Garra, Tanya </view/creators/O=27Garra=3ATanya=3A=3A.html> ORCID logoorcid:0000-0002-8214-1872 , Reckien, Diana </view/creators/Reckien=3ADiana=3A=3A.html> ORCID logoorcid:0000-0002-1145-9509 , Pfirman, Stephanie </view/creators/Pfirman=3AStephanie=3A=3A.html> ORCID logoorcid:0000-0001-8444-3703 , Bachrach Simon, Elizabeth </view/creators/Bachrach_Simon=3AElizabeth=3A=3A.html>, Bachman, Grace H. </view/creators/Bachman=3AGrace_H=2E=3A=3A.html>, Brunacini, Jessica </view/creators/Brunacini=3AJessica=3A=3A.html> and Lee, Joey J. </view/creators/Lee=3AJoey_J=2E=3A=3A.html> ORCID logoorcid:0000-0003-1368-8660 (2021) Impact of gameplay vs. reading on mental models of social-ecological systems: a fuzzy cognitive mapping approach. Ecology and Society <https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/view/publications/Ecology_and_Society.html>, 26 (2) , 25. pp. 1-30. ISSN 1708-3087 [Article] (doi:10.5751/ES-12425-260225 <https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12425-260225>) |
op_rights |
cc_by_4 |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12425-260225 |
container_title |
Ecology and Society |
container_volume |
26 |
container_issue |
2 |
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1766330678710894592 |