Review of Computer-based Simulations for STEM Learning in K-12 Education

The rise in computing has been accompanied by a decrease in the costs of computers and an increase in the use of simulations for learning and training. In the STEM field in particular, real equipment can be difficult to obtain, dangerous to operate, and cost prohibitive, so simulations let students experience and investigate scientific phenomena they normally would not be able to experience firsthand. The potential benefits of simula tions, such as allowing for new phenomenon to be investigated at different physical scales and time periods, have led some individuals to believe that using simulations in the classroom can help improve learning. Several recent literature reviews (e.g., Smetana & Bell, 2012; Scalise, et al. 2011) have focused on whether and in what ways simulations aid the improvement of student learning. Some of these reviews are focused on a very narrow range of simulation studies while others are focused only on overall trends of the findings of these studies, but none conducted a comprehensive quantitative meta-analysis. To date, the simulation literature has not been systematically reviewed and quantitatively summarized to determine if simulations do in fact have an effect on K-12 student learning. This review addresses this gap in the current research literature on computer-based simulations for STEM learning. It was conducted by a team of researchers at SRI International under a contract with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A simulation, for the purposes of this review, was defined as a computer-based, interactive en vironment with an underlying model. The review focused on effects of and the role of computer-based simulations for learning in K-12 education in the areas of STEM education. This review focused on computer-based simulations that are neither simple visualizations nor games, recognizing that a continuum exists among these types of digital tools. For the purposes of this review, simulations needed to be constructed with an underlying model that was based on some real-world behavior or natural/ scientific phenomena (such as models of the ecosystem, or simulated animal dissections). In addition, all studies included in the review are characterized by simulations that include some amount of user interactivity, centered on inputs and outputs of the model. This review examined studies that compared simulationbased instruction to non-simulation-based instruction as well as studies that compared two versions of simulation-based instruction to each other.