Challenges and opportunities in applying constructionist digital games in secondary mathematics education
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Ljerka Jukić Matić 1 * , Sonia Abrantes Garcêz Palha 2
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1 School of Applied Mathematics and Informatics, University of Osijek, Osijek, CROATIA2 Center for Applied Research on Education, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS* Corresponding Author

Abstract

The growing integration of technology into society highlights the need for educational transformation to better equip students for future challenges and the evolving labor market. Digital game-based learning (DGBL) has emerged as a promising strategy for enhancing learning using interactive digital games. This study investigates the implementation of DGBL in secondary mathematics classrooms, focusing on four digital math games grounded in a constructionist approach that enables adaptation by both teachers and students. Employing a mixed-methods research design, we collected and analyzed both qualitative and quantitative data. The findings reveal that although teachers integrated the games into their instruction, they did not involve students in modifying or creating the games, thereby leaving the constructionist potential largely unexploited. This study contributes to the DGBL literature by offering an integrated perspective (both students and teachers) on the opportunities and challenges of implementing constructionist DGBL in mathematics education.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

INT ELECT J MATH ED, Volume 20, Issue 3, August 2025, Article No: em0836

https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/16400

Publication date: 01 Jul 2025

Online publication date: 20 May 2025

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