The effectiveness of explanatory adaptive feedback within a digital educational game to enhance fraction understanding

Abstract

Background: Digital educational games have the potential to address cognitive and non-cognitive obstacles in learning fractions by identifying possible misconceptions and providing explanatory adaptive feedback. However, empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of adaptive feedback in digital educational games is limited. Aims: This intervention study aims: (1) to investigate the effectiveness of explanatory adaptive feedback on cognitive and non-cognitive learning outcomes and (2) to explain variances in the effectiveness of the intervention in terms of individual differences. Sample: Participants were 288 fourth graders (aged 10-11). Methods: Students were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions (i.e., game with corrective or explanatory adaptive feedback) or the control condition. A pre-, post-, retention test was used to examine cognitive and non-cognitive learning outcomes. Results: Concerning cognitive learning outcomes, near transfer fraction knowledge improved in both experimental conditions, but not in the control condition. Far transfer fraction knowledge improved in the corrective feedback condition at posttest and in all conditions at retention test. For non-cognitive learning outcomes, math motivation decreased in the control condition and the corrective feedback condition, whereas math anxiety decreased in the explanatory adaptive feedback condition. Math self-concept was lower in both experimental conditions compared to the control condition. Notably, students' individual differences did not moderate the influence the acquisition of near transfer fraction knowledge. Conclusions: In its current implementation, explanatory adaptive feedback did not improve fraction knowledge beyond what was achieved through corrective feedback alone, although it seemed to be beneficial in reducing math anxiety without decreasing math motivation.