Discovering Ecology through Research Game XXV Congresso della Società Italiana di Ecologia & 13th European Ecological Federation Conference.

The problematic nature of science learning process is stressed by educational literature and underlined in many international works. Young people’s science learning difficulties are related to many factors; among those teaching strategies are very relevant. In this regard, a serious game (such as Research Game), showing the process of scientific methodology, could be an effective educational tool to support the learning process, proposing new teaching approaches and pedagogical strategies to learn a methodology useful for all subjects of the scientific research. Research Game has been developed within the Lifelong Learning Programme-Comenius Project ‘European Scientific Research Game’ (www.researchgame.eu/platform). The game requires participants to build hypotheses, carry on a research, finalize a theory based on their findings, giving them the opportunity to share their research results with people of all Europe. Moreover, applying the scientific method to biodiversity, Research Game introduces young people to the study of ecological subjects. Through Research Game, young people learn more about ecosystems’ goods and services, the relationships between human societies and ecosystems, understand the anthropogenic pressures on ecosystems. Research game could also represent a good chance to raise young people’s awareness on environmental problems, in order to collaborate with scientists and researchers through citizen science initiatives