An Analysis of Gamified Mobile Applications to Educate Children about Astronomy

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Teaching astronomy to children has the potential to develop their imagination and critical thinking and might encourage them to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related fields. Gamified mobile applications are tools that could be used to teach effectively astronomy concepts to children by simplifying them and making the learning experience fun and engaging. This study analyzed and assessed the specifications of 6 gamification-based applications for astronomy education, covering their content and technical features. The scoring system assigned a score with a rating from very high to very low for each of the applications. None of the applications scored a very high rating, in either the content or the technical features. The technical features have an overall lower score relative to the content. We discussed the implications of our findings in the paper and suggested recommendations for the developers of future astronomy-related applications.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 2022 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference, EDUCON 2022
EditorsMohammed Jemni, Ilhem Kallel, Abdeljalil Akkari
PublisherIEEE Computer Society
Pages532-536
Number of pages5
ISBN (Electronic)9781665444347
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022
Event13th IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference, EDUCON 2022 - Tunis, Tunisia
Duration: Mar 28 2022Mar 31 2022

Publication series

NameIEEE Global Engineering Education Conference, EDUCON
Volume2022-March
ISSN (Print)2165-9559
ISSN (Electronic)2165-9567

Conference

Conference13th IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference, EDUCON 2022
Country/TerritoryTunisia
CityTunis
Period3/28/223/31/22

Keywords

  • Astronomy
  • children education
  • gamification
  • mobile applications
  • space science

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Information Systems and Management
  • Education
  • General Engineering

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