Design of an Augmented Reality Serious Game for Children with Dyscalculia: A Case Study
Abstract
Numeracy skills are essential in the modern world. However, many children experience difficulties in learning mathematics. This disorder is known as Dyscalculia, and it has a negative impact on the children affected by it. The students might find difficult to work with numbers, mental calculations and mathematical functions and symbols. From this context, several studies agree using Serious Games as an assistive mechanism in therapies can improve the students’ motivation, motor skills, and mathematical abilities. This article presents the design and a prototype of the Augmented Reality Serious Game named ATHYNOS for children with Dyscalculia. In the case study, forty children aged between 7–9 years with difficulties in learning mathematics from private and public primary schools, completed 4 weeks of computer game training for 15 min per day, twice a week. Results shown that children took significantly advantage from the training regarding basic numeracy, sequential order and mathematical reasoning, this game allows flexible adaptation to children’s learning.
Keywords
Serious games design ATHYNOS Dyscalculia Augmented Reality Serious GameReferences
- 1.Kass, C.E., Myklebust, H.R.: Learning disability: an educational definition. J. Learn. Disabil. 2(7), 377–379 (1969)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 2.Lyon, G.R.: Learning disabilities. In: The Future of Children, pp. 54–76 (1996)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 3.Butterworth, B., Varma, S., Laurillard, D.: Dyscalculia: from brain to education. Science 332(6033), 1049–1053 (2011)MathSciNetCrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 4.DfES: Guidance to Support Pupils with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia. Department for Education and Skills, London (2001)Google Scholar
- 5.Doyle, A.: Dyscalculia and mathematical difficulties: implications for transition to higher education in the Republic of Ireland (2010)Google Scholar
- 6.Bird, R.: The Dyscalculia Toolkit: Supporting Learning Difficulties in Maths. Sage, London (2017)Google Scholar
- 7.Chodura, S., Kuhn, J.-T., Holling, H.: Interventions for children with mathematical difficulties: a meta-analysis. Zeitschrift für Psychologie 223(2), 129 (2015)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 8.Landerl, K.: Development of numerical processing in children with typical and dyscalculic arithmetic skills—a longitudinal study. Front. Psychol. 4, 459 (2013)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 9.Berch, D.B., Mazzocco, M.M.: Why is math so hard for some children? In: The Nature and Origins of Mathematical Learning Difficulties and Disabilities. Paul H Brookes Publishing (2007)Google Scholar
- 10.Cezarotto, M.A., Battaiola, A.L.: Contribuições do aprendizado multimídia para jogos com foco nas dificuldades da matemática (2017)Google Scholar
- 11.de Castro, M.V., Bissaco, M.A.S., Panccioni, B.M., Rodrigues, S.C.M., Domingues, A.M.: Effect of a virtual environment on the development of mathematical skills in children with dyscalculia. PLoS ONE 9(7), e103354 (2014)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 12.Göbel, S.: Serious games application examples. In: Dörner, R., Göbel, S., Effelsberg, W., Wiemeyer, J. (eds.) Serious games, pp. 319–405. Springer, Cham (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40612-1_12CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 13.Katmada, A., Mavridis, A., Tsiatsos, T.: Implementing a game for supporting learning in mathematics. Electron. J. e-Learn. 12(3), 230–242 (2014)Google Scholar
- 14.Liarokapis, F., De Freitas, S.: A case study of augmented reality serious games. In: Looking Toward the Future of Technology-Enhanced Education: Ubiquitous Learning and the Digital Native, pp. 178–191 (2010)Google Scholar
- 15.Ferrer, V., Perdomo, A., Rashed-Ali, H., Fies, C., Quarles, J.: How does usability impact motivation in augmented reality serious games for education? In: Book How Does Usability Impact Motivation in Augmented Reality Serious Games for Education?, pp. 1–8. IEEE (2013)Google Scholar
- 16.Qian, M., Clark, K.R.: Game-based learning and 21st century skills: a review of recent research. Comput. Hum. Behav. 63, 50–58 (2016)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 17.Torres-Carrión, P., Sarmiento-Guerrero, C., Torres-Diaz, J.C., Barba-Guamán, L.: Educational math game for stimulation of children with dyscalculia. In: Rocha, Á., Guarda, T. (eds.) ICITS 2018. AISC, vol. 721, pp. 614–623. Springer, Cham (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73450-7_58CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 18.Loijens, L.W., Brohm, D., Domurath, N.: What is augmented reality? In: Augmented Reality for Food Marketers and Consumers, p. 356. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen (2017)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 19.Mikoski, G.S.: The New Digital Shoreline: How Web 2.0 and Millennials are Revolutionizing Higher Education. By Roger McHaney, Stylus Publishing, Sterling, VA (2011). xix+ 248 p. ISBN 978-1579224608. $29.95, Teaching Theology & Religion, 2013, 16 (S1)Google Scholar
- 20.Yusof, N., Rias, R.M.: Serious game based therapeutic: towards therapeutic game design model for adolescence. In: Book Serious Game Based Therapeutic: Towards Therapeutic Game Design Model for Adolescence, pp. 40–45. IEEE (2014)Google Scholar
- 21.Boyle, E., Connolly, T.M., Hainey, T.: The role of psychology in understanding the impact of computer games. Entertain. Comput. 2(2), 69–74 (2011)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 22.Cano, S., Arteaga, J.M., Collazos, C.A., Gonzalez, C.S., Zapata, S.: Toward a methodology for serious games design for children with auditory impairments. IEEE Latin Am. Trans. 14(5), 2511–2521 (2016)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 23.Kroesbergen, E.H., Van Luit, J.E.: Mathematics interventions for children with special educational needs: a meta-analysis. Remedial Spec. Educ. 24(2), 97–114 (2003)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 24.Lee Swanson, H., Sachse-Lee, C.: A meta-analysis of single-subject-design intervention research for students with LD. J. Learn. Disabil. 33(2), 114–136 (2000)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 25.Cezarotto, M.A., Battaiola, A.L.: Game design recommendations focusing on children with developmental dyscalculia. In: Zaphiris, P., Ioannou, A. (eds.) LCT 2016. LNCS, vol. 9753, pp. 463–473. Springer, Cham (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39483-1_42CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 26.Fullerton, T.: Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games. CRC Press, Boca Raton (2008)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 27.Motta, R.L., Junior, J.T.: Short game design document (SGDD): Documento de game design aplicado a jogos de pequeno porte e advergames Um estudo de caso do advergame Rockergirl Bikeway. Campinas Grande: Faculdade de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas FACISA (2013)Google Scholar
- 28.Rogers, S.: Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design. Wiley, Hoboken (2014)Google Scholar
- 29.Schell, J.: The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses. AK Peters/CRC Press, Boca Raton (2014)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 30.Schuytema, P.: Design de games: uma abordagem prática. Cengage Learning, Boston (2008)Google Scholar
- 31.Tang, S., Hanneghan, M.: Game content model: an ontology for documenting serious game design. In: Book Game Content Model: An Ontology for Documenting Serious Game Design, pp. 431–436. IEEE (2011)Google Scholar
- 32.Hamari, J., Shernoff, D.J., Rowe, E., Coller, B., Asbell-Clarke, J., Edwards, T.: Challenging games help students learn: an empirical study on engagement, flow and immersion in game-based learning. Comput. Hum. Behav. 54, 170–179 (2016)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 33.Mayer, I., et al.: The research and evaluation of serious games: toward a comprehensive methodology. Br. J. Educ. Technol. 45(3), 502–527 (2014)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 34.Ortega, W.: Instructivo para la aplicación de la evaluación estudiantil. In: Book Instructivo para la aplicación de la evaluación estudiantil. Ministerio de Educación del Ecuador, Quito (2013)Google Scholar