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Abstract
Algebra achievement remains a persistent challenge in secondary mathematics education, and although gamified instruction has shown promise, evidence for its effectiveness across national contexts remains limited. This study investigated the cross-national effectiveness of AlgeUno, a classroom-based gamified algebra intervention, among secondary school students in Indonesia and Malaysia, two comparable Southeast Asian educational contexts selected because they share regional and curricular similarities while differing in instructional and classroom conditions that may shape intervention responsiveness. AlgeUno is a classroom-based gamification approach that adapts the mechanics of the UNO card game into structured algebra problem-solving activities. A quasi-experimental pre-/post-test design was implemented with 62 secondary students (Indonesia: n = 31; Malaysia: n = 31). A 2 (time: pre-test vs. post-test) × 2 (country) × 2 (gender) mixed-design ANOVA and subsequent ANCOVA were conducted to evaluate intervention effects while controlling baseline differences. Results revealed a highly significant main effect of time, F (1, 58) = 695.69, p < .001, η²p = .923, indicating substantial improvement in algebra achievement following the intervention. Significant time × country and time × gender interactions suggested moderate variations in gain magnitude across contexts and gender groups. After controlling for pre-test scores, country differences remained significant, F (1, 57) = 5.65, p = .021, η²p = .095, while gender differences were not significant. However, a significant country × gender interaction indicated context-specific gender dynamics. The findings show that AlgeUno is a robust classroom gamification intervention for improving algebra learning across both settings, while also indicating that its effectiveness is conditional on baseline readiness and contextual implementation factors. These results support the use of structured gamified algebra instruction as a promising cross-context strategy, with evidence that structured classroom gamification can produce substantial learning gains while remaining sensitive to contextual and demographic factors.
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Article Type: Research Article
EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 22, Issue 5, May 2026, Article No: em2829
https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18506
Publication date: 04 May 2026
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