Enhancing sustainability-related self-efficacy through serious games

Titelangaben

Hollweck, Sezen ; Borgstede, Matthias ; Muenz, Thomas ; Paul, Jürgen:
Enhancing sustainability-related self-efficacy through serious games.
In: Frontiers in Education. Bd. 11 (2026) . - 1813464.
ISSN 2504-284X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2026.1813464

Volltext

Link zum Volltext (externe URL):

Abstract

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and environmental education remain a major challenge in classroom teaching. Current educational approaches often fail to engage all student groups equally. However, in order to achieve the goals of ESD, society as a whole must be involved to drive this change forward. Digital game-based learning has been suggested as a promising means to bridge the gap between knowledge and action and to support the achievement of ESD goals across diverse educational backgrounds. We therefore developed a digital learning game to enhance students' environmental attitudes, behavioral intentions, and self-efficacy for environmental action. The game was evaluated using a pre-post intervention design with a student sample from different educational backgrounds (N = 156). Data were collected in three German schools and statistically analyzed using nonparametric permutation tests. Results indicate that students with a lower educational background tend to hold a more instrumental view of nature, whereas higher-achieving students report stronger pro-environmental behavior. After playing the game, students in the treatment group showed a significant increase in self-efficacy for environmental action, regardless of their educational background. These findings suggest that digital game-based learning may be an effective tool and an inclusive approach for promoting core competencies related to ESD.