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In Asian countries, mathematics has been taught using a didactic method. It is primarily in the form of drill-and-practice and repetition of instructions (Li, 2006). Mathematics is exciting and challenging. Yet, many children find it dull and boring. Children tend to be negative, less motivated towards mathematics and not confident in solving complex and challenging mathematical problems (Awanta, 2009; Kislenko, 2006). Despite this, children are drawn to and able to solve sophisticated problems in computer games (Papert, 1998; Prensky, 2001). It is really impressive to see children as young as seven to play complicated games, e.g. Yu-Gi-Oh that involves complex language, vocabulary, and thinking skills (Gee, 2008). Computer games could motivate children to learn and go through consecutively more challenging tasks in the games, voluntarily and successfully. It would be interesting to look at how these games engage children in addressing various problems, and how these motivations could be incorporated into mathematics education.
The research question addressed in this study was: how mathematics education could be improved by understanding the motivation of gaming? Three operational research questions were derived to govern the research process:
- 1.
What were teachers’ perceptions and teaching practices in mathematics education?
- 2.
What were students’ perceptions and learning difficulties in mathematics education?
- 3.
How mathematical problem-solving was related to the motivation in computer games?
In this study, data about gaming was drawn from the literature so no experiment was conducted in this area. Firstly, a review of the literature was conducted to understand mathematical problem-solving and motivation in computer games. Then, qualitative interviews were conducted to understand the existing mathematics education in schools. Finally, the author tried to compare and integrate the game motivation into every stage of mathematical problem-solving.