Award Date

May 2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education

First Committee Member

Vanessa Vongkulluksn

Second Committee Member

E. Michael Nussbaum

Third Committee Member

Jonathan Hilpert

Fourth Committee Member

Monika Neda

Number of Pages

87

Abstract

Students in co-requisite mathematics classes represent a diverse group of learners, with one thing in common: their previous math performance. This research investigates how playing culturally responsive educational games is associated with students' learning and experience of flow. Quantitative analyses revealed no significant differences in flow scores across demographic groups. However, students with stronger STEM identities reported experiencing higher levels of flow, on average. Math self-efficacy was not significantly associated with flow experiences. ANOVA results indicated that flow was not significantly related to final course grades (F = 0.465, p = 0.707, η² = 0.008), suggesting that students’ self-reported flow experiences did not directly influence their academic performance. However, the number of game activities completed (dosage) had a statistically significant effect on course grades (F = 4.721, p = 0.031, ηp2 = 0.027), with students in the highest quartiles of assignment completion achieving higher scores than those in the lower quartiles. Qualitative findings reveal that students described their flow experiences through dimensions of difficulty, attention and engagement, goal attainment, emotional states, interest in content, and career relevance. These findings suggest that while flow may enhance engagement, course performance is more strongly linked to how students’ amount of engagement in the supplemental game activities. The study underscores the importance of designing learning experiences that support engagement in co-requisite STEM education.

Keywords

Academic performance; Co-requisite courses; Culturally relevant pedagogy; Flow experience; Higher education; Math self-efficacy

Disciplines

Education | Educational Psychology | Science and Mathematics Education

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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