Investigating Racial and Ethnic Differences in Learning with a Digital Game and Tutor for Decimal Numbers

This study investigates the effects on different racial/ethnic groups of middle school students when learning with a digital learning game, Decimal Point, and a comparable computer tutor. Using data from three classroom studies with 835 students, we compared learning outcomes and engagement among students from racial/ethnic groups that are well-represented in STEM (white and Asian) to those that are underrepresented in STEM (Black, Hispanic/Latine, Indigenous, and multiracial). Relative to students from underrepresented groups, students from well-represented groups in STEM scored higher on all tests (pre, post, and delayed, despite similar learning gains from pre-to-post and pre-to-delayed) and showed more engagement and less anxiety. The game also enhanced the experience of mastery only among students from well-represented groups. At the same time, students from underrepresented groups learned from the intervention and matched students from well-represented groups in learning efficiency. In short, we found similar learning gains from the game and tutor interventions among students from well-represented and underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, despite the lower performance and lower engagement among students from underrepresented groups. These insights highlight how students from diverse backgrounds may engage differently with educational technology, guiding future efforts in making Decimal Point – as well as digital learning tools in general – more inclusive.