El videojuego como metodología para la enseñanza de las matemáticas en educación primaria. Variación de las estructuras cognitivas

Abstract

In this Doctoral Thesis, a comparative study has been carried out between two teaching methodologies: a traditional methodology based on the use of didactic units designed according to textbooks, and an innovative methodology for which two video games were designed. This research aims to determine if the use of video games in the classroom causes changes in primary school students as regards learning, motivations and attitudes towards Mathematics. In addition, it is intended to know the opinions presented by active and in-training teachers on the use of video games as a didactic resource. The design of the research has been a quasi-experimental one, divided into two studies: Pilot Study and Definitive Study. For the Pilot Study the sample was 86 fifth- and sixth-grade primary school students and 16 active teachers. In the Definitive Study, which was designed taking into account the results previously obtained in the Pilot Study, the sample was 400 fourth- and fifth-grade Primary Education students, 64 active teachers, and 200 teachers in training of the Primary Education degree. The results showed that the students who used the video games methodology improved their learning, motivations and attitudes towards the subject of Mathematics; furthermore, some changes in their cognitive structure were produced. It was also possible to verify that both active and in-training teachers express positive opinions about the use of video games as an educational resource.