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The study evaluated the effects of board games on children in a range of cognitive areas, considering both inclusion (i.e. pre- and post-comparisons, playing style [board games], participants belonging to PreKinder and Kindergarten, and experimental approach) and exclusion criteria (i.e. video games). Nineteen articles were selected using both PsycInfo and PubMed as databases. All of them, except one study, focused on exploring the relationship between board games and mathematical knowledge and numerical skills. These studies show that in 52% of the analysed tasks, significant gains were found considering pre- and post-comparisons in math skills. When comparing intervention and control groups, significant differences appeared for 32% of the cases. Board games enhance mathematical abilities for children from 45.6 to 100.6 months since they help achieve statistically significant gains. Future studies should be designed to explore the effects that these games could have on other cognitive and developmental skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sentence repetition and non-word repetition tests are widely used measures of language processing which are sensitive to language ability. Surprisingly little previous work has investigated whether children's socio-economic status (SES) affects their sentence and non-word repetition accuracy. This study investigates sentence and non-word repetition using an adaptation of the Grammar and Phonology Screening (GAPS) test. The sample comprised 126 typically-developing Spanish-monolingual Chilean children aged 5;6 from low (n = 65) and high (n = 61) socio-economic status (SES) families. The results revealed that the high SES group scored significantly higher than the low SES group in the sentence repetition task, but there was no group difference for non-word repetition. The high SES group also scored significantly higher on a measure of vocabulary comprehension, and when vocabulary comprehension was taken into account, the group difference in sentence repetition was no longer significant. The authors examine how the differential effect of SES on sentence and non-word repetition might be explained by differences in the language and cognitive mechanisms involved in the two tasks, and discuss the clinical implications of their findings.

AbstractThis study investigates the relationship between intrinsic motivation, mathematics performance, and digital game-based learning (DGBL) in kindergarten students. The research sample comprised 292 children aged 5 to 6 years from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Instruments included an adapted Children’s Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction Scale for measuring motivation and the Woodcock-Muñoz IV battery for mathematical assessment. DGBL was implemented using software designed for training early numeracy skills. Descriptive and correlational analyses revealed significant positive correlations between intrinsic motivation and general mathematical knowledge. However, no significant correlations were found between motivation and early numeracy skills in the DGBL environment. The findings highlight the importance of intrinsic motivation in early mathematical learning and suggest the potential effectiveness of DGBL in promoting mathematical skills, contributing to reducing the gap of knowledge at this educational level. This study provides valuable insights for educators seeking to enhance mathematical learning through intrinsic motivation and DGBL strategies in kindergarten education [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]