Force and motion misconceptions in Moroccan high school science majors: insights from video game activity

This study delves into the misconceptions about force and motion prevalent among Moroccan high school science major students. It meticulously analyzes the impact of videogame activity on the formation and persistence of these misconceptions. A cohort of 234 students, who underwent remote introductory mechanics courses, were involved in the study. Alongside the use of the revised Force Concept Inventory for investigating misconceptions, we employed cluster sampling and a descriptive survey to concurrently explore students’ year-long experiences with various videogames. The findings indicate that a substantial part students exhibit non-Newtonian conceptual understanding of force and motion. Interestingly, highly engaged videogame players consistently demonstrated a shift in their misconceptions’ nature. No statistically significant correlations were found with grade, age, or gender, except for videogame spending time frequency. This research underscores the importance of mechanics reasoning, especially among digital natives and avid gamers. These insights not only pave the way for robust Digital Game-Based Learning tools to identify and rectify misconceptions, but also provide a catalyst for further exploration in this field and its broader implications.