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The Effect of Educational Video Games on the Mathematics Achievement of Middle School Students

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Even though educational video games have attracted the attention of many educational experts as a means to increase students' learning, no consensus has been established on the impact of educational video games on student success. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of experimental research on the effects of educational video games on different types of learners. In response, this study looked at the impact of educational video games on middle school arithmetic success, with a particular focus on gender and linguistic minority groups. This study looked at students' post-test performance and retention in mathematics when they were taught using educational video games and traditional lecture methods. This study used a quasi-experimental design. Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Higher Secondary School in Karaikudi, Sivagangai District, southern Tamilnadu, provided the sample. 90 students took part in the survey (46 boys and 44 girls). The findings indicate that: i) there was a significant difference between experimental and control groups' post-test scores, and ii) there was a significant difference between experimental and control groups' retention test scores. According to the findings, educational video game learning enhances students' success and retention ability. As a result, the study concluded that this new mode of learning, which combines face-to-face and online delivery, may be effectively used in middle school mathematics to improve performance and retention.
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Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal (Special Issue) ISSN 2319-4979
Special Issue on Fostering Human Resilience-Catalyst for Management, Science and Technology (Oct. 2021) 1698
THE EFFECT OF EDUCATIONAL VIDEO GAMES ON THE MATHEMATICS
ACHIEVEMENT OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
G. Praveen Kumar1 and M. Vasimalairaja2
Department of Education, DDE, in Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamilnadu, India.
1phd17praveen@gmail.com, 2vasimalairajam@alagappauniversity.ac.in
_______________________________________________________________________________
ABSTRACT
Even though educational video games have attracted the attention of many educational experts as a means to
increase students' learning, no consensus has been established on the impact of educational video games on student
success. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of experimental research on the effects of educational video games on
different types of learners. In response, this study looked at the impact of educational video games on middle school
arithmetic success, with a particular focus on gender and linguistic minority groups. This study looked at students'
post-test performance and retention in mathematics when they were taught using educational video games and
traditional lecture methods. This study used a quasi-experimental design. Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Higher
Secondary School in Karaikudi, Sivagangai District, southern Tamilnadu, provided the sample. 90 students took
part in the survey (46 boys and 44 girls). The findings indicate that: i) there was a significant difference between
experimental and control groups' post-test scores, and ii) there was a significant difference between experimental
and control groups' retention test scores. According to the findings, educational video game learning enhances
students' success and retention ability. As a result, the study concluded that this new mode of learning, which
combines face-to-face and online delivery, may be effectively used in middle school mathematics to improve
performance and retention.
________________________________________________________________________________
Keywords: Technology for education, Gaming for education, computer-based educational video games,
cognitive learning.
Introduction
Computer-assisted instruction (CAI)
Programmes might substantially inspire,
improve curiosity and control through
interesting challenges, and promote children's
imagination abilities under the recent effect of
ICT [1]. However, the prevalence and
popularity of digital media, such as computer-
based video games, has accelerated its usage in
education, and academics and game creators
are examining how these digital games may
affect children's cognitive development [2] [3]
[4]. for example, Pillay [5], investigated how
recreational computer games could affect
children's later performance in instructional
activities.
While some educators are enthusiastic
about the potential for educational video games
to improve players' learning skills [6] [7],
others are more cautious, believing that
educational video games promote violence,
social isolation, aggressiveness, or negative
images of women [8] [9. In this view,
educational video games have been seen as
pure amusement. This is due to the fact that
instructional video games are primarily
intended for profit by corporations and video
game developers. In 2008, computer and
console game software brought in a staggering
$ 21.33 billion, bringing the total gaming
industry revenue to $ 54 billion globally
(Wikia 2008 [10]).
Until far, educational video games have
mostly been created as action games. Other
genres such as adventure, strategy, simulations,
role-playing, riddles, or sports might be
included in educational video games. The way
the players are engaged in a rich interactive
digital environment is an important asset of
smart game design. Through this immersion,
educational video games allow users to
experience the almost real-life experience of
piloting a jet fighter (Jetfighter IV) or being
transported to the past to plan and plot a war
strategy (Call of Duty, Commandos, Modern
Warfare); raising a family (The Sims); saving
humanity in a post-apocalyptic era (Resident
Evil), or role-playing (Final Fantasy). Despite
the fact that the quantity of educational video
game software is increasing, particularly in the
simulation genre, there is still a huge vacuum
in a study on how these games are played and
influence learning. However, research has been
done in favour of educational video games to
Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal (Special Issue) ISSN 2319-4979
Special Issue on Fostering Human Resilience-Catalyst for Management, Science and Technology (Oct. 2021) 1699
study how to include motivating features of
educational video games into the instructional
design [11] [12] [13].
Game and play have also been shown to
be effective learning methods in the past [14]
[15]. However, modern culture and educational
discourse consider human learning as a non-
fun process, since the public has associated
knowledge acquisition with hard work. Play
and enjoyment may and should be viewed as
an important component of the learning
process, in contrast to the prevalent idea that
learning requires a lot of work and
perseverance.
Even though Malaysia has conducted
extensive research on educational video games,
the country is still lagging behind other
countries, with the majority of studies and
research focusing on students' and teachers'
perceptions and attitudes toward computer
games in education and video games as a
motivational tool for learning [16]. Studies on
the efficacy of computer or video games in
helping children learn particular subjects in
school still have a large gap. As a result, the
goal of this study is to see if a computer-based
video game can help children acquire
multiplication facts.
The study used a similar study done by
Blunt to assess the efficacy of computer-based
video games in children's acquisition of
multiplication facts in Mathematics [17] to
achieve this goal. Blunt's research aims to look
into the link between video game use and
learning among students at the university level.
However, the goal of this study was to
investigate if video games had an impact on
children's learning.
The study used a similar study done by
Blunt to assess the efficacy of computer-based
video games in children's acquisition of
multiplication facts in Mathematics [17] to
achieve this goal. Blunt's research aims to look
at the link between video game use and
learning among university students. However,
the goal of this study was to examine if video
games have an impact on children's learning.
Objectives of the Study
The research aims even though to determine
the impact of educational video games on a
middle school student's mathematics
achievement.
To assess the significance of variations
in post-test performance between
students who studied mathematics
using Educational Video Games (EVG)
and those who learnt mathematics
through the Traditional Learning
Method (TLM).
To examine the significance of
differences in retention between
students who learn mathematics using
the EVG and those who study
mathematics using the TLM.
Research Questions
The study raised the following research
questions:
Is there any difference in the post-test
performance of student’s learned
mathematics using the EVG and those
learned to use the TLM?
Is there a difference between the
retention performance of students
learned mathematics using the EVG
and those learned to use the TLM?
Is there a difference exists between
gender regarding mathematics
achievement after experimental
treatments?
Is there a difference exists between
locality regarding mathematics
achievement after experimental
treatments?
Research Hypotheses
Based on the above research questions, the
following null hypotheses were formulated for
the study:
H1: There is no significant difference in
the post-test performance of students learned
mathematics through the EVG and those
learned with TLM.
H2: There is no significant difference in
the retention performance of students learned
mathematics through the EVG and those using
the TLM.
H3: There is no significant difference
exists between genders regarding post-test
scores in mathematics after experimental
treatments.
Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal (Special Issue) ISSN 2319-4979
Special Issue on Fostering Human Resilience-Catalyst for Management, Science and Technology (Oct. 2021) 1700
H4: There is no significant difference
exists between localities regarding post-test
scores in mathematics after experimental
treatments.
Significance of the study
The findings of the study might serve as a
valuable road map for incorporating
educational video games into middle school
mathematics courses. The findings of this study
will also aid students in improving their test
preparation and changing their perceptions of
mathematics through educational video games.
This may also help to improve the learner's
computer skills, which may help to alleviate
their anxiety and lack of preparation.
Furthermore, the findings of this study will
assist educational administrators in developing,
implementing, and evaluating an educational
video game strategy to aims even improve the
quality of the teaching-learning process.
Research Methodology
To answer the research question a pre-test and
post-test Quasi-experimental design were
adopted for the present investigation.
Sample
Using a purposive selection approach,
the investigator selected a sample for the
current research from Sri Meenakshi
Sundareswarar Higher Secondary School in
Karaikudi, Sivagangai District, southern
Tamilnadu. A total of 90 samples (46 boys and
44 girls) from middle school were chosen as a
homogenous group based on the percentage of
marks obtained in their last test. Furthermore,
using the basic random selection approach,
these 90 students were separated into two
groups: the control group 45 students (23 boys
and 22 girls) and the experimental group 45
students (23 boys and 22 girls), each with 45
students. For the control group, the traditional
method namely the lecture method was
followed, whereas for the experimental group
educational video games method was adopted.
Study tools and Procedure for
Implementation
To respond to the study questions and
main objectives, the investigator selected the
unit entitled ‘Algebra’, in the mathematics
textbook for 8th standard. Further, the unit
content was analyzed and numerous learning
objectives were recognized. After the
identification of the unit, the investigator
showed the related educational video games
comprised of a content-based unit, various
activities. Then the investigator developed a
Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) to
measure the academic achievement level
among 8th standard students, which consisted
of 20 questions of multiple-choice questions
and dichotomous questions. The Cronbach
Alpha reliability of the Mathematics
Achievement Test (MAT) was 0.88. The pre-
test was given to both the control and
experimental groups at the start of the
experiment. For four weeks, the investigator
gave EVG to the experimental group and TLM
to the control group. The control and
experimental groups both responded to the
post-test after the treatment. A retention exam
was conducted after a month of the
experimentation period to assess the students'
retention level.
Study variables
Educational video games and
traditional learning methods are the study's
independent variables, and Academic
Achievement is the study's dependent variable.
Statistical Treatments
The Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS) is used to evaluate the study data, and
all objectives are tested at the 0.99 confidence
interval. With the assumption of normally
distributed data, parametric tests are used in the
analyses. To determine the impact of the EVG
on student performance and retention, the
researcher used descriptive analysis (Mean &
SD) and differential analysis (t' test). For
comparison of independent variables, an
independent sample t-test is used, whereas, for
comparison of dependent variables, a paired-
samples t-test is employed.
Results
The significance of differences in the mean
values of pre-test scores of the groups is
assessed using the ‘t' test to determine the
homogeneity of control and experimental
groups. Table 1 shows the results (1)
Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal (Special Issue) ISSN 2319-4979
Special Issue on Fostering Human Resilience-Catalyst for Management, Science and Technology (Oct. 2021) 1701
Table 1: Significance of differences between pre-test mean value scores of control and
experimental group.
Group
N
Mean
SD
Remarks at
5% Level
Control
45
9.802
1.354
S
Experimental
45
10.16
1.347
(At 5% level of significance of the table value of ‘t’ is 1.96)
Table 1 shows at a glimpse that the difference
between the control and experimental groups
was insignificant as the mean score and
standard deviation for the control group are
9.082 and 1.354 respectively while for the
experimental group 10.16 and 1.347. The
calculated value of the t-test is 2.065 which is
not significant at the 0.01 level. The result
reveals that there is no statistically significant
difference between the mean values of students
of control and experimental groups in the pre-
test. Thus, the homogeneity of the groups is
well-established before treatment.
Results on Hypotheses
H1: There is no significant difference in the
post-test performance of students learned
mathematics through the EVG and those
learned with TLM.
Table 2: Significance of differences in post-test performance between the control and
experimental groups.
Group
N
Mean
SD
Remarks at
5% Level
Control
45
10.16
1.307
NS
Experimental
45
9.40
1.378
( At 5% level of significance of the table value of ‘t’ is 1.96)
Table 2 shows that the difference between the
control and experimental groups was
significant as the mean score and standard
deviation for the control group are 10.16 and
1.307 respectively while for the experimental
group 9.40 and 1.378. The calculated t-test
value is 0.965 which is statistically significant
at the 0.01 level. Here, the null hypothesis is
not rejected. This result indicates that there was
a significant difference in the academic
achievement of students learned mathematics
using EVG and those learned to use the TLM
as reflected in the mean and SD. The use of
EVG is more effective than TLM regarding
student’s performance in Mathematics
academic achievement.
H2: There is no significant difference in the
retention performance of students learned
mathematics through the EVG and those using
the TLM.
Table no (3) describes the analyses for testing
this hypothesis,
Table 3: Significance of the difference in retention-test performance between the control and
experimental groups.
Group
N
Mean
SD
Calculated ‘t’
value
Remarks at
5% Level
Control
45
10.05
1.078
0.681
NS
Experimental
45
9.956
1.280
Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal (Special Issue) ISSN 2319-4979
Special Issue on Fostering Human Resilience-Catalyst for Management, Science and Technology (Oct. 2021) 1702
( At 5% level of significance of the table value of ‘t’ is 1.96)
Table 3 shows that the difference
between the control and experimental groups
was significant as the mean score and standard
deviation for the control group are 10.05 and
1.078 respectively while for the experimental
group 9.956 and 1.280. The calculated t-test
value is 0.681 which is a statistically
significant difference in the retention scores of
students learned mathematics using EVG and
those learned using the TLM as reflected in the
mean and SD. Here, the null hypothesis is not
rejected. The use of EVG is more effective
than TLM in terms of the retention level of the
students.
H3: There is no significant difference exists
between genders in terms of post-test scores in
mathematics after experimental treatments.
Table no (4) describes the analyses for testing
this hypothesis,
Table 4: Results of t-test at academic achievement level between Boys and Girls students of
post-test scores attributed to gender variable (Experimental group).
Group
N
Mean
SD
Calculated
‘t’ value
Remarks at
5% Level
Boys
46
9.604
1.562
3.327
S
Girls
44
10.18
1.260
It ( At 5% level of significance of the table value of ‘t’ is 1.96)is evident
from
Table (4), that the post-test mean value
of boy’s students of the experimental group is
9.604 with a standard deviation of 1.562 and
the post-test mean value of girl’s students is
10.18 with a standard deviation of 1.260. The
calculated t-value of 3.327 is no statistically
significant at (0.01) significance level. Hence
the null hypothesis is rejected. This finding
suggests that students, both boys and girls, use
current technological methods in similar ways
as a result of the widespread availability of
modern technological gadgets as a result of
rapid scientific and technological advancement
and ease of access.
H4: There is no significant difference exists
between locality in terms of post-test scores in
mathematics after experimental treatments.
Table no (5) describes the analyses for testing
this hypothesis,
Table 5: Results of t-test at academic achievement level between Rural and Urban students of
post-test scores attributed to Locality variable (Experimental group).
Group
N
Mean
SD
Calculated
‘t’ value
Remarks at
5% Level
Rural
46
53.33
12.89
2.194
S
Urban
44
56.88
12.25
( At 5% level of significance of the table value of ‘t’ is 1.96)
It is evident from table (5), that the post-test
mean value of rural students of the
experimental group is 53.33 with a standard
deviation of 12.89 and the post-test mean value
of urban students is 56.88 with a standard
deviation of 12.25. The calculated t-value of
2.194 is no statistically significant at (0.01)
significance level. Hence the null hypothesis is
rejected. Because of the availability of modern
technical gadgets as a result of massive
scientific and technological growth and ease of
access, this result might be read as students,
whether rural or urban, are similar in their
usage of modern technological methods.
Research Findings
In conclusion, the outcomes of this study show
that using educational video games as a
supplement to classroom learning has a
Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal (Special Issue) ISSN 2319-4979
Special Issue on Fostering Human Resilience-Catalyst for Management, Science and Technology (Oct. 2021) 1703
significant and positive impact on students'
memory and knowledge of multiplication
tables when compared to students who only
follow traditional classroom instructions. In
terms of the gender factor, while girl’s students
scored somewhat higher on average than boy’s
students, the difference was significant; in
other words, gender is not a factor in the use of
educational video games as a learning activity.
Although it was interesting to discover that the
mean score for rural students was higher than
for urban students, the difference was not
significant, suggesting that the effect of
educational video games in this study is not
dependent on learners' geographical status, at
least for this study. However, it was interesting
to see that mean scores among average
students’ significant different from those of
below-average and above-average students. It
might be interesting to do more study to learn
more about the causes for this finding.
Conclusion
The study will have an impact on the future
curriculum of tomorrow's society to keep the
country up to date with technological
advancements in education and to keep the
country on par with other developed countries
that have increasingly embraced the concept of
the digital game in their educational systems.
Many aspects of our current educational
situation have been altered by the technology
revolution. Educational video games, m-
learning, blended learning, virtual learning,
gamification, and artificial intelligence have all
revolutionized pedagogy in education. It is
critical to evaluate the ground realities at the
grassroots level before implementing these new
techniques. As a result, the goal of this study
was to see how educational video games
impacted a middle school student's
mathematics achievement. The findings
revealed that students who learnt through
educational video games scored higher in
mathematics academic achievement than
students who learned through traditional
methods. It also showed that in educational
video games, students' retention performance
in mathematics was high. Furthermore, there
were no statistically significant differences in
mathematics academic achievement between
boys and girls in the experimental group. The
findings encourage math teachers to use
educational video games in the classroom since
they have been shown to improve students'
math achievement and retention.
Recommendations
The following suggestions were made based on
the study's results and conclusions:
Providing continuing supervision for
students while they play educational
video games.
School authorities should develop
standards of quality care and
procedures in the form of manuals to be
available to all teachers in using
computers and other digitalized
materials.
Quality experts with varied experiences
should be assigned in schools to give
guidance to teachers while the students
use any digitized materials. Those
experts should have well-defined
responsibilities and experience.
Parent teacher’s meetings should
include sessions in which awareness is
given to the parents also about the
educational video games.
Appropriate strategies to deal with
students should be given to the teachers
and parents.
The works of the teachers and students
should be credited and appreciated by
the head of the organization and
teachers should acknowledge the
students’ interests. Their addressed
needs should be fulfilled immediately.
Educational video games are the best
tool for controlling the motor activity of
children. So, the school administration
encourages the students to provide
educational video games during their
class hours.
Vidyabharati International Interdisciplinary Research Journal (Special Issue) ISSN 2319-4979
Special Issue on Fostering Human Resilience-Catalyst for Management, Science and Technology (Oct. 2021) 1704
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