A contribution to the understanding of what makes young students genuinely engaged in computer-based learning tasks

Students’ interest, motivation, attention and concentration, in one word their genuine engagement in learning activities, is largely considered as a potential gauge of future academic success. This paper, drawing on a research project dealing with the use of digital mind games for educational purposes in primary schools, puts forward some ideas for answering to a key research question: “Which factors may have a positive influence on young students’ involvement in computer based learning activities?” The project results suggest that student engagement is strongly related to the actual possession of the skills needed to perform the task.