This paper proposes a framework for designing digital environments and illustrates this framework using the example of a video game (Alchemist). The increasing importance of digital environments for educational systems (e.g. for teaching and assessing twenty-first century skills) makes it necessary to have standards for their quality. These environments should enable an individual discussion of the learning content, give individual feedback for learners and consist of motivational elements. The framework consists of the steps “Analysis”, “Design”, “Development”, “Quality Assurance” and “Evaluation & Implementation”. Each of these steps is characterized by a defined milestone, which, together with a cycle between crucial and non-arbitrary steps, indicates a product and goal orientation for development that distinguishes the model from conventional approaches. This should significantly promote the actual completion of a first product and thus the implementation of a project idea, since otherwise development processes, in particular, are quickly stuck in several, sometimes small-step loops until the initial impulse is lost.

Inquiry-based instruction is a prominent teaching strategy in science education that is assumed to be an effective means to foster not only students’ understanding of science content but also their...

Critical thinking (CT) performance assessment in authentic settings remains challenging. One reason is that the CT focus might shift depending on the context. This article describes the inductive and deductive processes of developing a contextual CT coding manual (CCTCM) and presents an exemplary analysis to demonstrate its application in assessing CT performance in an undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory course. Students’ verbal interactions during the course were used as the primary data for assessment. The CCTCM we developed comprises two components: the contextual profile of the physical chemistry laboratory and an operationalized set of CT skills. The tool enabled a contextualized analysis of CT performance. It produced data that reflected ongoing learning, accommodated quantitative analyses of small samples, and could inform curriculum design by identifying commonly applied or underused CT skills. Moreover, it allowed for monitoring individual CT performance and understanding CT skill interconnections. The CCTCM operates independently of teaching methods or students’ problem familiarity, thus preserving intuitive behaviors.

Collaborative problem-solving (CPS) skills are recognised as an essential aspect of 21st century skills and STEM education. In the STEM framework, students’ CPS skills in the learning process need to be appropriately monitored, yet assessment tools for students’ CPS skills are currently not widely developed in chemistry. This study aimed to develop and validate the assessment tool for measuring high school students’ collaborative problem-solving skills in chemistry (CPS-C). Fifty-two students participated in the assessment, which included tasks on Coke Titration, Fruit Battery, and Soap Making. The data were analyzed using Multidimensional Item Response Theory (MIRT) models and the Generalized Partial Credit Model (GPCM). The results indicated that the CPS-C tool showed good internal consistency and item fit. Additionally, ten students were interviewed, and the interview content was analyzed using MAXQDA, emphasizing the importance of providing clear and concise instructions, reducing the number of tasks, and offering meaningful and relevant options. Moreover, this study also validated the reliability of cognitive ability tests, mental load and effort tests, and interest and motivation tests. The results showed satisfactory reliability for all tests except for the mental load and effort tests, which had a lower reliability coefficient of 0.68. Despite some limitations, the CPS-C tool showed great potential for effectively assessing CPS skills. Further research is needed to validate the tool’s effectiveness and reliability across larger, more diverse samples and different cultural contexts.

Collaborative problem-solving (CPS) skills are recognized as an essential aspect of 21st-century skills and STEM education. This study investigates the CPS skills of high school students from Germany and China within the context of chemistry. A total of 594 students, aged 15, were selected, comprising 249 females and 345 males. The German participants were drawn from five public high schools in Berlin, while the Chinese participants were selected from two high schools in Zhejiang. The assessment tool, developed based on the PISA frameworks and refined through pilot testing, was used to assess students’ CPS skills. The study found that Chinese students significantly outperformed their German counterparts in CPS tasks, exhibiting higher average scores and more consistent performance levels. Gender differences were also noted, with female students in both countries outperforming males. The analysis highlighted cultural influences on education, with the collectivist culture in China fostering stronger CPS skills compared to the individualistic tendencies in Germany. These findings suggest that cultural and gender differences need to be taken into account when developing and improving CPS skills. Future research will explore additional factors influencing CPS skills, such as student interest and motivation, to further understand and improve educational practices globally.

The purpose of this systematic literature review is to analyze the use and impact of game-based approaches in secondary school chemistry education between 2014 and 2024. More specifically, it examines the impact of gamification, game-based learning, and serious games on student academic achievement, motivation, and engagement. Based on defined inclusion criteria, 52 peer-reviewed studies were identified through a structured database search. In the past decade, there has been a significant increase in research interest in this area. In a study of three approaches, game-based learning was the most commonly employed method. The three methods, game-based learning, gamification, and serious games, were found to have a positive impact on student outcomes, particularly in terms of motivation and engagement. Furthermore, positive effects were observed on learning outcomes, especially among students with lower prior knowledge or lower academic performance. This review provides an overview of recent research on game-based learning in chemistry education and highlights its growing relevance. In the future, researchers should investigate additional variables, such as self-efficacy, emotional responses, and problem-solving skills, and investigate how different student populations may benefit from game-based strategies. Practical implications for educators are also discussed, emphasizing the need for well-planned and context-sensitive implementation in the classroom.