Investigating the Role of Experience-Based Pedagogic Methods Involving Peer Influence for Science Education

The traditional form of college education about Earth’s climate has involved teaching via textbooks. However, with the advent of web-based technologies, there is a need to supplement learning via textbooks with more interactive and experience-based methods involving imagery and graphics. Grounded in the field of psychology and cognitive science, the use of web-based simulation tools (“microworlds”) could expose students to newer forms of experience-based pedagogies and help integrate the social aspects with science education. Although recent research has shown simulation tools to make people understand complex concepts concerning Earth’s climate effectively, peer influence in these tools has been less studied. To study peer’s influence on participant’s investment behavior, we developed a Peer Interactive Climate Change Simulator (P-ICCS) tool. In an experiment involving human participants (N = 81), P-ICCS was used with and without an unreal peer’s presence. Participants made mitigative and adaptive investments against climate change while playing alongside unreal peers, and participants were provided feedback concerning their actions. Results indicated a significant increase in mitigative investments in the peer’s presence than its absence. Inversely, participant adaptive investments were significantly lower in the peer’s presence than in its absence. Overall, results indicated that the peer’s presence was able to nudge and guide participant investments against climate change. Simulation tools like P-ICCS can incorporate social norms that may alter human investment behaviors positively. Thus, tools like P-ICCS can have tremendous applications in climate change education and policymaking.