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Digital Learning Games for Mathematics and Computer Science Education: The Need for Preregistered RCTs, Standardized Methodology, and Advanced Technology

In today’s digital information society, mathematical and computational skills are becoming increasingly important. With the demand for mathematical and computational literacy rising, the question of how these skills can be effectively taught in schools is among the top priorities in education. Game-...

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Autor principal: Bertram, Lara
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7593651/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33178055
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02127
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author Bertram, Lara
author_facet Bertram, Lara
author_sort Bertram, Lara
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description In today’s digital information society, mathematical and computational skills are becoming increasingly important. With the demand for mathematical and computational literacy rising, the question of how these skills can be effectively taught in schools is among the top priorities in education. Game-based learning promises to diversify education, increase students’ interest and motivation, and offer positive and effective learning experiences. Especially digital game-based learning (DGBL) is considered an effective educational tool for improving education in classrooms of the future. Yet, learning is a complex psychological phenomenon and the effectiveness of digital games for learning cannot be taken for granted. This is partly due to a diversity of methodological approaches in the literature and partly due to theoretical and practical considerations. We present core elements of psychological theories of learning and derive arguments for and against DGBL and non-DGBL. We discuss previous literature on DGBL in mathematics education from a methodological point of view and infer the need for randomized controlled trials for effectiveness evaluations. To increase comparability of empirical results, we propose methodological standards for future educational research. The value of multidisciplinary research projects to advance the field of DGBL is discussed and a synergy of Affective Computing and Optimal Experimental Design (OED) techniques is proposed for the implementation of adaptive technologies in digital learning games. Finally, we make suggestions for game content, which would be suitable for preparing students for university-level mathematics and computer science education, and discuss the potential limitations of DGBL in the classroom.
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spelling pubmed-75936512020-11-10 Digital Learning Games for Mathematics and Computer Science Education: The Need for Preregistered RCTs, Standardized Methodology, and Advanced Technology Bertram, Lara Front Psychol Psychology In today’s digital information society, mathematical and computational skills are becoming increasingly important. With the demand for mathematical and computational literacy rising, the question of how these skills can be effectively taught in schools is among the top priorities in education. Game-based learning promises to diversify education, increase students’ interest and motivation, and offer positive and effective learning experiences. Especially digital game-based learning (DGBL) is considered an effective educational tool for improving education in classrooms of the future. Yet, learning is a complex psychological phenomenon and the effectiveness of digital games for learning cannot be taken for granted. This is partly due to a diversity of methodological approaches in the literature and partly due to theoretical and practical considerations. We present core elements of psychological theories of learning and derive arguments for and against DGBL and non-DGBL. We discuss previous literature on DGBL in mathematics education from a methodological point of view and infer the need for randomized controlled trials for effectiveness evaluations. To increase comparability of empirical results, we propose methodological standards for future educational research. The value of multidisciplinary research projects to advance the field of DGBL is discussed and a synergy of Affective Computing and Optimal Experimental Design (OED) techniques is proposed for the implementation of adaptive technologies in digital learning games. Finally, we make suggestions for game content, which would be suitable for preparing students for university-level mathematics and computer science education, and discuss the potential limitations of DGBL in the classroom. Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-10-15 /pmc/articles/PMC7593651/ /pubmed/33178055 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02127 Text en Copyright © 2020 Bertram. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Psychology
Bertram, Lara
Digital Learning Games for Mathematics and Computer Science Education: The Need for Preregistered RCTs, Standardized Methodology, and Advanced Technology
title Digital Learning Games for Mathematics and Computer Science Education: The Need for Preregistered RCTs, Standardized Methodology, and Advanced Technology
title_full Digital Learning Games for Mathematics and Computer Science Education: The Need for Preregistered RCTs, Standardized Methodology, and Advanced Technology
title_fullStr Digital Learning Games for Mathematics and Computer Science Education: The Need for Preregistered RCTs, Standardized Methodology, and Advanced Technology
title_full_unstemmed Digital Learning Games for Mathematics and Computer Science Education: The Need for Preregistered RCTs, Standardized Methodology, and Advanced Technology
title_short Digital Learning Games for Mathematics and Computer Science Education: The Need for Preregistered RCTs, Standardized Methodology, and Advanced Technology
title_sort digital learning games for mathematics and computer science education: the need for preregistered rcts, standardized methodology, and advanced technology
topic Psychology
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7593651/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33178055
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02127
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