Level Up Numeracy: Using Artificial Intelligence-Based Digital Gamification to Revitalize High School Students' Multiplication Skills

Arry Wijayanty (Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education, Universitas Indraprasta PGRI SMA Negeri 4 Cibinong)
Yullian Rachmat Yudhi Sentausa (Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education, Universitas Indraprasta PGRI)
Yayat Maskopo (Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education, Universitas Indraprasta PGRI)
Rina Hidayati Pratiwi (Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education, Universitas Indraprasta PGRI)
Nur Intan Hasbullah (Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA)

Jurnal Pendidikan Progresif
Vol 16, No 3 (2026): Jurnal Pendidikan Progresif

This research describes the implementation and evaluates the effectiveness of an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based digital gamification strategy, the 'Level Up Numeracy' program, in revitalizing high school students’ multiplication skills. The study specifically aimed to measure improvements in computational efficiency and explore students' motivational and emotional responses to the intervention. The study used a pre-experimental, one-group pretest-posttest design with a cohort of 47 tenth-grade students at SMAN 4 Cibinong. The intervention was a multi-level educational game developed with Canva AI, featuring leaderboards, badges, and instant feedback. Data were collected through automated time tracking of student performance across two sessions (pretest and posttest) and a qualitative reflective questionnaire validated using Lawshe's Content Validity Ratio (CVR = 1.00). Quantitative data were analyzed using disaggregated paired-samples t-tests and two-way cross-tabulation, while qualitative feedback was examined through thematic analysis using Braun and Clarke's framework. The intervention yielded a statistically significant improvement in students' computational speed. The average task completion time decreased from 812.62 seconds (SD = 295.51) in the pretest to 512.55 seconds (SD = 226.43) in the posttest, t(46) = 10.62, p < .001. This represents a 36.92 % increase in cognitive efficiency. Qualitatively, 87.2% of students reported highly positive emotional shifts, describing the gamified experience as motivating, challenging, and engaging, which fostered a competitive yet supportive learning environment. AI-based digital gamification proves to be a highly effective, scalable, and cost-efficient strategy for enhancing fundamental numeracy skills and learning engagement among high school students. Generative AI empowers educators to create customized, interactive learning tools, offering a promising avenue for addressing foundational learning gaps in various educational contexts. Keywords: numeracy, digital gamification, artificial intelligence, mathematics learning, Canva AI.