Effects of Digital Escape Games on Motivation in Primary Mathematics Education

This study examines whether a digital educational escape game, built in the Genially platform and styled after Minecraft, can improve motivation and mathematical engagement among fifth-grade pupils. The research was conducted in April 2026 at a municipal primary school in the Czech Republic that uses the Hejny method, with 25 pupils (18 girls and 7 boys) participating in a mixed-methods design. The game covered seven thematic areas of primary mathematics, drawing on CERMAT-style standardized tasks and contextual word problems, and incorporated difficulty progression and immediate feedback to promote a state of flow.

Quantitative results from a pretest-posttest semantic differential showed statistically significant positive shifts on eight of ten items, with the largest effects on perceived difficulty and appeal of mathematics (moderate to strong effect sizes). Pupils reported lower stress and higher self-confidence after the intervention. Two findings diverged from this pattern: perceived procedural confidence did not change, and willingness to persist with difficult tasks declined significantly. The authors interpret the latter as a "resilience paradox," suggesting that the rapid feedback typical of escape games may reduce tolerance for prolonged cognitive effort. Qualitative observations supported these conclusions, identifying reading-comprehension and attention difficulties as major sources of error rather than gaps in mathematical competence.

The authors acknowledge substantial limitations, including a one-group design without a control group, a small sample, the absence of a delayed posttest, and the likelihood of novelty effects and self-report bias. The findings therefore suggest promising motivational benefits of digital escape games in primary mathematics while cautioning that such games primarily support application rather than the development of new procedural knowledge.