The effects of two digital educational games on cognitive and non-cognitive math and reading outcomes

Abstract

Digital educational games play an increasingly important role in education. However, multiple questions about the effectiveness of educational games with respect to cognitive and non-cognitive effects remain unclear. The current study, a longitudinal, quasi-experiment with 336 first graders, examined the effects of two digital educational games, Number Sense Game (NSG) and Reading Game (RG). The NSG trained early numerical skills, the RG supported emergent reading. Children were pseudo-randomly assigned to either an experimental condition, comprising eight weeks of intensive game-based training, or a control condition in which they took part in regular education without game-based practice. A pretest-posttest design was used to examine the effects of the intervention on cognitive (digit comparison, number line estimation, letter knowledge, math and reading competence) and non-cognitive outcomes (math and reading anxiety). Delayed cognitive effects on math and reading competence were also investigated two months after the intervention. Furthermore, we examined variances of the impact of the training on cognitive outcomes as a consequence of differences in children's prior knowledge, prior affect and socio-economic status. For cognitive outcomes, results revealed that children who played a game performed better on number line estimation and reading competence, whereas no significant differences were observed for digit comparison, letter knowledge and math competence. Also, children who played a game showed better scores in the delayed reading posttest, but not in the delayed math posttest. For non-cognitive outcomes, game training did not affect math or reading anxiety. Regarding individual differences, children with less prior knowledge in the game play condition performed better on the number line estimation posttest compared to children in the control condition. Children with more prior knowledge in the game play condition still scored better on this test compared to the control condition, but the difference between the conditions was smaller.