Acid Base Global - An Escape Room to Teach the Chemistry of Acids and Bases

Abstract

In recent years the popularity of educational escape rooms increased. To escape as fast as possible, learners must solve different puzzles in a collaborative manner. The puzzle structure is reminiscent of problem- or inquiry-based learning. Therefore, educational escape rooms are particularly suitable for science education. This paper describes the development and first evaluation of an educational escape room for the chemistry classroom called Acid Base Global. Acid Base Global deals with typical acid-bases reactions, neutralization, chemical formulas, the pH-value, identification of acids, bases and ampholytes as well as the Brønsted-Lowry-theory. It can be used to review and consolidate content knowledge and to diagnose learning difficulties. Acid Base Global was first implemented in an upper secondary chemistry course consisting of 16 students. A questionnaire containing six open questions and 16 Likert items was used for evaluation. All groups were able to escape within the given time limit, although the format was challenging for the students. Overall, learners were interested in the game concept and found it to be a fun approach to repeat and apply their chemical knowledge in a different way.