Digital Learning Games for Mathematics and Computer Science Education: The Need for Preregistered RCTs, Standardized Methodology, and Advanced Technology.

Lara Bertram

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02127

Abstract

In today’s digital information society, mathematical and computational skills are becoming increasingly important. With the demand for mathematical and computational literacy rising, the question of how these skills can be effectively taught in schools is among the top priorities in education. Game-based learning promises to diversify education, increase students’ interest and motivation, and offer positive and effective learning experiences. Especially digital game-based learning (DGBL) is considered an effective educational tool for improving education in classrooms of the future. Yet, learning is a complex psychological phenomenon and the effectiveness of digital games for learning cannot be taken for granted. This is partly due to a diversity of methodological approaches in the literature and partly due to theoretical and practical considerations. We present core elements of psychological theories of learning and derive arguments for and against DGBL and non-DGBL. We discuss previous literature on DGBL in mathematics education from a methodological point of view and infer the need for randomized controlled trials for effectiveness evaluations. To increase comparability of empirical results, we propose methodological standards for future educational research. The value of multidisciplinary research projects to advance the field of DGBL is discussed and a synergy of Affective Computing and Optimal Experimental Design (OED) techniques is proposed for the implementation of adaptive technologies in digital learning games. Finally, we make suggestions for game content, which would be suitable for preparing students for university-level mathematics and computer science education, and discuss the potential limitations of DGBL in the classroom.

Highlights

INTRODUCTIONMathematical and computational skills have become an integral component of basic literacy, and improving students’ proficiency in mathematical and computational thinking plays a key role in many countries’ education strategies (Committee on STEM Education, 2018; European Schoolnet, 2018)
Mathematical and computational skills have become an integral component of basic literacy, and improving students’ proficiency in mathematical and computational thinking plays a key role in many countries’ education strategies (Committee on STEM Education, 2018; European Schoolnet, 2018).Yet, while over the last decades Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries’ expenditure per student increased on average by 15%, students’ performance did not change significantly (OECD, 2019b)
We suggest using standardized scales from the international studies Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and TIMMS if applicable (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, 2015; OECD, 2019a) and standardized psychological instruments, for example, scales measuring academic emotion (Pekrun et al, 2011; Lichtenfeld et al, 2012), self-concept (Pekrun et al, 2007b; Arens et al, 2016), and motivation (Schwarzer and Jerusalem, 1995; Midgley et al, 1998)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Mathematical and computational skills have become an integral component of basic literacy, and improving students’ proficiency in mathematical and computational thinking plays a key role in many countries’ education strategies (Committee on STEM Education, 2018; European Schoolnet, 2018). Game-based learning interventions are supposed to offer students active self-guided learning opportunities and positively affect attitudes, emotions, motivation, and engagement (Vandercruysse et al, 2012; Weisberg et al, 2016). Learning-related cognitive, motivational and emotional processes shape the learning process (Arens et al, 2016; Pekrun et al, 2017), as well as the way information is acquired (Bruner, 1961; Schunk, 1990; Gureckis and Markant, 2012; Ruggeri et al, 2019). These variables are closely interrelated and significantly shape the learning process. Flow theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975; Csiksentmihalyi and Schiefele, 1993) states that intrinsically motivated behavior and the experience of flow are fostered in situations, which are shaped by a learner and characterized by a fit between learners’ abilities and the demands of a situation

A Psychological Argument for Game-Based Learning

Findings

DISCUSSION