The globaled 2 game: Developing scientific literacy skills through interdisciplinary, technology-based simulations

GlobalEd 2 (GE2) is a set of technology-mediated, problem-based learning (PBL) simulation "games" for middle grade students that capitalizes on the multidisciplinary nature of the social sciences as an expanded curricular space for students to learn and apply scientific literacies and concepts, while simultaneously also enriching their understanding of the social sciences. This chapter reports the results of pilot implementations of the GE2 simulations focused on water resources and climate change with ~1400, 7th and 8th grade students from both suburban and urban school systems. Results indicate positive changes in the quality of their written scientific explanation, interest in pursuing future science educational opportunitiesand science knowledgeafter participating in a GE2 simulation. Further results indicate that implementation fidelity was correlated with positive gains in student outcomes with high fidelity yielding very high outcomes and low fidelity yielding low to no gains.