Chem on! What is your reaction? – Presentation and first testing of a chemistry board game

Abstract

Literature on educational research is increasingly concerned with how to effectively teach and motivate today’s generation, how we can respond to the challenges of the 21st century, changing learning environments, and the changing composition of students. The attitude shift of students towards learning may be due to the personality of the teacher, the teaching methods and tools used, and individual learning habits. According to the results, chemistry is one of the least popular subjects among Hungarian students. In our research, we place emphasis on play as a motivator for learning. One of our long-term goals is to positively influence students’ attitudes towards chemistry. To achieve this goal, we used board game pedagogy as a foundation and developed a self-made chemistry board game called Chem on! What is your reaction? During the planning process, we attempt to teach science-based knowledge in a fun way. Students’ chemistry attitudes and experiences during the board game were investigated using a questionnaire (n=41). Subject teachers’ opinions about the board game pedagogy and the game itself were investigated using a semi-structured interview. The results are encouraging: the majority of students liked the board game and would like to use it in the future. The teachers’ responses confirmed that there is a demand for board games and that they see potential in board game pedagogy in classrooms. The experience also confirmed that it is worthwhile to conduct further research, as this innovative method can be successful in making chemistry a popular subject.