Research on learning analytics (LA) has focused mostly at the university level. LA research in the K-12 setting is needed. This study aimed to understand 4,115 middle school students' learning paths based on their behavioural patterns and the relationship with performance levels when they used a digital learning game as their science curriculum.…

More research is needed on how to best use analytics to support educational decisions and design effective learning environments. This study was to explore and mine the data captured by a digital educational game designed for middle school science to understand learners' behavioral patterns in using the game, and to use evidence-based findings to…

We examined the influences of pre-solving pause time, algebraic knowledge, mathematics self-efficacy, and mathematics anxiety on middle-schoolers' strategy efficiency in an algebra learning game. We measured strategy efficiency using (a) the number of steps taken to complete a problem; (b) the proportion of problems completed on the initial…

Online educational games have been widely used to support students' mathematics learning. However, their effects largely depend on student-related factors, the most prominent being their behavioral characteristics as they play the games. In this study, we applied a set of learning analytics methods (k-means clustering, data visualization) to…

Online educational games have been widely used to support students' mathematics learning. However, their effects largely depend on student-related factors, the most prominent being their behavioral characteristics as they play the games. In this study, we applied a set of learning analytics methods ("k"-means clustering, data…

We investigated the effects of proximal grouping of numbers, problem-solving goals to make 100, and prior knowledge on students' solution strategies in an online mathematics game. Logistic regression on 857 problem-level data points from 227 middle-school students showed that students were more likely to use productive solution strategies on…

Understanding equivalence is fundamental to STEM disciplines, yet misunderstandings and misconceptions inhibit students from fully appreciating or leveraging the concept. Using the game-based algebraic notation system, From Here to There! (FH2T), students explore ideas of equivalence by dynamically transforming expressions or equations among…

This study examined effects of gamified comparison on sixth graders' performance of algebra word problem solving and attitude toward algebra learning. Seventy-two sixth graders were invited to participate in a four-week experimental instruction and assigned to three groups: gamified comparison, comparison, and control. The results showed (1) a…

The Inclusive Assessment of Computational Thinking (CT) designed for accessibility and learner variability was studied in over 50 classes in US schools (grades 3-8). The validation studies of IACT sampled thousands of students to establish IACT's construct and concurrent validity as well as test-retest reliability. IACT items for each CT practice…

This mixed methods study is aimed to examine the feasibility of integrating mathematical problem solving with architectural design via a 3D epistemic simulation game to promote active mathematics learning for middle-school students. The experimental-control pretest/posttest group design was adopted to examine whether the experience of interacting…

Although there are over 320,000 health and fitness apps available on major app stores, there is scant evidence that they actually promote a healthier lifestyle, assist users in exercising, or promote weight loss. This article presents a lesson plan using an Arduino for integrating computational thinking and game design with middle school students…

This article reports on a project that used a game-creation tool to introduce middle-school students ages 10 to 13 to problem-solving strategies similar to those in computer science through the lens of studio-based design arts. Drawing on historic paradigms in design pedagogy and contemporary educational approaches in the digital arts to teach…

The present study investigates how the different modes of game-design triggers learning outcomes, focusing on peer learning and intergroup competition. A problem-solving science game was developed to help secondary students to learn about the motion of objects. Participants (N = 110) from an urban middle school were randomly assigned to four…

In this mixed-methods study, we examined if students benefitted from a game design course offered during an enrichment hour in terms of gains in their system analysis and design skills. Students at a rural middle school in Southeast US (n = 19) attended a 1-hour game design course offered weekly during an academic enrichment class period, for the…

Short-term outreach interventions are conducted to raise young students' awareness of the computer science (CS) field. Typically, these interventions are targeted at K--12 students, attempting to encourage them to study CS in higher education. This study is based on a series of extra-curricular outreach events that introduced students to the…