A Novel Method for Education in Tribology through a Problem-Solving Game Activity: How Do You Win the Hearts and Minds of Children and Young People Who Will Bear the Future?

Abstract

Due to the continuing decrease in the proportion of young people in the population, it is likely to become more difficult to secure the researchers who will lead the next generation. To overcome this problem, it will be necessary to arouse the interest of children and young people in science and engineering. Tribology is the study and application of the principles of friction, lubrication, and wear, and is an interdisciplinary discipline spanning many fields; consequently, the study of tribology can encourage interdisciplinary learning. Furthermore, tribology is an important discipline of itself because it has a direct relationship to issues of energy and the environment. Teaching tribology to young people and helping them to understand it could arouse their interest in a variety of aspects of science and engineering. The key is how to introduce the various academic aspects of tribology, a complex and mysterious discipline, in an engaging manner. The author has energetically striven to promote introductory education to enlighten the next generation about tribology by using a novel educational method that incorporates a problem-solving game. This paper describes the effectiveness of this educational method, the content of the developed teaching materials, and the results in educational practice.