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1. Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions and Enactment of Supplemental, Game-Enhanced Fraction Intervention

   https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13111071  

   Hunt, Jessica; Taub, Michelle; Duarte, Alejandra; Bentley, Brianna; Womack-Adams, Kelly; Marino, Matthew; Holman, Kenneth; Kuhlman, Adrian (November 2023, Education Sciences)

   Curricula enhanced through the use of digital games can benefit students in their interest and learning of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) concepts. Elementary teachers’ likelihood to embrace and use game-enhanced instructional approaches with integrity in mathematics has not been extensively studied. In this study, a sequential mixed methods design was employed to investigate the feasibility of a game-enhanced supplemental fraction curriculum in elementary classrooms, including how teachers implemented the curriculum, their perspectives and experiences as they used it, and their students’ resulting fraction learning and STEM interest. Teachers implemented the supplemental curriculum with varying adherence but had common experiences throughout their implementation. Teachers expressed experiences related to (1) time, (2) curriculum being too different, and (3) too difficult for students. Their strategies to handle those phenomena varied. Teachers that demonstrated higher adherence to the game-enhanced supplemental fraction curriculum had students that displayed higher STEM interest and fraction learning. While this study helps to better understand elementary teachers’ experiences with game-enhanced mathematics curricula, implications for further research and program development are also discussed. 

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2. Plan to learn: Improving middle school students' computational thinking through game-based learning

   Pan, Y; Tseng, C; Klinkert, L; Ketterlin-Geller; L; Larson, E; Clark, C (April 2025, American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, US.)

   Game-based learning shows great potential as a tool for enhancing students’ computational thinking abilities. However, these approaches in K-12 settings frequently emphasize the teaching of specific computing concepts and programming skills. This approach often overlooks the broader goal of developing students’ computational thinking competency—a set of skills that can be applied across various subjects and aligns with curriculum standards. To address this need, the current study investigated how game-based learning influenced middle school students’ learning performance. One hundred sixty-nine students participated in the study, playing the game over a period of 4 weeks. We observed evidence that the gaming experience significantly influenced the development of computational thinking competency, self-efficacy toward computational thinking, and interest in STEM career after gameplay. 

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3. Using Design-Based Research To Explore High School Students’ Informal Learning Of Mathematics

   Wang, X; Grigorian, S; Ortiz_Galarza, M; Wilson, A (November 2024, Kent State University)

   Kosko, K W; Caniglia, J; Courtney, S A; Zolfaghari, M; Morris, G A (Ed.)

   As the demand for STEM jobs increases, central to the success of STEM education and careers is a strong foundation in mathematics. However, students’ interest in mathematics is often very low. Thus, it is imperative to cultivate interest in mathematics among high school students. To promote students’ interests and positive attitudes in mathematics, we implemented informal learning using design-based research (DBR). We show that DBR is a compelling and suitable methodology for our research aims. Then we report how DBR can extend from previous studies in using informal learning for mathematics and foster motivating learning ecology in a school setting. Our DBR project has completed four iterations. 

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4. Leveling the computational playing field: Inquiring about factors predicting computational thinking in constructionist game-based learning

   Troiano, Giovanni M; Abdollahi, Amir; Cassidy, Michael; Machado, Tiago; Harteveld, Casper; Puttick, Gillian (June 2025, Computers and education)

   Pergamon (Ed.)

   Computational thinking (CT) is key in STEM and computer science (CS) education. Recently, there has been a surge in studies inquiring about the factors that predict the CT development of young students. We extend these prior works by inquiring about the factors that predict the CT of students (n = 932) in a constructionist game-based learning (GBL) STEM curriculum. Specifically, after addressing missing data through imputation, we apply Multilevel Modeling (MLM) to identify these potential factors in Scratch games and students’ CT. We found that teachers’ experience implementing game-based curricula, students’ Scratch experience, student choice of game genre, and the interaction between teacher experience and game genre significantly predicted CT. Instead, students’ gender did not emerge as a significant predictor of CT. We provide recommendations for curricula that support CT through constructionist GBL. 

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5. Making Mathematics Relevant: An Examination of Student Interest in Mathematics, Interest in STEM Careers, and Perceived Relevance

   Leyva, E. (February 2022, International journal of research in undergraduate mathematics education)

   Community college students face difficulties in mathematics courses and may not understand the relevance of the topics they are learning to their intended career. When such connections are not made, mathematics courses can become barriers to pursuit of careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). In the present study, we assessed student interest in mathematics and various STEM career areas and students’ knowledge of ways mathematics was involved in STEM careers in order to better understand how these variables are related. We discovered that interest in mathematics predicted interest in many, but not all, categories of STEM and STEM-related careers. We also assessed how deeply the student was engaged with their current career pathway, and how this related to other variables. We found that students’ depth of interest in their chosen career path was only associated with mathematics interest for some STEM careers. Finally, students’ perceptions of how mathematics was used in their chosen career area predicted their interest in mathematics, and their interest in some STEM career areas. 

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