Evaluation of the "Simulator for the Worsening of Bioaccumulation" Linking the Marine Environment and Daily Life

Abstract

This study developed a simulator to help students learn about the worsening of bioaccumulation caused by microplastics (MPs) intervention while linking the marine environment and daily life and evaluated its effectiveness. Using the simulator, sixth-grade science classes that linked bioaccumulation to their study of the food chain provided a scientific explanation of how MPs intervention can worsen bioaccumulation. Analyzing the scientific explanations in the "students' understanding" revealed that of the 50 students, 33 students [66%] achieved a perfect score, which means that most of the students were able to explain scientifically. In the "students' usability," 11 questions were asked, and all questions were answered in the affirmative, with an average score of 3 or higher. As a result of the transfer test, 27 students [54%] could answer correctly. Furthermore, follow-up interviews revealed that the simulator helped students scientifically understand the principles of worsening of bioaccumulation owing to the intervention of MPs by using the properties of MPs and the mechanism of bioaccumulation, while linking the marine environment with daily life.