AUTHOR=Saccardo Filippo , Decarli Gisella , Missagia Valentina Irene , Andrao Margherita , Gini Federica , Zancanaro Massimo , Franchin Laura 

TITLE=Emotions and interactive tangible tools for math achievement in primary schools

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1440981

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1440981

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Acquiring mathematical concepts is crucial for students' academic achievements, future prospects and overall well-being. This study explores the role of emotions and the effectiveness of a tangible tool, SMARTER, in a symbolic number comparison task with a group of 59 students aged 6-7. The results show that using video clips to evoke positive emotions can improve task efficiency. Moreover, SMARTER enhances performance more effectively than traditional paper-and-pencil methods across various emotional states (neutral and positive emotions). These findings suggest that addressing emotional factors before engaging in a symbolic task can enhance learning and that interactive technology may give a more significant benefit to students with less positive attitudes toward the task.Incorporating effective teaching methodologies that utilize tangible devices within a positive emotional context can foster engagement and achievement in mathematics, optimizing students' learning experiences.