Developing Visible Thinking and Motivation Through the Curricular Design of an Escape Room in Higher Education

Abstract

Introduction. The term escape room has undergone a notable evolution in recent years, extending its presence to areas not only recreational but also business or educational. The defining traits (overcoming obstacles, problem-solving, teamwork, time management...) have proven to be valid in business and education. This study presents the pedagogical design of an escape room based on visible thinking and analyses its effect on the motivation and cognitive processes of higher education students. Method. For this purpose, a quasi-experimental research with pretest/post-test was conducted, and it was evaluated whether the instructional design of the escape room was adequate to enhance the learning of the 238 students, whether it was motivating, and whether it contributed to the development of cognitive processes. We used two structured questionnaires with multiple-choice questions and one questionnaire with open-ended questions. We also applied a mixed method for quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. Results. The results show that the students consider the characteristics of the escape room and the organization of its elements to be of high quality; they also show that the curricular design of the escape room enhances students’ learning. In particular, the students consider that they have developed group thinking, critical thinking, and the activation of prior knowledge through the escape room and have found it a motivating experience. Conclusions. The use of the escape room in educational environments has a high educational potential. This is not only because it encourages the development of higher-order cognitive processes but also because it contributes to teamwork, self-regulation, and student motivation. However, it must be designed as a significant part of the didactic program, taking special care in the development of competences and thinking.

Adaptability and Procedural Content Generation for Educational Escape Rooms

“…The use of educational games as learning tools allows teaching and reinforcement learning. Moreover, it develops non-cognitive skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and communication (Huang et al, 2020), beyond curiosity for students to discover scientific concepts, motivation and engagement comparable to the traditional educational games (Borrego et al, 2017, Nicholson, 2018, Gómez-Urquiza et al, 2019, Huang et al, 2020, Moreno-Fernández et al, 2020, Bilbao-Quintana et al, 2021, Dugnol-Menéndez et al, 2021, Macías-Guillén et al, 2021. Students may develop their learning path playfully and their own adaptive and responsive skills.…”

A Hybrid Escape Room to Foster Motivation and Programming Education for Pre-Service Teachers

“…Over centuries, various gaming techniques have been developed in the field of teaching. These techniques aim not only to make learning enjoyable for students, but also to foster thinking and teamwork skills through diverse, student-centred pedagogical strategies (Bilbao-Quintana et al, 2021).…”

Estado Do Conhecimento Sobre Os Jogos De Escape Room Para O Processo De Ensino E Aprendizagem

“…Além do mais, ele disserta que o jogo permanece no modelo de ensino complementar, favorecendo um ambiente imersivo e divertido.Da mesma forma, Avargil, Shwartz e Zemel (2021) abordam sobre o desenvolvimento prático, direto e sincero que os jogos de ER produzem nas atividades de um estudante livre para construir o seu conhecimento, com base na resolução de problemas, utilizando elementos e superando dificuldades. Os autores também discutem como esse tipo de jogo pode trabalhar as habilidades cognitivas e metacognitivas, além de fornecer suporte social e emocional, habilidades cobradas no século XXI.Os autoresBilbao-Quintana et al (2021) analisaram o desempenho após a atividade e a percepção da qualidade dos jogos de ER. Os resultados indicaram que a resolução de problemas com diferentes níveis de dificuldade foi vista como um componente motivacional, pelo fato de que eles dão a sensação de avanço de fase, além de ser um elemento que auxilia a gerir o tempo.De forma semelhante, nota-se o êxito no desempenho em ER virtual, conforme demonstrado pela investigação descrita pelos autores Rosillo e Montes (2021).…”