Gamifying Renewable Energy: Enhancing Pre-University Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Science and Technology

Abstract

Science and Technology (S&T) education is fundamental for advancing sustainability and preparing new generations to face global challenges. However, there is growing concern about the decline in interest and positive attitudes of pre-university students towards S&T and STEM fields, which affects the future workforce and the ability to address complex problems such as energy transition. Research highlights the importance of early interventions and innovative teaching methods to sustain motivation and foster positive attitudes towards S&T and STEM fields. Among these, gamified learning strategies, such as escape rooms, have emerged as promising tools for making S&T education more engaging and accessible. This study investigates whether such approaches can enhance knowledge in renewable energy and attitudes towards S&T in pre-university students. A total of 101 secondary education students participated in a gamified escape room on renewable energy, followed by pre- and post-intervention surveys assessing knowledge and attitudes towards S&T. Responses from 96 students were analyzed using non-parametric statistical tests. The activity improved students’ knowledge of renewable energy but did not lead to measurable changes in their attitudes towards S&T, suggesting that one-time interventions may raise awareness but are insufficient to shift perceptions; therefore, sustained and immersive educational strategies are needed to foster lasting engagement with STEM fields.

1. Introduction

Education in science and technology (S&T) plays a vital role in driving social development and peaceful societies. It fosters essential individual skills such as critical thinking, creativity, innovation, and problem-solving (English, 2017; Kartini et al., 2021), which are vital to equipping younger generations to face current and emerging global challenges. These challenges imply the search for creative solutions toward the end of poverty, the pursuit of equity and the protection of the planet (Imaz & Sheinbaum, 2017), aspects that constitute the concept of sustainable development (SD). In fact, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has emphasized integrating S&T into education as a foundational pillar for achieving sustainable development goals (SDG) (Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, 2022). As Kennedy and Cherry (2023) posit, the 17 SDGs, developed in support of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, were created with the 21st century skills in mind, reinforcing the significance of fostering a globally STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths)-literate workforce equipped to engage with contemporary and future global challenges.

STEM content knowledge encompasses not only the understanding of facts, concepts, theories, and principles within individual disciplines but also the integration and interplay among them, emphasizing critical thinking and 21st-century skills (Yildirim & Sahin-Topalcengiz, 2019). Assessing STEM pedagogical content knowledge (STEMPCK) has revealed that teacher preparation programs often include STEM requirements, yet many teachers remain insufficiently prepared to teach STEM effectively (Twaddle & Smith, 2023). In engineering education, content knowledge refers to the detailed understanding of domain-specific concepts by educators, which is crucial for secondary-level instruction (Love & Hughes, 2022). Early childhood education studies highlight that effective STEM teaching combines content knowledge with appropriate pedagogical strategies to foster young learners’ understanding (Gözüm et al., 2022).

In this context, S&T education can play a key role regarding sustainable development (SD), when it focuses learning on relevant issues affecting society. When students are asked to apply scientific ideas to technological applications, a complex, interdisciplinary context must be provided (Holbrook, 2009). The author emphasizes that a key aspect for connecting S&T education with SD is to move beyond the sole scientific knowledge transmission and promote the development of personal and social aptitudes that promote responsible citizenship. This focus in SD means recognizing education in S&T to have the potential of preparing young generations with the required knowledge but also attitude changes and hence requires a rethinking of the teachers’ role in class, from the selection of real contexts to learn S&T and connect them with social issues, to the methodology and assessment methods. These changes are especially relevant at the secondary level (Holbrook, 2009). They should be addressed taking into account criteria such as relevance, practicality and values (Holbrook, 2009) or, similarly, relevance, participation and interconnectedness (Allen & Crowley, 2017).

In this regard, the attitudes of young students toward S&T are increasingly being studied, particularly because these attitudes influence both their academic motivation and future career choices (Mohd Shahali et al., 2018; Osborne et al., 2003). Attitude towards S&T is a multidimensional concept according to Ardies et al. (2015). They present a comprehensive list of subaspects included in the construct that have been considered in research on the topic from the last two decades, such as enthusiasm, enjoyment, interest in the subject, students’ career aspirations and future intentions with regard to S&T, perceived difficulty of science and technology and the beliefs one has regarding the consequences of S&T.

Although much of the early research in this area focused on older students nearing the end of secondary education or beginning university, recent evidence stresses the importance of intervening much earlier. Children’s career aspirations in S&T often begin to take shape between the ages of 10 and 14 (Daugherty et al., 2014; Tai et al., 2006), making early adolescence a relevant window for shaping interest and engagement. At this stage, influences from peers, family, subject preferences, and teacher relationships are highly impactful (Hussain et al., 2024; Mitsopoulou & Pavlatou, 2024). Research shows that student interest often starts high in primary education but tends to decline unless active efforts are made during secondary school to maintain engagement (Halim et al., 2018; Mohd Shahali et al., 2018). Spain, for example, faces a pressing challenge in filling STEM-related occupations, as the number of STEM graduates remains below the EU average (Fundación para el Conocimiento y el Desarrollo (CYD), 2024; State Public Employment Service (SEPE), 2024). Part of the issue lies in the limited awareness and interest among students in these careers, often linked to attitudes toward S&T formed during early schooling, as aforementioned (Blotnicky et al., 2018).

Recent research, such as that by Manassero Mas et al. (2022), has further explored the opinions of secondary students on the roles of S&T. This cross-cultural study revealed a generally positive global image of S&T among adolescents, highlighting its importance for society, curing diseases, creating opportunities, healthy living, and national development. However, skepticism was also observed regarding its capacity to solve systemic problems like poverty or injustice, suggesting the need for education that fosters trust in science and addresses its perceived limitations.

Similar results are obtained when bringing this entire framework into the climate change conversation. A review of 51 international studies concluded that while younger children often show strong concern and willingness to act on climate issues, adolescents’ engagement tends to decline over time, particularly in Western countries. Factors such as age, culture, and curriculum framing shape these perceptions. Thus, building S&T interest from early ages not only supports academic achievement and workforce development but also empowers future generations to engage with critical global issues like climate change, energy transition, and environmental stewardship (Lee et al., 2020).

Studies also highlight that traditional teaching methods often fail to sustain engagement throughout adolescence (Wiebe et al., 2018). Instead, interactive and experiential pedagogies—such as problem-based learning (PBL), citizen science activities, educational escape rooms, and project-based STEM modules—have been shown to enhance both affective and cognitive engagement (Beier et al., 2018; Bicer & Lee, 2023; Drymiotou et al., 2021). For instance, immersive STEM environments enable students to simulate real-world challenges, encouraging teamwork, iteration, and creative thinking. An example is citizen science initiatives, which are especially effective in developing positive attitudes toward S&T by offering authentic opportunities for students to participate in research. Studies have shown significant gains in curiosity, confidence, and scientific literacy when students engage in projects such as environmental monitoring or biodiversity tracking (Herodotou et al., 2022; Lüsse et al., 2022). These experiences promote strong science identities and prepare students to take informed roles in civic discussions. STEAM education (integrating Arts with STEM) similarly empowers students as active learners through interdisciplinary, real-world projects. These experiences foster creativity, perseverance, inquiry, and collaborative problem-solving, and contribute to deeper conceptual understanding (Belbase et al., 2022). They are particularly effective in secondary education, where they help maintain interest and develop key competencies for future academic or professional pursuits (LaForce et al., 2017; Makransky et al., 2020; Talafian et al., 2019).

Gamified strategies, in particular, offer a compelling way to contextualize S&T concepts through play, making learning more memorable and socially meaningful (Lathwesen & Belova, 2021; Sidekerskienė & Damaševičius, 2023). Game-based learning complements these efforts by making S&T engaging, accessible, and contextually meaningful. Teenagers involved in simulations, educational video games, and virtual labs report improvements in teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving (Cummings & Vandewater, 2007). These structured environments stimulate curiosity, allow hypothesis testing and iteration, and often extend beyond the classroom through online communities or citizen science games (Betz et al., 2023).

Although these strategies must be incorporated both in primary and secondary education, universities can also play a significant role to foster S&T knowledge and interest in S&T and facilitate the transition to higher education. In fact, universities have implemented various activities to connect with pre-university education (Harris et al., 2020) including summer programs and pre-university camps that immerse students in university life and academic activities (Kitchen et al., 2018). Information sessions and orientation fairs are also offered to guide secondary students in their future academic and professional choices. Furthermore, there are practical activity programs and dual enrolment options that allow high school students to take university courses and earn credits, facilitating a smoother transition to university and promoting scientific vocations from early stages (Schaller et al., 2025). All these connections represent opportunities for universities to improve pre-university students´ attitudes towards S&T, so it is essential that they carefully incorporate the design of practical and relevant S&T learning experiences, and that their impact is assessed.

Specifically, introducing renewable energy topics into STEM education for younger students has been shown to enhance not only their conceptual understanding of science and mathematics, but also to foster environmental awareness, problem-solving skills, and long-term interest in sustainable practices. For example, Pecen and Nayir (2010) state that the MSETI-AREA project engages middle and high school students in designing and testing photovoltaic, wind, and other renewable energy systems to strengthen both scientific literacy and technological confidence. In early childhood settings, STEM for sustainable development approaches, which emphasize play-based, learner-centered teaching, enable young children to explore energy, climate, and environmental issues in ways that build agency and long-term sustainability attitudes (Campbell & Speldewinde, 2022). Hands-on activities such as constructing turbines or comparing solar and wind sources also improve young learners’ engagement and understanding of energy conversion, critical thinking, and the real-world relevance of STEM content (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management, 2019).

However, in accordance with Kitchen et al. (2022), there are limited studies examining the effectiveness of various initiatives outside the conventional school curriculum aimed at promoting STEM interest. Therefore there is a need to explore practices and didactic strategies that might foster positive attitudes towards S&T and that also increase S&T knowledge, particularly coming from universities, which play an important connecting role with pre-university education. Specifically, our research interest is to deepen the knowledge of the potential of gamification as a didactic strategy to promote positive adolescents’ attitudes towards S&T and scientific literacy, that may lead them to choose STEM degrees, and in the end, improve their skills to solve current global problems with a sustainable development focus. Therefore, the following research question arises: can gamification proposed by university activities improve knowledge and attitude towards S&T in pre-university students?

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Context of the Activity

This article presents the results of a cooperative non-formal educational activity, using an escape room about renewable energy, as part of the Horizon Europe Project “Transition to sustainable future through training and education (TRANSIT)”. The activity aimed to enhance environmental awareness, highlight the importance of renewable energy and encourage secondary education students to pursue higher education studies in this field, by proposing five different gamified activities related to various renewable sources. The gamified program was structured as a 2.5-h escape room experience in which 101 pre-university students (aged 14–17) participated in groups of approximately 25, further divided into five smaller teams to ensure collaboration and interaction. The activity was organized in three stages: (i) a 30-min introduction, including a motivational video and a pre-test on renewable energy knowledge; (ii) a development phase where students completed five activities (general knowledge quiz, wind power experiment, photovoltaic trivia, hydropower board game, and energy balance puzzle), each lasting up to 15 min and designed to grant “superpowers” linked to different renewable sources; and (iii) a final stage involving a post-test and recognition of the winning team. All activities were carried out collaboratively within teams, encouraging group problem-solving and discussion rather than individual work. This structure ensured that students engaged both cognitively and socially, while maintaining clear time allocations and learning objectives for each gamified task. More details about the design and implementation of these activities are described by (Riquelme-Dominguez et al., 2024).

It was conducted with secondary school students in November 2023, at the School of Industrial Engineering of the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) as part of Madrid Science and Innovation Week activities (Madri+d Knowledge Foundation, 2025). This event is organized by the Madrid regional government through the Madri+d Knowledge Foundation and aims at promoting scientific outreach and citizen engagement in science, technology, and innovation research and development processes. It includes various activities for different profiles, including schools. The interested schools completed a registration form and the first ones to fill it out were invited to participate. There were no restrictions for the schools to register.

2.2. Participants

A total of 101 students from two public and one semi-public secondary schools participated in a structured Escape Room activity. The demographic characteristics of these schools are presented in

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of the participants.

School Name	Ownership	Number of Participants	Gender (Female/ Male/Unknown)	Age	Neighbourhood /District	Vulnerability Ranking (Neighbourhood/ District)
Nuestra Señora de Fátima	Semi-public	36	20/15/1	14–15	Almendrales/Usera	11
IES Las Musas	Public	22	2/20/0	16–17	Rosas/San Blas	74
IES Villablanca	Public	43	14/29/0	16–17	Casco histórico/Vicálvaro	24

. They are located in three different districts of Madrid, each with distinct socioeconomic profiles, as reflected in their positions on the city’s vulnerability ranking, which classifies 131 neighborhoods from 1 (most vulnerable) onward (Ayuntamiento de Madrid, 2018, 2019).

Students were divided into four distinct cohorts, with a schedule allowing for two separate groups to engage in the activity on each day of the event. One particular cohort was composed of students aged 14 to 15, who were in their penultimate year of mandatory secondary schooling. The remaining three cohorts comprised individuals aged 16 to 17, these students being in either their penultimate or final year prior to their expected transition to university-level studies. All learners had previously been exposed to technology-related subjects, including energy, although only at a very basic and general level. All participants in the activity responded to the pre- and post-activity surveys.

2.3. Instruments

An ad-hoc survey was designed by academics with experience in educational research and active methodologies and in renewable energies to explore students’ attitudes towards S&T and knowledge regarding renewable energies. The questionnaire had three differentiated parts. The first part explored students’ attitude towards science and technology in general, renewable energy in particular, and career related paths for them. The items were designed following the four dimensions of attitudes towards technology described by de Vries (1988) (the fifth dimension of students’ perception of technology as a subject suitable to both genders was excluded as it is out of the research scope) and completed by Ardies et al. (2015) with other studies regarding attitudes towards science or the broader domain of STEM: career aspirations, interest in S&T at school, perceived consequences of S&T, and perceived difficulty of technology. It included 11 items with a 4-point Likert-type scale from 1 (completely disagree) to 4 (completely agree). A scale with no intermediate option was chosen to avoid ambiguous positions. The second part of the survey was composed of 6 items that proposed multiple options questions about renewable energy and were aimed to assess students’ knowledge on the matter. Finally, four items, again with a 4-point Likert-type scale from 1 (completely disagree) to 4 (completely agree), assessed students’ opinion about the escape room activity. All items may be seen in

Table 2. Items included in the three parts of the survey.

Section	Items
1. Students’ attitudes	1.1. I am interested in science and technology
	1.2. Energy sustainability is important to me
	1.3. I find science and technology easy
	1.4. I find science and technology necessary
	1.5. I find science and technology interesting
	1.6. I find science and technology fun
	1.7. Science and technology can help me in my daily life
	1.8. I am considering working in something related to renewable energies
	1.9. I would like to learn as much as possible about renewable energy
	1.10. Science and technology pave the way to more highly valued professions
	1.11. Science and technology help solve environmental problems
2. Knowledge regarding renewable energy	2.1. The cubicle that houses the mechanical and electrical machinery of the wind turbine is called: (a) Gearbox (b) Nacelle (c) Generator.
	2.2. If at any time there is a lot of sun or wind and we have excess energy generation… (a) We can use the excess energy to turn on more lights (b) We can use the excess energy to raise water and recover some of that energy later (c) There is no way to harness the excess energy.
	2.3. The amount of electrical energy generated by wind throughout a day: (a) Is more variable than that generated by nuclear technology (b) Is more constant than energy generated by nuclear technology (c) Is equally variable as energy generated by nuclear technology
	2.4. What is the name given to the energy obtained from ocean waves? (a) Tidal energy (b) Wave energy (c) Geothermal energy
	2.5. Renewable energies (a) Will allow us to renew the air and water. (b) They are produced with inexhaustible resources (c) They are produced with resources that are difficult to obtain
	2.6. The European country that generates the most solar energy is: (a) Germany (b) France (c) Spain
3. Students’ opinion about the pedagogical approach	3.1. I found the activity fun.
	3.2. I think it’s a good way to learn.
	3.3. The activity helped me understand renewable energy concepts.
	3.4. It introduced me to scientific work.

.

The survey shows a high reliability with Cronbach $\alpha =0.815$. The mastery of the involved concepts and a wide experience in the construction of questionnaires suggests that the proposed scale has sufficient face validity.

2.4. Procedure and Analyses

A pre-test/post-test design was implemented. The study design is pre-experimental, with no control group available. Likert-type scale questions related to “attitude” were repeated in the post-test, whereas ’knowledge items’ varied from the pre-test to the post-test, ensuring that they addressed the same contents with an equivalent difficulty level, but in a different way. To generate an anonymous personal code, students randomly selected a numbered and colored card (e.g., “red 3”). This personal code was used when completing both questionnaires, allowing researchers to match each student’s pre-test and post-test responses. The questionnaires were administered in paper format, and were completed right before and after the escape room activity. The items about the activity itself were only included in the post-test.

After discarding questionnaires with unanswered items in the attitudes part, the final sample consisted of 96 students (64.6% male and 35.4% female). The analyses of the data were carried out with SPSS Statistics Software (version 29) using non-parametric tests (Wilcoxon signed-rank test for related samples), as data did not show a normal distribution following the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test.

3. Results

3.1. Knowledge About Renewable Energy

As shown in

Table 3. Wilcoxon sign-rank test comparing pre- and post-test items about renewable energy.

N	Test Statistician	Standard Error	Standardized Statistician	p
101	3210.50	217.27	6.75	<0.001

, students performed better in the knowledge section of the questionnaire after participating in the Escape Room activity (test statistic, $W=3210.50$; standardized statistic, $Z=6.75$; $p<0.001$). The analysis was based on the six items assessing students’ knowledge of renewable energies (Table 2), with each correct answer scored as 1 point and each incorrect answer scored as 0 points. The descriptive data indicate that the pre-test results had a mean of 2.57/6.00, while the post-test results showed a mean of 3.92/6.00, illustrating a substantial gain following the activity.

An item-by-item exploration shows that there are some specific contents that show an important increase. For instance, in the question regarding wave power, students pass from 0.07/1.00 score to 0.67. The items about wind turbines and countries that generate solar energy also show a very significant increase, from 0.22 to 0.70/1.00 in the first case and from 0.28 to 0.75/1.00 in the last case. The increase is significant for all the other three items (about renewable energy storing, its variability and definition), although the change has not been as pronounced. These results show that the gamified experience contributes to reinforce students’ learning about this subject.

3.2. Attitude Towards S&T, Renewable Energy and Associated Careers

As stated in the method section, eleven items explored students’ opinions about S&T in general, renewable energy in particular and related careers or job opportunities. Again, the Wilcoxon sign-rank test was used to compare pre- and post-test items, but no significant differences were found for 10 of the 11 items. Only when asked if S&T are easy, students show a significant higher mean after the activity. Therefore, one single activity such as the implemented escape-room is not sufficient to improve students’ opinions about these issues, although it is a first promising step towards bringing science and technology closer to young people, enabling them to perceive it as more approachable and accessible. To illustrate these results,

Table 4. Pre- and post-test results for the items exploring students’ opinions.

Item	N	Mean (Pre-Test)	Mean (Post-Test)	W	p
I am interested in science and technology	96	3.15	3.15	176.0	0.989
Energy sustainability is important to me	96	3.20	3.27	611.5	0.401
I find science and technology easy	96	2.41	2.57	338.0	0.017 *
I find science and technology necessary	96	3.72	3.66	162.0	0.300
I find science and technology interesting	96	3.23	3.19	235.0	0.554
I find science and technology fun	96	2.81	2.83	498.0	0.746
Science and technology can help me in my daily life	96	3.29	3.29	475.0	0.980
I am considering working in something related to renewable energies	96	1.96	2.06	420.5	0.135
I would like to learn as much as possible about renewable energy	96	2.68	2.63	543.5	0.618
Science and technology pave the way to more highly valued professions	96	3.19	3.15	282.0	0.557
Science and technology assist in solving environmental problems	96	3.35	3.44	466.0	0.255

* $p<0.05$.

shows the items encompassed in this section of the questionnaire their means in the pre- and post-test for each item and the test statistician (W) with its associated p-value.

3.3. Activity Evaluation

Finally, four items explored students’ opinion about the escape room activity. The means ($\overline{x}$) in the pre- and post-test, respectively, show that they thought it was a good way to learn ($\overline{x}=3.4$ and $4.0$). Students also expressed that the escape room was fun and helped them understand aspects about renewable energy ($\overline{x}=3.3$ and $4.0$ in both cases). On the other hand, the item that explored students’ willingness to engage in scientific work showed a lower mean (2.9 and 4.0).

These results show that although gamification activities are a good methodology to increase students’ knowledge about science and technology contents and they specifically acknowledge and value these activities when assessing them, their opinion about STEM areas is not changed with one single activity. The only exception is the perception of S&T as easier, more accessible subjects, which is improved. A greater and targeted effort seems necessary if young people should be engaged in STEM studies and careers that they value as good job opportunities and a solution to environmental issues.

4. Discussion

This study investigated the impact of a gamified educational activity, specifically an escape room focused on renewable energy, on pre-university students’ knowledge and attitudes towards S&T and related careers. The findings provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of such interventions in informal educational settings, particularly within the context of the Horizon Europe Project “Transition to sustainable future through training and education (TRANSIT)”.

Our results in the non-parametric tests demonstrate a significant improvement in students’ knowledge regarding renewable energy after participating in the escape room activity. To illustrate this, the mean score for knowledge items increased from 2.57/6.00 in the pre-test to 3.92/6.00 in the post-test, with notable gains in specific areas such as wave power, wind turbines, and solar energy generation. This reinforces previous research suggesting that interactive and experiential pedagogies, including gamified strategies, are effective in enhancing cognitive engagement and learning outcomes (Beier et al., 2018; Bicer & Lee, 2023; Lathwesen & Belova, 2021; Sidekerskienė & Damaševičius, 2023). The escape room format, by contextualizing S&T concepts through play, appears to have made learning more memorable and effective, aligning with the idea that game-based learning can make S&T engaging and accessible (Betz et al., 2023; Cummings & Vandewater, 2007).

This increase in students’ content knowledge may have influenced their perception of S&T as difficult subjects, since they reported finding S&T easier after participating in the gamified activity. When learners possess deeper subject knowledge or higher cognitive abilities, their perceptions of difficulty tend to decrease (Knäuper et al., 1997). Therefore, activities that enable students to acquire specific S&T knowledge in an engaging and accessible way can improve their perceptions of these subjects’ difficulty. Such improvement represents an important first step toward fostering interest in STEM-related academic careers among future generations.

However, this study also poses the lack of significant change in the rest of items exploring students’ attitudes towards S&T, renewable energy, and associated careers. The Wilcoxon sign-rank test revealed no significant differences in pre- and post-test scores for the other ten items exploring students’ opinions. This suggests that a single, albeit engaging, activity like the implemented escape room may not be sufficient to shift deeply ingrained perceptions and attitudes. While students found the activity itself to be a good way to learn, fun, and helpful in understanding renewable energy, their broader opinions about STEM areas remained largely unchanged with the exception of the aforementioned perception about its difficulty level. This aligns with the observation that student interest often declines during secondary education unless active efforts are made to maintain engagement (Halim et al., 2018; Mohd Shahali et al., 2018). Moreover, it highlights the need to design additional activities in S&T that explicitly emphasize the positive aspects of these fields, such as their relevance and contribution to addressing real-world problems. For example, while the hydropower and balance activities encouraged teamwork and systems thinking, they were not explicitly framed in ways that connected students’ experiences to potential career pathways in renewable energy. Strengthening this link may help bridge the gap between recognizing the importance of S&T and developing a personal connection to it. In this regard, gamified approaches—such as the escape room presented in this study—should be offered more frequently to pre-university students, gradually fostering more positive perceptions of S&T subjects.

The descriptive analysis of attitudes further illuminates this point. Students generally perceive S&T as interesting, useful, valued, and beneficial for solving environmental problems. However, they do not envision themselves working in renewable energy-related fields, and do not express a strong desire to learn more about renewable energies. Pre-university students perceive S&T to be not fun, without the escape room improving this strongly established image. This highlights a persistent gap between acknowledging the importance of S&T and developing a personal connection or career aspiration within these fields. The limitations of this study are closely linked to its design, as it is based on a single event conducted with three specific schools. To strengthen the impact of these findings, future research should involve a broader range of schools from different regions and provide students with additional opportunities to engage with S&T subjects through practical and enjoyable activities. Such initiatives could not only enhance pre-university students’ attitudes toward S&T but also create opportunities for more rigorous investigation of this issue, for instance by implementing a quasi-experimental design with a control group—for example, linking the wind turbine calculations to engineering roles or the energy balance puzzle to careers in grid operation.

These findings underscore the need for sustained and targeted interventions beyond single events to foster genuine interest and encourage pursuit of STEM studies and careers, especially in countries like Spain facing challenges in filling STEM-related occupations (Fundación para el Conocimiento y el Desarrollo (CYD), 2024; State Public Employment Service (SEPE), 2024). By tying specific gamified activities to both conceptual learning and career relevance, educators may be able not only to improve knowledge but also to gradually shape more positive and enduring attitudes toward S&T.

5. Conclusions

This article presents the results of a cooperative non-formal educational activity, using an escape room about renewable energy, as part of the Horizon Europe Project “Transition to sustainable future through training and education (TRANSIT)”. The activity aimed to enhance environmental awareness, highlight the importance of renewable energy and encourage secondary education students to pursue higher education studies in this field, by proposing five different gamified activities related to various renewable sources. A total of 101 students from three public secondary education schools participated in a structured escape room activity. Participants answered a survey exploring their knowledge about renewable energy and their attitudes towards S&T, comprising the final sample 96 students (64.6% male and 35.4% female). Data show that high school students find S&T interesting, useful, valued, and a good help to solve environmental problems. Furthermore, the Wilcoxon sign-rank test revealed an important increase in their knowledge about this topic. The mean score for knowledge items improved from the pre-test and the post-test, particularly in areas such as wave power, wind turbines, and solar energy generation. Students also found S&T easier after having participated in the activity, which shows an important first step to shifting students attitudes about these subjects. Nevertheless, no significant differences in the pre- and post-test scores for the other ten items exploring students’ opinions were found.

These results are consistent with other studies on gamified learning in renewable energy contexts, which also report significant improvements in students’ technical knowledge and more positive perceptions of STEM subjects when experiential and game-based approaches are employed (Hiğde, 2022; Kramar & Knez, 2025; Ortiz-Rojas et al., 2025). Prior research has likewise shown that gamified or context-based activities not only enhance understanding of renewable energy concepts but also contribute to students’ motivation, interest in STEM careers, and recognition of science and technology as tools to address global problems (Adanur-Sönmez et al., 2025; Kramar & Knez, 2025).

This finding highlights the need for sustained and targeted interventions beyond single events to foster genuine interest and encourage pursuit of STEM studies and careers. Hence, new opportunities arise as a result of the study, in terms of sustainability-related activities aimed at pre-university students. Beyond practical proposals, such as escape rooms, which are appropriate to convey scientific knowledge, there is a need to foster medium- and long-term collaborations between education levels.

Future research should explore the long-term impact of repeated gamified interventions or integrated curricula that consistently incorporate experiential learning. Investigating the optimal duration, frequency, and thematic integration of such activities could provide valuable insights into fostering lasting attitudinal changes. Additionally, qualitative studies could delve deeper into the specific barriers preventing students from considering STEM careers, even when they demonstrate increased knowledge, confidence and enjoyment of STEM-related activities. A thorough understanding of these nuances is essential for developing educational strategies that convey scientific knowledge and foster a lasting engagement with S&T, highlighting their relevance in addressing global challenges such as climate change and the energy transition.