Science at Play: Assessing Learner Agency in a Game-Based Virtual Inquiry Environment

Game-based learning environments (GBLEs) rarely combine support for learner agency with rigorous, embedded assessment. This study reports on the design and pilot implementation of ALIVE (Agency for Learning in Immersive Virtual Environments), a virtual inquiry environment that integrates the Agency for Learning (AFL) and Evidence-Centered Game Design (ECGD) frameworks. Nine middle and high school students completed a scaffolded ecological investigation requiring evidence collection, hypothesis testing, and causal explanation. Data included concurrent think-aloud protocols, gameplay interaction logs, and brief end-of-session feedback questions. Triangulated analyses captured both convergence and divergence between self-reported and observed agency, revealing intentional decision-making, iterative reasoning, and adaptive strategy shifts supported by nonplayable characters, digital tools, and just-in-time feedback. Findings indicate that the AFL-ECGD integration provides a replicable approach for aligning learner autonomy with competency-based assessment in immersive contexts. While limited by the small sample and single-session exposure, the study advances theoretical accounts of agency in game-based learning and demonstrates a multisource methodology for investigating inquiry processes. Design implications include sequencing tasks to elicit intentionality and forethought, embedding adaptive scaffolds to support self-regulation and reflection, and logging process data for competency-aligned interpretation. Future work should examine scalability, longitudinal outcomes, and domain transfer.