Article

Gender differences in students' mathematics game playing

Authors:
To read the full-text of this research, you can request a copy directly from the authors.

Abstract

The investigation monitored the digital game-playing behaviours of 428 primary-aged students (aged 10–12 years). Chi-square analysis revealed that boys tend to spend more time playing digital games than girls while boys and girls play quite different game genres. Subsequent analysis revealed statistically significant gender differences in terms of the types of mathematics-rich games students prefer to play. Girls preferred to play games that required problem solving, quantitative computations and the interpretation of graphs. Boys preferred games that required visual/spatial engagement. Given the fact that boys outperform girls on spatial tasks and mathematics assessment items that contain graphics, this study has implications for the development of students' mathematics sense making.

No full-text available

Request Full-text Paper PDF

To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.

... However, females are rapidly bridging the gaming gap (Feliu-Soler et al., 2019). Gender differences in gaming also extend to mathematical preferences, influencing factors, and feedback from gaming peers and the community (Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011;Rogstad, 2022). ...
... In contrast, females were more common in the casual and non-VGP classes, in line with a Spanish study (G omez-Gonzalvo et al., 2020). This gender discrepancy, previously documented, highlights males generally spend more time gaming than females (Bahçekapılı et al., 2022;Cheema, 2015;Desai et al., 2010;Devís-Devís et al., 2012;Forrest et al., 2016;Homer et al., 2012;Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011;Lucas & Sherry, 2004;Markstrom, 2011;Rehbein et al., 2016). This implies a stronger gaming inclination among male adolescents. ...
Article
Full-text available
Background Their ubiquity is particularly notable as video games become increasingly intertwined with the technological revolution. Despite this prominence, gender disparities in adolescent video gaming remain under‐explored. Objectives This research aims to determine the frequency classes of video game playing based on gender, analyse the variables (age of first digital device/internet use, weekday/weekend internet frequency in and out of school, economic, social, and cultural status) that might influence assignment to these classes, and reveal the differences in PISA scores among these classes. Methods Our study utilises multiple group latent class analysis and multinomial logistic regression to investigate the video gaming frequencies of 6890 Turkish students (49.1% female, 50.9% male) from the PISA‐2018 exam. A three‐step multiple logistic regression was employed to identify the effect of the variables on assignment probabilities. Also, the multivariate Delta method tested mean differences between classes for PISA scores. Results and Conclusions This study classifies Turkish students from PISA 2018 into four video gaming preference frequency classes (frequent, regular, casual, and non‐video game players) based on gender. Our study reveals that frequent male gamers begin using digital devices and the internet earlier than their female counterparts, spending more time gaming outside school. Notably, the frequency of video game play, which varies by gender, was found to have a significant effect on academic achievement.
... The aim of the article was to evaluate the motivation and incentives for the education of Generation Z members, i.e. the pupils and students, from the perspective of gender. It is known that there are significant cognitive differences between the genders in classical, frontal learning, which are reflected in their academic performance (Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011;Horváthová, Bláha & Čopíková, 2016;Chung & Chang, 2017). Based on the statistical evaluation of the study results, a high correlation between the gender of the respondent and the factors researched was proved (e.g. the importance of parents, teachers, the assessment of the importance of education, the online education preferences, etc.). ...
... Based on the statistical evaluation of the study results, a high correlation between the gender of the respondent and the factors researched was proved (e.g. the importance of parents, teachers, the assessment of the importance of education, the online education preferences, etc.). The pupil/student is influenced by his/her motivation for learning in the case of online education, and previous surveys (Lowrie & Jorgensen., 2011;Horwáthová et al., 2016;Chung et al. 2017) proved such a correlation in the case of the traditional direct education. In further research, it would be interesting to monitor how Generation Z members deal with difficult life situations and to examine the degree of their stress tolerance and management from the point of view of gender. ...
Article
Generation Z includes the largest group of pupils and students affected by the crisis of educational interactions caused by the measures against the Covid-19 spread. In addition, researchers consider the cohort to be the most affected globally by events such as the economic, climate and security crisis, the reorganization of traditions or the digitization. Thanks to these factors, these individuals move to the virtual world, where they focus primarily on their own interests. However, these factors also support flexibility and responsibility. Thus, the conditions for online education should be ideal for this generation, thanks to which the motivation for education could be increased. The research is based on 336 questionnaire surveys conducted in 2020 and 2021, the participants of which were primary school pupils, secondary school students and university students from Prague and the Central Bohemian, South Bohemian and Ústí nad Labem Regions who belong to the Z generation according to their date of birth. The aim of the article is to evaluate the motivation and incentives for the education of Generation Z representatives with an emphasis on their gender using the following criteria: a crisis situation, parents, teachers, importance of education, further education and online education preferences. In the case of both groups, the year-on-year approach to these criteria has undergone significant changes towards the differences widening. Moreover, the high correlation of all the factors examined in relation to gender confirmed its important role in the motivation for education.
... Therefore, with emotions that emerge cognitively and emotionally within their own imaginary world, digital games can be attractive for individuals with characteristics such as self-competitiveness and competitiveness with others, and looking to challenging both themselves and against others (Pala & Erdem, 2015). According to the published studies, another factor influencing game play is gender (Elliott, Ream, McGinskys & Dunlap, 2012;Heeter, Lee, Medler & Magerko, 2011;Hsieh, Lin & Hou, 2016;Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011;Olsen, 2010;Paraskeva, Mysirlaki & Papagianni, 2010;Rehbein, Staudt, Hanslmaier & Kliem, 2016;Yang & Quadir, 2018 ). Accordingly, males generally prefer to play digital games over females (Eglesz, Feteke, Kiss, & Izso, 2005;Greenberg, Sherry, Lachlan, Lucas, & Holmstrom, 2010;Hoffman & Nadelson, 2010;İnal & Çağıltay, 2005). ...
... Paraskeva, Mysirlaki and Papagianni (2010) claims that gender affects the use of games such as game preferences and game playing habits. For instance, Lowrie and Jorgensen (2011) and Rehbein, Staudt, Hanslmaier and Kliem (2016) showed that males spent more time on playing games than women. But, Hsieh Lin and Hou (2016) and Yang and Quadir (2018) found that boys had less gaming flow experience than girls. ...
Article
Full-text available
Digital games have taken on an important role in many people’s livesand are popular among various age groups and different genders.Hence, it is important to estimate why people are so attracted to digitalgames. The aim of this study is to investigate the motivational factorsthat incite people to play digital games. To achieve this, surveymethods were implemented and the “Game Motivation Scale” wasapplied to 330 gamer participants. This scale used in this study is basedon self-determination theory. According to the theory there are twotypes of motivation, namely intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Thescale has six main dimensions which are intrinsic motivation, integratedregulation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, externalregulation, and amotivation. The obtained data were analysed byMANOVA. The findings show that players are more intrinsicallymotivated while playing games, and that male participants’ motivationis higher than that of females. Besides, players who have played formore years and for more hours, who prefer to spend money on gamesand gaming environments, are happy with their gaming habits, arehighly motivated to play digital games. Based on these findings, themotivation level of players might be considered as beneficial in termsof serious game playing; whereas it might pose problems in terms ofexhibiting addictive behaviours or negative issues affecting theirpsychological and physical wellbeing.
... morning, afternoon, evening) (ranging from "I have never played" to "Very often") were formulated after a pilot study. The question about how long students play games during each sitting (1=Less than 1 hour, 2=1 to 2 hours, 3= More than 2 hours) was adapted from a study by Lowrie and Jorgensen (2011). The question regarding the genres of games (see Table 2) was adapted by Hong, Cheng, Hwang, Lee, & Chang (2009). ...
... This result is congruent with the results of other studies that found that boys hold more positive perceptions of digital games compared to girls (e.g. Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011) or boys spent more time on video games and have higher skills in video game play than girls (Desai, Krishnan-Sarin, Cavallo, & Potenza, 2010;Dindar, 2018;Ekinci, Yalcin & Ayhan, 2019;Homer, Plass, Raffaele, Ober, & Ali, 2018). In this study, perhaps boys find games in mobile devices much more attractive than girls. ...
Chapter
This chapter investigates primary school students' perceptions regarding the use of games on mobile devices (i.e., smartphone, tablet) in classroom environment for teaching purposes. Data was collected from 10,381 students (Grades 4, 5, and 6) using a survey questionnaire. A series of semi-structured interviews were used to more deeply understand student perceptions. Those perceptions tended to range from neutral to positive regarding the use of games and their content. Students prefer games that enhance their knowledge and develop their thinking skills. They also believe lessons will be more enjoyable and interesting through the use of games, and learning will be easier and more effective. The results showed differences in students' perceptions in terms of their gender and grade level. Implications of this study and further research are discussed.
... The findings in this study are also in accordance with the results of Lowrie & Jorgensen's study [16]. In their research, They used an adventure game that was well-acknowledged by survey participants, namely "The Legend of Zelda : Phantom Hourglass" [16]. ...
... The findings in this study are also in accordance with the results of Lowrie & Jorgensen's study [16]. In their research, They used an adventure game that was well-acknowledged by survey participants, namely "The Legend of Zelda : Phantom Hourglass" [16]. This game challenged players to locate a lost person by navigate different virtual environment. ...
... Li ve Chung (2006) yaptıkları çalışmada ise erkeklerin kızlara oranla internetle daha fazla zaman geçirdikleri ve erkeklerin problemli medya kullanımının yüksek olduğu sonucuna ulaşmışlardır. Erkek çocukların dijital oyun bağımlılıklarının kız çocuklarına oranla daha yüksek olduğunu ifade eden başka araştırmalar da mevcuttur (Aydoğdu, 2018;Budak, 2020;Erboy & Vural, 2010;Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011). Yapılan çalışmada cinsiyetin problemli medya kullanımı ve sosyal beceri üzerinde etkisinin olmaması dolayısıyla kız ve erkeklerin problemli medya kullanımlarının ve sosyal beceri yetkinliklerinin benzer olduğu yorumu yapılabilir. ...
Article
Full-text available
Bu araştırmada, okul öncesi dönem 48-72 aylık çocukların dijital medya ekranını problemli kullanımları ve sosyal becerileri arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaçla ilişkisel tarama modeli kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubu random örnekleme yöntemiyle 2022-2023 eğitim öğretim yılında İzmir iline bağlı sekiz ilçeden MEB’e bağlı toplam 24 bağımsız anaokuluna devam eden, normal gelişim gösteren 431 çocuk olarak belirlenmiştir. Araştırmada veri toplama araçları olarak Kişisel Bilgi Formu, Problemli Medya Kullanım Ölçeği Kısa Formu ve Sosyal Beceri Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre cinsiyet ve baba eğitim durumu değişkenlerinin problemli medya kullanımı ve sosyal beceri üzerinde etkili olmadığı tespit edilirken, anne eğitim durumun problemli medya kullanımı ve sosyal becerilerin öz kontrol alt boyutunda etkili olduğu saptanmıştır. Ayrıca problemli medya kullanımı ve sosyal beceriler arasında negatif yönlü bir ilişkiye sahip olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Yapılan regresyon analizi sonucuna göre dijital medyanın problemli kullanımının sosyal becerilerin yordayıcısı olduğu ifade edilebilir.
... Concern for gender equality is not new to modern classrooms, but has shown an evolution in its study. Studies such as those carried out by [13,14] show that the gender preferences of students favour a spatial, mathematical perspective on the male side and an interest in the environment on the female side. For this reason, the more traditional studies by [15,16] maintain a connection between thematic developments and new trends in equality [17][18][19][20][21]. ...
Article
Full-text available
The development of critical thinking is essential to the treatment of gender perspective in Primary Education. For this reason, this study focused on determining the critical ability of primary students depending on gender, analysing the possible connections between the participants’ breadth of thought and spelling competence. The methodology was based on a humanistic–interpretative ad hoc approach to categorical organisation. A total of 636 Primary Education students from the Region of Murcia (Spain) participated in a field activity in which they created a written composition based on a pretext that contained an image showing a controversial gender situation; this illustration incited a critical response in the creation of each story. The compositions were analysed individually and qualitatively using the Atlas.Ti software (v.8.4). The most relevant results appear to prove the higher critical ability of the girls who participated in this study, and additionally show connections with the spelling competence of these students. However, the critical thinking and spelling values shown were still far from what would be expected of a developed society.
... When designing a game, information on how a specific population plays a game, and their learning strategies, could mark a milestone in the way the game is developed to better fit the preferences of its target audience. Many researchers pointed out how gender differences do affect the effectiveness in game learning (Chou & Tsai, 2007;Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011;Papastergiou & Solomonidou, 2005). However, recent studies put the spotlight in a different place: the broad play-style (such as "casual" or "hardcore") of players can explain those differences better than their gender does (Manero, Torrente, Fernández-Vara, & Fernández-Manjón, n.d.). ...
... In this regard, it is emphasized that computer games are one of the most powerful motivational tools and an aid to learning mathematics. Therefore, we can say that educational computer games are a new method to create an environment suitable for active learning since not only students will be able to learn the material with pleasure and without fatigue, but also they will be able to understand abstract concepts well in an electronic environment (Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011;Natasha, Speer, Smith, & Aladar, 2010;Kebritchi, 2010). ...
Article
Full-text available
In this research, based on the theoretical framework and previous studies, we have identified the features and characteristics of best practices, investigating the impact of digital games on learning fractional concepts and students' motivation for the subject of mathematics. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to present the influence and importance of digital games, but at the same time show that these games develop their skills and abilities for mathematical concepts, respectively for fractions. The methodology used for this study is a case study. However, as a research strategy for this study, mixed research, that is, quantitative and qualitative, has been chosen. The sample of the study is the student with the nickname "Lina" from the ninth grade of the primary and lower secondary school "Heronjtë e Lumës" from the village of Shkozë, municipality of Prizren. For the collection of quantitative data, a pre-and post-test was used, while for the collection of qualitative data, an observation log and a semi-structured interview were used. The results of this study showed that the use of digital games in understanding fractional concepts has been a great help to the student
... Relevant studies have shown that students of Science and Engineering tend to focus on the cultivation of skills and logical thinking. The result of this is they have fewer opportunities to attain a capacity for strategic thinking from the perspective of managers [109]. This means the attribute of Role of supply chain (A1) of SCLS has been perceived by students of Science and Engineering as a vital system attribute for the consequence of Train organizational thinking (C5). ...
Article
Full-text available
This study aims to investigate the differences in the learning path and value between students of different genders and educational backgrounds in digital game-based learning in Taiwan’s higher vocational education. A game-based digital Supply Chains Learning System was used to explore the value network based on “system attributes—learning consequences—target value” from the perspective of the student. To investigate the research question, this study conducted a cross-analysis of differences in gender and education background. Findings from the study revealed that irrespective of gender and educational background in higher vocational education in Taiwan, students developed distinctively different learning paths, values, and emphasis from specific system attributes. These findings will not only enable trainers and educators to learn more about the differences in learning by individuals but will also serve as useful guidelines for the improvement of the teaching strategy used by digital games developers.
... There have been several studies reporting gender differences associated with video game play. Lowrie and Jorgensen (2011) collected data from 428 primary school students aged between 10 and 12 years and revealed that, boys and girls were different in the types and duration of video games played. As hypothesized, boys spent more time playing video games than girls; almost 50% of boys played video games more than three days per week while only 32% of girls did so; in addition, approximately 34% of boys played video games for more than 3 hours every non-school day as compared to only 16% of girls. ...
Article
Full-text available
This study therefore assessed the effect of digital mathematical games on students' engagement in number bases in Lagos, Nigeria. The study employed quasi experimental pre-test, post test research design with experimental and control groups. The respondents comprised of 36 Basic 8 students in Lagos state, Nigeria. The purposive sampling technique was adopted to select the schools which were used for this study based on the fact that school teachers were ready to cooperate with the researcher and there is availability of computers that aided the study. The students' engagement was measured (before and after treatment) using a student engagement scale in mathematics, whose reliability index was derived using Cronbach Alpha and found to be 0.779. A total of 36 Basic 8 students (20 in the experimental group and 16 in the control group) from two (2) private secondary schools in Lagos, Nigeria participated in the study. A pre achievement test was administered to both groups in order to know their entry knowledge in the subject matter (Number Bases). Both groups were thereafter taught number bases using the two separate approaches for the two groups. The data accruing from the study was subjected to statistical data analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. Mean, standard deviation and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses. The result showed a non-significant effect of digital games on students' engagement in Number Bases. Interestingly the control group was found to be better engaged than their counterparts in the experimental group. It was recommended that further studies exploring the effects of various digital games on students' engagement in perceived difficult topics be undertaken.
... On the other hand, Lowrie and Jorgensen (2011), who had different results concluded that women tend to have a lower learning achievement than men in digital games of a competitive nature. The main reason could be attributed to the digital games used in this study belongs to moderate style. ...
Article
Full-text available
The United Arab Emirates’ vision of the 2021 National agenda aimed that its students rank among the best in the world in mathematics and the sciences. However, fractions remain a challenging topic for both teachers and students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of using digital games-based learning (ABACUS) on students’ performance as they learn fractions. A quasi-experimental design was used in carrying out the research. All groups were pre- and post-tested to evaluate the effectiveness of the ABACUS active learning intervention. Eighty (n=80) student participants were divided randomly into a control (n=39) group and an experimental (n=41) group. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data from the pre- and post-tests. The results suggested that students in the post-test of the experimental group achieved a higher score than those in the control group. The findings of this study may provide mathematics teachers with an alternative method to teaching the concept of fractions. Additionally, the findings may also inspire or encourage curriculum planners to integrate digital games-based learning in educational settings. The study concluded with some implications and recommendations for future research.
... Besides, the stigma that female players cannot perform as well as male players in online games has prevented female players from moving forward and being successful in the esports industry (Fox & Tang, 2014). Furthermore, in some situations, female players were removed from the game or replaced with a male player due to gender stereotyping, which caused female players to work harder to be in the highest rank (Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011) in an online game. Besides, the pay and prizes were also inconsistent between female and male players. ...
Article
Full-text available
This article discusses the challenges experienced by female athletes in esports. Esports is categorized as a male-dominated sport. Since most of the players are male, female athletes struggle to sustain their careers. A qualitative approach was used where ten women who were actively involved in esports were interviewed. The respondents selected through the purposive sampling method were active in esports, representing esports team/club, and involved in massively multiple online role-playing games (MMORPG). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and presented descriptively and narratively. The findings indicated gender stereotyping women as not competitive at MMORPG, sexually explicit comments from male opponents, communication issues, especially with male players, and the perception that women are not suitable to play the extreme, aggressive and masculine type of online games. The game features are more significant to men compared to women, who are often associated with femininity. Indirectly, such impressions hamper the opportunity for women to be more active and progressive in esports.
... Pictures ( According to (Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011) that the application stage describes how the knowledge and understanding of concepts that have been obtained can be applied in various situations. Thus, in the application component students use the ability to understand concepts in solving a problem. ...
Article
Full-text available
The ability of students to understand the concept of learning varies, it is very necessary to know the level of understanding of students' concepts in learning mathematics, so that it becomes a rationale in determining the appropriate learning approach. This study aims to determine the effect learning approach of the ELPSA eighth grade students of SMP Negeri 6 Makassar. The type of research used is experimental research. The design of this research is the One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design. The population in this study were students of class VIII SMP Negeri 6 Makassar in the 2019/2020 academic year and the research sample was determined by the Cluster Random Sampling technique. The instrument in this study was an essay test on understanding mathematical concepts. The data analysis used was descriptive and inferential. The descriptive research results show that there is an increase in understanding of the mathematical concept after the application of the ELPSA learning approach; the score of concept understanding after the application of the ELPSA learning approach met the completeness criteria, namely more than 80; and completeness of students' conceptual understanding after being applied classical ELPSA learning approach is 97% complete. The inferential hypothesis testing results show that the application of the ELPSA learning approach affects the understanding of mathematical concepts in class VIII students of SMP Negeri 6 Makassar.
... Kurangnya gairah belajar siswa dalam pembelajaran matematika membuat siswa tidak paham penjelasan guru yang diberikan. Salah satu penyebab tidak pahamnya siswa dalam pembelajaran matematika yaitu pembelajaran yang diterapkan guru kurang bermakna, hal ini berakibat pada kemampuan kognitif dan psikomotorik siswa (Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011;Newton & Miah, 2017;Ramful & Lowrie, 2015). ...
Article
Full-text available
Abstrak: Penelitian ini mendeskripsikan perbedaan pengaruh dari penerapan TGT dan DL dalam pembelajaran matematika di sekolah dasar. Penelitian ini merupakan Quasi Experiment. Populasi penelitian yaitu siswa kelas VI sekolah dasar dengan sampel yang ditentukan dengan menggunakan teknik Purposive Random Sampling terdiri dari du kelas. Instrumen yang digunakan mengumpulkan data yaitu observasi keaktifan siswa dalam pembelajaran dan tes akhir pembelajaran berupa tes essay. Hasil pengujian secara deskriptif yaitu penerapan TGT berpengaruh positif dibandingkan dengan DL ditinjau berdasarkan hasil belajar dan keaktifan siswa. Berdasarkan pengujian inferensial pada hipotesis penelitian dengan uji t ditemukan thitung > α berarti terdapat perbedaan pengaruh, dimana pengaruh penerapan model TGT lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan DL. Sehingga, secara umum diinterpretasikan bahwa TGT berpengaruh positif dibandingkan dengan DL terhadap hasil belajar dan keaktifan siswa sekolah dasar. TEAMS GAMES TOURNAMENT (TGT) AND DISCOVERY LEARNING (DL) IN LEARNING MATHEMATICS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Abstract: This study describes the different effects of the application of TGT and DL in mathematics learning in elementary schools. This research is a Quasi Experiment. The population of this research is the sixth grade students of elementary school. The sample is determined by using purposive random sampling technique consisting of two classes. The instruments used to collect data were the observation of student activeness in learning and the final test of learning in the form of an essay test. The results of the descriptive test, namely the application of TGT have a positive effect compared to DL in terms of learning outcomes and student activity. Based on inferential testing on the research hypothesis with the t test, it was found that tcount > α means that there is a difference in influence, where the effect of applying the TGT model is higher than that of DL. Thus, it is generally interpreted that TGT has a positive effect compared to DL on learning outcomes and the activeness of elementary school students.
... More research is needed to clarify the conditions under which gender may affect students' experiences with edtech. While some studies have found an association between gender and edtech engagement (Lowrie andJorgensen, 2011, 2246-47;Hsieh et al., 2015, 341-45), others have found that males and females tend to perceive edtech similarly (Meiselwitz and Sadera, 2008, 238;Ituma, 2011, 61;Orfanou et al., 2015, 237). Validated measures of student motivation, such as the RIMMS, may be instrumental for identifying factors associated with gender differences in edtech engagement. ...
Article
Full-text available
Valid measures of student motivation can inform the design of learning environments to engage students and maximize learning gains. This study validates a measure of student motivation, the Reduced Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (RIMMS), with a sample of Chinese middle school students using an adaptive learning system in math. Participants were 429 students from 21 provinces in China. Their ages ranged from 14 to 17 years old, and most were in 9th grade. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) validated the RIMMS in this context by demonstrating that RIMMS responses retained the intended four-factor structure: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. To illustrate the utility of measuring student motivation, this study identifies factors of motivation that are strongest for specific student subgroups. Students who expected to attend elite high schools rated the adaptive learning system higher on all four RIMMS motivation factors compared to students who did not expect to attend elite high schools. Lower parental education levels were associated with higher ratings on three RIMMS factors. This study contributes to the field’s understanding of student motivation in adaptive learning settings.
... The items "Educational digital games enrich our learning experience to a degree that requires extra effort" and "Playing digital educational games do not frighten me in any way" can be interpreted as male teacher candidates present a more positive opinion as they like more playing digital games and show more interest. Lowrie and Jorgensen reported in their study that [14] men play more games than women. In addition, the study conducted by Onay, Tüfekçi and Çağıltay in order to determine university students' playing habits and game preferences were found to be higher among male students. ...
Article
Full-text available
p>The rapidly developing information technologies of our age offer new opportunities in every aspect of our lives. The use of information technologies in educational environments is an important element in creating enriched learning environments. Educational digital games used in teaching-learning environments help students to develop motivation, problem-solving, strategy development skills and creativity. The purpose of this research was to determine the teacher candidates’ state of using digital educational games. The study group of the research consisted of 4th-grade teacher candidates who are studying in the social sciences and classroom teaching departments of Süleyman Demirel University during the 2018/2019 academic year. It has been found that men teacher candidates were more positive than women teacher candidates. Teacher candidates studying social sciences were more positive than those studying classroom teaching. Although teacher candidates were concerned about using educational digital games, they were eager to use these games.</p
... Matematika merupakan pelajaran penting dalam pendidikan sekolah. Kompleksitas tindakan berpikir dan belajar serta sifat matematika yang relatif sulit dan abstrak (Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011) membuat pembelajaran ini lebih menantang dibandingkan dengan ilmu teoritis dan empiris. Para peneliti menganggap terlalu mengandalkan praktik tradisional, tidak adanya metode pengajaran modern, kurangnya peralatan dan alat bantu pelatihan, stimulasi kognitif rendah, dan faktor afektif sebagai alasan utama kegagalan akademik dan kurangnya motivasi di antara siswa (Speer, Smith, & Horvath, 2010). ...
Article
Full-text available
This study aims at determining the effectiveness of powerpoint games in developing initial mathematical abilities. The approach used was quantitative with a quasi experimental method type pretest-posttest group design. The population of this study was all of the group B early young learners in Koto Tangah Subdistrict, Padang City 2018/2019 academic year. The sampling technique used was simple random sampling with a total sample of 30 children. The data were collected by using an initial mathematical ability test adopted from REMA the Research Based Early Mathematics Assessment. Data analysis technique was an independent t-test, seeing a comparison of differences in average scores. The result shows that powerpoint games were effective in developing early mathematical abilities in the experimental group compared to the control group. The use of powerpoint games can be an alternative learning media in developing other aspects of development.
... Indeed, educational games have already proven effective in diverse areas such as mathematics [14,15], computer science [16], software engineering [17,18], civil engineering [19], geography [20], social science [21], business [22], language [23] and traditional science subjects [24]. Studies have shown that educational games have great potential to enhance students' learning achievement [25][26][27], learning interest [19,28] and learning motivation [28][29][30][31]. ...
... These type of games (from now on educational video games) are a proven solution as a learning tool (Brom et al., 2011;Hwang et al., 2012). Educational video games are applied in a multitude of teaching fields such as: mathematics (Bos & Shami, 2006;Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011), computer science (Papastergiou, 2009), social sciences (López & Cáceres, 2010) or geography (Tüzün et al., 2009). ...
Article
Full-text available
Abstract Oratory or the art of public speaking with eloquence has been cultivated since ancient times. However, the fear of speaking in public -a disproportionate reaction to the threatening situation of facing an audience- affects a very important part of the population. This work arises from the need to help alleviate this fear through a tool where to train the ability of public speaking. To this purpose, we built a virtual reality system that offers the speaker a safe environment to practice presentations. Since the audience is the only way to receive feedback when giving a speech, our system offer s a virtual audience that reacts and gives real-time feedback based on the emotions conveyed by three parameters: voice tone, speech content and speaker’s gaze. In this paper, we detail the modelling of a behavioural-realistic audience just focusing on the speakers’ voice tone: 1) by presenting an algorithm that controls the audience’ reactions based on the emotions beamed by the speaker, and 2) by carrying out an experiment comparing the reactions generated by the agents with those of a real audience to the same speech, in order to refine the given algorithm. In this experiment, the audience subjects are asked to fill a questionnaire - level of engagement and perceived emotions - for a speech performed by professional actors representing different emotions. Afterwards, we compared the reactions of said audience with the ones generated by our algorithm, and used the results to improve it.
... It was found that the web-based games helped to improve students' problems-solving skills though no significant improvement was found in the students' academic achievement. Plenty of studies have investigated the technology-enhanced educational games for various specific courses such as mathematics (Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011), and computer science (Papastergiou, 2009). Researchers discovered that games can help to improve learners' academic achievement, motivation and participation in classroom activities, so online game-based learning can be involved in the traditional classroom to promote students' motivation and active attendance (eg. ...
Article
Full-text available
Self-regulated learning (SRL) is one of the central parts of online formative assessment and well-worth an in-depth study. But it is noted that some essential issues of formative assessment remain rarely touched yet, such as the question of how online formative assessment interacts with the learners' motivation, self-efficacy beliefs, and regulation of learning, and so on. Given the above question mentioned, this paper reports a case study of SRL in an online blended formative assessment module in the context of non-English-major college English learning. The intent of the present research is to exemplify how SRL, an active area in educational psychology, can help to investigate the mechanism and process of SRL in the online formative assessment environment over a long period of time.
... Teachers confirmed our observation that children engaged with the game well for the 2 weeks of the intervention; teachers were happy to see that the game was engaging for children with very different levels of mathematics achievement. Despite some evidence in the literature regarding differences in gameplaying behaviors outside of school (Lowrie and Jorgensen, 2011), we observed no difference in engagement with the game due to gender-although data were not systematically collected on gender in the study that could have enabled analysis of any performance differences. Teachers did comment that for some children, the 2-week duration of the intervention was probably a maximum, as those children were unlikely to experience any further benefit after this point. ...
Article
Full-text available
The research team designed and evaluated a mobile game to promote rapid retrieval of arithmetic facts among a group of children aged 7–8 years (n = 97). The design of the game was based on principles drawn from research literature in mathematical cognition, game-based learning, and game design. The game trains basic number knowledge within a motivating context. It tested an implication of theory of automatization of arithmetic facts that training of recognition of multiples of single-digit numbers should lead to greater fluency in solving multiplication and division problems. A quasi-experimental design was employed to test whether the game improves retrieval of arithmetic facts. Children played the game in their classrooms for 20 min a day for 2 weeks. Comparisons between pre- and post-tests showed that the game playing group outperformed controls with a medium to large effect size (>0.6). These results suggest an improvement in arithmetic fluency equivalent to around 7 months' progress and provide rare empirical evidence supporting transfer of game-based training to a pencil-and-paper test. The findings are consistent with a connectionist theory of arithmetic skill, by showing that improved recognition of multiples contributes to multiplication and division skill. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
... Whether they are behavioral or information processing differences these features are explained by social and biological factors [8]. While male students are easily approaching spatial problems, female students have richer verbal skills as well as in the field of computer activitiesmale students prefer games that require spatial reasoning, while women students choose digital games based on problem solving, graph interpretation, quantitative computations, according to a study developed by Lowrie and Jorgensen [9]. ...
Article
Full-text available
Admitting the increasing interest for education delivered by the means of technology is relevant if we consider all the aspects, including features related to gender. Several studies point out that women and men differ in their way of interacting with technology, ICT being traditionally associated with men [1]. In the context of blended learning settings, there are several existing gender differences, which means a statistical analysis focused on differences between men and women users of the Virtual Campus platform is needed. The main objective of this study is to provide evidence of significant gender differences in the effect of using certain platform tools by both genders. A subsequent objective is to test if the efficiency of both manners of working with e-learning tools eventually converge around similar results (in case the results point to scarce differences). The research was conducted by looking at the final number of students following the Distance Learning program run by the eLearning Center at UPT, during the first semester of the academic year 2017-2018. Distance learning students enrolled at Politehnica University Timisoara are mostly digital natives, consumers of technology in order to support the teaching and learning processes. The aim of this paper is to analyze the gender differences in using the platform, based on the students’ online activity statistics from Moodle and all the resulting data.
... Previous studies indicated sex differences in students' preferences of digital games that embedded mathematical concepts and ideas. For instance, Lowrie and Jorgensen (2011) found that boys preferred games requiring visual and spatial skills, while girls preferred problem-solving games. However, Chang et al. (2016) reported no differences in emotional engagement between males and females. ...
Article
It is often argued that game-based learning is particularly effective because of the emotionally engaging nature of games. We employed both automatic facial emotion detection as well as subjective ratings to evaluate emotional engagement of adult participants completing either a game-based numerical task or a non-game-based equivalent. Using a machine learning approach on facial emotion detection data we were able to predict whether individual participants were engaged in the game-based or non-game-based task with classification accuracy significantly above chance level. Moreover, facial emotion detection as well as subjective ratings consistently indicated increased positive as well as negative emotions during game-based learning. These results substantiate that the emotionally engaging nature of games facilitates learning.
... Historically, gender was a good predictor of participation in virtual environments such as video games. Male and female players are different in type and duration play (Lowrie & Jorgensen, 2011). Four categories of memory task that could be affected by gender include spatial, verbal, autobiographical, and emotional. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
For effective learning and training, virtual environments may provide lifelike opportunities, and researchers are actively investigating their potential for educational purposes. Minimal research attention has been paid to the integration of multi-user virtual environments (MUVE) technology for teaching and practicing real sports. In this chapter, the authors reviewed the justifications, possibilities, challenges, and future directions of using MUVE systems. The authors addressed issues such as informal learning, design, engagement, collaboration, learning style, learning evaluation, motivation, and gender, followed by the identification of required elements for successful implementations. In the second part, the authors talked about exergames, the necessity of evaluation, and examples on exploring the behavior of players during playing. Finally, insights on the application of sports exergames in teaching, practicing, and encouraging real sports were discussed.
... The results of this question can be seen in figure 4 (a) The results show that the instructional media has presented interesting storyline that can increase students' interest in learning mathematics. Storyline on the game is an important component for teaching mathematics through games [22]. Visual on the game also need to be considered whether it has match with mathematics. ...
Article
Full-text available
The study aimed to describe students' responses on the use of edutainment based mathematics instructional media with problem based learning model. The students' responses refers to students' interest. The instructional media used in this study is an educational game operated through smartphone that called STATIC (Statistics in the Arctic). It contains statistics material for 8th junior high school students. Thirteen junior high school students in Yogyakarta area were given a questionnaire about their response after using edutainment game as instructional media. The questionnaire contained 10 items with likert scale. Data in this study was analyzed using descriptive statistics with qualitative method. The results showed that the media had positive effect on students' interest in learning mathematics, most of the students suggested that learning using edutainment as instructional media was more fun and more challenging. Therefore, it could be one of alternative media to be use in mathematics classroom.
Article
Full-text available
As science educators seek innovative methods to engage students, the Culturo-Techno-Contextual Approach (CTCA) has emerged as a promising strategy, particularly for African students. CTCA is a culturally responsive teaching method that integrates culture, technology, and locational context, making science more relatable and meaningful. We assessed CTCA’s effectiveness in enhancing critical thinking in biology among 121 senior secondary students in Lagos State. An explanatory sequential design was used, with the experimental group taught using CTCA and the control group receiving traditional instruction. Data were collected using the Critical Thinking Test in Nutrition (a = 0.80) and interviews. Results showed a significant improvement in critical thinking for the CTCA group (F(1, 198) = 11.43; p < 0.05), with no significant gender differences (F(1,49) = .49; p > .05). Students responded positively to intervention, leading to the conclusion that CTCA effectively enhances critical thinking in biology; hence, adoption of CTCA in biology instruction is recommended.
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Background Geology and Mathematics curricula within the scope of secondary education are often rich in content and have traditionally been seen as a means of favoring above average students, perhaps to the detriment of the lower performing tail in the class. It is therefore no surprise that students from countries like Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria or even Luxembourg are consistently scoring below the OECD average scores, and substantially below the top performing nationalities in the math and science PISA tests. This systemic failure indicates that secondary education is highly segmented in many countries and it further hints that primary education, perhaps, has not been particularly successful in establishing a uniform standard with regards to mathematical aptitude. Objectives In this context, the University of Piraeus has launched the project KIDEDU (Play Create Learn) in order to provide an engaging and creative learning framework, addressing pupils in their early stages of education. The specific project entails a series of 3D animation interactive games which seek to cultivate the "The Planet Earth" and "Everyday Arithmetic" skills of children between 6 and 12 years of age. This is an innovative and student-friendly mode that utilizes sophisticated digital technology-much favored by the younger generations-instead of traditional means such as books, notebooks, pencils and blackboards, in order to create an appealing environment for guided exploratory learning. The project We seek to present subjects in a simple and student-friendly manner in order to have children developing their skills through guided exploratory learning. During the games, basic knowledge will be narrated and transferred, where this is deemed necessary by the children. Note that we use children voices in order to make the game more appealing to younger individuals. Every theory of learning is based on certain conditions and principles for the way a person learns. Learning processes involve experiences and stimuli from the environment, as well as certain mental processes. So, the main question for learning is what happens in relation to the stimuli of the environment and what processes occur in the mind in order to achieve learning. The exploratory approach, as a basic principle, is supported by most educators, because it activates children and makes them participants in the learning process. The effectiveness of the discovery approach in specific circumstances has been extensively discussed. Below we can see two photos from the game's environment, specifically from the Geopark (Figure 1) and from the Forest (Figure 2) in which the hero will wander, solve puzzles and move from level to level. Results Teaching, assisted by games and computers, is almost as cost-effective but probably costs more than conventional pedagogy. Computer-based study systems seem to be more effective than games and simulations, especially for low-achieving students. Curricula are cost-effective because they bring students to a certain level of proficiency in less time, and are generally liked by students. Students enjoy being taught at their personal pace which seems to increase their performance. Contemporary research shows mixed and controversial results regarding the use of computers in the teaching. Particular attention should be paid to the fact that computers in the classroom should be used for a specific purpose in the lesson and should in no way be a new game for students because there will be no benefit in the long run. An important advantage that students can gain by following the new teaching method is that unlike the traditional method the process becomes less passive. This way the children can and do understand the presentations more clearly and with more interest, as a result of which learning is enhanced. A computer-based lesson format offers a teaching method in which student participation is particularly intensive even in large classrooms. A basic condition is that the design of teaching tools should be done in light of the various learning objectives and in combination with pedagogical principles. Multimedia can also be used as they combine the attributes of databases with modern tools for visualization and processing of the relevant data. Interactive multimedia allow the user to control the learning process and to access/read the material, choosing each time, among many alternatives, which one to follow in order to obtain the information he deems necessary for his endeavor.
Poster
Full-text available
The academic community acknowledges the role of game-based learning and hence has devoted considerable effort in the development of relevant games. We note here that none of the respective games is intended for primary education purposes. Furthermore, none of these games utilizes 3D digital technologies. Therefore, new approaches are needed in order to provide up to date means of education, which are both appealing to the younger generations and capable of cultivating constructive and mathematical thinking. KIDEDU Play Create Learn The research team has commenced the project KIDEDU (Play Create Learn) aiming to reform the traditional curricula in mathematics, currently in use in the Greek primary schools. The project involves a series of interactive games intended to pupils between six and twelve years of age. These games are rich in context and design, and utilize 3D animations and realistic visual and sound effects. Regarding their educational objectives, the games seek to equip pupils with the fundamental concepts of basic operations, and they aim to familiarize pupils with conceptual tools and ideas from the areas of graph theory, combinatorial optimization and decision modelling. More particularly, the games seek to create an appealing and constructive educational framework, which is effective in developing the quantitative skills of the pupils. The principal goal of KIDEDU is to create an appealing and effective framework which stimulates the learning mechanisms and allows pupils to develop advanced quantitative skills, employing the principles of guided discovery learning.
Article
Full-text available
With the proliferation of the Internet, interest in online games has steadily increased, and currently, online video games have become very popular in Nigeria. However, there is an assumption that the games, regardless of their type and form, are time-consuming and do not promote intellectual skills as much or at all. Many students in Ogun State, Nigeria, are used to playing computer games outside of school, but the use of computer games as a teaching tool in the curriculum of secondary schools in Ogun State has not been approved. This study examined the use of computer games as a learning tool by secondary school students in Ogun State, Nigeria. It compared the learning abilities of those who play computer games with those who do not and also investigated whether computer games can serve as learning tools for secondary school students in Nigeria. The study used a quasi-experimental design and selected four hundred (400) Junior Secondary School Two (JSS 2) students in three (3) senatorial districts in Ogun State, Nigeria. The study found, among other things, that there was no significant difference in the learning abilities of students who play computer games and those who do not. Based on the findings, the study concluded that it would be appropriate to integrate computer games into the Nigerian education system to further improve the learning skills of students in secondary schools.
Book
Full-text available
The study highlights a rising number of fluids such as nanofluids that encountered in daily life exhibit non-Newtonian behavior and it is exploited in manufacture due to their high heat transfer rate becoming more and more important as time goes on. Brownian motion provided by the bombardment of fluid particles from the surrounding medium. In this article, we address the influence of the Brownian motion with thermophoresis on the flow of Casson- magnetohydrodynamics nanofluid. flow over a non-linear stretching surface have analysed. Impact of the viscous dissipation, heat absorption and suction introduce in the system. Using proper similarity conversion, the controlling PDEs turned into ODEs. The conversion governing equations of first-order ODEs are solved numerically by utilizing an explicit finite difference technique. The similarity equations elucidated in the view of shooting technique and used with software package bvp4c MATLAB. The flow velocity, temperature and concentration followed up with the nonlinearity nature and the influence results are displayed in graphical form. The outcomes of skin frictions, Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are summarized for various leading parameters are in the form of table. Activation energy enhanced the mass transfer rate. However, a reverse phenomenon detected with the higher value of chemical reaction parameter. According to the results of the simulation, the skin friction decreased with the Casson and permeability parameters, while the heat transmission remain constant with the increased values of the constants.
Presentation
Full-text available
The relationship between infections and renal calculi has been known since the time of Hippocrates, but it was not until 1817 that Marcet identified the connection between urinary alkalinity, infection, phosphate calculi, and increased urinary ammonia. In 1901, Brown first suggested that urea splitting bacteria activity increased urinary ammonia production, which was the immediate cause of higher urinary alkalinity levels and phosphate (struvite) stone formation. The 1926 description of urease, the first enzyme ever isolated and purified, earned Sumner the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1946. Struvite is a crystalline compound made up of magnesium ammonium phosphate (MgNH4PO4.6H20). Struvite stones are actually a mixture composed of three cations (calcium, magnesium, ammonium) and one anion (phosphate). They are therefore also known as triple phosphate stones even though pure struvite actually contains no calcium. The mixture is composed of struvite (MgNH4PO4.6H20) and calcium phosphate (Ca10.[PO4]6.CO3); hence carbonate ions are also usually found. They can form in the kidney or bladder in patients with catheters or urinary stasis. For example, about 8% of patients with spinal cord lesions will form stones, and 98% of these will be struvite. If left untreated, renal struvite stones have a tendency to grow more rapidly compared to calcium-based stones and may eventually fill up the entire collecting system. This can lead to a staghorn stone or branched calculus formation. Among all stone formers, the percentage of struvite stones was found to be 5% to 15%. Struvite stones only form in alkaline environments (pH >7) and are always associated with urinary tract infections from urease-producing bacteria such as Proteus. Virtually all infectious urinary organisms make urease except E. coli, Citrobacter freundii, Streptococci, and Enterococci. It should be pointed out that staghorn stones, while predominantly made of struvite or triple phosphate, may also be composed of mixtures of calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, uric acid, and cystine. However, for the purpose of this review, we shall focus exclusively on struvite staghorn calculi. Fig.1 Struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate / triple phosphate) crystals in a human urine sample, detected by microscope The figure shows a microscopic photograph of a struvite crystal in a 56-year-old patient who does not have kidney disease but has frequent recurrent urinary infections. Key words: urine, infection, struvite crystals
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Bu araştırmada okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin eğitimde teknoloji kullanımına yönelik tutumlarının incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmada betimsel araştırma yöntemi tarama modeli kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubuna Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi’nde yer alan eğitim kurumlarında görev yapan 145 okul öncesi öğretmeni dâhil edilmiştir. Araştırmada veri toplama aracı olarak ‘Kişisel Bilgi Formu’ ve ‘Okul Öncesi Eğitimde Teknolojik Araç-Gereç Kullanımına Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği’ kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde t testi ve ANOVA testi kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda erkek öğretmenlerin kadın öğretmenlere göre eğitimde teknolojik araçları daha sık kullandıkları tespit edilmiştir. Aynı zamanda lisansüstü öğrenim düzeyine sahip olan, kamu kurumlarında çalışan, hizmet süresi 0-5 yıl arası olan ve teknolojik araçları kullanım yatkınlığı olduğunu belirten öğretmenlerin eğitimde teknolojik araçları daha fazla kullandıkları belirlenmiştir. Bu kapsamda farklı branşlarda görev yapan öğretmenlerin teknolojik araçları sınıf ortamında kullanma düzeyleriyle ilgili çalışmalar yapılabilir.
Book
Full-text available
Bu çalışmanın amacı, Diyarbakır kurak koşullarında artan dozlarda azotlu ve fosforlu gübrelemenin yakamoz buğday çeşidinde tane besin elementi içeriğine etkisinin belirlenmesidir. Tarla denemesi Diyarbakır İli Silvan İlçesi çiftçi şartlarında tesadüf bloklarında faktöriyel deneme desenine göre üç tekrarlamalı olarak yürütülmüştür. Azotlu gübre 0, 4, 8 ve 12 kg N/da dozlarında amonyum sülfat formunda (%21 N) ve fosforlu gübre 0, 5 ve 10 kg P2O5/da dozlarında triple süper fosfat formunda (%42-44 P2O5) uygulanmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre, artan azot dozları buğday tanesinde N, P, Ca, Fe ve Cu içeriklerini önemli düzeyde etkilemiş, fakat tanede K, Mg, Mn ve Zn'ye etkisi önemli bulunmamıştır. Artan fosfor dozları tanede Mg ve Fe içeriklerini önemli düzeyde etkilemiştir.
Article
Full-text available
This study examined the effect of computer games on increasing speed, attention and consistency of students in learning mathematics. The population of the study comprised of all first year male students of public schools of district one of Urmia City in the academic year of 2012-2013. Using multi-stage cluster sampling, at the result, one class was selected randomly to form the experimental group and other class as the control group. Toulouse-Pieron. (1986) attention test and a test of speed, endurance and mathematics achievement tests was used to assess research variables. The results indicated that computer games had a significant effect on increasing the speed and attention of the experimental group in mathematical calculations compared to the control group; however, the effect of computer games on math learning and stability of math learning was not significant. Results suggest that computer games can be used as training aid alongside teacher training.
Conference Paper
Full-text available
In this study, it was aimed to examine the level of preschool teachers' use of digital games in the classroom environment in terms of some variables. In the research, descriptive research method scanning model was used. 131 preschool teachers working in educational institutions in the Eastern Anatolia Region were included in the study group of the research. In the research, 'Personal Information Form' and 'Use of Digital Games Scale' were used as data collection tools. SPSS data analysis program was used in the analyses, and the analysis of the data was made with the independent sample t test and ANOVA test, independent of parametric statistical techniques. As a result of the research, it has been determined that the level of use of digital games in the classroom environment is higher for teachers who work in public institutions, whose service period is between 0-5 years and 6-10 years, and whose daily internet usage time is between 4-6 hours. In this context, informative studies on the use of digital games in educational environments can be organized for teachers who have been introduced to technology later and have high professional experience.
Conference Paper
Full-text available
This research aims to review educational games used in learning mathematics. This research uses a qualitative content analysis. This study looked at several important aspects in educational games, namely the function and impact of the game on mathematics learning, as well as learning topics based on the level of education. The function of educational games is a complement that stimulates student learning so that it can improve the way of thinking, interacting with each other, and fostering students' confidence in learning mathematics. Educational game learning topics are used for kindergarten, elementary, middle school, and university levels. The findings obtained from 30 analyzed studies show that the use of educational games is effectively used in teaching and can improve mathematics learning skills. However, several studies have shown that the use of games as learning is not significant for learning mathematics. Other results indicate there are game tools that cannot be used for a long period so further development is needed in further research. The results of this study will be used as recommendations in the further development of educational games for learning mathematics.
Article
Gender and prior knowledge may affect students' performance and motivation when simulations and games are used for learning. Accommodations should be made for students of different genders and with different levels of prior knowledge. A simulation digital game about the food chain concept geared for elementary school students was developed for this study. Participants were 114 fifth-grade students in Taiwan. A quantitative research method was used to examine the impact of gender and prior knowledge on students’ learning performance and motivation. In-depth interviews were conducted to explore the reasons for these impacts. The results showed that the improvement in the learning performance of females was significantly better than that of males, especially in the low prior knowledge group. The reason may be that the males paid more attention to the progress and competition of the game missions, and tended to ignore content. Students with low prior knowledge were more likely to be affected by their environment and peers, which hindered attention. The constant clicking in the game distracted the attention of females with high prior knowledge.
Article
Full-text available
Introduction: Brain-based teaching is the purposeful application of brain function strategies for teaching that affect learning. Aim: The study evaluated the effectiveness of brain-based mathematics teaching on academic procrastination, comprehension, and learning rate of students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder. Method: This study was experimental with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The population was students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder in Gorgan in 2021. Thirty people were randomly selected and grouped into two experimental (N=15) and control (N=15) groups. Data were collected based on the Academic Procrastination Scale (Solomon and Rothblum, 1984), a researcher-made comprehension test, and a timer, and the experimental group received brain-based teaching four times a week for eight sessions. Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) with SPSS software version 25. Results: The results showed that mathematics education by brain-based method reduces academic procrastination (P
Chapter
This chapter investigates primary school students' perceptions regarding the use of games on mobile devices (i.e., smartphone, tablet) in classroom environment for teaching purposes. Data was collected from 10,381 students (Grades 4, 5, and 6) using a survey questionnaire. A series of semi-structured interviews were used to more deeply understand student perceptions. Those perceptions tended to range from neutral to positive regarding the use of games and their content. Students prefer games that enhance their knowledge and develop their thinking skills. They also believe lessons will be more enjoyable and interesting through the use of games, and learning will be easier and more effective. The results showed differences in students' perceptions in terms of their gender and grade level. Implications of this study and further research are discussed.
Article
Full-text available
The aim of this study is to make economics more friendly to primary school students. Distance game-based teaching is not familiar to Greek Schools (teachers and students). This survey is an innovation for the Greek Education and makes a teaching proposal in this field. The proposal is about money and how children 6-12 years old learn to use them in their everyday life. The teaching proposal is based on the students’ books of the primary school. The game-based teaching guides children to learn with fun and solve problems. Keywords: Game-based learning, Problem-solving, Primary education, Economics.
Chapter
For effective learning and training, virtual environments may provide lifelike opportunities, and researchers are actively investigating their potential for educational purposes. Minimal research attention has been paid to the integration of multi-user virtual environments (MUVE) technology for teaching and practicing real sports. In this chapter, the authors reviewed the justifications, possibilities, challenges, and future directions of using MUVE systems. The authors addressed issues such as informal learning, design, engagement, collaboration, learning style, learning evaluation, motivation, and gender, followed by the identification of required elements for successful implementations. In the second part, the authors talked about exergames, the necessity of evaluation, and examples on exploring the behavior of players during playing. Finally, insights on the application of sports exergames in teaching, practicing, and encouraging real sports were discussed.
Article
Full-text available
Artikel ini membincangkan mengenai stereotaip gender yang dialami oleh pemain e-sukan wanita. Isu mengenai stereotaip gender terjadi kerana e-sukan dikategorikan sebagai sukan yang didominasi oleh kaum lelaki kerana majoriti pemain terdiri daripada kaum lelaki. Bagi wanita yang memilih untuk menjadi sebahagian daripada industri e-sukan, mereka tidak dapat lari daripada elemen stigma, label dan seterusnya stereotaip hanya disebabkan gender mereka berbeza. Bagi menjawab isu ini, pendekatan kualitatif menggunakan temu bual mendalam telah dilakukan ke atas tujuh orang wanita yang terlibat aktif di dalam e-sukan. Informan tersebut dipilih melalui persampelan bertujuan dengan ciri-ciri spesifik iaitu wanita, terlibat di dalam e-sukan dan menjadi pemain bagi sesebuah pasukan/kelab e-sukan dan terlibat dalam permainan jenis berperanan berganda (MMOPRGs). Data dianalisis menggunakan analisis tematik dan dipersembahkan secara deskriptif dan naratif. Hasil kajian menunjukkan terdapat beberapa jenis stereotaip yang menjadi cabaran serta halangan kepada pemain wanita ini untuk terus berjaya di dalam kerjaya sebagai seorang professional ‘gamers’. Stereotaip gender seperti wanita tidak pandai bermain MMOPGRs, komen berbau seksis serta lucah juga pernah diterima, tiada komunikasi yang baik antara pemain lelaki dan wanita dan tanggapan bahawa wanita tidak sesuai bermain permainan tersebut kerana kebanyakan permainan berganda ini bersifat ekstrem, agresif dan maskulin. Ciri-ciri permainan tersebut lebih signifikan kepada lelaki berbanding dengan wanita yang seringkali dikaitkan dengan sifat feminin. Secara tidak langsung, tanggapan seperti itu sedikit sebanyak menyekat peluang wanita untuk bergerak lebih aktif dan maju di dalam e-sukan berbanding lelaki. Kata kunci: Wanita, e-sukan, sosialisasi, gender, stereotaip gender, sosiologi.
Chapter
The issues of provision of high level of informatization of education emerge full blown for the modern educational environment in a climate of information society; high level of informatization involves the acquisition of the necessary competencies by teachers, their ability to introduce electronic learning resources into educational practice, communicate on the Internet, manage the information and cognitive activities of students and integrate information and communication technologies (ICT) in the scope of education. A contemporary elementary school teacher is a carrier of methodological, humanitarian, ethnopedagogical, legal, communicative and information culture. Against this background, there is a growing need for elementary teachers who are able to create and use ICT, provide educational services and regulate transformation processes with the use of pedagogical tools, taking into account the features of the modern educational computer-oriented environment of elementary school.
Article
In this study, a situation-based interactive e-book system was developed for improving children’s learning performance of numerical operations. To evaluate the effectiveness of the system, an experiment was conducted in one kindergarten. The results showed that the proposed approach significantly improved the children’s learning achievements. There was also a significant difference in the approach to learning of the two groups of subjects who worked with and without the e-book. In addition, progressive sequential analysis was employed to explore the learning behavioral patterns of the experimental and control groups as well as of the low- and high-achievers in the experimental group. It was found that the experimental group children tried more strategies to complete tasks, while the control group and the low-achievement children paid more attention to peer communication.
Article
In the modern educational space regarding the realities of the information society special importance is attached to issues related to the provision of a high level of informatization of education, which implies teachers’ mastering the necessary competencies and the ability to introduce e-learning resources into educational and training practice. Adobe Flash as one of the platforms for creating web applications and multimedia presentations enjoys greatest popularity with users including teachers. However, in connection with the announcement of discontinuing Adobe Flash support in 2020, the issue of choosing an analog to create web applications and presentations for use in teaching purposes is becoming particularly relevant. The article provides a comprehensive analysis of developing electronic educational resources by teachers using Adobe Flash and HTML5 for teaching math in primary school.
Article
Full-text available
This article considers 3 claims that cognitive sex differences account for the differential representation of men and women in high-level careers in mathematics and science: (a) males are more focused on objects from the beginning of life and therefore are predisposed to better learning about mechanical systems; (b) males have a profile of spatial and numerical abilities producing greater aptitude for mathematics; and (c) males are more variable in their cognitive abilities and therefore predominate at the upper reaches of mathematical talent. Research on cognitive development in human infants, preschool children, and students at all levels fails to support these claims. Instead, it provides evidence that mathematical and scientific reasoning develop from a set of biologically based cognitive capacities that males and females share. These capacities lead men and women to develop equal talent for mathematics and science.
Article
Full-text available
In the attempt to improve mathematical thinking for safeguarding our future societal needs, there is a worldwide tendency in schools to start training mathematical and arithmetical operations at an earlier age in children’s development. Recent theoretical developments and empirical research have pointed to alternative ways of approaching early mathematical thinking. In these latter approaches, mathematical development in the early developmental stages is seen as an emerging process in the context of children’s own activities that contributes to meaningful learning and stimulation of children’s cultural identity (Bildung approach). The discussion between the training approach versus the ‘Bildung’ approach is still intemperately going on. In this article, some outcomes of a research programme (based at the Free University Amsterdam) are discussed that present empirical studies and their theoretical background (cultural–historical theory, elaborated in an educational concept called ‘Developmental Education’) that demonstrates the promising potentials of promoting mathematical thinking through supporting young children’s appropriation of schematic representations and notations in the context of play. KeywordsEmergent mathematics-Development of notations-Schematizing-Play-based curriculum-Cultural–historical theory-Early years education
Article
Full-text available
To further our understanding of cognitive sex differences, we studied the relationship between menstrual phase (via serum estradiol and progesterone levels) and cognitive abilities and cognitive performance in a sample of medical students in eastern Turkey. As expected, we found no sex differences on the Cattell “Culture Fair Intelligence Test” (a figural reasoning test), with females scoring significantly higher on a Turkish version of the Finding A's Test (rapid word knowledge) and males scoring significantly higher on a paper-and-pencil mental rotation test. The women showed a slight enhancement on the Finding A's Test and a slight decrement in Cattell scores during the preovulatory phase of their cycle that (probably) coincided with a rise in estrogen. There were also small cycle-related enhancements in performance for these women on the mental rotation test that may reflect cyclical increases in estrogen and progesterone. Additional analyses showed an inverted U-shaped function in level of estradiol and the Cattell Test. Finally, for women who were tested on Day 10 of their menstrual cycle, there was a negative linear relationship between their Cattell scores and level of progesterone. Stereotypes about the cognitive abilities of males and females did not correspond to performance on the mental rotation or Finding A's Test, so the sex-typical results could not be attributed to either stereotype threat or stereotype activation. For practical purposes, hormone-related effects were generally small. Variations over the menstrual cycle do not provide evidence for a “smarter” sex, but they do further our understanding of steroidal action on human cognitive performance.
Article
Full-text available
This study examined how computer-game preference relates to mental-rotation test (MRT) performance and to gender differences. Subjects were 861 German secondary-school children (mean age = 14.67; range 10–20 years). Latent class analysis with the data of a computer-game preference scale revealed three types of players: “non-players”, “action-and-simulation game players” and “logic-and-skill-training game players”. Large gender differences were found with respect to class assignment. More females than males were found in the “logic-and-skill-training game player” class (82.9%) and in the class of “non-players” (81.9%). Males in contrast were overrepresented (81.7%) in the class of “action-and-simulation game players”. As expected, males on average outperformed females in mental-rotation test performance (d = 0.63). Furthermore, ANOVA results indicated mean differences in mental-rotation ability between action-and-simulation players and non-players (partial η2 = .01) as well as age differences (partial η2 = .04). With boys, non-players on average had lower MRT scores than action-and-simulation game players. For females, computer-game preference was unrelated to MRT performance. Results are discussed within a nature–nurture-interactionist framework of gender differences in spatial abilities.
Article
Full-text available
Good computer and video games like System Shock 2, Deus Ex, Pikmin, Rise of Nations, Neverwinter Nights, and Xenosaga: Episode 1 are learning machines. They get themselves learned and learned well, so that they get played long and hard by a great many people. This is how they and their designers survive and perpetuate themselves. If a game cannot be learned and even mastered at a certain level, it won't get played by enough people, and the company that makes it will go broke. Good learning in games is a capitalist-driven Darwinian process of selection of the fittest. Of course, game designers could have solved their learning problems by making games shorter and easier, by dumbing them down, so to speak. But most gamers don't want short and easy games. Thus, designers face and largely solve an intriguing educational dilemma, one also faced by schools and workplaces: how to get people, often young people, to learn and master something that is long and challenging--and enjoy it, to boot.
Article
Full-text available
Mandatory numeracy tests have become commonplace in many countries, heralding a new era in school assessment. New forms of accountability and an increased emphasis on national and international standards (and benchmarks) have the potential to reshape mathematics curricula. It is noteworthy that the mathematics items used in these tests are rich in graphics. Many of the items, for example, require students to have an understanding of information graphics (e.g., maps, charts and graphs) in order to solve the tasks. This investigation classifies mathematics items in Australia’s inaugural national numeracy tests and considers the effect such standardised testing will have on practice. It is argued that the design of mathematics items are more likely to be a reliable indication of student performance if graphical, linguistic and contextual components are considered both in isolation and in integrated ways as essential elements of task design.
Article
Full-text available
This study investigated the performance of 172 Grade 4 students (9 to 10 years) over a 12 month period on a 36-item test that comprised items from six distinct graphical languages (e.g., maps) that are commonly used to convey mathematical information. The results of the study revealed: 1) difficulties in Grade 4 students' capacity to decoding a variety of graphics; 2) significant improvements in the students' performance on these graphical languages over time; 3) gender differences across some graphical languages; and 4) the influence of spatial ability on decoding performance. The implications of this study include the need to support the development of students’ ability to decode graphics beyond activities usually investigated in mathematics curricula.
Article
Full-text available
This study investigated sex differences in young children's spatial skill. The authors developed a spatial transformation task, which showed a substantial male advantage by age 4 years 6 months. The size of this advantage was no more robust for rotation items than for translation items. This finding contrasts with studies of older children and adults, which report that sex differences are largest on mental rotation tasks. Comparable performance of boys and girls on a vocabulary task indicated that the male advantage on the spatial task was not attributable to an overall intellectual advantage of boys in the sample.
Article
Full-text available
Electronic Games for Education in Math and Science (E-GEMS) is a large-scale research project designed to increase the proportion of children who enjoy learning and mastering mathematical concepts through the use of electronic games. This paper describes one piece of research that examines how girls interact within an electronic games environment. Three interrelated questions are addressed in this paper: What interest do girls show in electronic games when the games are presented in an informal learning environment? How do girls play and watch others play? How does the presence of others in the immediate vicinity influence the ways that girls play? The research described was conducted at an interactive science museum, Science World BC, during the summer of 1993. Children were observed while they played with various electronic games, both video and computer. In addition, interviews were conducted with the children and timed samplings were recorded. Our observations and interviews show t...
Article
This paper reports on the outcomes of a survey implemented in a large regional community of Australia. The survey was completed by parents of children aged four -five years and attending local early childhood centres. The survey identified the types of access and use of computers by preschool children. It was found that the children of the respondents had significant access to computers in the home (85%) and were skilled in many facets of computer use. Computers were used for a range of activities, some educational and others recreational. Gender differences in computer use were also noted. The study highlights the changing clientele of early childhood settings and the implications for practice in a field where computer technology is often seen as the antithesis of good practice.
Article
There has been a long held perception that the field of mathematics is more appropriate for males than for females. This construct, mathematics as a male domain, has been considered a critical variable in explanations for females' under-representation in the most demanding mathematics subjects offered at school and higher education, and in related careers. The widely used Fennema- Sherman Mathematics attitude scales [MAS] consist of nine subscales including Mathematics as a male domain [MD]. It has recently been argued that the content of some of the MD items is anachronistic and that responses to others can no longer be reliably interpreted. Two versions of a new scale, loosely based on the MD, have been developed and trialled in Australia and Singapore with students in grades 7 to 10. In this paper, we present general findings which indicate changes in perceptions about some aspects of the gendering of mathematics; discuss the similarities and differences in the perceptions of students in the two countries; and the implications of the results obtained for equity in mathematics education. The overall findings contribute an important dimension to the debate in contemporary society on concerns about the educational disadvantage of boys.
Article
Geometry is the study of shape and space. Without spatial ability, students cannot fully appreciate the natural world. Spatial ability is also very important for work in various fields such as computer graphics, engineering, architecture, and cartography. A number of studies have demonstrated that technology has an important potential to develop spatial skills. In the present study, the effect of dynamic geometry software (DGS) Cabri 3D on student mathematics teachers' spatial skills was examined. The study used a one-group pretest-intervention- posttest experimental design. In this context, 40 student mathematics teachers took "Purdue Spatial Visualization" (PSV) test as pretest at the beginning of the study, and then some implementations were carried out with these students by using Cabri 3D software for 8 weeks. The PSV test was retaken by students at the end of the study. That if there was a meaningful difference between the pretest and posttest results was examined by using paired sample t test. The findings demonstrated that these computer supported activities contributed to development student mathematics teachers' spatial skills.
Article
This paper reports work in progress investigating gender differences and styles in the use of digital games amongst advanced level biology students. It is an elaboration on previous work exploring the relationship between cognitive style and academic performance in Maltese students taking biology at advanced level. In this previous work the cognitive style of 581 (212 male and 369 female) advanced biology students was correlated with their academic performance in five different subjects. Pearson's correlation showed that the wholist–analytic dimension, the verbal–imagery dimension, and gender were not correlated. Regression analysis showed that none of the style dimension combinations had a significant effect on performance in any of the subjects. However, gender proved to be a stronger determinant of performance. These results were interpreted from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. Numerous studies have consistently found gender differences in language and visuospatial skills. Female superiority is seen on tests of both receptive and productive language, and on more complex tasks such as making analogies and creative writing. Males have an advantage in visuospatial reasoning, being more adept at performing disembedding and internal spatial transformations. In view of these results and the constantly reported gender difference in the use of digital games, this paper describes the initial stage of an investigation about gender‐determined propensities to digital media. Different studies claim that males dedicate more time than female students to playing digital games. A marked emphasis on the use of particular game genres by the different sexes is also reported. This reported phenomenon is investigated within the context of Maltese students taking advanced biology. Through a questionnaire, data were collected about the time students spend playing digital games, their preferred platform, and their preferred games. Data were analysed to establish gender differences in the time spent on playing digital games, the preferred platform, the most popular digital games amongst males and female students, and the preferred game genre. The results are interpreted from neurocognitve and psychosocial perspectives. Suggestions are made for possible integration of digital games in learning.
Article
Historically, mathematics has been stereotyped as a male domain, and there is considerable evidence to support this belief. In the last 30 years, mathematics education researchers have uncovered a range of factors contributing to the documented achievement and participation differences that favored males and sought to redress them. Mathematics as a male domain, one of the subscales of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales (1976), has been used widely to assess the extent to which mathematics is stereotyped as a masculine sphere. It has been argued that some of the items comprising the subscale are anachronistic and that the subscale scores can no longer be interpreted reliably. In this article we outline the development of two new instruments-the mathematics as a gendered domain instrument and the who and mathematics instrument-that have been designed to overcome the limitations of the original Fennema-Sherman mathematics as a male domain subscale. We also present findings from the administration of the two instruments in Australia, where they were developed, and in the United States, the site of the trials of the original Fennema-Sherman scales. The results indicate that females feel more strongly than males about some aspects of gender stereotyping in mathematics although, in general, most students feel that mathematics is gender neutral.
Article
One way of providing middle-school students with the opportunity to engage in realistic activities is to ensure that mathematical concepts and ideas can be taught and expressed in contexts closer to students' own experiences. Students are expected to learn serious, substantive mathematics in classrooms in which the emphasis is on thoughtful engagement and meaningful learning. Lesh and Harel (2003) have indicated that the kind of problem-solving situations that should be emphasised in the classroom are simulations of real-life experiences where mathematical thinking is useful in the everyday lives of the student or their family and friends. Such problems are worthwhile since they tend to reflect the nature of "real" problems because they are complex, ill-structured, contain multiple perspectives, and offer multiple pathways or solutions. In the investigation presented here, the authors consider the influence a genuine artifact has on students' spatial reasoning. They have found that middle-school students' are more likely to utilise a range of spatial skills to complete mathematics tasks when they are deeply engaged in an activity. They use artifacts that the students can readily relate to in everyday situations in order to enhance the authenticity of the classroom activity. Activities such as these allow students to embed themselves in the situation and thus help them make sense of mathematical ideas through spatial reasoning. Such skills and processes include building and manipulating mental representations of objects, perceiving an object from different perspectives, and interpreting and describing physical environments. (Contains 5 figures.)
Article
This review of research examines the possible relationships among children's toy playing habits, spatial abilities, and their science and mathematics achievements. Only studies that made use of United States subjects, aged 3- through 13-years-old, are included in the review. Toy playing habits, spatial ability, and science and mathematical achievement appear sex typed. Males and/or children who maintain a masculine sex role orientation tend to play with a wider variety of toys, exhibit superior spatial skills, and maintain greater science and mathematics achievement scores than females and/or children with feminine sex role orientations.
Article
This paper explores the way in which young children (6 year olds) made sense of screen-based images on the computer. The participants were required to interpret 3D-like representations and relate these images to objects in their environment. Both static and relatively dynamic software programs were used in the investigation. Some of the children could not make links between the screen representation and the intended three-dimensional (3D) objects. It is argued that young children should be exposed to activities that establish explicit links between 2D and 3D objects ``away'' from the computer before attempting the more difficult links required to interpret and represent 3D objects in ICT contexts.
Article
The capacity to solve tasks that contain high concentrations of visual–spatial information, including graphs, maps and diagrams, is becoming increasingly important in educational contexts as well as everyday life. This research examined gender differences in the performance of students solving graphics tasks from the Graphical Languages in Mathematics (GLIM) instrument that included number lines, graphs, maps and diagrams. The participants were 317 Australian students (169 males and 148 females) aged 9–12 years. Boys outperformed girls on graphical languages that required the interpretation of information represented on an axis and graphical languages that required movement between two- and three-dimensional representations (generally Map language).
Article
When deciding whether two stimuli rotated in space are identical or mirror reversed, subjects employ mental rotation to solve the task. In children mental rotation can be trained by extensive repetition of the task, but the improvement seems to rely on the retrieval of previously learned stimuli. We assumed that due to the close relation between mental and manual rotation in children a manual training should improve the mental rotation process itself. The manual training we developed indeed ameliorated mental rotation and the training effect was not limited to learned stimuli. While boys outperformed girls in the mental rotation test before the manual rotation training, we found no gender differences in the results of the manual rotation task.
Conference Paper
Are there repercussions from D graphics being used in the majority of current video games? This research investigates whether the use of 2D and D graphics in video games affect the extent of how attracted a male is to playing an electronic game versus how attracted a female is. Published research indicates males outperform women in 3D virtual environments; this research illustrates that gender has an influence on how attracted an individual is to an electronic game. Over the course of two weeks participants took part in a study to assess whether 2D and D video games attract females and males differently. A multimethod (quantitative and qualitative) research design was used analogous to that of Sedig et al. [2001]. Data collection included various measures and approaches for cross-validation. Results indicate that if an electronic game is to appeal to the majority of female players, the game should be 2D, easy, and fun; if the game is to appeal to the majority of male players, the game should be 3D, challenging, and fun.
Article
The present study explored the out-of-school literacy activities of 7th grade students, on the lowest track of secondary education in the Netherlands. We used a multi-facet approach towards literacy practices by employing the principles of Guttman’s Facet Theory. The aim was to provide detailed information regarding the literacy practices of boys and girls, including the motives for engaging in the different literacy activities and the productive versus consumptive nature of this engagement. Our results indicated that multimedia related new literacy practices were most frequent among youth. Participants were engaging in these practices in a consumptive manner and mainly for social and entertainment purposes. Furthermore, girls outscored boys, as they were more involved in every aspect of literacy, including computer and Internet based literacy practices. Nonetheless, within the group of male respondents there was a higher interest in computers while within the female group a more balanced profile was found divided over traditional and new literacy practices.
Article
This paper reports on the outcomes of a survey implemented in a large regional community of Australia. The survey was completed by parents of children aged four-five years and attending local early childhood centres. The survey identified the types of access and use of computers by preschool children. It was found that the children of the respondents had significant access to computers in the home and were skilled in many facets of computer use. Computers were used for a range of activities, some educational and others recreational. Gender differences in computer use were also noted. The study highlights the changing clientele of early childhood settings and the implications for practice in a field where computer technology is often seen as the antithesis of good practice. Yes Yes
Article
This article explores the implications of young learners' dispositions towards the use of digital technologies in contemporary early childhood settings. It is proposed that young learners have grown up in very different social conditions from previous generations, mainly through the saturation of digital technologies, in particular computers. This creates very different learners than previous generations. When educators fail to recognize such differences, there is potential for gaps in learning. This is particularly the case when equity dimensions are considered. It is proposed that early childhood settings need to reconceptualize pedagogy and learning opportunities for the new generation of learners. Drawing on Bourdieu's theoretical project, it is proposed that young learners come to early childhood settings with a digital habitus, which is differentially constructed in the home environment and needs to be considered in early childhood practice. Yes Yes
Article
Sex differences in spatial ability are widely acknowledged, yet considerable dispute surrounds the magnitude, nature, and age of first occurrence of these differences. This article focuses on 3 questions about sex differences in spatial ability: What is the magnitude of sex differences in spatial ability? On which aspects of spatial ability are sex differences found? and When, in the life span, are sex differences in spatial ability first detected? Implications for clarifying the linkage between sex differences in spatial ability and other differences between males and females are discussed. We use meta-analysis, a method for synthesizing empirical studies, to investigate these questions. Results of the meta-analysis suggest that sex differences arise on some types of spatial ability but not others, that large sex differences are found only on measures of mental rotation, that smaller sex differences are found on measures of spatial perception, and that, when sex differences are found, they can be detected across the life span.
Gender differences in the use of computer-games as competitive leisure activities
  • T Hartmann
Hartmann, T. (2003, November 4–6). Gender differences in the use of computer-games as competitive leisure activities. Poster presented at the Digital Games Research Association (DIGRA) Conference, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Scholarship, gender and mathematics Equity in the classroom: Towards effective pedagogy for girls and boys
  • E Fennema
Fennema, E. (1996). Scholarship, gender and mathematics. In P. F. Murphy, & C. V. Gibbs (Eds.), Equity in the classroom: Towards effective pedagogy for girls and boys (pp. 73–80).
Posing problems in ICT-based contexts
  • T Lowrie
Lowrie, T. (2003). Posing problems in ICT-based contexts. In L. Bragg, C. Campbell, G. Herbert, & J. Mousley (Eds.), Mathematics education research: Innovation, networking, opportunity. Proceedings of the 26th annual conference of the mathematics education group of Australasia (pp. 499–506). Geelong, VIC: MERGA.
Beyond technology: Children's learning in the age of digital culture
  • D Buckingham
Buckingham, D. (2007). Beyond technology: Children's learning in the age of digital culture. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Buzz! [Game]. (2005). London: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.
Toys, spatial ability, and science and mathematics achievement: are they related? Sex Roles
  • D A Tracey
Tracey, D. A. (1990). Toys, spatial ability, and science and mathematics achievement: are they related? Sex Roles, 17, 115–137.
Redwood City. CA: Electronic Arts
  • Medal
  • Honor
Medal of honor [Game]. (1999). Redwood City. CA: Electronic Arts.
Beyond point and click: The search for gender equity in computer games
  • M Murray
  • M Kliman
Murray, M., & Kliman, M. (1999). Beyond point and click: The search for gender equity in computer games. ENC Focus, 6(3), 23–27.
Multivariate Data Upper Saddle River
  • J F Hair
  • Jr
  • R E Anderson
  • R L Tatham
  • W C Black
Hair, J. F., Jr., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L., & Black, W. C. (1998). Multivariate Data. Analysis (5 th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
Equity in the classroom: Towards effective pedagogy for girls and boys
  • Fennema
Posing problems in ICT-based contexts Mathematics education research: Innovation, networking, opportunity
  • Lowrie Bragg
  • L Campbell
  • C Herbert
  • G Mousley
November 4-6) Gender differences in the use of computer-games as competitive leisure activities
  • Hartmann
Beyond point and click: The search for gender equity in computer games. ENC Focus. v6 i3
  • Kliman Murray