The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digitization, access to IT resources, and digital inclusion in the Italian school system. This paper presents D-UDA (i.e., "unità didattica di apprendimento digitale", in Italian), a digital didactic unit for learning mathematics concepts. The presented approach combines teaching methodologies and…

Many studies have incorporated concept maps into digital games to enable learners to make connections between subject concepts in the game. However, most learners do not associate spontaneously with the thematic concepts in the game but need to be facilitated by effective scaffolding mechanisms to reconceptualize the learning process and content.…

Although user-generated microgames, defined as very simple games made by non-professionals on open platforms, are popular and appear to have considerable advantages in facilitating learning, further exploration is needed to establish their potential in instructional practices. The present study investigates the design, participation and experience…

Current literature indicates the significance of embodied scaffoldings in enhancing the effectiveness of interactive learning technologies for STEM conceptual learning and relevant cognitive skill development. However, there is limited research on pedagogical approaches for integrating mixed embodied scaffoldings in learning with interactive…

A qualitative study was conducted in a secondary school to evaluate student learning processes and outcomes by examining their inquiry questions, journals, and maker artifacts in a curriculum-based maker learning environment supported by the Guided Inquiry Design (GID). Thirteen 8th-grade students in a suburban middle school in the southwest of…

Collaborative learning helps to construct a learning situation in which students solve problems together, and their learning effectiveness is promoted. However, collaborative learning often has the problem of unequal participation of learners. Therefore, this study combines the collaborative learning mode of the virtual environment of digital…

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…

Parents recognize the potential benefits of technology for their young children but are wary of too much screen time and its potential deficits in terms of social engagement and physical activity. To address these concerns, related literature suggests technology usages with a blend of digital and physical learning experiences. Towards this end, we…

During collaborative learning, affect is constantly present in groups' interactions, influencing and shaping the learning process. The aim of this study was to understand what type of learning situations trigger affective states in collaborative groups, and how these affective states are related to group members' physiological activation. The…

Building on established pedagogy and technological advancement, this article presents a model of gameful design for learning using interactive tabletops, enacted and evaluated in the context of socio-emotional education. Based on the proposed model, we detail the design of a technology-enhanced learning experience in which a series of traditional…

This paper describes the development of the BE COOL! learning environment that gives all children, gifted and non-gifted, the opportunity to learn at a level matching their specific needs and abilities within the social context of regular education. BE COOL! uses the ability-adjusted jigsaw method, in which children of varying ability levels work…

Although a great deal of research has evidenced the effects of proper instructional design on multimedia learning, most has focused on the cognitive aspects of learning, with little concern about the role of affective-motivational states in multimedia learning. In this study, an AR game-based learning method was designed via integrating AR…

This study investigated how a computer science (CS) problem-based curriculum impacted elementary students' CS learning and attitudes. Four sixth-grade teachers and 200 of their students participated in the study. Researchers developed a CS curriculum in collaboration with the teachers, which consisted of two main units: (1) an introduction to…

Due to its task-based, gamified, and interactive features, unplugged programming activity has been widely employed in education and teaching as an activity away from electronic screens and other digital devices. There is ongoing debate over how to help K-9 pupils develop their computational thinking through unplugged programming activities. Based…

Virtual reality (VR) can provide access to otherwise inaccessible aspects of the world and thus promote science learning. We developed a VR learning tool about the water cycle, with 11 lessons for classroom teaching at the primary level. We assessed prior knowledge before a four-week intervention and learning outcomes directly after the…