NCT02546245 - Modification and Evaluation of the Educational Mobile Games Heroes of Knowledge in Children | Crick

Overview

The goal of the proposed research is to adapt and rigorously evaluate educational mobile games, designed as a downloadable mobile apps to be played on smartphones or tablets. Investigators will be partnering with Yogome for this project. Yogame is a company dedicated to creating educational games that aim to reinforce knowledge acquired in school and help children learn new things in an entertaining and fun way.

This study will modify and evaluate the Heroes of Knowledge (HoK) games, beginning with the Math Heroes game which was designed to be played for up to 8 hours. Other games in the HoK series may be included in this process if they are fully developed and available for testing. In testing the efficacy of the Math Heroes game, children will play the game for 1-1.5 hours per week, 2-3 times per week, for 2-4 weeks (to accumulate 6-8 hours of game play). The game has been designed to target math knowledge skills identified by the Common Core Standards for Mathematics (2012).

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

133

Conditions

Math Knowledge

Interventions

Heroes of KnowledgeBEHAVIORAL

Participants will play their assigned game(s) on a tablet computer for 1-1.5 hours, 2-3 times per week for 2-4 weeks (to accumulate 6-8 hours of gameplay).

Attention/Time Control GameBEHAVIORAL

Participants will play their assigned game(s) on a tablet computer for 1-1.5 hours, 2-3 times per week for 2-4 weeks (to accumulate 6-8 hours of gameplay).

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 5 YearsMax age: 8 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Participants must be in first grade and interested and able to participate in a mobile app-based videogame (willing to sit with a tablet computer for approximately 1-1.5 hours, 2-3 times per week for 2-4 weeks). Exclusion Criteria: * None

Locations (1)

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Pearson KeyMath3 Diagnostic Assessment (KeyMath-3DA)

A comprehensive, norm-referenced measure of essential mathematical concepts and skills. Test items are grouped into 10 subtests that represent three general math content areas: Basic Concepts (conceptual knowledge), Operations (computational skills), and Applications (problem solving).

Time frame: Baseline

Pearson KeyMath3 Diagnostic Assessment (KeyMath-3DA)

A comprehensive, norm-referenced measure of essential mathematical concepts and skills. Test items are grouped into 10 subtests that represent three general math content areas: Basic Concepts (conceptual knowledge), Operations (computational skills), and Applications (problem solving).

Time frame: 2-4 weeks

Secondary Outcomes

Academic Self Competence will be captured using a "structure alternate format" scale

Self-Competence will be captured using a "structure alternate format" scale designed for young children adapted from the 28-item Perceived Competence Scale in Children. For this study, self-competence is defined as a child's sense of cognitive competence. Each item is scored from 1 to 4, where a score of 1 indicates low perceived competence and a score of 4 reflects high perceived competence. Scores are summed and then averaged.

Time frame: Baseline

Academic Self Competence will be captured using a "structure alternate format" scale

Self-Competence will be captured using a "structure alternate format" scale designed for young children adapted from the 28-item Perceived Competence Scale in Children. For this study, self-competence is defined as a child's sense of cognitive competence. Each item is scored from 1 to 4, where a score of 1 indicates low perceived competence and a score of 4 reflects high perceived competence. Scores are summed and then averaged.

Time frame: 2-4 weeks