Abstract (eng)
This thesis focuses on the design of a classroom project on the topic of `Heavy metals in the environment`. Therefore, several teaching materials including a Point-and-Click-Adventure have been developed. The main goal of this project was to enhance students´ knowledge about 'Nature of Scientific Inquiry' and to give learners a realistic insight on science, or more precisely on how science “works”. For this purpose, Hodson´s (2014) model about teaching 'Nature of Scientific Inquiry' has been chosen as a basic guideline (Hodson, 2014, p. 2534 ff.). The teaching material can be used in both Austrian Sekundarstufe I (learners age 10 -14) and Austrian Sekundarstufe II (learners age 15-19). For Sekundarstufe I learners, parts of the project, like scientific literature and statistical evaluation, have been simplified. The implementation of a computer simulation should be a motivating factor for students. Furthermore, the simulation allows students access to research methods, which would otherwise be hard to realize in school. To evaluate the developed project and teaching materials and their impact on learners’ views of 'Nature of Scientific Inquiry' excerpts of the VOSI questionnaire by Schwartz et al. (2008) have been used as a pre and post survey (VOSI = 'Views of Scientific Inquiry'). The project was realized in Sekundarstufe I. The results suggested an increase of students’ knowledge in some aspects of 'Nature of Scientific Inquiry' after the project. The learners showed a better understanding about the distinction between data and evidence, the variety of research methods in science and the difference between experiments and observations.