Scientific literacy is one prerequisite for social participation in science education and can be fostered through adaptive learning environments with students conducting scientific experiments independently. To be effective, experimental environments need to be designed in a way to abolish physical, cognitive, linguistic, social, or other barriers to ensure access and participation for all students. The demand for accessibility is oriented towards adequate experimental instructions. We refer to the science for all framework (Stinken-Rösner et al., 2020) and a recently developed instrument to measure accessibility of experimental instructions on three dimensions (action, visibility, language) (Graichen et al., in preparation). Additionally, it is crucial for science learning environments not to foster stereotypes (Brotman & Moore, 2008; Hoffmann, 2002). Against the background that girls and boys have different self-concepts in the natural sciences and thus develop different interests (Brotman & Moore, 2008; OECD, 2016). Gender differences play an important role in the way how girls and boys perceive learning environments. Generally, in science girls have a lower self-concept of ability (Hoffmann, 2002).

Hence, we developed a digital learning environment about magnetism for grades 5 to 6 including accessibility and stereotype-free aspects. Largely, it was designed in comic style, hence by learning through storytelling(Kromka & Goodboy, 2019; Laçin-Şimşek, 2019). Moreover, comics can foster motivation and enhance learning processes (Jee & Anggoro, 2012). The text-picture combination accommodates for the students’ visual thinking abilities, especially for example for pupils with autism spectrum disorders (Schirmer, 2019). Moreover, a suitable text-image combination reduces the cognitive load and further load-reducing aspects can be included, like segmentation, signaling, individualizing, or accommodating pupils’ spatial imagination (Mayer, 2010). To enhance scientific literacy, the developed environment is well-structured, includes videos and two hands-on experiments. 

Aim of the present study was to gain insights of the newly developed adaptive learning environment in medium-track secondary schools in Germany. Our research interest was to inquire how students perceive the accessibility and motivating quality of the learning environment with its comic-based storytelling and hands-on experiments. Moreover, we wanted to find out if there were gender-related differences regarding accessibility, interest and competency with comics, cognitive load, and knowledge.

Overall, 71 students (33 female = 46,5%) of three classes participated. In average they were 11.9 (SD = 2,57) years of age and went to grade 5 (n = 23, 32,4%) and grade 6 (n = 46, 64,8%). On an iPad, the pupils worked themselves through the learning environment which consisted of an introductory comic concerning basics about magnetism and the historical development on the topic Then the pupils conducted two experiments during which they tested objects for magnetism. During experiment 1 pupils tested materials like screws, metal plates, or test tubes, during experiment 2 they tested Euro-coins. Hence, the experiments are conductible with simple, non-dangerous materials and are viable independently at school, homework at home or for distance learning. After the experimental part, pupils received concluding information and were able to print of a summary sheet including each pupils’ own answers given throughout the learning environment. Overall, the pupils worked about 30-45 minutes on the online learning environment. After the learning environment the pupils answered questions as a follow-up task (self-evaluation), and a week later responded to a knowledge-test (delayed performance test: 7 items, Cronbach α = .58) on the topics covered within the learning environment. The self-evaluation test included items about the comic (comic interest: three items, Cronbach α = .89 and experienced competence: three items, Cronbach α = .79), cognitive load (seven items, Cronbach α = .79), perceived accessibility within three dimensions (action: eight items, Cronbach α = .90, visibility: four items, Cronbach α = .68, language: three items, Cronbach α = .73; Graichen et al., in preparation) for both experiments. Moreover, the pupils answered questions about themselves (e.g., age, gender, …).

Preliminary analyses showed significant differences between boys and girls regarding comic interest and comic competence, and their perception of accessibility (dimension: language) in experiment 1, favoring girls. However, we found no gender differences regarding cognitive load, all other accessibility scales, and results of a delayed performance test. It can be regarded as positive, that girls found comic-style instructions more motivating than boys, as this could show one possibility to foster girls’ motivation on science topics. ANOVAs with repeated measures (experiment 1 vs. 2), one for each accessibility dimension (action, visibility, language), and gender as between-factor revealed significant effects for the repetition-factor. This indicates that experiment 2 was perceived more accessible than experiment 1. This could be either due to training effects, because of the repeated experimental process (Greene, 2008; Wiggins et al., 2021), or due to the Euro-coins of experiment 2 being more familiar to the pupils. However, the descriptive values indicate a high accessibility of both experiments. These results of the present study highlight that magnetism as a topic of science can effectively be support by accessible online learning environments and can be communicated in a motivating way, especially to girls. Online learning environments are thus an accessible tool to introduce basic concepts of scientific literary in a way that pupils can conduct experiments independently.

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