When Games get in the way: Gamification Approach for Teaching Maths – A Case Study With Undergraduate Tourism Students

Abstract

Planning more dynamic and motivating lessons for students is the goal of any teacher, especially maths teachers, a subject where the lack of interest and motivation to learn is so evident and a major concern. Several studies highlight the positive impact of the adoption of gamification strategies in teaching/learning, both in student motivation and in the development of soft skills (teamwork, creativity, decision-making, leadership, communication, and critical thinking). Game-based learning thus promotes students' interest and involves them in this process. In this sense, one of the authors of this study chose to use several (non-digital) games to support the teaching-learning process in her classes. The games used were developed by the authors and have been thoroughly designed to address specific maths topics. The games took various forms, including card games, board games and other hands-on activities. The participants in the study are first-year undergraduate students from a Portuguese higher education institution and encompassed the course of “Quantitative Methods”. The aim of the study is to investigate students’ perceptions of the use of gamification in the maths teaching-learning process. To gather information about students’ insights on the use of games in math classes a quantitative survey was conducted. Similar studies have shown that higher education students are usually receptive to the use of games, finding it useful to increase their motivation and consider game-based learning can positively impact learning. Our findings are in line with those studies.