Games, Game Flow, and Gender as They Affect Mathematics Achievement of Pupils in Nigeria

• Main Authors: A. Aremu, A. Adebagbo
• Format: Article
• Language: Bulgarian
• Published: University of Sofia 2016-08-01
• Series: Bulgarian Journal of Science and Education Policy
• Subjects: gender; mathematics
• Online Access: http://bjsep.org/getfile.php?id=213

Game flow experience in the use of games has the potential of determining whether games used for learning would achieve the desired goal of improved achievement. With a subject like Mathematics, it is vital to ensure that if game based strategies are to be used, the games must possess this very important construct. Furthermore, the games must be able to produce the flow experience in both males and females, so that the observed gender gap in the learning of the subject would not be further widened. It is therefore important to investigate the gender differences in a game based learning environment for a subject such as Mathematics. This is the purpose of this research. This research investigated games, game flow, and gender as they affect Mathematics achievement of pupils in Nigeria. Through the use of Achievement of Pupils in Fraction-concepts Test (APFT) and Game Flow Questionnaire (GFQ), data were collected. The result was a significant difference in mathematics achievements of pupils exposed to game based strategy and those exposed to modified conventional method of teaching. However, there was no significant difference in game flow experiences, as well as in mathematics achievement of male and female pupils exposed to game based strategy.