Metaverse-Based Science Education

Abstract

Is Metaverse the new milestone of the technology-assisted revolution in education, or a new technology-assisted teaching practice that has become commonplace? Although the research on the metaverse in educational sciences has increased rapidly in the last four years, it should be emphasized that these research have been conducted at the university level and mostly in developed countries. On the other hand, there is a research gap in developing countries and generally at the high school level. More than 90% of individuals who use Metaverse applications for different purposes are younger than 16. Considering this information, there is a need to develop activities based on group work in the teaching of abstract, micro and macro subjects within the scope of science that students have difficulty in understanding and cannot concretize by making use of informatics experts. This research determines the international practices of metaverse supported science education and reveals the importance of these practices in science teaching. In addition, in this study, the problems, advantages, disadvantages and limitations that can be experienced in education based on Metaverse were determined and it was determined which subjects could be effective in high school science courses. In the study, the case study method, one of the qualitative research types, was used. Purposeful sampling, maximum variation and criterion sampling from non-random sampling method were used. Participant data were obtained from 14 teachers and 15 students through interviews in the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. Document data were obtained from Web of Science and TR index databases. Participant data was carried out with content analysis and document data was carried out with bibliometric analysis. According to the research findings, it was emphasized that Metaverse applications have features that lead students to technology addiction, unlimited social and cultural freedom, keep them away from the real world, drag them to a game-centered personality development and harm their sense of privacy. Considering these dimensions of metaverse supported education, it is suggested by the authors to develop restrictive practices during the course.

Keywords

• science education
• technology assisted learning
• metaverse, science education, technology assisted learning

Metaverse Destekli Fen Eğitimi

Öz

Metaverse, eğitimde teknoloji destekli devrimin yeni miladı mı, yoksa sıradanlaşmış teknoloji destekli yeni bir öğretim uygulaması mı? Son dört yıl içinde eğitim bilimlerinde metaverse ile ilgili araştırmalar ivmeli bir şekilde artış göstermesine karşın bu araştırmaların gelişmiş ülkelerde ve üniversite düzeyinde olduğu görülmektedir. Buna karşılık gelişmekte olan ülkelerde ve genel olarak lise düzeyinde araştırma boşluğu bulunmaktadır. Metaverse uygulamalarını farklı amaçlarla kullanan bireylerin %90’dan fazlasının 16 yaş altı gençlerin olduğu dikkate alındığında öğrencilerin anlamakta güçlük çektikleri ve somutlaştıramadıkları fen bilimleri kapsamındaki soyut, mikro ve makro içerikli konuların öğretiminde bilişim uzmanlarından faydalanarak işbirlikli gruplara hitap edecek şekilde etkinliklerin geliştirilmesine ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Bu araştırma, metaverse destekli fen eğitiminin uluslararası uygulamalarının ne durumda olduğunu belirleyerek fen öğretimindeki önemini ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca bu süreçte yaşanabilecek problemler, avantajlar, dezavantajlar ve sınırlılıklar belirlenip, liselerde fen bilimleri derslerinde hangi konularda yürütülmesinin etkili olabileceği tespit edilmiştir. Nitel araştırma türlerinden özel durum çalışmasına dayalı yürütülen araştırmada seçkisiz olmayan örneklem yönteminden amaçlı örneklem, maksimum çeşitlilik ve ölçüt örneklemesi kullanılmıştır. Araştırmada katılımcı verileri 14 öğretmen ve 15 öğrenciden 2022-2023 eğitim öğretim yılı güz döneminde görüşme yolu ile elde edilmiştir. Doküman verileri ise Web of Science ve TR dizin veri tabanlarından elde edilmiştir. Katılımcı verileri içerik analizi, doküman verileri ise bibliyometrik analiz ile anlamlandırılmıştır. Metaverse uygulamalarının öğrencileri teknoloji bağımlılığına, sosyal ve kültürel yönden sınırsız özgürlüğe yönlendirerek gerçek dünyadan uzak oyun merkezli bir etkileşime sürüklemesi ve mahremiyet duygularını giderici boyutları dikkate alınarak eğitim bilimciler tarafından ders kapsamında sınırlayıcı uygulamaların geliştirilmesi önerilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• metaverse
• fen eğitimi
• teknoloji destekli öğrenme
• metaverse, fen eğitimi, teknoloji destekli öğrenme
• science education
• technology assisted learning

Kaynakça

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