Teachers' perceptions of student learning during educational role-playing game instruction: A phenomenographic study of grades 7–9 mathematics teachers

Abstract

Educational role-playing games (RPGs) have been increasingly adopted in mathematics education because of their potential to support students' cognitive, affective, and social learning. However, previous studies have predominantly examined their effectiveness from the perspective of student outcomes, while relatively little is known about how teachers experience and interpret student learning during educational RPG instruction. This study aimed to explore the qualitatively different ways Grades 7–9 mathematics teachers experienced student learning in educational role-playing game environments using a phenomenographic approach. Thirty mathematics teachers participated in the broader educational RPG implementation program, from which five teachers representing diverse teaching experiences were purposively selected for in-depth phenomenographic interviews. Classroom observations, teacher reflection sheets, and student activity sheets were used to contextualize and support the interpretation of interview data. Data were analysed through iterative phenomenographic procedures to construct categories of description and an outcome space. The findings identified four qualitatively different ways teachers experienced student learning: (1) engagement and emotional involvement, (2) strategy use and procedural engagement, (3) conceptual understanding of algebra, and (4) integrated cognitive, emotional, and social development. These categories formed an outcome space representing increasing inclusiveness in teachers' ways of experiencing student learning. The study contributes to educational game research by demonstrating that the pedagogical value of educational RPGs depends not only on game design or student performance but also on how teachers recognise and interpret learning within classroom practice.