The Effectiveness of Digital Games on Problem-Solving Skills in Elementary and Secondary Education: A Meta-Analysis

• In Event: Enhancing Inquiry and Problem-Solving Through Game-Based Learning

Abstract

Living in a complex world in the 21st century, our children need to develop a vast array of critical competencies (e.g., problem-solving). Prensky (2012) pointed out that well-designed video games are great vehicles for developing problem-solving skills. In this meta-analysis, we investigated the impact of digital games on improving problem-solving skills elementary and secondary school students. The average weighted effect size of the studies was positive and moderate, g= 0.54, and the confidence interval of the mean was [0.62, 1.89] suggesting that the mean effect is not zero in the population. Also, the only statistically significant moderator was measurement used (QM (1) = 16.16, p < 0.0001, QE = 6.48, p = 0.37).

Authors

• Seyedahmad Rahimi, Florida State University

• Betsy J. Becker, Florida State University