Project Activities
During Phase I in 2023, the project team developed a novel prototype of a web-based game for middle schools students to learn math by making and managing a fantasy sports football team. A prototype portal supported students in selecting and managing players, and in applying problem-solving and computational skills to maintain the team budget, set a line-up, track statistics, and compete with classmates on a leaderboard. A prototype educator dashboard supported instructional standards alignment and provided results in real-time. At the end of Phase I, a pilot test with 97 middle students demonstrated usability as students were able to play the game and educators were able to use the dashboard, and feasibility as the game was integrated within classroom instructional practice. In a pre- to post- test, students on average demonstrated an increase in knowledge of equations, an increase in math confidence, and a decrease in math anxiety.
In Phase II of the project, the team will fully develop the product, including the backend system to capture gameplay data and user interface for students and educators to more clearly emphasize standards covered in their curriculum by selecting the formulas. The team will create new modules for different sports and to cover different standards for football and a month-long women's and men's basketball booster game called "March Mathness." After development concludes, a pilot study will test the feasibility and usability, fidelity of implementation, and the promise of the product for improving math on topics focusing on preparing students for Algebra and Statistics. The team will collect data from 16 grade 6 classes with approximately 480 students overall, with half of the classes randomly assigned to use the product over 4 months and the other half to use business-as-usual activities. Researchers will compare pre-and-post scores using California's state standardized math assessment. Researchers will gather cost information using the "ingredients method" and will include all expenditures on things such as personnel, facilities, equipment, materials, and training.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Fantasy Sports Math League will be a web-based collaborative game for middle school students to learn mathematics in a real-world context aligned to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards. The program will be designed to supplement in-class learning , and as an after school or summer program, or for remote learning. To play the game, students will draft real professional sports players to their team. Students will manage their team, including deciding who plays from week and who should be traded, by conducting mathematical analyses and interpreting results through formulas, functions, graphs, and data visualizations. Students will compete to be the highest-scoring team and the most accurate mathematician ("aka the MVP"). The final product will include modules for sports including football and basketball for men and women. An educator portal will provide professional development videos, lesson materials to align gameplay to required course standards, a dashboard to track leaderboards and student progress on learning standards aligned math content. A website will present cross-league competitions to permit classrooms in schools or school versus schools to compete each other to further build connections through math.
Project website:
Additional project information
Video Demonstration of the Phase I Prototype: https://youtu.be/zgWyNsZaLm8
Related projects
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
