A serious game-based social-psychological intervention to promote mathematics motivation: Effects and individual differences

Held, T ORCID: 0000-0001-6438-5622, Putwain, DW ORCID: 0000-0001-5196-4270 and Hascher, T ORCID: 0000-0003-2987-2470 (2025) A serious game-based social-psychological intervention to promote mathematics motivation: Effects and individual differences. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 84. p. 102439. ISSN 0361-476X

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Abstract

Students’ expectancy of success and subjective task values are important predictors of academic success and empirical evidence shows that interventions targeting expectancy of success or subjective task values in the classroom are effective. However, more scientific knowledge is needed to understand how different students respond to those interventions and can be motivated to learn mathematics. Also, the effectiveness of new student- addressed formats such as game-based interventions should be investigated. The present study examines the effects of a social-psychological multi-construct intervention (addressing students’ mindset and subjective task values) in mathematics, implemented as a serious game. Furthermore, we investigate how individual differences (prior expectancy of success and values, prior mathematics achievement, gender, gaming experience, gaming enjoyment, and persistence) influence the effectiveness of the intervention. Participants were 580 students from 32 classes in 16 schools in lower secondary education. Participating schools were randomly assigned to the intervention or the wait-list control group. Multilevel mixed effect models were estimated to investigate the effects of the intervention. In addition, multilevel growth models were estimated to investigate intraindividual change over time and interindividual differences in trajectories within the intervention group. Results showed positive effects of the intervention on students’ intrinsic value, utility value and mindset in mathematics. However, the findings also revealed that the efficacy of the intervention depends on individual attitudes such as prior expectancy of success, subjective task values, and persistence. Our findings suggest that a game-based multi-construct intervention can foster positive motivational outcomes in mathematics, though careful consideration of individual traits and intervention design is essential to maximise its effectiveness.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1303 Specialist Studies in Education; 1701 Psychology; Education; 3904 Specialist studies in education; 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1603 Secondary Education. High schools Q Science > QA Mathematics
Divisions:	Education
Publisher:	Elsevier BV
Date of acceptance:	12 December 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	19 December 2025
Date Deposited:	19 Dec 2025 16:34
Last Modified:	22 Dec 2025 09:08
DOI or ID number:	10.1016/j.cedpsych.2025.102439
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/27723

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