The Use of Educational Escape Rooms in the Lifelong Training of Mathematics Teachers

A case study by Čujdíková and Vankúš examines how two digital educational escape rooms (DEERs) were received by 32 in-service mathematics teachers during a lifelong learning session at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. The teachers, who worked in groups of two to three and taught pupils aged 10 to 19, played a story-based text game built in Google Forms and an interactive adventure game built in Room Escape Maker. The study's aim was to gauge teachers' perceptions of the two designs and their suitability for classroom use, with data gathered through observation and online questionnaires and analyzed qualitatively through content analysis.

The findings indicate strong engagement and generally positive reception. The text-based "Escape from the Castle" room proceeded smoothly for all groups, with 89.5% of groups rating it 9 or 10 for enjoyment and for suitability for pupils. The interactive "Students' DEER" generated enthusiasm but also frustration when groups became stuck, and its ratings were more divided: roughly 53% rated it 9 or 10 for liking, while about 17% gave low scores. Teachers valued the linear structure and clear progression of the first room and the visual appeal of the second, though some criticized the second room for containing too few explicit mathematical tasks. Interest in similar future resources was high, particularly for the text-based format.

The authors acknowledge limitations, most notably the small sample and a known error in one puzzle of the interactive room, which they suspect depressed its ratings. They plan a follow-up study with a different group of teachers using an error-free version of that room.