Developing Children's Regulation of Learning in Problem-Solving With a Serious Game.

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Mathematics Education

Background:

• Problem-solving and self-regulated learning are crucial for academic success.
• Digital games offer engaging platforms for educational interventions.
• Existing tools may not adequately integrate problem-solving phases with self-regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Festarola, a digital serious game designed to enhance math problem-solving skills.
• To foster self- and shared-regulated learning in primary school students.
• To evaluate the game's effectiveness in developing problem-solving and regulation strategies.

Main Methods:

• A digital serious game, Festarola, was developed based on four problem-solving phases aligned with self-regulation.
• A user study involving 363 primary school students was conducted.
• Students interacted with the game individually and in groups over several sessions.

Main Results:

• The study demonstrated that Festarola effectively stimulates and develops students' problem-solving strategies.
• Positive impacts were observed in fostering both self- and shared-regulated learning.
• Students showed improvements in understanding problems, planning, execution, and reflection.

Conclusions:

• Festarola is a promising digital tool for enhancing mathematical problem-solving abilities.
• The game successfully integrates problem-solving processes with self- and shared-regulation.
• Digital serious games can be valuable in supporting student learning and cognitive development.