Board Games and Mathematics: A Winning Strategy for Teaching Rational Numbers

This study by Hilário, Hall, and Pais examines whether three non-digital board and card games can enhance motivation and engagement in teaching non-negative rational numbers to Year 5 students. The research was conducted as a qualitative case study with quantitative elements across three Portuguese classrooms involving 84 students. The games, Maths Twins, Turtles/Seahorses/Octopuses, and Treasure Hunt on Maths Island, each target specific competencies including decimals, fractions, percentages, and mental calculation. Data were gathered through pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, classroom observations, and student work.

The findings indicate strong enthusiasm for the games. All initial respondents reported enjoying games, and 93 percent expressed a desire for mathematics-related games. Following the intervention, 96 percent of students said they enjoyed the games, and 90 percent reported increased motivation to learn mathematics. Students rated the games as fun, educational, and motivating, with Maths Twins receiving particularly favorable responses.

The authors are explicit about the limitations of their evidence. The sample is small, the study period was short, there was no control group, and the research was confined to a single educational context. Consequently, the conclusions are cautious: non-digital games appear promising for fostering engagement and conceptual understanding, but further validation is needed before broader claims can be made. The work is positioned within a substantial body of game-based learning and mathematics education research, including scholarship on gamification, intrinsic motivation, and the teaching of rational numbers. The authors present the games as a promising and replicable teaching tool.