Can participating in games based learning improve mathematic skills in students with intellectual disabilities?

Abstract

This study assesses whether participating in games based learning can improve mathematical skills in students with intellectual disabilities (ID), a functional skill that promotes greater inclusion in society, health and well being. Sixteen key stage 2 to 5 students with ID participated in the study. A matched pairs design was used, with 8 students playing the intervention game teaching manipulation of fractions, and 8 students playing a battery of control games. The students played the games over five, twenty minute, weekly sessions with two baseline non-standardized measures of mathematical skills taken both before and after intervention. Participants in the intervention group significantly improved their understanding of fractions, whilst those in the control group showed no significant improvement. The majority demonstrated an increase in both the difficulty of the games played and their in-game scores, showing that participating in games based learning can improve mathematical skills in students with ID.