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The Role of Virtual Characters in Scaffolding Inquiry-Based Learning in Genetics
Newald, Laura M. (2025) The Role of Virtual Characters in Scaffolding Inquiry-Based Learning in Genetics.
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| Abstract: | As virtual characters become more common in educational tools, it is worth exploring whether they support students’ self-reported perceived learning and satisfaction. This study investigated whether adding a simple, cartoon-style character to an online, inquiry-based genetics lesson would make a difference for secondary school students. This study took place in a real classroom setting, involving 52 students aged 11 to 13, and compared two conditions of the same lesson – one with a static virtual character and one with only pure text instruction. Students filled out surveys, and their activity in the lesson was tracked. The results showed no significant differences in students’ self-reported perceived learning and satisfaction with the genetics course. Interestingly, those who had the character version answered more questions correctly but also spent less time in the lesson overall. In the end, the character did not seem to improve outcomes in any clear way. These results suggest that adding a static virtual character is not enough to make digital learning better. For these agents to help, their design needs to be more thoughtful, especially when it comes to how they interact with students and support the learning goals. By testing this in real classrooms, the study offers some useful takeaways for educators and designers working to build better digital learning tools. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology, 81 education, teaching |
| Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107116 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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