Escape Room as an Adult Education Tool

This study examines whether escape rooms can serve as an effective adult education tool, a question the authors note has received little empirical attention despite growing interest in games for learning. Drawing on a taxonomy of educational games and on Jack Mezirow's theory of transformative learning, the authors designed "Zombie Attack," a nutrition-themed escape room developed under the EIT Food "Games of Food" project, in which teams solved puzzles centred on balanced diet, protein science, and food's environmental impact. The research was conducted in Belgium, England, Finland, Israel, and Poland between September and November 2018 with 258 participants, most of whom were university students and staff aged 18 to 61.

The quantitative findings show a clear increase in nutrition knowledge. Across eight knowledge questions, the share of correct answers rose after the game, with the largest gains on understanding calories in protein (from 37% to 72%) and the concept of complementary proteins (from 33% to 51%). Participants rated the experience as highly enjoyable without exception, though the authors caution that the sample may have been skewed toward people who already favour this type of entertainment. Follow-up structured interviews with 34 participants, conducted about two weeks later, suggested that some had changed cooking habits, such as substituting plant-based proteins for meat, indicating possible lasting effects on attitudes and behaviour.

The authors acknowledge important limitations. Attitude and behaviour changes were self-reported, introducing potential bias, and the non-representative sample restricts generalisation to wider populations. Nevertheless, the study concludes that escape rooms are a promising alternative to conventional adult education methods, and it calls for further research using more rigorous sampling to confirm and extend these preliminary results.