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The effects of an educational video game on mathematical engagement

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Abstract

In an effort to maximizing success in mathematics, our research team implemented an educational video game in fifth grade mathematics classrooms in five schools in the Eastern US. The educational game was developed by our multi-disciplinary research team to achieve a hypothetical learning trajectory of mathematical thinking of 5th grade students. In this study, we examined overall engagement and three sub-domains of engagement as outcome variables after ten sessions of treatment with fifth grade students. The results showed that both male and female the video game group had slight increases in all engagement levels while students, particularly male, in the paper-and-pencil drill group displayed large decreases in all engagement levels. Implications of the study are 1) more fine-grained evidence of engagement in three sub-domains after implementing an educational video game, and 2) a consideration of gender differences in engagement levels in mathematics in the adoption of a video games.

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Acknowledgments

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. DRL-1118571. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Leadership & Professional Studies, College of Education, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St. ZEB 250B, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Mido Chang

  2. Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Counselor Education, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

    Michael A. Evans

  3. Department of Counseling, School, & Educational Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Sunha Kim

  4. Department of Mathematics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Anderson Norton

  5. Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Kirby Deater-Deckard

  6. Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technologies, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Yavuz Samur

Authors
  1. Mido Chang
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  2. Michael A. Evans
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  3. Sunha Kim
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  4. Anderson Norton
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  5. Kirby Deater-Deckard
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  6. Yavuz Samur
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Correspondence to Mido Chang.

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Chang, M., Evans, M.A., Kim, S. et al. The effects of an educational video game on mathematical engagement. Educ Inf Technol 21, 1283–1297 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-015-9382-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-015-9382-8

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