Is learning through play really more effective?

How was the study conducted?

On October 3, 2026, BMC Psychology published a study involving 174 fifth-grade students in China. Students were randomly assigned to three groups.

The first group learned mathematics through traditional lessons. The second used gamified activities. The third used a gamified program with an AI learning companion.

The intervention lasted two weeks. Researchers assessed mathematics achievement, learning motivation and mathematics anxiety. A follow-up assessment took place four weeks after the intervention.

What did the researchers find?

Both gamified groups performed better in mathematics than the traditional-instruction group.

The achievement difference between the AI-supported group and the gamified group without AI was not statistically significant. This does not mean AI has no benefits: this experiment did not establish a reliable additional advantage for mathematics achievement.

The AI-supported group did, however, report lower mathematics anxiety and higher learning motivation. The motivational advantage was mainly in intrinsic interest and perceived competence.

How should we interpret the findings?

Play can be more than entertainment. Well-designed gamified learning may help children learn. One study, however, cannot guarantee the same outcome for every game or every child.

The participants were fifth-graders, not preschool children, and the intervention lasted only two weeks. The results cannot be applied directly to younger children or long-term development.

At the four-week follow-up, average anxiety and motivation scores still favored the AI group, but pairwise statistical significance was not formally tested at that assessment. This study did not evaluate BilimGoo and does not directly establish its effectiveness.

A practical idea for parents

The following are practical suggestions for learning at home, not individual recommendations tested in this study.

Try counting, finding shapes or sorting objects together. Ask your child how they thought about a problem, rather than focusing only on the answer. Take a break and simplify the task if your child becomes tired or struggles.

Alongside the sophistication of a technology, pay attention to how your child learns, how they feel and what they understand.

How BilimGoo uses research

The BilimGoo team follows research on learning through play. We aim to improve activities on the platform while considering both the ideas and limitations in this research.

Being informed by research is different from scientifically demonstrating a platform’s effectiveness. The study above did not test BilimGoo, and we do not present its findings as a guarantee for our platform.

About the source

Shao, J., Jinming, J. and Tang, S. (2026). The effects of an AI-supported gamified learning program on elementary students’ mathematics anxiety, learning motivation, and achievement. BMC Psychology. Published October 3, 2026.

When checked, the publisher described the paper as an early publication of accepted, peer-reviewed research; the final version may include edits. This article explains the main findings in accessible language. Read the original paper for full details.