RoadEthos: Game-Based Learning to Sensitize Children on Road Safety through Ethical Reasoning

Abstract

Road safety training programs focusing on practical methods have been known to help novice drivers acquire the knowledge and skills required to drive on the road and improve their judgments. However, the attitude required for safe behavior is often overlooked, leading to road mishaps. This led us to study the ethical reasoning that influences people's attitude while taking a decision on the road. It is also reported that road safety education should commence as early as the age of 4-5 and needs to be pursued through primary and secondary school. Hence, we designed and developed a game-based learning environment, RoadEthos, using three technologies (Scratch, Arduino, 3D printer) to sensitize children towards road safety through ethical reasoning in road scenarios. The design of the game and its scenarios are based on the theoretical underpinnings of empathy and situated learning. This paper reports the results and analysis of a study conducted with 5 students of the age group 10-12, where we captured students' actions, decisions and their change in ethical reasoning, before and after interacting with this game. The paper concludes with the next steps for the project, in terms of its design and implementation.