Abstract:

Classical video games lead the players to interact with a digital environment using a joystick or a keyboard. It has been shown that such video games involving spatial capacities may influence positively mental rotation, considered as a key-component of intellectual ability, notably involved in the performance of some mathematical tasks. On the other hand, studies have suggested that the practice of some video games might favor school learning. Exergames are video games that require locomotion and/or various body movements (not restricted to the use of a joystick or of a keyboard) to interact with the digital environment. It has been shown that exergames may have a positive influence on motivation, concentration, and/or physical exertion. However, the possible influence of exergames on school learning remained to be examined.
The aim of the present study was to determine the possible influence of an exergame involving dance movements on motor coordination, mental rotation, and mental calculation.
The school students participating to the study were distributed in an experimental group (EG including 9 girls and 6 boys; mean age SD = 14.02 ± 1.03) and a control group (CG including 7 girls and 7 boys; mean age SD = 14.01 ± .41). The EG subjects practiced the exergame Grööve (Play Lü® platform; five sessions of 45mn during physical education lessons). This exergame possibly involves mental rotation (MR) as it leads to reproduce and learn dance movements (projected on a 6mx3m screen) shown by avatars facing the observers. The CG subjects practiced for five sessions (45mn) of Lü® exergames leading to throw a ball on a target, during physical education lessons. Before (pretests) and after (posttests) the Lü® sessions, the subjects performed: (1) a test of motor coordination [Harre’s test (HT)], (2) a test of mental rotation [Vandenberg and Kuse Mental Rotations Test (VMRT)], (3) four distinct series of mental calculation tasks (simple addition, simple subtraction, complex addition, complex subtraction). The data were analyzed computing Quade non-parametric ANCOVAs (pretest scores as covariates).
The results showed that the EG subjects tended to obtain better VMRT scores than the CG subjects (p = .087) and that the EG subjects obtained significantly lower error rates when performing simple subtractions (p = .030), and complex subtractions (p = .030). No other statistically significant difference was found.
This led to discuss possible implication for interdisciplinary learning at school.

Keywords:

Exergame, mental rotation, mental calculation.