Interdisciplinary Social Research

Gamification has become the subject of growing interest in the field of mathematics education as a means of enhancing student motivation and classroom activity. Nevertheless, there are no conclusive empirical studies on its effects on any measurable body of knowledge, especially in learning fractions at the upper primary level. The aim of the study was to investigate how the instruction of mathematics via gamification influences the learning engagement and knowledge acquisition among boys in Grade 6. The study used a quasi-experimental mixed-method design. Students were divided into an experimental group (gamified instruction) and a control group (traditional instruction). The pre- and post-tests, engagement questionnaires, classroom observations, and statistical analyses, such as repeated measures ANOVA and effect size calculations, were used to collect the data. The overall level of engagement in the gamified group was nearly 35 percent more than in the traditional one. The experimental group had positive behaviors of 67%, and the control group had 47%, with observational data. There was no significant difference in pre-test means ( Control: M = 7.60, SD = 1.49; Experimental: M = 7.60, SD = 1.29). The means were a bit better in the experimental group (M = 7.83, SD = 0.41) than in the control group (M = 7.60, SD = 1.59), but the effects of interactions were not significant. Gamification made the experience much more interactive, resulting in a small gain in accessible knowledge. Future research must enhance alignment of the curriculum and use longitudinal designs to determine long-term academic effects.