The effectiveness of an adaptive digital educational game for the training of early numerical abilities in terms of cognitive, noncognitive and efficiency outcomes

Bibliographic Data

ID21297655
AuthorsStefanie Vanbecelaere (0000-0002-5495-2192, IMEC, corresponding author), Frederik Cornillie (0000-0002-4820-7970, IMEC), Delphine Sasanguie (0000-0002-3356-5097, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research), Bert Reynvoet (0000-0002-4898-2475, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research), Fien Depaepe (0000-0001-5440-1318, IMEC)
Year2021
Volume52
Issue1
Pages112-124
Publication date2021-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Educational Technology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-1013 • E-ISSN: 1467-8535
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/bjet.12957
OpenAlexW3027725903
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited32

Adaptive educational games provide new opportunities to train early numerical skills. However, empirical evidence for the effectiveness of adaptive educational games is scarce. This study investigated the effectiveness of an adaptive game compared to a nonadaptive game in terms of cognitive, noncognitive and efficiency outcomes. In total, 84 children were randomly assigned to a condition in which children trained early numerical skills with an adaptive version of the Number Sense Game (NSG), or to a condition in which they trained with a nonadaptive version. Early numeracy was evaluated before the training, immediately after the training and 3 weeks after the training. Math anxiety (MA) was assessed before and 3 weeks after the training. The time children practiced with the NSG was used to assess efficiency. Results revealed that children in both conditions improved on early numerical ability, with sustained effects 3 weeks after the training. In both conditions, children’s MA scores were lower after the training. Children in the adaptive condition learned more efficiently compared to the nonadaptive condition, and the interaction between prior knowledge and condition has shown that children with low prior knowledge benefited more from a nonadaptive training while children with high prior knowledge benefited more from an adaptive training in terms of learning efficiency. These results confirm that adaptive educational games can offer solace in terms of the need for differentiation

Adaptive strategies · Anxiety · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Computerized adaptive testing · Developmental psychology · Educational game · Literacy · Mathematics education · Numeracy · Pedagogy · Psychometrics · Child Development and Digital Technology · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills · Educational Games and Gamification · Psychology

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