An Exploratory Study of an Evidence-Based Augmented Reality Board Game for Paleontology Learning
Resumo
Introduction: Educational games and augmented reality (AR) have been explored to support science learning, but often prioritize visualization and interaction over structured reasoning and knowledge construction. Objective: This paper presents the design and evaluation of PaleoExtinção, a hybrid board game that combines physical gameplay and AR to support the learning of paleontological concepts through evidence-based interaction. Methodology: A pilot study with undergraduate students in a Biological Sciences teacher education program used preand post-tests to assess learning outcomes and a Likert-scale questionnaire to capture participants’ perceptions. Data were analyzed using a paired t-test and descriptive statistics. Results: Participants showed improved performance after the intervention (t(6) = 7.13, p < 0.001; Cohen’s d = 2.69), and reported positive perceptions of engagement and motivation. Although the small sample and absence of a control group limit the generalizability of the findings, the pilot study provides preliminary evidence of the feasibility of combining physical gameplay, augmented reality, and evidence-based mechanics to support engagement and understanding of paleontological concepts. The evaluation with pre-service teachers also offers initial insights into the pedagogical applicability of the approach.
Palavras-chave:
Educational Games, Augmented Reality, Hybrid Board Games, Paleontology Education, Teacher Education
Referências
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Mazur, E. (1997). Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual. Prentice Hall.
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Neves, J. P., Campos, L. L., and Simões, M. G. (2010). Jogos como recurso didático para o ensino de conceitos paleontológicos básicos aos estudantes do ensino fundamental. Terr@ Plural, 2(1):103–114.
Prensky, M. (2003). Digital game-based learning. Computers in Entertainment, 1(1):21.
PTC Inc. (2026). Vuforia Engine Library. Accessed: 2026-03-05.
Reuss, R. L. and Gardulski, A. F. (2021). An interactive game approach to learning in historical geology and paleontology. Journal of Geoscience Education, 49(2):120–129.
Santos, W. O. d. and Silva Junior, C. G. d. (2016). An introduction to educational games virtualization. In Proceedings of the Brazilian Symposium on Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames).
Savi, R. and Ulbricht, V. R. (2008). Jogos digitais educacionais: Benefícios e desafios. RENOTE, 6(1).
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Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., and Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Generalized Causal Inference. Houghton Mifflin.
Souza-Concilio, I. and Pacheco, B. (2013). Games and learning management systems: A discussion about motivational design and emotional engagement. In Proceedings of the Brazilian Symposium on Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames).
Tessmer, M. (1993). Planning and Conducting Formative Evaluations: Improving the Quality of Education and Training. Psychology Press, reprint edition.
Tondeur, J., van Braak, J., Sang, G., Voogt, J., Fisser, P., and Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2012). Preparing pre-service teachers to integrate technology in education: A synthesis of qualitative evidence. Computers & Education, 59(1):134–144.
Unity Technologies (2025). Unity Manual. Accessed: 2026-02-23.
van Teijlingen, E. R. and Hundley, V. (2001). The importance of pilot studies. Social Research Update, (35):1–4.
Xiaohui, T., Pengcheng, F., Liming, L., and Mingquan, Z. (2012). A method of multiple-marker register and application on virtual education. In Sambath, S. and Zhu, E., editors, Frontiers in Computer Education, volume 133, pages 431–439. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Ali, N. A., Sadiq, M. H., Albabawat, A. A., and Salah, R. M. (2022). Methods and applications of augmented reality in education: A review. In Proceedings of the 2022 International Conference on Computer Science and Software Engineering (CSASE), pages 175–181.
Bacca, J., Baldiris, S., Fabregat, R., Graf, S., and Kinshuk (2014). Augmented reality trends in education: A systematic review of research and applications. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 17(4):133–149.
Barkley, E. F., Major, C. H., and Cross, K. P. (2014). Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. Jossey-Bass, 2 edition.
Belo, C. (2018). Realidade aumentada transforma ensino do senai. Agência de Notícias da Indústria. Acesso em: 19 abr. 2026.
Billinghurst, M., Clark, A., and Lee, G. (2015). A survey of augmented reality. Foundations and Trends in Human-Computer Interaction, 8(2–3):73–272.
Bimber, O. and Raskar, R. (2002). Merging fossil specimens with computer-generated information. Computer, 35(9):25–30.
Bochennek, K., Wittekindt, B., Zimmermann, S.-Y., and Klingebiel, T. (2007). More than mere games: a review of card and board games for medical education. Medical Teacher, 29(9–10):941–948.
Boelter, R. A. and Goldschmidt, A. I. (2023). O ensino da paleontologia nos anos iniciais: explorando o imaginário infantil por meio de imagens. Revista Insignare Scientia - RIS, 6(6):679–709.
Brasil. Ministério da Educação (2018). Base nacional comum curricular. [link].
Bressler, D. M. and Bodzin, A. M. (2013). A mixed methods assessment of students’ flow experiences during a mobile augmented reality science game. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 29(6):505–517.
Burns, M. (2023). Barriers and supports for technology integration: Views from teachers. Technical report, UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report. Background paper prepared for the 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report, Technology in Education.
Carmigniani, J. and Furht, B. (2011). Augmented reality: An overview. In Furht, B., editor, Handbook of Augmented Reality, pages 3–46. Springer New York, New York, NY.
Costa, C. F. d. and Scheid, N. M. J. (2022). O ensino de paleontologia na bncc e sua presença em livros didáticos do pnld 2020. In Anais do XXII Encontro Nacional de Educação (ENACED) e II Seminário Internacional de Estudos e Pesquisa em Educação nas Ciências (SIEPEC). Publicado em 22 nov. 2022.
Damala, A., Cubaud, P., Bationo, A., Houlier, P., and Marchal, I. (2008). Bridging the gap between the digital and the physical: design and evaluation of a mobile augmented reality guide for the museum visit. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Digital Interactive Media in Entertainment and Arts, DIMEA ’08, pages 120–127, New York, NY, USA. Association for Computing Machinery.
Davis, M., Nye, B. D., Sinatra, G. M., Swartout, W., Sjöberg, M., Porter, M., Nelson, D., Kennedy, A. A., Herrick, I., DeNeve Weeks, D., and Lindsey, E. (2022). Designing scientifically-grounded paleoart for augmented reality at la brea tar pits. Palaeontologia Electronica, 25(1):a9.
Garzón, J., Pavón, J., and Baldiris, S. (2019). Systematic review and meta-analysis of augmented reality in educational settings. Virtual Reality, 23:447–459.
González-Delgado, J., Martínez-Graña, A., Holgado, M., Gonzalo, J., and Legoinha, P. (2020). Augmented reality as a tool for promoting the tourist value of the geological heritage around natural filming locations: a case study in “sad hill” (the good, the bad and the ugly movie, burgos, spain). Geoheritage, 12.
Guo, W., Xue, Y., Sun, H., Chen, W., and Long, S. (2017). Utilizing augmented reality to support students’ learning in popular science courses. In 2017 International Conference of Educational Innovation through Technology (EITT), pages 311–315. IEEE.
Huang, C., Chen, Q., Petrovic, V., Rissolo, D., and Chukoskie, L. (2021). Interactive game-based exploration of an underwater paleontological site. In 2021 7th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN), pages 1–5.
Marcon, G. T. G., Ramos, E. M., Vitkoski, B. F., Fantinel, K. R., and de Borba, G. G. K. (2023). Os dinossauros vão à escola: uma proposta articulada entre paleontologia e bncc para o ensino fundamental. Cuadernos de Educación y Desarrollo, 15(11):14701–14727.
Mazur, E. (1997). Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual. Prentice Hall.
Morettin, P. A. and Bussab, W. d. O. (2010). Estatística Básica. Saraiva, São Paulo, 6 edition.
Muschio, G., Zhu, J., and Foster, A. (2015). Revitalizing peale’s museum as a digital interactive learning environment. In 2015 Digital Heritage, volume 2, pages 683–686. IEEE.
Neves, J. P., Campos, L. L., and Simões, M. G. (2010). Jogos como recurso didático para o ensino de conceitos paleontológicos básicos aos estudantes do ensino fundamental. Terr@ Plural, 2(1):103–114.
Prensky, M. (2003). Digital game-based learning. Computers in Entertainment, 1(1):21.
PTC Inc. (2026). Vuforia Engine Library. Accessed: 2026-03-05.
Reuss, R. L. and Gardulski, A. F. (2021). An interactive game approach to learning in historical geology and paleontology. Journal of Geoscience Education, 49(2):120–129.
Santos, W. O. d. and Silva Junior, C. G. d. (2016). An introduction to educational games virtualization. In Proceedings of the Brazilian Symposium on Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames).
Savi, R. and Ulbricht, V. R. (2008). Jogos digitais educacionais: Benefícios e desafios. RENOTE, 6(1).
Schwanke, C. and Silva, M. A. J. (2010). Educação e paleontologia. In Carvalho, I. d. S., editor, Paleontologia: conceitos e métodos, volume 1, pages 681–688. Interciência, Rio de Janeiro, 3 edition.
Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., and Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Generalized Causal Inference. Houghton Mifflin.
Souza-Concilio, I. and Pacheco, B. (2013). Games and learning management systems: A discussion about motivational design and emotional engagement. In Proceedings of the Brazilian Symposium on Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames).
Tessmer, M. (1993). Planning and Conducting Formative Evaluations: Improving the Quality of Education and Training. Psychology Press, reprint edition.
Tondeur, J., van Braak, J., Sang, G., Voogt, J., Fisser, P., and Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2012). Preparing pre-service teachers to integrate technology in education: A synthesis of qualitative evidence. Computers & Education, 59(1):134–144.
Unity Technologies (2025). Unity Manual. Accessed: 2026-02-23.
van Teijlingen, E. R. and Hundley, V. (2001). The importance of pilot studies. Social Research Update, (35):1–4.
Xiaohui, T., Pengcheng, F., Liming, L., and Mingquan, Z. (2012). A method of multiple-marker register and application on virtual education. In Sambath, S. and Zhu, E., editors, Frontiers in Computer Education, volume 133, pages 431–439. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Publicado
29/09/2026
Como Citar
EYNG, Guilherme Lütkemeyer; SEABRA, Rodrigo Duarte; FRANCISCO, Phyllipe de Souza Lima; BORGES, Simone de Sousa.
An Exploratory Study of an Evidence-Based Augmented Reality Board Game for Paleontology Learning. In: SIMPÓSIO BRASILEIRO DE JOGOS E ENTRETENIMENTO DIGITAL (SBGAMES), 25. , 2026, Goiânia/GO.
Anais [...].
Porto Alegre: Sociedade Brasileira de Computação,
2026
.
p. 1832-1844.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/sbgames.2026.25549.
