Using Video Games to Teach Rational Number Addition

1. Using Video Games to Teach Rational Number Addition Terry Vendlinski California Educational Research Association Disneyland Hotel – Anaheim, CA December 1, 2011

2. Background • Understanding rational numbers seem difficult for many Americans (both young and old). • Pedagogical programs that focus on key ideas seem to produce largest changes in students and teachers. • Video games are popular, plus they encourage acquisition and repeated application of knowledge • These efforts were part of a number of pilots studies in preparation for a large scale efficacy study.

3. Our Research Questions • Can a video game help students learn math? • Is playing the game for just one class period adequate to produce acceptable levels of understanding? • Are different instructional formats associated with differential learning outcomes? • Do different instructional formats have different effects on different student populations?

4. Sample • 365 6th – 12th grade students in disparate districts • Randomly divided into six conditions within class • Pretest – Game Play – Posttest • Focus on Middle School students and High School students taking pre-algebra or algebra for two periods each day.

6. Sample • 365 6th – 12th grade students in disparate districts • Randomly divided into six conditions within class • Pretest – Game Play – Posttest • Focus on Middle School students and High School students taking pre-algebra or algebra for two periods each day.

7. Can video games help students learn math? • Pretest and Posttest had high levels of technical quality. • When not considering instructional format, the treatment game, showed no effects compared to control. • Game with minimal math instruction, however, was associated with significant pre-to-post changes in student understanding of rational number addition (d = .65).

8. Do students reach adequate level of understanding after game play? • Except for middle school algebra students, sample scored at 50% on pretest • For groups that did show significant increase, the average of means on the posttest was 68%. • Post test mean of middle school algebra students (88%) was significantly different from the posttest mean of other groups.

9. Are different formats associated with differential outcomes? • Significant gains made by middle school algebra students were associated with game that had minimal math instruction. (d = 1.14) • Significant gains made by sixth grade students were associated with game that had minimal math instruction. (d = 3.39) • Significant gains made by pre-algebra students were associated with game that had video instruction and graphics-based feedback (d = 1.47)

10. Do different instructional formats have different effects on sub-groups? • ANCOVA analysis does suggest that the between group differences are significant and confirms previous finding that most effective version of the game for high school pre-algebra students is video instruction and graphics-based feedback. • Game level that students ultimately reached was strongly correlated with posttest score (and pretest score). • Game level reached was not significantly different between groups.

11. Discussion • Why didn’t everyone seem to learn if they all had the same basic instruction? • How did they all groups get to the same level (statistically) if some had to figure it out?

12. Conclusions • Designing games associated with positive learning effects is possible • Learning effects associated with gameplay are moderate to high (d = .65 to 3.39) • Instruction and feedback in the game does NOT always seem to be a good thing. • May need external, personalized help to support students out of impasse. • Students may need more exposure time.

13. Find this report at: http://www.cse.ucla.edu/products/reports/R808.pdf For more information: vendlins@ucla.edu