Introduction: Transformative Environmental Education and the One Health approach are key perspectives in initial teacher education for responding to the current ecosocial crisis. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the impact of a Teaching–Learning Sequence that employs a serious game (Escape Box) as the central didactic tool to address marine plastic pollution. Methodology: A quasi-experimental design was implemented in the Environmental Education course, using pre- and post-questionnaires administered to 27 fourth-year students, aged between 22 and 23, enrolled in the Primary Education degree at the University of Cádiz (Spain). The Teaching–Learning Sequence was designed following a learning cycle grounded in socioconstructivist principles, integrating Ocean Literacy and the One Health approach. Results: Data analysis shows a significant improvement in the understanding of the socio-environmental issue, although it also reveals the persistence of certain learning obstacles. Conclusions: It is concluded that the use of Escape Boxes, integrated into a socioconstructivist learning cycle and grounded in the Transformative Environmental Education model, has a relevant impact on teacher education. This study not only identifies key conceptual weaknesses related to marine plastic pollution, but also enables future teachers to experience transferable didactic proposals for classroom implementation to address the current ecosocial crisis, adaptable to other socio-environmental issues.
This is an excellent work on environmental education using serious games in teacher training, which ties in very well with your article with the escape box in secondary education from last year... Do you think it would also be useful for addressing the problem of marine plastic pollution directly in primary education? Would adjustments be necessary regarding the students' level of abstraction/reflection?
Best regards,
Antonio.
Thank you very much for your comment. I think this type of proposal could indeed be useful for addressing marine plastic pollution in primary education, as it fits well with the current curriculum in Andalusia, which promotes competency-based, interdisciplinary and sustainability-oriented learning.
However, some adaptations would be necessary. Compared with secondary education, the activity should be more guided, visual and manipulative, with shorter challenges and a stronger connection to students’ everyday experiences. Instead of focusing on highly abstract socio-environmental processes, it could start from familiar situations such as plastic waste on beaches, its effects on marine animals, and simple individual and collective actions to reduce pollution.
Therefore, I would say that the proposal is suitable for primary education, especially in the upper years, provided that the language, level of abstraction, task duration and degree of student autonomy are adapted to their developmental stage.
Best regards,
Lourdes and Carmen
