Research Insights

This project will investigate (a) how to meaningfully incorporate playful elements into the foundational secondary and undergraduate mathematics topics of algebra and calculus, and (b) the potential outcomes of “playifying” classroom mathematics for students’ learning and enjoyment. Motivation and engagement are critical factors in supporting students’ abilities to understand and persist in mathematics and the STEM fields. Mathematical play offers opportunities for students to exercise agency and engage in authentic disciplinary practices, and studies of mathematical play show positive outcomes for engagement, enjoyment, and learning. However, the current research base is largely situated in either the preschool / elementary grades or in out-of-classroom settings, with a dearth of studies addressing how to incorporate play into classroom mathematics, particularly at the secondary and undergraduate levels. The proposed project will address this gap by characterizing mathematical play for adolescents and undergraduate students, examining how to foster it, and systematically studying its learning benefits. The project will implement a multi-phase design experiment model, leveraging clinical and stimulated recall interviews, small-scale teaching experiments, and whole-class teaching experiments, with each phase building on the findings of the prior. The research activities will produce a set of findings about the aspects of task design, instruction, and classroom interactions that support mathematical play, as well as the learning benefits of mathematical play for adolescents and undergraduates.

Funder: National Science Foundation 

Amount: $804,347 

PI: Amy Ellis, Mary Frances Early College of Education