Skip to main content
Home / GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, Volume 31, Number 3

Open Access How puzzles are shaping our understanding of biodiversity: A call for more research into biodiversity representation in educational games

Download Article:
Games as a didactic tool (e. g., puzzles) are gaining recognition in environmental education to promote skill development, but also to develop a specific understanding of the natural world. However, a children’s puzzle containing representations of nature may unwillingly lead to “misconceptions” of biodiversity themes and processes, and an over-simplification of the relationship between people and nature. To solve this problem, positive connotations of biodiversity may prompt a conceptual change to a more nuanced, multifaceted conception of biodiversity.

Keywords: biodiversity; constructivism; education for sustainable development; educational games; environmental education

Document Type: Discussion

Affiliations: 1: University of Zurich, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Department of Geography, Zurich, Switzerland, Technical University of Munich, Research Department of Life Science Systems, Munich, Germany 2: University of Zurich, Institute of Education, Zurich, Switzerland 3: University of Zurich, Department of Geography, Zurich, Switzerland 4: University of Zurich, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Zurich, Switzerland, EAWAG (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology), Department of Aquatic Ecology, Dübendorf, Switzerland 5: University of Zurich, Ethics Research Institute, Zurich, Switzerland 6: University of Zurich, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Zurich, Switzerland, The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, Oxford, Lindengate Mental Health Charity, Wendover, United Kingdom 7: University of Zurich, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Zurich, Switzerland 8: University of Zurich, Department of Geography, Switzerland, University of Zurich, Science Lab, Zurich, Switzerland

Publication date: October 20, 2022

More about this publication?

  • GAIA is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to inter- and transdisciplinary research on and for sustainability transformations.

    Environmental problems cannot be solved by one academic discipline. The complex natures of these problems require cooperation across disciplinary boundaries. Since 1991, GAIA has offered a well-balanced and practice-oriented forum for transdisciplinary research. GAIA offers first-hand information on state of the art environmental research and on current solutions to environmental problems. Well-known editors, advisors, and authors work to ensure the high quality of the contributions found in GAIA and a unique transdisciplinary dialogue – in a comprehensible style.

    GAIA is an ISI-journal, listed in the Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Science Citation Index and in Current Contents/Social and Behavioral Sciences.

    All contributions undergo a double-blind peer review.

  • Editorial Board
  • Information for Authors
  • Subscribe to this Title
  • Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Share Content

  • Access Key
  • Free content
  • Partial Free content
  • New content
  • Open access content
  • Partial Open access content
  • Subscribed content
  • Partial Subscribed content
  • Free trial content