Board Games in East African Schools

The game project "Board Games in East African Schools" is conducting an exploratory study in Mbahe Primary School, Marangu, Tanzania. This study intends to fill gaps in research, in understanding the factors shaping board game preferences and playing patterns.

Objective of the study is to conduct a game project with fifth-grade students, aiming to explore the influence of cultureand gender in board game habits (preferences, patterns, role of competition, development) as well as the educational outcomes through observations, video recordings and Spatial Cognition/Mental Rotation tests.

Methodology: Fifth grade students play a variety of board games in the school setting. They get to choose between games like Ubongo Kids, Ubongo Family, IQ-Fit and 4 in a row, engaging in daily sessions over five weeks. Pretest and posttest assesments will provide insights into the impact on spatial cognition/mental rotation.

Initial results guide our outlook for future plans, including adapting tests for cultural sensitivity and to enclose schools and pupils with diverse socioeconomic and educational backgrounds and expand out the exploration on the topic of games and play in East-African cultures. We want to challenge WEIRD theories about play and development of play, aiming for a holistic understanding through observations in public places.