Abydos app will make students better at fractions

A new maths game developed in WA has improved Perth primary school students’ knowledge of fractions by more than 10 per cent over their classmates according to its developers' research.

The Abydos app was developed by Edith Cowan University and St Stephen’s School and uses the theme of ancient Egypt to teach students about fractions.

In research published in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, results showed a group of Year 6 students who used the app scored 10.5 per cent higher than those who didn’t after just two sessions a week for four weeks.

ECU Computer Science lecturer Dr Martin Masek said the app responds and adapts to players’ abilities to make sure they’re always learning.

“Abydos has artificial intelligence built in to the app which monitors students’ answers to different problems,” he said.

St Stephen’s School Director of Analytics, Innovation and Special Projects Stephen Corcoran said that it is a challenge for teachers the world over to teach students the abstract concept of fractions.

“When students can grasp fractions, it lays a foundation for understanding more complex mathematical concepts such as algebra – a cornerstone of STEM and our nation’s future competitiveness.”

Abydos is mapped to the Australian curriculum and is currently integrated into classroom teaching in Year 6 at St Stephen’s School with trials completed at Swan Christian College and Perth College.

Image source: ECU website