Can mobile games be an option for teaching algebra?

Abstract

The aim of this research is to analyze the experiences of seventh-grade students during the process of playing an educational mobile game that involves algebra topics and to reveal what they experience in such a learning environment, as part of a case study. Participants were nine seventh grade students who had low math achievement and spent a lot of time playing digital games. An educational digital game was developed regarding algebraic expressions and we asked students to play this game in their free times for two weeks.  After practices with educational digital game for two weeks, semi-structured interviews were carried out with students. The collected data was analyzed qualitatively using the content analysis method. As a result, despite the technical challenges encountered by students in the game mechanics, they expressed overall satisfaction with the design of the game and the story employed in. The importance of game mechanics in the design of a mobile game was reaffirmed by the results obtained in this study.