Abstract:

In recent years, a lot of scientific studies are dealing with the effectiveness of game-based learning (GBL). Large heterogeneity in their methods creates the need to compare, and in some extent unify, methodologies and procedures used in this area of the research.

In our paper we analyse methodologies of ten selected studies dealing with the effectiveness of GBL in the mathematics education. The studies are selected to cover big variety of GBL applications. Our goal is to compare them regarding the factors of effectiveness they use and also by the methods how they measure them.

To achieve this goal we first discuss effectiveness of teaching methods and its various factors. Afterwards, we speak about different aspects of effectiveness studies and also some problematic issues those can influence their reliability (T. Sitzman, 2011; A. All et all, 2014, 2015). Then, we identified six main categories we use in the comparison:
1. research goals;
2. research methodology;
3. factors of the effectiveness addressed in the study;
4. research realisation;
5. processing and evaluation of the results;
6. characteristics of the experimental application of GBL.

By analysing all of those categories we get enough materials to compare selected studies in the ways how they deal with methodology and procedures in the stating of GBL effectiveness.

We specifically focus on factors of the effectiveness addressed in the studies and discuss which of them compose theoretical and practical foundation for proper GBL effectiveness research framework. Hence, our study can be seen as an attempt to improve assessing of GBL effectiveness by clarifying the framework, mostly the factors of the effectiveness.

Keywords:

Game-based learning, effectiveness, research methodology, methodologies evaluation, mathematics education.