This Spotlight explores effective strategies for improving math instruction and enhancing student achievement in K-8 classrooms. From making math more relevant and engaging and mastering word problem-solving to deepening conceptual understanding of fractions and nurturing students' ability to tackle challenges, these articles offer valuable…

Anatomy plays a key role in veterinary training, and alternatives to traditional teaching methods, such as game-based learning and escape rooms, are emerging as innovative and effective methods. However, the effectiveness of these approaches, particularly in areas such as veterinary anatomy, remains under-researched. The aim of this study was to…

Computational thinking (CT) is an indispensable higher-order competency in our complex, digitalized era; its development in students can be an effective tool for societal problem-solving. This research aimed to use an escape room to develop students' computational thinking using challenges oriented toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 of…

Games have been regarded as a potential vehicle for enhancing student learning. Previous studies mainly focused on learning outcomes; however, the learning processes and dynamic in-game behaviours of students who are immersed in a game context are relatively undiscovered. The purposes of this study were to develop an educational game, "Bio…

This paper aims to show how the Logic of Game Theory can facilitate the structuring of games for the learning of mathematical concepts, in a way which is cognitively resonant with students' attitudes and epistemologically sound from the mathematical standpoint. We propose a kind of game, based on an inquiry approach to mathematics, called Digital…

Gamification has a strong track record of improving student engagement and learning in the chemical sciences. Meta-analyses of different approaches to gamification have highlighted that providing a game fiction, encouraging students to work in teams, and breaking games into smaller "quests" are particularly effective. Here, we aimed to…

Prior research has shown that game-based learning tools, such as DragonBox 12+, support algebraic understanding and that students' in-game progress positively predicts their later performance. Using data from 253 seventh-graders (12-13 years old) who played DragonBox as a part of technology intervention, we examined (a) the relations between…

Prior research has shown that game-based learning tools, such as DragonBox 12+, support algebraic understanding and that students' in-game progress positively predicts their later performance. Using data from 253 seventh-graders (12-13 years old) who played DragonBox as a part of technology intervention, we examined (a) the relations between…

While the development of creativity, or creative thinking, in mathematics is considered important by many researchers, there are several difficulties in implementing creative tasks, especially before secondary school. Within the original context of a mathematical escape game, this paper reports two episodes exemplifying the difficulties met by…

Background: Mindfulness practices enhance executive function skills and academic achievement, spurring interest in integrating mindfulness interventions into education. Embedding mindfulness practice into a digital math game may provide a low-cost, scalable way to induce mindfulness and boost game-based learning, yet this approach remains…

Understanding the principles of computational thinking (CT), e.g., problem abstraction, decomposition, and recursion, is vital for computer science (CS) students. Unfortunately, these concepts can be difficult for novice students to understand. One way students can develop CT skills is to involve them in the design of an application to teach CT.…

Computational thinking (CT) can be considered a 21st century core skill and, accordingly, it should be taught to students at an early age. Nevertheless, the implementation of CT in school curricula is still in an experimental stage, given that different performance metrics remain unclear, including the appropriate age for learning each skill, the…

This qualitative research study explored the procedures and instructional practices of implementing game-based learning within a course and/or curriculum in higher education. Game-based learning is structured to integrate gameplay into a subject matter to increase a student's ability to acquire and apply knowledge to the real world. Furthermore,…

Teachers in kindergarten, primary, and secondary schools use hands-on manipulatives to help students grasp concepts in areas such as numbers, operations, geometry, algebra, measurement, data analysis, and probability. These manipulatives and interactive games are essential for fostering mathematical understanding, enabling students to build,…

At an unrivaled and enduring pace, computing has transformed the world, resulting in demand for a universal fourth foundation beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic: computational thinking (CT). Despite increasingly widespread acceptance of CT as a crucial competency for all, transforming education systems accordingly has proven complex. The…