ABSTRACT
Simulations provide opportunities for social science educators to support both content and process domain learning goals. Moving beyond supporting science as citizens or laypeople, participants were able to take a step toward being contributors to the scientific enterprise through their work with game-based simulations. When examining simulations and their relationships with subject matter domains, it is important to define some of the terms under consideration. The chapter describes the core domains found within typical K-12 curricula. Process goals focus on how knowledge and theories are generated within the domains. Both content and process goals are meant to work synergistically in most domains. Representation of ideas and concepts is another emerging line of research related to the application of virtual reality to some domains, considering that has the potential to develop its own language and represent not only figurative components but also abstract ideas and metaphors.
