Activity 2 – Digital Games & Learning

Activity 2: Digital Games & Learning: Reviews of Research

Jamie Drozda and Daniel Wilson

Byung, J., & Joung, E. (2018). Digital game-based learning for K-12 mathematics education: A meta-analysis. School of Science and Mathematics, 118 (3-4), 113-126. Doi: 10.1111/ssm.12271

The authors explore digital game-based learning (DGBL) for K-12 mathematics in education. According to the authors, digital games have been termed as effective educational methods designed to improve the motivation and performance of students pursuing mathematics education. The study is a meta-analysis review that investigates current trends in digital-based game learning and how effective they are on the overall K-12 students’ achievement in mathematics learning. The coding framework included nine codes: the study’s goal, year of publication, the name of the journal, the academic field of the journal, the author’s academic background, research method, country, participants grade levels, and the five content standards for mathematics. The authors used Cohen’s d to calculate the overall effect the studies show on DGBL in mathematics.

The findings were presented in bar graphs where distributional characteristics of the two moderators used were presented. The models showed that research in the area of DGBL and mathematics has been: increasing since 2005, most researchers are educational technologists, the most common research methods used are quantitative and mixed-methods, studies are carried out internationally, and most studies focus on the learning outcomes for a number of operations and algebra. The study also shows that DGBL has little impact on improving students learning mathematics. The study confirmed that there is a lack of research exploring video gaming and student achievement and motivation in mathematics learning. The authors recommend that future research should focus on the relationship between the tasks used to determine the association between student achievement and mathematical games.

Tokac, Umit, Novak, Elena, & Thompson, Christopher, G. (2019). Effects of game-based learning on students’ mathematics achievement: A meta-analysis. Journal of computer assisted learning, 35, 407-425. DOI: 10.1111/jcal.12347

The authors investigate how mathematics game-based interventions affect PreK-12 grade students learning when compared to traditional instructional approaches. The study is a meta-analysis review of 24 studies to examine how heterogeneous the results were when comparing the effectiveness of game-based learning to traditional mathematics teaching methods. The author’s meta-analytic review quantitatively describes the relationships between game-based learning and students’ mathematics achievements. A random-effects model was used to determine the variance of the study sample by looking at six characteristics that include; grade level, instrument type, length of game‐based intervention, country, and publication year and type.

The authors made no mention of how to support teachers with game-based learning and there was no mention of the correlation between the students’ level of engagement with the games and mathematical skill improvement. Instead, they recommend that authors of future studies include more details regarding teachers’ level of gameplay and how the games connect to the prescribed learning outcomes. The authors found that mathematical video-games helps students develop their knowledge to a higher level compared to traditional instructional methods. The study stated that there is limited research in exploring video gaming in mathematics. In order to deepen understanding of the research, there will have to be more studies that identify game-based interventions that determine specific attributes of learning outcomes. This future research will help facilitate the achievement of mathematical skills and concepts within a diverse range of mathematical areas.

Listen to Jamie interview Daniel regarding his use of mathematical games in his classroom.

References

Byung, J., & Joung, E. (2018). Digital game-based learning for K-12 mathematics education: A Meta-analysis. School of Science and Mathematics, 118 (3-4), 113-126. Doi: 10.1111/ssm.12271