Development of early math skills is linked to future success in mathematics and other\nacademics. Educational video games have been shown to promote academic achievement; however,\nfew rigorous studies have evaluated the use of educational video games in supporting math\ndevelopment, especially in early primary education. In the current study, an open-label randomized\ncontrolled trial was conducted involving 134 first grade students to determine, using standardized\nassessments, the impact of the educational mathematics tablet-based video game, Knowledge Battle,\non math scores and self-competency. Overall, Knowledge Battle did improve math skills in participants\nwho played the game. Among those with lower pre-game math skills, the Knowledge Battle group�s\nmean math score increased more than the control group�s mean math score (9.7 vs. 6.0; p = 0.02). There\nwas no association between perceived sense of self-competency and total math score (p = 0.8141).\nHowever, players who had a higher sense of self-competency were more likely to enjoy playing the\ngame. In conclusion, our findings suggest that Knowledge Battle was an acceptable and enjoyable\neducational mathematical video game for first grade students, and may be most impactful for those\nwith low math skills.
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