Educational Games for Indirect Length Comparison in Sighted and Blind Students

Length measurement is one of the fundamental axes of Mathematics from early childhood for both sighted and blind children. Despite its curricular importance, many students face persistent challenges in effectively comprehending length measurement. Inclusive classrooms, where sighted and blind students learn together, add further complexity, requiring adaptive instructional materials and strategies to promote equitable learning outcomes. This study investigates the use of play-based learning, specifically Gamification and fully designed educational games, to enhance understanding of length measurement in co-educational environments. Specifically, it presents the results of implementing three (3) designed games in a group of sighted and blind students attending a general education primary school. Game A involved a conventional length measurement task augmented with basic Gamification features (scenario, cards) designed to increase student motivation and engagement without altering the task structure. Game B, incorporated additional Gamification elements such as board and pawns, while Game C was a typical (board) card game, that also included Gamification features (NFC tags). The study aimed to analyze students’ behaviors and strategies in tactile exploration when performing indirect length comparisons, as well as their preferences among the three (3) games. Findings indicate that the majority of students in indirect comparisons using arbitrary units (paperclips, string) employed various tactile exploration strategies such as aligning paperclips in the same direction without gaps or overlaps and placing the string from one end to the other. Some students, however, exhibited tactile exploration behaviors that included misalignments, such as placing paperclips with gaps and different directions. When using standard (cubes) and conventional measuring tools (ruler, measuring tape), students primarily structured tactile exploration strategies, ensuring cubes were connected without gaps or overlaps and aligning ruler and measuring tapes from the “0” mark. Importantly, Game C was overwhelmingly preferred by students and led to statistically significant improvements in motivation, engagement, peer interaction, and collaborative problem-solving. The findings suggest that while Gamification elements enhance traditional tasks, purpose-built educational games that combine accessibility with educational design offer superior support for inclusive mathematics instruction. The study recommends wider adoption of such games to facilitate equitable length measurement learning in inclusive classrooms.