Our understanding of how the world works is shaped through countless interactions with things in it. These interactions are our first exposure to science. Through them, we learn that heavy things are hard to push and books do not fall through tables. Our interactions are also shaped by the rules of the groups to which we belong (e.g., families, religious organizations, athletic teams). These rules lead us to accept that some things cannot or should not be done, limiting our interactions with the world. At the same time, these rules change our appreciation for what we do experience. Prior research has focused largely on the separate influences of either physical interactions or social interactions, leaving (relatively) unexplored their combined effects. In this dissertation, I describe how adults understand science related to their long-term participation in a recreational road bicycling group. The cyclists demonstrated a rich understanding of gearing and air resistance that paralleled, on a practical level, the explanations taught in school. This understanding was shaped by the cyclists’ years of physical experience interpreted in light of their individual goals for participating. For the cyclists in this study, knowing the science helped them be more efficient and faster riders. In the end, this study supports the idea that productive and valuable learning takes place in many settings and that it is important to account for the relationship between the social and physical aspects of learning when designing instructional experiences.

The purpose for this study is to examine the impact score has on free-form designed games:games without designed goals. The study is aimed towards smaller products and is meant tohelp designers who are looking to implement score into their game with how it could affect theplayer’s relationship to the defined goal, their intrinsic goal, and the purpose of the game. Aprototype game was created that would simulate the free-form design method. The game hadtwo modes: mode A without score and mode B with score added to one of the actions. Resultsfrom observations and semi-structured interviews show that score has a direct impact on theway participants defined both their intrinsic goals and the one set by the game. Participants’perception of the game defined goal shifts as score is added by giving them a clear andunambiguous extrinsic reward.