Abstract:

COVID-19 has forced educators to rethink online distance learning. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed several issues: from technical difficulties to the configuration and application of tools, and short and long-term negative effects on learning, which derived from:
a) the lack of interest
b) the inability to study independently,
c) the limited social interactions, and
d) the little immersion in learning content.

In this context, in which changes induced by the COVID-19 pandemic were mandatory, the arrival and quick dissemination of technology in the last decades made teachers step into rethinking the way they undertake the teaching and learning process, by trying out new approaches and strategies. In fact, teachers were required to update their digital skills in order to be able to keep up with the current generation of learners, by integrating computers or mobile devices in the classroom context, elements that make part of pupils’ daily life. When recurring to these, the potential of introducing video games as learning tools has also to be discussed, as they may offer the fostering of pupils’ intrinsic motivation and their soft skills, namely: collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, among others. Indeed, these tools cater for the development of computational thinking, i.e., pupils can develop strategies regarding problem-solving methods, including the exploration, analysis and understating of processes.

Taking all this into account, the aim of this paper is to present a research study (Latorre, 2003), carried out with children (6th graders) at a middle school in the Oporto area, Portugal. This study focuses on the contributions of the use of a digital role-play gaming platform to the learning of Maths at middle school setting, especially towards pupils’ motivation.Therefore, our research questions are the following:
a) what is the contribution of role-play games at Maths learning to the interest and participation of middle school pupils?;
b) do pupils show different attitudes towards activities with and without the use of digital role-play tasks?;
c) what is the relevance of digital gamification for teaching Maths at primary school?

The epistemological and methodological perspective chosen in carrying out this case study was mostly a qualitative one in the triangulation and interpretation of results, as we have resorted to the implementation of focus groups, by undertaking semi-structured interviews with 10 groups within a class of 30 pupils. While undertaking the study, we have assumed a critical role in relation to the results obtained, always seeking to reflect on the practices we observed. We set out to observe a class continuously at different times, in which the digital role-play gaming platform was been used, trying to interact in a natural and discreet way with pupils. Apart from the conduction of focus groups, we also opted to collect extra data by resorting to field notes and observation grids.

Through the results obtained, it was verified that digital role-play games can contribute to an increase in motivation and the development of collaboration, critical thinking and creativity skills, which in turn improved the behavior and the involvement of the pupils at learning maths in a very active way. Moreover, we also came to the conclusion that pupils value these sort of approaches, but still want to develop these experiences within the classroom environment with the help and supervision of teachers.

Keywords:

Gamification, digital role-play games, maths learning.