Date of Award

8-2022

Access Control

Open Access

Degree Name

International Graduate Program for Educators - M. S. in Multidisciplinary studies

Department

International Graduate Program for Educators

Advisor

Dr. Joan Della Valle

Abstract

Abstract

In the last few years, math games have been introduced in the classroom as a way for students to have a fun and engaging means to practice math concepts. The purpose of our research was to understand the effects on students’ attitudes towards math after math games have been implemented into the curriculum. The questions we asked were:

  1. Does playing math games help improve students’ attitudes towards mathematics?

  2. Does the enjoyment of math correspond with higher math scores?

We used multiple surveys to conduct our research and collect data. The surveys were given to third and fifth-grade students at the American School Foundation of Monterrey in Mexico and Colegio Jorge Washington in Cartagena, Colombia, two international schools with an American curriculum. In analyzing the data, we did not find conclusive evidence as to whether playing math games in school enhances students’ attitudes towards math. Although the data suggests a decline in attitudes, there were too many variables affecting the outcome to charge playing math games as the reason. While addressing the question of whether or not students’ math scores correlate with their attitudes towards math, we found that the majority of students with a higher understanding of math concepts in a unit had a more positive attitude towards math.

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