Game-based learning in primary and early secondary STEM education shows moderate positive effects on cognition, motivation, and behaviour compared to traditional classrooms¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesisr2·q3·i2medium
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i2 Game-based learning shows a moderate positive effect on cognitive outcomes in STEM education (g = .67). → Michaela Arztmann 2023
q3 i2 Game-based learning shows a moderate positive effect on motivational outcomes in STEM education (g = .51). → Michaela Arztmann 2023
q3 i3 Game-based learning shows a positive effect on behavioural outcomes in STEM education (g = .93). → Michaela Arztmann 2023
Evidence¶
Michaela Arztmann 2023¶
Michaela Arztmann, Lisette Hornstra, Johan Jeuring & Liesbeth Kester (2023). Effects of games in STEM education: a meta-analysis on the moderating role of student background characteristics. Studies in Science Education, 59:1, 109-145. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057267.2022.2057732
q3 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r2
Random-effects meta-analyses of 39 included papers (43 coded studies, 60 effect sizes) comparing game interventions with traditional classrooms in K1-8 STEM education. The pooled effects favour games: "cognition (g = .67, p < .001)" and motivation g = .51, behaviour g = .93.
"for all three dependent variables -cognition (g = .67, p < .001), motivation (g = .51, p < .001), behaviour (g = .93, p .01)- the weighted mean shows a moderate effect in favour of games compared to conventional teaching methods"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- School level moderates cognitive effects of game-based learning in STEM: games are less effective for secondary than primary school students — related
- Evidence of small-study effects exists for cognition and motivation, but trim-and-fill adjustment leaves the moderate motivating effect essentially unchanged — related
- School level shows a marginal moderating effect on motivational outcomes, with secondary students experiencing a lower motivating effect than primary students — related
- Effects of game-based learning in STEM education vary substantially across studies, with prediction intervals spanning trivial-to-negative through very strong effects — related
- Gamification has small positive effects on cognitive, motivational and behavioral learning outcomes — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
games-stem-moderate-positive-effects-cognition-motivation-behaviour |
title |
Game-based learning in primary and early secondary STEM education shows moderate positive effects on cognition, motivation, and behaviour compared to traditional classrooms |
description |
Game-based learning in primary and early secondary STEM education shows moderate positive effects on cognition, motivation, and behaviour compared to traditional classrooms |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2023 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-16 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — michaela-arztmann-2023 |
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