ABSTRACT

Although the population of science teachers in the US lacks diversity, the technology used to teach science should be diverse and culturally connected. Culturally relevant frameworks for science call for science teaching to be situated in meaningful contexts. This study calls for the integration of CRP and situated cognition perspectives as a means of designing pedagogically effective virtual reality. This mixed-methods study explored N = 444 students changes in attitudes after experiencing VR lessons on an attitude survey and qualitative short answers. We found that all students who used the VR improved their attitudes towards science. We also found that students who used the CRP designed VR developed a conscious and politically aware application of science. The results suggest that educational technology should carefully consider how using CRP-based approaches can have both cognitive and cultural implications of students’ learning.

摘要

尽管美国的科学教师人数缺乏多样性，但用于教授科学的技术应该是多样化的并且具有文化联系。与文化相关的科学框架要求将科学教学置于有意义的环境中。本研究呼吁整合 CRP 和情境认知视角，作为设计教学有效虚拟现实的一种手段。这项混合方法研究探讨了N = 444 名学生在通过态度调查和定性简短回答体验 VR 课程后态度发生了变化。我们发现所有使用 VR 的学生都改善了他们对科学的态度。我们还发现，使用 CRP 设计的 VR 的学生发展了有意识且具有政治意识的科学应用。结果表明，教育技术应该仔细考虑使用基于 CRP 的方法如何对学生的学习产生认知和文化影响。