Effectiveness of Self-Regulation and Serious Games for Learning STEM Knowledge in Primary Education

Background: The learning of scientific and technological subjects is fundamental in the society of the 21st century. However, a gender gap is detected in the choice of degrees in these subjects. Recent studies indicate the need to take action from the primary education stage to increase student motivation towards these disciplines. Methods: We worked with a sample of 147 students in the final years of Primary Education. SRL and serious games were applied in initial tasks to computer programming. The objectives were to study the influence of gender, environment and academic level variables on the results in the resolution of initial programming tasks and on student satisfaction with their completion. Results: The mean level of results in these tasks was high (8 out of 10). However, significant differences were found for gender, academic level, and the covariate age. With respect to satisfaction, no significant differences were found except in the continuity of work. Conclusions: The use of SRL and serious play tasks promotes good levels of performance and satisfaction in all students, although differences in favour of the male gender are detected.