Alignment of game design features and state mathematics standards: Do results reflect intentions?
Schenke, K., Rutherford, T., & Farkas, G. (2014). Computers & Education, 76, 215–224.
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examining10,860Students, grades2-5
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: July 2020
- Single Study Review (findings for ST Math)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards with reservations because it is a cluster randomized controlled trial with a risk of bias from individuals who entered clusters after random assignment, but the analytic intervention and comparison groups satisfy the baseline equivalence requirement.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
California Standards Test: Algebra and Functions (A&F) strand |
ST Math vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
11.31 |
11.30 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
California Standards Test: Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability (SDAP) |
ST Math vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
3.32 |
3.25 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
California Standards Test: Measurement and Geometry (M&G) strand |
ST Math vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
9.64 |
9.22 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
California Standards Test: Number Sense I |
ST Math vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
10.74 |
10.12 |
Yes |
|
|
|
California Standards Test: Number Sense II |
ST Math vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
10.66 |
10.30 |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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70% English language learners -
Female: 49%
Male: 51% -
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California
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Race Asian 4% Black 2% Other or unknown 89% White 5% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 85% Not Hispanic or Latino 15%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in 52 elementary schools in southern California during the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years. Schools were eligible to apply for the study if they were in the bottom third of the achievement distribution for the California state standardized test (p. 218).
Study sample
The analytic sample includes students in grades 3-5 with valid pretest and posttest mathematics assessment data. The study reports the following characteristics for the analytic sample, which includes students in 50 schools: Black: 1.61%; Hispanic: 85.06%; White: 5.13%; Vietnamese: 3.79%; other race/ethnicity: 4.42%; male: 50.75%; free/reduced price lunch: 90.61%; and English learner: 70.17% (Table 1, p. 219).
Intervention Group
Spatial Temporal Mathematics (ST Math) is an instructional program developed by the MIND Research Institute for K-5 mathematics instruction; the authors referred readers to Shaw (1999) for additional details. The program is designed to minimize the need to use language as part of the mathematics instruction and presents students with game-like activities that provide mathematics content relevant to state standards. The games each include multiple mathematics puzzles, and students need to complete at least 80% of the puzzles successfully at one level before moving to the next level. The program is self-paced, though teachers can speed up progress by allowing students to skip levels if they get stuck. The authors report that the practice of skipping levels is not common. Some students did not receive the full ST Math curriculum because they did not progress to the later objectives, while other students received a different ordering of the curriculum (pp. 217, 223).
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group did not use ST Math. The study did not provide any additional information on the type of instruction received by students in the comparison group.
Support for implementation
No support for implementation is described in the study.
IES Performance Measure
Review Details
Reviewed: October 2015
- IES Performance Measure (findings for Spatial Temporal Mathematics (ST Math))
- Randomized controlled trial
- Meets WWC standards with reservations
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
California Standards Test (CST): Number Sense I (number recognition) |
Spatial Temporal Mathematics (ST Math) vs. Business as usual |
Posttest |
3-5 grade students;
|
N/A |
N/A |
Yes |
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|
|
California Standards Test (CST): Number Sense II (number operations) |
Spatial Temporal Mathematics (ST Math) vs. Business as usual |
Posttest |
3-5 grade students;
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N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | |
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Algebra and Functions (A&F) strand of the California Standards Test |
Spatial Temporal Mathematics (ST Math) vs. Business as usual |
Posttest |
3-5 grade students;
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N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | |
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Measurement and Geometry (M&G) strand of the California Standards Test |
Spatial Temporal Mathematics (ST Math) vs. Business as usual |
Posttest |
3-5 grade students;
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N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | |
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California Standards Test (CST): Statistics, Data Analysis and Probability (SDAP) |
Spatial Temporal Mathematics (ST Math) vs. Business as usual |
Posttest |
3-5 grade students;
|
N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
-
70% English language learners -
Female: 49%
Male: 51% -
- B
- A
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- I
- H
- J
- K
- L
- P
- M
- N
- O
- Q
- R
- S
- V
- U
- T
- W
- X
- Z
- Y
- a
- h
- i
- b
- d
- e
- f
- c
- g
- j
- k
- l
- m
- n
- o
- p
- q
- r
- s
- t
- u
- v
- x
- w
- y
California
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Race Asian 4% Black 2% Other or unknown 4% White 5% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 85% Not Hispanic or Latino 15%
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
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A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
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Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).