Evaluating the use of gamification in mathematics learning in primary school children

Abstract

This paper presents a practice developed for elementary education students (3rd grade).. We used gamification to build a game based on the students' profile (players) in math classes. Gamification is the use of game elements and game principles in non-game contexts [1]. The use of gamification in the educational context is a practice that brings the playfulness of the gaming world to the classroom and promotes the engagement and motivation of newer generations [2]. We used the Octalysis structure proposed by Yu Kai-Chou [3] to model and project the students' profile and the gamification itself. We observed and measured students' experiences as players on the game: the achievement of icons to advance in the levels, their strategies to achieve the goals and their involvement on the learning process. Players interact collaboratively and develop skills and competences interacting in the same shared space. The results show that use of the game, as an initiative to empower students, creates meaningful relationships on the students' learning process.