Effects of game technology on elementary student learning in mathematics

Abstract This paper reports the effects of game technology on student learning in mathematics as investigated in two data sets collected from slightly different subjects. In the first, 41 second graders (7 or 8 years old) from two classes used either a technology‐based game or a paper‐based game for 5 weeks. For the next 13 weeks, both classes used a technology‐based game either two times per week, or more than three times per week. A quasi‐experimental control‐group design with repeated measures analysis of variance and analysis of covariance was employed to explore performance differences between groups. The second study examined student learning in relation to characteristics such as their game performance, attitudes toward the game and toward mathematics, and gender and ethnicity. During a 4‐month period, 50 second grade students from three classes played a technology‐based game under conditions that varied depending on their teacher's direction. Multiple regression was used to determine the relationship between students' arithmetic scores and learner characteristics. Descriptive analyses by ability level, gender and ethnicity, and interview data about attitudes toward the technology game were also analyzed. Results from the two studies revealed that using a technology‐based game in the classroom was beneficial to students of all ability levels in learning arithmetic skills. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Technology and games have yielded consistently positive results with regard to motivation, persistence, curiosity, attention and attitude toward learning. The accessibility and flexibility of handheld devices can provide students with more integral and spontaneous opportunities to fully take advantage of “off‐moments” from classroom activity to support learning. There are insufficient data to validate the contribution of technology to student learning. What this paper adds This paper provides evidence that game technology positively impacts elementary students' learning of arithmetic, regardless of ability level. The paper proposes research‐based design principles, generated from a literature review, to guide the development of individualized technology game environments to support student learning. This paper suggests various research methodologies to provide empirical evidence of the impact of technology on academic achievement. Implications for practice and/or policy To select appropriate games for target students, practitioners should consider the importance of clear goals and rules, flexible learner control and tasks at an appropriate level of challenge for the learner, with feedback provided. Teachers are more likely to implement technology if learning goals meet state or federally mandated standards for which teachers are already accountable. Identifying significant classroom variables (eg. teacher, student and classroom variables) is an important step in successfully implementing technology in educational settings. Further research is needed to understand how such variables influence learners' engagement in technology‐based games and which circumstances are most advantageous for successfully implementing technology‐based games in classrooms.