Background: Despite increased enrolments at primary schools in Zambia, more than half of the children in Grades 1-4 are unable to meet the required minimum standards for literacy. Aim: The study set out to examine the effects of using a phone-based mobile literacy game (Graphogame) to improve literacy skills in children and adults in rural family…

In this study we analyzed the primary teaching and training experiences that observe play as a didactic resource to facilitate learning, highlighting fundamental elements and characteristics. A descriptive analysis of the different programs and contents with respect to playful methodology proposed by the Ministry of Education of Andalusian…

The diversity of vulnerability conditions, that have prevented children and adolescents from exercising their right to school education, also produces a diversity of cultural references of the public that comes to Basic Education programs for Youth and Adults in developing countries. This diversity often forges appropriation processes of numeracy…

In honor of Jim Greer, we share our recent work--a design and development study of various learning supports embedded within the game "Physics Playground." This 2-dimensional computer game is designed to help students learn Newtonian physics and uses stealth assessment to measure, in real-time, their physics understanding. The game…

A challenge in digital learning games is assessing students' learning behaviors, which are often intertwined with game behaviors. How do we know whether students have learned enough or needed more practice at the end of their game play? To answer this question, we performed post hoc analyses on a prior study of the game "Decimal Point,"…

A growing body of research documents the effectiveness of classroom management programs on a range of student outcomes, yet few early-career teachers receive training on these practices prior to entering the classroom. Moreover, few studies have attended to how variations in teacher distress or level of classroom misbehavior affects training…

Game-based learning is supposed to motivate learners. However, to what degree does motivation driven by interest in playing an instructional game affect learning outcomes compared to motivation driven by interest in the very learning process? This is not known. In this study with a unique design and intervention, young adults (N = 128; a…

Little is known about what design elements in digital learning games enhance learning; especially in the case of child audiences. This study examines the effects of a learning game's visual design on perceived attractiveness and learning outcomes. We developed two visual designs for the game: one with supposedly high esthetic value and another…

In recent years, scholars have increasingly advocated the importance of cultivating non-cognitive skills (social and emotional skills) in early childhood, and play is useful in acquiring the skills. Simultaneously, young children also need to acquire mathematical cognitive skills as a learning foundation. However, many researchers have indicated…

School librarians play a key, though often unrecognized, role in teaching literacy skills (Knapp 2011; Lance and Hofschire 2012; Scholastic 2016). Research over two decades has repeatedly confirmed school libraries' and librarians' significant impact on learners' literacy achievement. Studies in more than twenty states and several Canadian…

Ongoing research is providing new insights into the biological rudiments of empathy and its neurobiological underpinnings. There is also growing awareness that tablet technology, when used educationally and ethically, can aid adolescents and young-adults' empathic learning. However, there has been little attempt globally to translate this new…

Simulation games offer a safe space to experiment with system models and provide learning experiences about interdependencies and thus, are considered to foster the development of a deeper understanding of systems. This article describes the use of SimCity in the university course Infrastructure Management, which has been in continuous operation…

Contribution: This paper presents a model for educational robotics tools and a corresponding set of heuristics for their development and evaluation specifically adapted to the needs and expectations in formal education settings. Background: The increased use of educational robots in classrooms, and the steadily growing number of alternatives from…

This paper examines whether using "From Here to There!" (FH2T:E), a dynamic game-based mathematics learning technology relates to improved early algebraic understanding. We use student log files within FH2T to explore the possible benefits of student behaviors and gamification on learning gains. Using in app measures of student…

Game design offers a unique but often misunderstood pedagogical opportunity. The author draws on learning theory, feminist epistemology, and game studies to analyze a novel genre of games capable of realizing this opportunity by mobilizing knowledge through play--praxis games--founded on the concept of situated praxis. Situated praxis encourages…