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The Effect Of Instructional Gaming Upon Absenteeism: The First Step, Layman E. Allen, Dana B. Martin

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In assessing'an experimental instructional gaming program in seventh- and eighth-grade mathematics at Pelham Middle School, Detroit, MI, absenteeism was taken as the most pervasive and pragmatic measure of student attitudes toward the learning environmentof the mathematics classroom. The experimental learning environment contained three major elements in addition to regular mathematics instruction: EQUATIONS, a problem-generating type of game; a twice-a-week tournament arranged to award reinforcements frequently and equally among the participants as well as to individualize the learning experience foreach student; and the organization of classes into teams designed to elicit cooperation. Experimental and control classes were taught by the same …