Innovative Approach to Enhancing STEM Skills through Educational Games: Work in Progress

This innovative practice paper describes a work in progress on creating and applying educational games that develop mathematical and computational thinking within the project Science&Math educational games from preschool to university - SciMaG. Using educational games, especially in STEM fields, is an effective way to engage students and promote key skills across different age groups and environments. Such activities promote problem solving, logical thinking, strategic planning, and other important skills and can be used with students of different age groups in the classroom, in extracurricular activities, or at home. STEM science outreach activities organized as part of science festivals and similar events can be an excellent opportunity for a game-based approach. However, organizing events for large numbers of participants can pose a logistical challenge in terms of volunteer availability. This paper presents the results of a study in which game-based activities to develop mathematical and computational thinking were integrated into a science outreach event for primary school students on the occasion of Pi-Day. The innovative aspect of the approach is reflected in the use of a combination of games (commercial, newly developed games, and games inspired by commercial ones) which have an interesting math basis and require mathematical or computational thinking skills as well as in the introduction of peer teaching through attracting high-school students as volunteers for the organized event. In the evaluation of the approach, the perceptions of the primary school students (Ns=295), their teachers (NT=19), and the high-school students participating as volunteers in the organized event (Nv=11) were examined using a questionnaire-based study. All groups of participants responded positively and confirmed educational potential of the games. Results confirmed that the activities were well-received and that such events have the potential to enhance learning experiences in STEM. The results also provide valuable insights and motivation for further development of educational games within the SciMaG project.