Future Teachers' Perceptions of Different Educational Escape Room Designs

Educational escape rooms have gained popularity as an innovative method for enhancing student engagement and problem-solving skills. However, little research has been conducted on how future teachers perceive different escape room designs and their potential application in school settings. This study investigates the perspectives of pre-service teachers specializing in mathematics, physics, and computer science on various educational escape room formats. The research compares four distinct escape room designs: (1) digital escape rooms created in Google Forms, (2) digital escape rooms designed using the Room Escape Maker tool, (3) fully immersive physical escape rooms designed as actual room, and (4) box-based escape rooms, which involve a physical chest containing objects and puzzles. Data were collected through multiple methods, including direct observation of students interacting with these escape room formats, interviews exploring their experiences and engagement, and an open-ended questionnaire assessing their perceptions of design effectiveness, feasibility for classroom integration, and overall educational value. The results show that while students personally preferred the immersive experience of physical escape rooms, they found digital formats to be more practical and feasible for classroom use due to lower logistical demands. However, box-based escape rooms emerged as a promising middle ground—offering hands-on engagement while being more manageable in school settings. Many students suggested combining digital and physical formats in their future teaching. The insights also inform the development of a teacher training workshop within the EcoMystery Erasmus+ project.