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ERIC Number: EJ1058862
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Jun
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0266-4909
EISSN: N/A
Understanding the Relationships between Interest in Online Math Games and Academic Performance
Zhang, M.
Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, v31 n3 p254-267 Jun 2015
Although the Internet is widely used by students in both formal and informal environments, little is known about how and where youth spend their time online. Using Internet search and Web analytics data, this study discovered a large-scale phenomenon associated with the poor performance of elementary school students in the USA that has been overlooked by educational researchers. This study found that approximately 10 million Internet users in the USA, many of whom are presumably youth, spend about 89 million hours in a year on a popular math game site that targets children. The number of game site users is equivalent to half of the K-5 Internet population in the USA. However, there is little evidence that the math games on the website meet the criteria for effective instruction as described in the literature. This study found a significant negative correlation between search volumes for the game site in the 50 states in the USA and 4th grade students' performance in mathematics and reading. Moreover, Internet users in the states with greater numbers of low-income families and fewer college graduates were more likely to search for the game site. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A