THE ROLE OF COMPUTER GAMES IN ENHANCING PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ATTITUDE TOWARDS MATHEMATICS

Numerous research findings have applauded the integration of technology in the classroom especially in mathematic to develops positive attitudes. The advancements in technology may provide a better opportunity to impact mathematical literacy and skills on young learners. Perhaps, attitudes towards mathematics are declining in recent years. The study aimed to enhance the students attitude toward learning mathematics by using games app embedded in computer software used as an instrument to teach the subject. A total of ninety-one primary school students drawn from different primary schools in the Kogi state participated in the study. The study adopted a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test study design. The result revealed that the computer game influenced the respondents attitude towards mathematics at MD = 13.65 (95% CI, 8.91 to 16.17), t (88) = 6.328, p = .001. Thus, the study concludes that computer game is an indispensable tool in impacting positive attitudes towards mathematics, especially among the primary school students. The recommendations are discussed.

Numerous research findings have applauded the integration of technology in the classroom especially in mathematic to develops positive attitudes. The advancements in technology may provide a better opportunity to impact mathematical literacy and skills on young learners. Perhaps, attitudes towards mathematics are declining in recent years. The study aimed to enhance the students' attitude toward learning mathematics by using games app embedded in computer software used as an instrument to teach the subject. A total of ninetyone primary school students drawn from different primary schools in the Kogi state participated in the study. The study adopted a quasiexperimental pre-test, post-test study design. The result revealed that the computer game influenced the respondent's attitude towards mathematics at MD = 13.65 (95% CI, 8.91 to 16.17), t (88) = 6.328, p = .001. Thus, the study concludes that computer game is an indispensable tool in impacting positive attitudes towards mathematics, especially among the primary school students. The recommendations are discussed.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….... Introduction:-
Contemporary society is increasingly transforming into a science-based society due to the upsurge in technological advancements. The trend in scientific advancements and their implications for the growth and development of society, make this period a critical time for developing a unified vision for early childhood science education. Science education is widely considered one of the most integral parts of today's education (Kalogiannakis et al., 2021), and is advocated from the early years, especially in primary schools (Tavares et al., 2021). Perhaps, there is presently a quest for educational reforms worldwide (Tajudin et al., 2018).Also, the growing recognition of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) as a universal approach to increasing the development of science education is currently trending in the Global Educational System. STEM has become the basis for a series of reforms for secondary and higher education in many countries (Liu et al., 2020). It emerges as a result of the growing gap in STEM-related disciplines and to meet the current demand of technological development (Fomunyam, 2019).Research contends that exposing young learners to STEM content is an essential pathway to creating a science and technology-driven society (Banks & Barlex, 2020). Attitudes are a socio-psychological construct that reflects a person's cognitive, affective, and behavioral components that are critical in learning. Attitudes encompass likeness or dislikes of any aspect of a person's socio-world. Thus, a negative attitude limits performance reduces motivation and inhibits learning. Research has linked low achievement and engagement in mathematics with attitudes (Yáñez-Marquina & Villardón-Gallego, 2016). Nonetheless, enhancing student's mathematics attitude is a significant educational challenge. However, computer technology has been found to activate a favorable attitude to learning (Agustina, 2017). Thus, the primary purpose of the present study is to answer the question; would there be a significant difference in attitudes towards mathematics between student's taught with the computer game and those taught with the conventional method.

Method:-
A quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-tests and two groups (experimental and conditions) was adopted in this present study. Primary school students in Kogi State made up the population of the study. Ninety-one (n = 91) students comprising males and females within the ages of8 and 11 years with mean age of (M=9.14) and (SD= 1.24) were randomly selected from different public primary schools in Kogi State as the study participants. The students selected primarily from the primary 5 and 6 classes were assigned to groups, with group A as the experimental condition. On the other hand, group B represents the control condition. Before the main study's commencement, students' attitude towards mathematics was established (pre-test) using an attitude towards mathematics questionnaire. In the post-test study, the treatment group student (group A) was exposed to a computer game. Prodigy is a free-to-use and adaptive game app that integrates basic math concepts into a fantasy-style game. Prodigy is widely used in the US and has been implemented as part of the math curriculum (NCT, 2018). Students in the control group were exposed to other mathematical activities excluding the game app in the post-test study. After that, the student's attitude towards mathematics was further assessed.

Ethical considerations
In other to abide by the research ethics in the process of the study. With the heads of the schools and teachers' aid, the participants were made to understand the study's purpose. They were told that the study is not a must and that they can withdraw anytime they want.

Result:-
Before the commencement of the experiment, the respondent's attitudes towards mathematics were ascertained. Table 1 below shows the mean scores of the two conditions in the pre-test study. Thus, it indicates that there is no significant mean difference between the conditions on attitude towards mathematics (M= 22.19,SD=3.12) and (M= 22.33,SD= 2.98). Thus, it signifies that attitude towards the subject for both conditions are on the same level. More so, a post-study analysis was conducted to ascertain the difference in attitude towards mathematics. The obtained mean scores for both conditions were (M = 46.83, SD = 9.64, and M = 33.18, SD = 5.26) as shown in the Table 2 below. The data established a high mean score for the experimental conditions (46.831) compared to the control condition (33.18). The standard deviation scores also revealed an increased score of 9.64 for the study group and a lower score of 5.26 for the control group. Thus, it indicates that the mean scores increased significantly following the exposure of the students to the Prodigy Math game for the experimental condition. Furthermore, to answer the research question on whether computer games would impact positive attitudes towards mathematics among primary school students. An independent-samples t-test was conducted to determine if there were differences between the experimental and the control groups' attitudes towards mathematics in the post-test study. The result of the analysis established an increased positive attitude towards mathematics for the experimental condition (46.83 ± 9.64) when compared to the control condition (33.18 ± 5.26), a statistically significant difference of 13.65 (95% CI, 8.91 to 16.17), t (89) = 6.328, p = .001as shown in Table 3 below.  (2015) found that participants in the game intervention group showed higher mathematics proficiency than those in 1096 the paper-and-pencil group. The likely reason for this development could be attributed to the increasing innovation in mobile technologies that have reached every corner of society and have attracted the attention of children mostly by the flexibility and the innovative interface of computer games. Also, the increasing exposure of the youngsters to mobile phone integrated games may have attracted the students to the trending technology. Thus, when integrated into the classroom, the students tend to embrace the concept compared to the conventional classroom teaching methods. The study byBatzogiannis et al. (2018)contends that an increase in basic math skills can only be accomplished by motivating the students using technological innovations such as games. Therefore, computer games could be a pathway to impacting favorable attitudes towards mathematics among early learners. Indeed, attitudes are acquired through various means, and when formed, can influence behavior. In other words, computer games will enhance youngsters' mathematical capabilities and change their overall attitude towards the subject(Schenke et al., 2020)

Conclusion:-
The present research aimed to investigate whether computer games would improve attitudes towards mathematics. The analysis established a positive difference between the two conditions on attitudes towards mathematics in the post-test study. Thus, the study concludes that computer games would impact positive attitudes towards mathematics, especially among primary school students. Therefore, the study contributes to the mathematics literature by supporting previous researches that promote the integration of computer games in the classroom in Nigeria. Nevertheless, the sample size used in the study may pose a significant challenge for generalizing this result. Future researchers are advised to include more representative samples and explore other moderating variables that could broaden our understanding of this outcome. However, the study recommends the full integration of computer games in the classroom and consistent training of instructors in this direction.