Environment based virtual interaction to enhance motivation of STEM education: The qualitative interview design and analysis

The development of ICT has led to the use of simulation and visualisation (S&V) in various domains as a useful virtual interactive tool. Although there are many discussions and related studies on the relevancy of S&V in current applications, the tools and methods proposed do not sufficiently meet the needs of the different and dynamic users today. A literature study has identified five main components that may influence the STEM motivation among school children through the integration of S&V that are: a) Simulation and Visualisation for CAI; b) Motivation Level and Process; c) Green Environmental Data; d) Learning Outcome; and e) Adaption to Scenario. In this study, green environmental data are used as real scientific data. In order to validate the identified components, semi-structured interviews were conducted with three experts from different backgrounds, which are education, environment, and computer science. They were interviewed based on their experiences and the scope of their works. The interview aimed to gain in-depth information from the experts about the reliability and suitability of the identified components and the underlying elements. The design of the interview protocol and instrument is presented in this paper, which consists of demographics and background, application and factors that influence the usage of S&V, application and factors that influence motivation level and process, usage of environmental data, and current scenarios using S&V technique. Then, the interview data were transcribed, coded and categorised based on the identified themes. The result of the analysis reveals 17 groups of elements which further been The literature into 58 sub-elements.