BioQuest: Gamified software for teaching molecular biology

Abstract

Science teaching in basic education aims to provide content for individuals who can handle with new information and are able to understand, question and position themselves before ethical debates related to biotechnology and molecular biology. However, the information flow generated in the molecular biology field is not accompanied by the dissemination of scientific information into the school environment, nor is it incorporated into the teaching knowledge on a continuous basis. In addition, the teaching of molecular biology and its related concepts, which involves great abstraction capacity on the part of students, requires the elaboration and use of specific didactic resources. Thus, this work aims to present the gamified software BioQuest and its usability and interface evaluation made by 131 Brazilian high school students from the São Paulo State public school system in São Carlos region. The data show that there is no significant difference in the game evaluation made by students with previous experience with games and those without the habit of playing, except when it comes to understanding the commands proposed by the game. This implies that students with previous experience in games have greater ease in using this teaching resource. Regarding the impact on their learning, the data show that students who interacted with the game performed better on conceptual issues related to Molecular Biology when compared to students who did not. Specifically, the questions related to game phases that contained gamification elements of the narrative and extrinsic motivation types, correlated with better grades obtained by the students. The practical experience of BioQuest proposed for high school students allowed to observe a significant improvement in the quality of teaching that can contribute to became a reference in this area.