Playing Board Games to Learn Rational Numbers: A Proof‐of‐Concept. Issue 4 (30th August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Navarrete‐Ulloa, Jairo A.; Munoz‐Rubke, Felipe
• Other Names: Grigorenko Elena guestEditor.; van Bergen Elsje guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Mind, brain and education. Volume 16:Issue 4(2022)
• Page Start: 293
• Page End: 299
• Publication Date: 2022-08-30
• Subjects: Cognitive learning -- Periodicals; Education -- Research -- Periodicals; Developmental psychobiology -- Periodicals; Cognitive neuroscience -- Periodicals; Cognitive science -- Periodicals; Apprentissage cognitif -- Périodiques; Éducation -- Recherche -- Périodiques; Psychobiologie du développement -- Périodiques; Neurosciences cognitives -- Périodiques; Sciences cognitives -- Périodiques; 612.8233
• DOI: 10.1111/mbe.12335
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1751-2271

Abstract

Abstract: Educational board games are a promising teaching method due to their low cost, playful, exploratory, and engaging nature. By drawing on analogical research, we created a game whose structure of spatial relationships mirrored the structure of rational numbers. We expected that children playing this game would improve their knowledge of fractions. We conducted a school intervention with an active control group and pretest‐posttest assessments to evaluate our board game. Playing this game promoted the learning of fractions, even after controlling for nonverbal cognitive abilities. This low‐cost educational game might help reduce the knowledge gap that separates less and more affluent children. LAY ABSTRACT: We created an educational game by drawing on educational analogies that use spatial concepts to represent rational numbers. We conducted a controlled school intervention to assess the effectiveness of this educational device. Results showed that playing this board game for roughly 3 hr promoted the learning of fractions. We propose that providing this cheap educational device to low‐income communities might help to reduce the knowledge gap that separates less and more affluent children.