Enhancing understanding of integer addition with the absolute blast! Game: a didactic experiment with middle school students

Introduction: The literature shows that the introduction of negative numbers is one of the most complex transitions in the mathematics curriculum, requiring students to construct new mental representations beyond the patterns acquired with natural numbers. It is therefore essential to promote meaningful experiences that relate the symbolic and the manipulable. In this context, the use of board games is beginning to be recognised as a promising tool for making abstract ideas tangible and promoting students' active involvement in problem solving. Objective: This exploratory case study seeks to understand the potential of the board game Absolute Blast! to support the learning of integer addition in 6th grade students. Methods: Twenty-nine students from a school in northern Portugal participated in a quasi-experimental design with mixed data collection. The experimental group (EG) used the game across three sessions, while the control group (CG) worked on puzzle-type tasks as a first contact with the set of integers. Quantitative data were gathered through a 60-item test designed by the authors. Results: Results suggest that, although the EG began with significantly lower performance (p = 0.032), it reached levels comparable to the CG after the intervention (p = 0.342). In relative terms, EG students corrected more wrong answers (p < 0.001) and lost fewer correct ones (p = 0.006), showing more consistent collective progress. Qualitative data confirmed that the game stimulated verbalisation, negotiation of meanings, and validation of reasoning. Conclusion: These findings indicate that Absolute Blast! has potential as a didactic resource to promote effective and stable learning of integer addition by integrating calculation practice and communicative processes in a playful setting.