Do games reduce maths anxiety? A review of the current literature

Pierpaolo Dondio, Flavia H. Santos, Viacheslav Gusev, Mariana Rocha

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

The paper proposes a systematic review of game-based approaches to reduce Maths Anxiety (MA). Thirteen experimental studies carried out in children and young adults were included in the review. In all the studies analysed, the games used were designed for general learning, usually quiz-based or puzzle-based games. Although 8 out of 13 studies report a reduction of MA after the intervention, only in 6/13 studies this was significant versus a traditional learning control group. This could be explained partially by the absence of games explicitly designed to deal with MA. Just two studies explicitly considered anxiety-aware features in their intervention strategy, including working on the competition element and a real-time indicator of MA embedded in the game. Our review shows the need for targeted studies to understand the impact of specific game features on MA in order to support the design of anxiety-aware games. Potential features include the introduction of gender-aware game design to account for the prevalence of MA among girls and the investigation of more collaborative and interactive game-modes.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 15th European Conference on Game Based Learning, ECGBL 2021
EditorsPanagiotis Fotaris
PublisherDechema e.V.
Pages287-295
Number of pages9
ISBN (Electronic)9781914587122
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021
Event15th European Conference on Game Based Learning, ECGBL 2021 - Brighton, United Kingdom
Duration: 24 Sep 202025 Sep 2020

Publication series

NameProceedings of the European Conference on Games-based Learning
Volume2021-September
ISSN (Print)2049-0992

Conference

Conference15th European Conference on Game Based Learning, ECGBL 2021
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityBrighton
Period24/09/2025/09/20

Keywords

  • Game-based learning
  • Literature review
  • Mathematics anxiety

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