Gender Differences in Learning and Test-Taking Experiences with Digital Game-Based Assessment

Mathematics assessment is not a neutral measure of students’ knowledge; evaluative contexts can shape motivation, anxiety, and performance, particularly for students from groups negatively stereotyped in mathematics. Digital games offer an alternative assessment context that may reduce evaluative threat by embedding assessment in low-stakes gameplay. In this study, middle school students were randomly assigned to complete either a traditional digital test or a game-based assessment with identical mathematical content. We examined learning gains over time and students’ affective experiences, including interest, anxiety, self-efficacy, and achievement emotions. Results showed no differences in learning gains between conditions, although overall scores were lower in the game-based assessment. No affective effects were statistically reliable after correcting for multiple comparisons; however, descriptive patterns suggested that girls tended to report more positive emotions and greater interest in the game-based condition. These findings indicate that assessment format may influence how students experience evaluation without altering short-term learning outcomes, highlighting the importance of considering affective factors in assessment design.