Do digital games appeal more to boys?

By Winnie Tam, Centre for University and School Partnership, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

As digital games are increasingly used in education, understanding attitudes toward their use is important. A meta-analysis conducted by Liu and colleagues examined gender differences in attitudes towards digital games across 41 eligible studies, yielding 133 effect sizes. Females accounted for 51% of students studied.

Digital games were classified as either serious (designed for education, healthcare, etc., n=31) or entertaining (n=10). Attitudes were categorized by affect (emotional response), belief (perception of value), and self-efficacy (confidence in operating games). Effect size in the analysis referred to the difference in standardised mean scores between male and female. The results revealed that:

•            Males exhibited a significantly more positive attitude than females (ES = +0.21).

•            Attitude aspects significantly moderated outcomes, with males showing stronger affect (ES=+0.34) and self-efficacy (ES=+0.37), but no significant gender differences were detected in belief.

•            Males’ attitudes were consistently more positive in both entertainment games (ES = +0.39) and serious games (ES = +0.14).

While findings reinforced that males generally have a greater affinity for digital games, no gender differences were observed regarding their perceived value and usefulness. More research is needed to explore potential moderators, such as education level and interactions among these factors to better contextualize the results.

How effective are digital game-based learning interventions for cognitive, metacognitive, and affective-motivational learning outcomes?

By Feifei Wang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) is a dynamic educational approach in which students participate in competitive activities aimed at promoting knowledge acquisition in a virtual environment. With the increasing popularity of learning with digital media due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a meta-analysis recently examined the effects of DGBL interventions on different learning outcomes (i.e., cognitive, metacognitive, and affective-motivational) in school settings.

Studies were eligible if they (1) used a digital game or simulation on a computer or mobile device compared to a traditional instruction method, (2) was published in English between 2015 and 2020, (3) involved more than 10 participants in schools from grades 1 to 13 and between ages 6 and 18, and (4) employed at least a quasi-experimental pre-post control design. The literature search and screening process gathered a total of 35 eligible studies with 7139 participants.

Results revealed that DGBL showed a significant medium effect on overall learning (ES = 0.54) and cognitive learning outcomes (ES = +0.67), a small effect on affective-motivational learning outcomes (ES = +0.32), and no significant effect on metacognitive learning outcomes.

The findings partially confirm the positive impact of implementing DGBL in school. Based on these findings, the authors suggest designing DGBL interventions to adapt to learners’ needs and support distance learning, to foster teachers’ knowledge and ability to use digital games, to explore under-researched metacognitive learning outcomes and teacher education, and to integrate learning content into balanced intrinsic or extrinsic game elements.

Comparing the impact of two game-based learning technologies on conceptual understanding of algebra

By Winnie Tam, Centre for University and School Partnership, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Chan and colleagues examined the impact of two game-based technologies on conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and procedural flexibility in algebraic equation solving. The game-based technologies in this study were DragonBox Algebra 12+ (DragonBox) and From Here to There! (FH2T). DragonBox is a commercial app in which students move and combine pictures on the screen to isolate a box containing a dragon, similar to solving for x in algebraic equations. FH2T is a researcher-developed game in which students transform mathematical expressions from a start state (e.g., 16×29) to a specified goal state (e.g., 16×30 – 16×1) using gesture actions (e.g., tapping, dragging) on screen. While the designer of DragonBox disguises the algebraic symbols under images, the designer of FH2T presents algebraic notations in the game.

The sample was drawn from a large randomized controlled trial which took place in a suburban district in the southeastern US in the 2020-2021 academic year involving grade 7 students to test the efficacy of game-based and non-game-based technology. The current study only focused on 887 students who were assigned to the DragonBox (n=275) and the FH2T (n=612) conditions. The participants played their respective games for nine 30-min sessions across the school year. Students were assessed for algebraic knowledge and mathematics attitude before (pretest), during (midtest), and after (posttest) the nine intervention sessions. Results showed that students improved their conceptual knowledge across the three time-points of the algebra test, and significantly improved on procedural knowledge from pretest to midtest, but significantly dropped at posttest. Compared to pretest, students were 1.18 times less likely to have correct answers at posttest. Similarly, students’ performance on procedural flexibility increased at midtest but decreased at posttest.  Compared to pretest, students were 1.41 times less likely to provide correct responses at posttest. The effect was not significantly different between the two games.

The decrease in students’ procedural knowledge and procedural flexibility was puzzling.  The authors believed it could be explained by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to school closures during pandemic, there was loss in students learning. By contrast, both game-based technologies improved the concept knowledge of algebra even under the impact of the ‘COVID-19 slide’.

Do tech games help students better understand algebra?

By Claire Shin, Johns Hopkins University

Especially in the midst of pressures to address Covid-related learning loss, educators may consider the results of a recent study demonstrating the potential benefits of two game-based technology interventions on students’ understanding of algebra. Over 3,600 7th graders participated in a randomized controlled trial of nine 30-minute sessions in the 2020-21 school year at the peak of the pandemic across 4 conditions.

The conditions were: 1) a game called From Here to There, 2) a game called DragonBox 12+, 3) ASSISTments, a program that gives immediate feedback while students are working on problem sets through an online system, and 4) a “traditional” homework system on technology. From Here to There is a program that lets students physically manipulate parts of algebraic expressions with actions or gestures like dragging numbers. DragonBox has students figure out where the dragon is to simulate solving for an x variable, but begins by not including any math at all. ASSISTments can include reports to teachers on feedback given to students in their class, and is sometimes paired with teacher training on adaptive instruction, although teacher training was not a part of the present study.

The study showed that students who had played both the From Here to There and DragonBox games learned significantly more than the students in the “traditional” homework system condition. Students in the ASSISTments program also learned more than in the “traditional” condition, however this was not statistically significant after controlling for demographic and academic factors. With students more connected to technology than ever before, these findings may offer helpful evidence for educators planning for math interventions in the next school year.