This dissertation seeks to investigate how digital gestures connect to students' mathematical understanding when playing "From Here to There!" (FH2T). This investigation explores the intersection of three fields, game-based learning, embodied cognition, and mathematics education. I used three studies which break down the different…

Gamification refers to the use of game-design elements or mechanisms in non-game contexts to promote the expected behaviours. Though theoretically promising, empirical studies reported mixed results as to the effectiveness of gamification in educational practices. To understand this issue better, this author selected 44 articles on the topic of…

Feedback in educational technologies can teach and engage students in math, but questions remain on how to present failure feedback that supports positive learning behaviors. We explore how error- and reward-based feedback influenced students' choices to replay completed problems in "From Here to There!," a math game-based educational…

Background: Persisting after experiencing difficulty allows students to work in the upper ends of their zones of proximal development, where most learning occurs (Ventura et al., 2013; Vygotsky & Cole, 1978). Digital educational games promote productive persistence by allowing students to repeat the same or similar problems until they reach…