Assessing Science Identity Exploration in Immersive Virtual Environments: A Mixed Methods Approach
Abstract Despite increasing calls for science education that utilizes immersive technologies and authentically model scientific inquiry, little is known about how well curricula leveraging these technologies impact students’ science identity. This paper presents a mixed-methods study of identity exploration in 7th grade science students using a three-week immersive virtual world-based curriculum. Data sources include interviews and pre-post assessments which are compared to see how one can best assess science identity exploration. Students had statistically significant gains in scientific self-efficacy, and interviews showed an increasing awareness of what it means to be a scientist and how inquiry and argumentation skills can be used across different disciplines.