Educational games and their impact on mathematics anxiety in university students

This study explores the potential of educational computer games to reduce mathematics
anxiety among university students at the University of Sheffield and extends existing
literature by mapping everyday mathematics activities and identifying design attributes linked to anxiety. A systematic review of mathematics‐anxiety scales informed the selection of the instrument used in this work, and four mixed‐methods studies were conducted, combining pre/post questionnaires, diary studies, eye tracking and interviews. We observed that playing educational games resulted in a modest 13% reduction in self‐reported mathematics anxiety over a 30‑day period. Eye‐tracking data revealed that participants with higher mathematics anxiety spent more time fixating on problem statements than on potential solutions, suggesting that working‑memory constraints may underlie some of their anxiety. Study 2 expanded Bishop’s (1988) framework of everyday mathematics by identifying a new “Predicting” category (e.g. estimating dimensions, costs or time), underscoring the breadth of mathematics embedded in students’ daily lives. Diary entries also showed that fluctuations in mathematics anxiety closely mirrored general anxiety, pointing to the importance of broader wellbeing when designing interventions. Familiar real‑life contexts and customisable difficulty levels were found to enhance engagement and reduce anxiety, and these insights were synthesised into a fishbone model of game attributes that affect mathematics anxiety.
However, the evidence is limited by the small, self‐selected sample (n = 17), the adaptation of the MARS scale for a UK context and the exploratory design of the study, which restrict generalisability. Nevertheless, the research offers a preliminary framework for understanding how educational games might influence mathematics anxiety and provides practical recommendations for game developers and educators seeking to foster positive attitudes toward mathematics through gaming interventions.