Can Minecraft Build Kid’s Interest In STEM?

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Bangor Daily News – Nick McCrea

Students in rural Maine soon will visit a pixelated 3-D world so researchers can study whether it builds their interest in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $2 million research grant to explore how Minecraft, one of the most popular video games ever released, could influence children’s future career paths relating to STEM. That research will happen over the next three years.

 “The use of computer games as a mechanism for teaching computer science concepts while also improving the effectiveness of the core curriculum is incredibly exciting,” said Bruce Segee, the University of Maine professor leading the research project. “We believe that we will see an improvement in student learning across multiple areas.”

Minecraft is an independently developed, pixelated open-world game in which the player mines blocks of materials used to craft items and build structures. Software giant Microsoft purchased the game from its developer a year ago for $2.5 billion. Since Minecraft’s release in 2009, it has sold more than 60 million copies across multiple platforms and consoles.

A vast community of gamers has used the game to create giant structures, statues and machines, block by block, and share them with other Minecraft fanatics online.

Segee will work with co-principal investigators Craig Mason, a UMaine education professor, and Stephen Foster, CEO of ThoughtSTEM, a San Diego-based computer science education organization. The group will craft a curriculum for students in fifth through eighth grade, who will use LearnToMod, a browser-based software add-on used with Minecraft to teach players the basics of programming.

Segee did not return a message Monday asking which schools might be involved in the study.

Related studies are happening across the country in other rural and urban school districts. Researchers also are exploring what role family income levels, demographics and other factors play in STEM interest level when paired with gaming.

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by MindMake via MindMake Blog