PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - BOKR, Pavel
AU  - JEDLIČKOVÁ, Tereza
AU  - TEODORIDIS, Vasilis
TI  - THE MINECRAFT EDUCATION - A GAME-BASED PLATFORM AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN GEOLOGY EDUCATION AT LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL (ISCED 2)
DP  - 2024 Nov 7
TA  - Journal of Technology and Information Education
PG  - 17--50
VI  - 16
IP  - 1
AID - 10.5507/jtie.2024.004
IS  - 1803537X
AB  - The aim of the study is to identify mistakes and deviations from natural geological conditions in the standard gaming world of Minecraft Education and to create a geologically realistic model of gaming world within this game. Subsequently, to design a lesson that, through Minecraft, focuses on simulating geological exploration and the work of a geologist, emphasizing the societal importance of geology as an applied science. The proposed lesson was practically verified and assessed through a questionnaire survey involving 51 pupils from two 9th-grade classes at Králův Dvůr Elementary School. Feedback was obtained from the pupils. From the survey results, serving as a basis for lesson modifications, it is evident that for most pupils, there was a positive shift in perceiving the importance and real aspects of a geologist's work after completing the lesson. Most pupils positively evaluated the lesson's level for its realism and entertainment value but negatively assessed the large number of individual activities and the limited time allocated for their completion. The second part of the questionnaire survey focused on pupils' opinions and attitudes toward the use of digital games and online/offline applications in education. Here, most pupils can envision active utilization of digital applications in education, especially in natural science subjects. They believe that using applications in teaching enhances clarity and facilitates easier comprehension of the curriculum while making the learning process more enjoyable. Moreover, they consider it a suitable tool for practicing the curriculum. Pupils also mentioned encountering applications regularly in most subjects, with Kahoot! being the most frequently used application, and the optimal frequency of application integration into teaching being three times a week.