Effects of game-based learning on student outcomes in mathematics education: A second-order meta-analysis
Educational Research Review, cilt.52, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Derleme
- Cilt numarası: 52
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100816
- Dergi Adı: Educational Research Review
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Affective outcomes, Cognitive skills, GBL, Mathematics education, Second-order meta-analysis, Student outcomes
- İstanbul Medipol Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Game-Based Learning (GBL) has increasingly been used in mathematics education as a pedagogical approach intended to support student engagement and learning processes through interactive learning environments. This study employs a second-order meta-analysis to synthesize findings from nine first-order meta-analyses examining the effects of GBL on student outcomes in mathematics education. The findings indicate that GBL is generally associated with positive but relatively modest effects across both cognitive outcomes (e.g., academic achievement and problem solving) and affective outcomes (e.g., motivation and attitudes). The overall mean effect size was calculated as ES = .45 [LL = .25, UL = .65, p < .05]. However, a high level of heterogeneity was observed across studies, suggesting that the effects of GBL may vary considerably depending on contextual and methodological conditions. While cognitive outcomes tended to yield relatively more stable positive effects, findings related to affective outcomes appeared to be more limited and variable across studies. The findings further suggest that factors such as intervention duration, game type, implementation context, and methodological characteristics may contribute to variations in reported effect sizes. Overall, the findings suggest that GBL may offer a potentially supportive but context-sensitive contribution to mathematics education, while also highlighting the need for methodologically rigorous and pedagogically detailed future research.