Taking deliberate interdisciplinary approaches to tackle problems enables learners to meaningfully merge and apply knowledge and skills from various fields (Lansiquot, Satyanarayana & Cabo 2014). It is assumed that interdisciplinarity promotes increased innovation rates. This fosters learners’ capacity for innovative thought, enhances their problem-solving skills, and improves their adaptability to upcoming societal shifts (Zhou & Bakhir 2025).

Game-based learning (GBL) is an unorthodox way of learning and serves as a versatile tool, useful for teaching specific skills in Mathematics and Accounting education. Gamification is increasingly becoming a strong and innovative educational tool to motivate learners during the teaching and learning process (Silva, Rodrigues & Leal 2021). Gamification and GBL offer a unique way to engage theoretical knowledge in an enjoyable, motivating manner (Nørgård, Toft-Nielsen & Whitton 2017), encouraging active participation in both practical and theoretical aspects of education. Studies have shown that games can enhance enjoyment (Engels & Freund 2020), decision-making skills (Barba-Martín et al. 2020), and even be integrated with technology (Koekoek et al. 2018).

Recent studies have shown that the primary advantage of GBL is that learners enjoy themselves, especially their collaborative aspect and peer-to-peer learning (Ding & Yu 2024; Malan & Van Dyk 2021). Pelser-Carstens and Leendertz (2022) confirmed that GBL fosters engagement between learners and teachers, reinforcing social and academic relationships. The emphasis on student engagement in learning processes gained traction by using methodologies, such as GBL (Quintas et al. 2020). It seems that educational games, when used as a learning intervention, can generate high involvement and engagement in a social context (Carenys & Moya 2016). Lee, Shifflett and Downen (2019) found that active learners are deeply engaged with their educational materials and significantly involved in the learning process. Teamwork, enjoyment, and engagement, which are the benefits of GBL, seem to play a crucial role in the learning journey. Furthermore, GBL can serve as a tool within educational programmes to cultivate the pervasive and communication skills needed by professional organisations (Viviers 2016).

In the area of Mathematics, educational games were identified as suitable to promote mathematical achievements in various domains, for example, problem-solving and algebra skills, strategic and reasoning abilities, and critical thinking. However, GBL not only promote skills but also improves the performance of Mathematics (Che Mansor & Rosly 2024). As the mathematical performance of the learners improves, their motivation and engagement towards the subject also improve (Meylani 2025). Research has also been carried out on GBL in Accounting, and the majority has a positive outcome in terms of the improvement of skills and knowledge (Almuntsr et al. 2024; Koekemoer et al. 2023; Oktaviani 2024).

The idea of GBL includes leveraging actual games, such as Monopoly® and 30 Seconds®, to enhance the learning experience (Wiggins 2016). Malan and Van Dyk (2021) used two board games, Monopoly® and a modified version of 30 Seconds®, to explore learners’ perceptions about developing pervasive skills in an undergraduate Accounting programme. Learners observed that the Monopoly® game primarily honed their strategic thinking, critical thinking, and professionalism, while the adapted 30 Seconds® game mainly improved teamwork, time management, and communication (including listening) skills. Enjoying the learning process was another benefit of the 30 Seconds® game, and learners considered both games to be effective educational interventions (Malan & Van Dyk 2021).

There is evidence in research that GBL provides opportunities and can be successfully used in education to address the improvement of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, social and communication skills, effective teamwork, and student motivation to master subject knowledge (Jordaan 2018; Romero, Usart & Ott 2015). The academic staff, mainly responsible for teaching the post-graduate programme in chartered accountancy at a South African university, used GBL and developed a board game, called the ‘Post Graduate Chartered Accountancy (PGCA) Fast-Thinkers Game’ (Koekemoer et al. 2023), which was based on the actual 30 Seconds® game (Ultra Board Games 2022). Their research found that students perceived that the ‘PGCA Fast-Thinkers Game’ positively assisted them in developing the following skills: Communication skills, integration of subject ‘languages’, time management, short-term memory skills, comprehension of subject terminology and English language skills (Koekemoer et al. 2023). According to Qian and Clark (2016), GBL includes the adaptation of existing games to challenge players at different skill levels for different educational-related environments. This means that potentially, the ‘PGCA Fast-Thinkers Game’, designed for post-graduate accountancy students, can be adapted to be used as a learning tool to enhance accounting, mathematical, communication, reading and other related skills for Grade 12 school learners.

In 2024, only 36% of all the registered Grade 12 learners had Mathematics, with a national pass rate of 69.1% (a final mark above 30%). In the report of the Department of Basic Education (DBE 2024), these worrying numbers added to the debate of concern over the performance of Grade 12 learners, especially in Mathematics. Therefore, effectively, only 25% of all Grade 12 learners in 2024 obtained a pass on their NSC for Mathematics. These figures point to the urgent need for interventions aimed at reducing dropout rates in Mathematics and helping more learners achieve better results.

While previous studies have demonstrated that GBL can be successfully used in teaching and learning (Jordaan 2018; Pelser-Carstens 2022; Subhash & Cudney 2018), none of these studies have explored GBL as an interdisciplinary learning intervention in accountancy and mathematics teaching at the school level. More specifically, it appears that GBL has not been explored as a means to develop the skills of Grade 12 accounting and mathematical learners. The main purpose of this study is to investigate whether GBL, specifically the developed Fast-Thinkers Game (Koekemoer et al. 2023), can be adapted and used as a learning intervention in accountancy and mathematical teaching to develop skills with some success.

A research method regularly used for developing educational games is a design-based research method (Bell, Hoadley & Linn 2013; Kennedy-Clark 2013). This article will be guided by the Design Science Research (DSR) process. The DSR process aligns with experiential theory, combining action and reflection with theory and practice. This approach, through participation with others, provides practical solutions to problems in the education realm (Anderson & Shattuck 2012; Tang & Hanneghan 2014).

A design-based research method recommended by Pelser-Carstens (2022) is the DSR process. Pelser-Carstens (2022) developed the DSR process as a framework to be used to design games for learners that encompass pervasive skill development. When a DSR process is followed to design educational games, the design is conducted in an orderly manner using several phases. Although the phases in the DSR framework suggested by Pelser-Carstens and Leenderts (2022) are designed for games with digital components, the phases could also be used for designing old-school tabletop games, such as the Fast-Thinkers Game. As the DSR process was designed in the same context as this study, and it was used in the development of the related PGCA Fast-Thinkers Game (Koekemoer et al. 2023), the researchers decided on the DSR process as an appropriate design-based research method for this article.

According to Reubens (2016), a DSR process aims to construct a new reality for solving problems. The result of a DSR process can be a product, process, technology, tool, method, procedure, or a combination of these to achieve a purpose (Baskerville, Kaul & Storey 2015). In this article, the result is the Fast-Thinkers Game, a tool that might be used to enhance various skills among Grade 12 learners. The phases of the DSR process include identifying the problem, proposing satisfactory solutions as objectives for the game, developing the game mechanics by aligning the game with the objectives of the game, testing the game, an implementation phase, and, finally, an evaluation phase (Pelser-Carstens 2022). Figure 1 illustrates how the DSR process was applied in this article to design the Fast-Thinkers Game.

The first design phase in the DSR process (Figure 1) is to identify an existing problem and to illustrate the relevance of the problem (Pelser-Carstens 2022). The problem identified was the lack of skills and content knowledge by Grade 12 learners who enter Accounting programmes as a career path.

The Fast-Thinkers Game aims to enhance and develop Grade 12 learners’ accounting vocabulary, mathematical problem-solving skills, and other pervasive skills, such as communication and reading, which may positively affect the learners.

The PGCA Fast-Thinkers Game (Koekemoer et al. 2023) was adapted to be relevant for Grade 12 learners, and a brand-new accounting and mathematical game (the Fast-Thinkers Game) was developed. The concept of how the game is played is described below, after the development of the game is outlined. In addition to enhancing learners’ understanding of Accounting concepts and mathematical problem-solving skills, the research will also focus on developing their listening, reading, and communication skills. Furthermore, it is expected that the learners will have fun while learning.

The board game cards of the PGCA Fast-Thinkers Game included 100 terms or concepts from the four core modules of the post-graduate-chartered accountancy programme, namely Managerial Accounting and Financial Management (including Strategy and Risk), Financial Accounting (Accounting and External Reporting), Taxation and Auditing (including Governance and Ethics) (Koekemoer et al. 2023). Because the Grade 12 learners only have Accounting as a subject at the school level and not the four core modules as included in the PGCA Fast-Thinkers Game, the PGCA Fast-Thinkers Game was adapted by removing the four modules, and the only block (game cards) that remained relating to the theoretical terms, was Accounting. The terms on the Accounting cards were also changed. The ‘Glossary of Terms’ from the Grade 12 Accounting Textbook (Hall et al. 2022) was used as the terms included on the Accounting cards. As with the PGCA Fast-Thinkers Game, these terms were printed on a card. Each printed card contained five Accounting terms or concepts.

As universities require learners to have Mathematics at school to enter their Accountancy Programmes (SAICA 2025b), a mathematical component was added to the Fast-Thinkers Game. A word problem was printed on each card to design the mathematical cards. These word problems were obtained from numerous Mathematics past papers set by the DBE for Grades 9–12. Thus, the Fast-Thinkers Game for Grade 12 learners combines Accounting terms or concepts, which the players will explain, with solving mathematical word problems. The ‘chance’ blocks included in the PGCA Fast-Thinkers Game were kept, and some ‘chance’ cards were carried over from the PGCA Fast-Thinkers game. When arriving at a ‘chance’ block on the physical game board, the team must draw a ‘chance’ card (indicating to the playing team to either move 1 or 2 blocks forward/back, get an extra play turn, etc.). The ‘chance’ cards enhance the game’s enjoyment and add more fun to the game (Koekemoer et al. 2023).

The PGCA Fast-Thinkers Game included a time limit of 30 s to improve time management, keep the game ‘alive’, and ensure a quick turnaround between the teams to keep everyone actively involved (Koekemoer et al. 2023). The time limit was adapted to 40 s for the Fast-Thinkers Game to give the Grade 12 learners more time than the time granted to the post-graduate students.

In the adapted board game, one player describes Accounting terms or reads a mathematical word problem to their teammates, who must respond within 40 s, like the original 30 Seconds® game. The rules of the Fast-Thinkers Game require that, depending on where the team is on board, the Accounting terms must be described, the mathematical word problem should be solved within the allocated time, or the instructions on the chance card should be followed.

At the start of the game – and whenever a team lands on an Accounting block – player draws an Accounting card and has 40 s to describe five terms without previewing the card. If the team lands on a mathematical block, the player reads a mathematical problem aloud for the team to solve within the same time limit. Each Accounting concept or term correctly identified within a turn of 40 s will allow the team to move one block forward until the end of the board is reached. Each mathematical problem solved allows the team to move two blocks forward until the end of the board is reached. The opposing team acts as the referee to ensure that the correct Accounting terms or concepts, or the correct mathematical problem, are described and other rules are followed.

If the team lands on a chance block (after completing their turn), the team will need to immediately pick up a chance card and do what the card instructs. The team that reaches the end of the board first or advances the furthest on board (by correctly identifying the most Accounting terms or concepts their teammates described, solving the most mathematical problems, and being the luckiest with the chance cards) wins.

After the development phase, the prototype game entered the testing phase of the DSR process. As recommended by Tang and Hanneghan (2014), playtesting was conducted to refine the game before final release. Two teams of first-year university Accounting learners were selected for testing the prototype game due to their similarity to the target audience. This group of learners has been used because they closely resemble the Grade 12 learners (they were Grade 12 learners a few months earlier) and come from a similar schooling background.

The researchers inquired from the testing groups whether 40s was a sufficient time limit per round, and the consensus was to keep to the 40s. Even though the teams advanced on average about two blocks during a turn, the first-year university Accounting learners felt that the 40s forced them to read and explain quickly, and it kept the game alive (i.e. the turnaround between teams is quick, and it kept everyone engaged). Therefore, the time limit per round was kept at 40s. During the testing phase, the number of blocks on the board was deemed appropriate. Furthermore, no changes were deemed necessary for the actual Accounting, Mathematics, or chance cards.

Several adjustments were made to the game following the testing phase to enhance usability and fairness:

After the finalisation of the test phase, the intervention game comprised a set of rules, a game board, 100 cards (an Accounting pack of 55 cards, each with five words, a Mathematics pack of 25 cards, and 20 chance cards), a placeholder per team playing, one die, a pen and a piece of paper for each team member (see Figure 2).

The Fast-Thinkers Game was played by Grade 12 learners at the Free State Finance and Accounting Sector Education and Training (FASSET) and SAICA Development Camp in July 2024, as described in the methodology section.

Questionnaires were used to answer the second research question, namely, the learners’ perceptions about their skills development after playing the Fast-Thinkers Game. The results of the questionnaires, outlining the perceptions of the learners on which skills are being developed by playing the game (participating in the interdisciplinary intervention) are discussed in the next section.

The research design incorporated both quantitative and qualitative data collection (Creswell & Plano Clark 2011). Questionnaires were used as data collection instruments after the completion of the game to fulfil the ‘evaluation phase’ of the DSR process indicated in the preceding subsection. The questionnaire consisted of both open-ended and closed-ended questions, whereby both qualitative and quantitative information were collected. The quantitative data obtained from the questionnaires were analysed to determine descriptive statistics, namely frequencies and percentages for categorical data, as well as means and standard deviations or medians and percentiles for continuous data. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. This was described by Nieuwenhuis (2007) as an inductive and iterative process and allowed for multiple categories and subcategories or themes to develop as the researchers immersed themselves in the data, looking for similarities and differences, as well as issues that repeated.

The questions were based on the previous related research of the PGCA Fast-Thinkers game (on which the development of the new game was based) (Koekemoer et al. 2023), which identified that students perceived that the games positively assisted them in developing the following skills: communication skills, integration of subject ‘languages’, time management, short-term memory skills, comprehension of subject terminology and English language skills. For this study, the ‘integration of subject languages’ was replaced by the mathematical skills (see 5.1), as the various post-graduate subject areas were replaced by mathematical problems to be solved during the game. Furthermore, their research also mentioned reading skills that could be developed through GBL, and this aspect was included in the questionnaire. The related research also identified enjoyment, teamwork and engagement as educational benefits from the game. These aspects were also included in the questionnaires.

The Likert scale was used in the questionnaire as it is viewed as one of the most widely used scaling methods (Taherdoost 2019). The Likert scale measures are commonly used in assessing learners’ perceptions (Tastle, Russell & Wierman 2005). A five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) was used to assess learner perceptions, consistent with established practice (see Chyung et al. 2017; Dermo 2009; Diemer, Fernandez & Streepey 2012; Ginns, Prosser & Barrie 2007; Koekemoer et al. 2023; Mellor & Moore 2014).

The intervention developed through this study was implemented and data were collected during the FASSET and SAICA Development Camp for Grade 12 learners hosted at a particular South African university. At this camp, academically talented Grade 12 learners from Quintile 1 to Quintile 3 schools were offered additional academic support in subjects, such as Mathematics, Physical Science and Accounting. In addition to the academic support provided, the camp offered life/soft skills training. Therefore, the camp was an ideal location to test this learning intervention, focusing on both technical and soft skills.

Purposive sampling was used as the participants were the Grade 12 learners who were invited to attend the camp. The sample was 187 (learners who participated by playing the game and completed a questionnaire). Invalid responses were removed from the sample and only 176 valid responses are reported in this study. In the preceding section, it was mentioned that the camp offered additional academic support in Mathematics, Physical Science and Accounting. All the learners at the camp had Mathematics as a subject, but not Accounting, and learners were asked to indicate their highest level of Accounting or Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) as a school subject. Learners who did not have Accounting as a Grade 12 subject may have experienced the Accounting component of the game less positively.

The game requires teams to explain accounting terminology and to read and solve mathematical word problems. This requires communication in English. Hence, the learners were asked to indicate their home language.

However, a breakdown of the results (in the section below) between learners having Accounting as a Grade 12 subject and those who don’t could be a possible future research area. Similarly, a breakdown of the results based on home language could also be an area for future research. Accordingly, the demographic information in Table 1 is given as background information only. The purpose of the article was not to conclude correlations between the various categories of learners (based on gender, having Accounting/EMS as a subject, home language, etc.) and their perceptions. Detailed demographic information was therefore not gathered through the questionnaire, which also ensured the anonymity of learners.

The researchers provided the organisers of the Development Camp with the relevant information about the game. Interns (trained by the researchers) managed the learning intervention (game) and distributed the questionnaires afterwards. Although the participants were not offered payments, small inducements in the form of chocolates, sweets, etc., were offered to encourage their involvement in the project and as prizes for the winners of the various games played in teams. These incentives were not of such a significant nature that they were able to influence the outcome of the study.

The response rate was roughly 88% (176 of the roughly 200 learners in the group participated in the game, responded by completing the questionnaire and provided valid responses). The quantitative data from the questionnaires were analysed using descriptive statistics (IBM SPSS 29). Content analysis, which is a process that allows for multiple themes to develop as the researchers engage with the data, was used to analyse qualitative data. An open coding strategy was employed, whereby the data were examined line-by-line to allow themes to develop naturally without pre-defined codes. The researchers derived qualitative themes based on similarities, differences, and repetition (Nieuwenhuis 2007).

Ethical clearance was obtained from the particular university’s ethics committee (HSD2024/1492) to distribute the questionnaires to the Grade 12 learners (participants). The organisers of the camp, SAICA, also granted permission for the game to be played and to use the collected data for research purposes. Parents of the participants (who were not 18 years old at that time) and the participants were requested to provide written consent to the organisers to attend the camp, and also before participating in the questionnaire. If a parent did not give consent, the learner(s) were still able to play the game, but did not complete the questionnaire. Furthermore, the learners were instructed only to complete the electronic questionnaire if their parents/themselves gave consent to participate in the research. The purpose of obtaining the data and the specific data utilised was explained to the parents and learners before the camp, and before the questionnaire was administered to them. The confidentiality of information obtained and shared was maintained; the identity of participants remains anonymous and will not be made public. The questionnaire did not contain any sensitive questions, and it was merely the perceptions of the learners that were asked in the questionnaires.

The preceding sections explained the application of the DSR process to address the first research question mentioned above. In the next section, the designed board game is evaluated by the Grade 12 learners who attended the Development Camp.

The second research question relates to the Grade 12 school learners’ perceptions about their skills developed in accountancy and mathematics education, and other pervasive skills, after playing the Fast-Thinkers Game. The results indicate that they perceived all the identified skills to be developed by the game, and that time management skills were the most developed pervasive skill. This was followed by the short-term memory and reading skills. Interestingly, the learners ranked the development of subject-related skills for Accounting and Mathematics only as fourth and fifth (after other pervasive skills).

On average, 79.4% of the participants either strongly agreed or agreed that their skills were developed, which indicates that learners perceived the Fast-Thinkers Game as positively developing their skills and, thus, achieved the objectives of the game. On average, only 7.2% of the participants felt that the game did not improve their skills development areas (by indicating that they strongly disagreed or disagreed).

Similar to the research by Koekemoer et al. (2023), the researchers wanted to determine the learners’ perception of the benefits of the game. From Table 2, it is clear that the learners felt more positively about the benefits of the games compared to the skills being developed. The combined positive percentages for ‘strongly agree’ and ‘agree’ are generally higher than the percentages for the skills (except for time management in Table 3). The responses indicate that, on average, almost 85% of the learners agreed that enjoyment, teamwork and engagement are indeed benefits of the game.

In the methodology section, it was indicated that not all learners had Accounting in Grade 12, but that a breakdown of the results between learners having Accounting as a Grade 12 subject and those who didn’t be possible future research. In evaluating the game, the researchers still wanted to identify how difficult the participants perceive the accounting and mathematical components of the game. Although all the participants had Mathematics as a subject in Grade 12, Table 4 indicates that the mathematical word problems were perceived as more difficult than the Accounting terminology. This is somewhat surprising as only 53% (Table 1) of the participants had Accounting as a Grade 12 subject, and the word problems were obtained from numerous Mathematics papers set in the past by the DBE from Grade 9 to 12. Still, the highest frequency for the perceived difficulty level of the mathematical word problems was for the ‘neutral’ category (40.9%), with the second highest frequency for ‘difficult’ (24.4%). The highest frequency for the perceived difficulty level of the Accounting terminology was also for the ‘neutral’ category (26.7%), with the second highest frequency for ‘easy’ (25.0%). One can deduce that even learners who did not have Accounting as a Grade 12 subject were still generally able to understand and describe the Accounting terminology on the game cards.

In the last closed-ended questions, the participants were asked for their perception on whether the Fast-Thinkers Game could generally be used as a learning intervention to develop pervasive skills, as indicated earlier, positively. Also, the participants were asked whether they think that games and fun elements can generally be used in education, and whether they were more engaged during the game compared to a formal learning activity (e.g. typical class or lecture). The responses are summarised in Table 5. The participants were overwhelmingly positive about the game, with 93.2% agreeing that the game can be used as a learning intervention to develop pervasive skills positively. More than 90% (68.2% for ‘strongly agree’ and 22.2% for ‘agree’) of the participants also agreed that games and fun elements can generally be used in education, while 83.5% agreed that they were more engaged during the game than in a class.

The second section of the questionnaire consisted of open-ended questions (as part of the evaluation phase of the DSR process). Most participants answered the open-ended questions, thereby providing in-depth insights and a comprehensive understanding of the learners’ perceptions. It is submitted that focus group interviews were unnecessary, given the richness of the information gathered from the open-ended questions in the questionnaire.

In the first open-ended question, learners were asked to comment on their experience playing the Fast-Thinkers Game. Most responded highly positively, showing that they perceived the game as beneficial, a good experience, and they enjoyed playing the game while improving their pervasive skills. A few of the more detailed responses were as follows:

On the downside, some participants indicated that the game was challenging (it seems that they did not fully understand the rules initially). Also, some participants indicated that their experience was not good, as their teams did not work well together or argued with the opposing team.

Most of the participants reacted positively to this open-ended question and highlighted that the game helps to improve accounting and mathematical skills, and various other pervasive skills. The following responses summarised the general feeling:

Despite the overwhelming positive feedback, only a few participants indicated that they would not recommend the game as they are not pursuing Accounting, and the game caused disagreements between the teams.

Lastly, the participants were asked what other pervasive skills they perceived the Fast-Thinkers Game promoted. Most of the participants indicated various skills, such as listening, cognitive, collaboration, and leadership skills. These skills may be encompassed in the skills already identified, such as teamwork and communication skills. The only other skill mentioned by many participants was critical thinking. The evaluation of how the game can improve learners’ critical thinking skills may be an area for future research.

This study did not explore correlations between learners’ developed skills and demographics, such as second-language speakers, and learners having Accounting as a Grade 12 subject or not. This may limit the results of the article. The generalisability of the results may also be limited, given the fact that the questionnaire was only administered to specific learners who attended one FASSET and SAICA Development Camp in South Africa. The development of the accounting, mathematical and other pervasive skills was further measured only using student perceptions, which can be biased and limit objectivity.