Design principles for a digital game to address mathematics anxiety in the classroom

Abstract

Mathematics anxiety is increasingly recognized as a significant barrier to learning, affecting not only students’ performance but also their motivation and long-term relationship with mathematics. Although digital game-based learning has shown potential to support motivation and learning in mathematics, only few games have been explicitly designed to prevent or alleviate mathematics anxiety. This study addresses that gap by examining how theory-informed design principles for an emotionally supportive digital mathematics game were implemented in the wireframe design of MathifyMe, a browser-based game for students aged 7-16. To investigate how these principles were translated into design features, we conducted walkthrough sessions with researchers, teachers, and students. The findings revealed that the design principles provided sufficient guidance for developing game features that stakeholders recognized as potentially helpful for supporting math-anxious learners. Several critical implementation issues were identified, and implications for the further design of the game are discussed. This paper contributes to research on digital games and mathematics anxiety by offering a theory-informed set of design principles for emotionally supportive mathematics game design.