Collaborative Research: Promoting Children's Learning About Biological Variability by Leveraging Simple Card Games

生物多样性是理解生物学家研究自然方式的基础。物种内部的可变性比人们认识到的要多得多，正是这种可变性在生存和繁殖的背景下推动了物种的发展和变化。让年幼的孩子理解这个基本概念是很重要的。该项目将测试一种创新方法，以促进与理解生物变异性相关的比较。这种方法包括修改两款流行游戏《War》和《Uno》，将描绘生物不同发展阶段的卡片（如虫卵、幼虫、蛹和成虫）结合在一起。在玩这些游戏时，玩家会进行与理解生物多样性相关的比较，例如比较单一物种的不同生命阶段，或比较不同物种的相似阶段。该研究调查了游戏过程中照顾者与孩子之间的互动和比较，并研究了游戏如何影响儿童对生物学变异性的学习。这项研究包括以实验室为基础的研究，让二年级和五年级的孩子玩《生命周期》（修改后的《战争》）和《CyClo》（修改后的《Uno》），并在博物馆进行平行研究，以检验在受控和真实环境下照顾者与孩子的互动和学习。该团队将设计并试点一个博物馆展览原型，将游戏和从研究中获得的经验教训结合起来。研究结果将有助于理解生物多样性的基础知识如何帮助年轻学生为后续的生物教育做好准备。在小学阶段，孩子们应该学习生物多样性，包括物种内的变异。理解生物多样性涉及到关系推理：辨别生物种类内部和之间的相关关系。当孩子们比较生物类别内或生物类别之间的例子时，这些关系是显著的。然而，比较是认知要求，教育材料往往缺乏足够的支持比较。本项目通过在《Uno》和《War》的修改版本中加入卡片来测试一种促进关系推理的创新方法，这些卡片描绘了处于不同发展阶段的生物体（例如，昆虫卵、幼虫、蛹和成虫）。本研究以玩这两种纸牌游戏的二年级和五年级儿童（n=150）为对象，进行实验室研究，并测试系统地改变游戏中范例的数量和相似性的效果。该研究还测试了为照顾者提供支持以帮助儿童建立关系思维的有效性。在博物馆中进行的平行研究正在研究真实环境下的游戏中照料者与儿童的互动。最后，该团队将设计并测试一个博物馆展览原型，该原型将结合游戏和通过研究获得的经验教训。本项目由美国国家科学基金会EDU核心研究（ECR）项目支持。ECR项目强调在该领域产生基础知识的基础STEM教育研究。投资在至关重要、广泛和持久的关键领域：STEM学习和STEM学习环境，扩大STEM参与，以及STEM劳动力发展。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Biodiversity is fundamental to understanding the way biologists study nature. There is much more variability within species than people recognize, and it is this variability that fuels development and change of species in contexts of survival and reproduction. It is important that young children understand this foundational idea. This project will test an innovative approach to promoting comparisons relevant to understanding biological variability. This approach involves modifying two popular games, War and Uno, by incorporating cards that depict organisms at different stages of development (e.g., insect egg, larva, pupa, and adult). In playing these games, players engage in comparisons relevant to understanding biodiversity, such as comparing different life stages for a single species, or comparing similar stages for different species. The research investigates caregiver-child interactions and comparisons during game play and examines how game play affects children's learning about biological variability. The research involves lab-based studies with 2nd- and 5th-grade children playing LifeCycles (modified War) and CyClo (modified Uno) and is conducting parallel studies in museums, in order to examine caregiver-child interaction and learning in both controlled and authentic settings. The team will design and pilot a museum exhibit prototype that incorporates the games and the lessons learned through the research. The results will build understanding about how foundational knowledge about diversity in biology can help young students be ready for subsequent biology education. In the elementary grades, children are expected to learn about biodiversity, including within-species variability. Understanding biodiversity involves relational reasoning: discerning relevant relationships within and among biological kinds. These relationships are salient when children compare examples within or between biological categories. However, comparison is cognitively demanding, and educational materials often lack adequate support for comparison. This project tests an innovative approach to promoting relational reasoning by incorporating cards in modified versions of Uno and War that depict organisms at different stages of development (e.g., insect egg, larva, pupa, and adult). This research is conducting lab-based studies with 2nd- and 5th-grade children playing these two card games (n=150) and is testing the effects of systematically varying the number and similarity of the exemplars in the games. The research also is testing the effectiveness of providing caregivers with support for scaffolding children's relational thinking. Parallel studies in museums are examining caregiver-child interaction in game play in authentic settings. Finally, the team will design and pilot test a museum exhibit prototype that incorporates the games and the lessons learned through the research.This project is supported by NSF's EDU Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.