Fostering Inquiry Confidence in Elementary Students through a Game-Based Socioscientific Issue Learning Approach

This research aims to examine how the inquiry-based game Future City influences elementary students’ confidence in their inquiry skills within the framework of a progressive inquiry learning model. The study was conducted at a public elementary school in Taiwan, where data were collected through pre- and post-assessments administered to sixth-grade students. During the game, players assumed various societal roles, engaged in interactive decision-making, and explored topics such as environmental sustainability, economic growth, and social equity. The key findings reveal that, after participating in the Future City game, students exhibited a notable increase in confidence regarding their inquiry abilities—particularly in drawing conclusions. Additional skills, including formulating questions, planning data collection, and reporting findings, also showed a modest improvement in confidence.