{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/education--family-23","type":"mechanic","id":"education--family-23","lang":"en","title":"Experiment and investigation","summary":"The learner asks a question, changes conditions and tests a hypothesis through observation, drawing conclusions from the result.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/education--family-23/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--family-23.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/education--family-23.md","aliases":["Experiment and inquiry"],"tags":["Educational games","Quantity, investigation and systems"],"sourceIds":["source-757ea6a8256a6907","source-090ee83445744667"],"sources":[{"id":"source-757ea6a8256a6907","title":"PhET: inquiry activities with simulations","url":"https://phet.colorado.edu/files/guides/UG-Guide-HW_en.pdf","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-090ee83445744667","title":"The Operator","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Formulate a question"},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants\n\n<a id=\"family-23-branch-1\"></a>\n\n- Formulate a question <a id=\"family-23-variant-1\"></a>\n- Propose a hypothesis <a id=\"family-23-variant-2\"></a>\n- Select a variable <a id=\"family-23-variant-3\"></a>\n- Change one factor <a id=\"family-23-variant-4\"></a>\n- Compare with a control <a id=\"family-23-variant-5\"></a>\n- Repeat an experiment <a id=\"family-23-variant-6\"></a>\n- Record observations <a id=\"family-23-variant-7\"></a>\n- Compare hypothesis and result <a id=\"family-23-variant-8\"></a>\n- Plan the next experiment <a id=\"family-23-variant-9\"></a>\n- Identify confounds <a id=\"family-23-variant-10\"></a>\n- Choose a discriminating experiment <a id=\"family-23-variant-11\"></a>\n- Explain conclusion limits <a id=\"family-23-variant-12\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"Test how light quantity affects virtual plant growth."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"A mechanic map for games with explicit learning goals, from first encounters with a topic to professional practice. It covers children, teenagers and adults; choose subject, difficulty, context and controls for the learner. Player actions, subject content, instructional support and assessment are distinct layers. Scores and game completion alone do not establish mastery or skill transfer."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"education","id":"family-23","title":"Educational games","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/education/#family-23","categoryIds":["systems"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Experiment and inquiry","description":"The learner asks a question, changes conditions and tests a hypothesis through observation, drawing conclusions from the result.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/narrative-the-operator-08.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"The Operator","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1771980/ss_53cdfb9a020be84bd244dba7817656b1c37a176f.1920x1080.jpg?t=1778485297","credit":"Bureau 81 / Bureau 81 / indienova","rights":"© Bureau 81 / Bureau 81 / indienova. All rights reserved.","caption":"An instrument reveals the examined sample’s composition","alt":"An instrument reveals the examined sample’s composition","markers":[{"x":56,"y":58,"label":"The graph adds information unavailable through ordinary inspection"}]},"tips":["Change one relevant factor at a time and compare results."],"examples":[{"title":"The Operator","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Educational reference expanded from all 64 families and 749 variants of the original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated 2026-10-20. Sources support specific methods and examples, not the entire classification or its effectiveness.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/education"}}