A Comparative Analysis of Game-Based Learning vs. Traditional Education in Promoting Sustainability Awareness among Students

Abstract

Sustainability education plays a crucial role in enhancing awareness on global environmental issues and developing responsible behaviors among future generations. Conventional lecturing methods in teaching usually do not facilitate active student participation and long-term retention of sustainability concepts since they depend on passive learning. This has made the need for more interactive teaching strategies to enhance students' understanding and interest in sustainability. This paper examines GBL as an emerging strategy to bridge this gap. GBL combines interactive features of simulations, gamified quizzes, and role-playing to immerse students in the real world, thus fostering problem-solving skills. This research aims to compare how GBL compares with TE methods to enhance knowledge about sustainability, engagement, and overall outcomes. This is new in its application because it uses game-inspired activities to make learning more interactive. Findings show that GBL leads to significant gains in student performance and engagement. For instance, there was a 35% improvement in post-test scores concerning sustainability knowledge for the experimental group as compared to a mere 15% increase for the control group. Students in the GBL group also reported greater engagement and a higher likelihood to recommend the learning method, implying that the interactive nature of learning contributed to the success. This study indicates that GBL is a better alternative and more engaging when compared to traditional methods of learning, especially when dealing with complicated subjects like sustainability. This study, therefore, points out that it is possible to include GBL in curricula to have deep learning, critical thinking, and long-term retention of sustainability concepts.