BLENDED LEARNING IN PRACTICE:
A VALIDATION STUDY OF THE DARTS MATEK LEARNING MODEL
Máté Bende1,2*
1School of Computer Science, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
2Darts Matek, Hungary
*Corresponcence: bendemate17@gmail.com
DOI : 10.66538/DH.2026.2.1.
Abstract
This article examines Darts Matek, a classroom-based blended model that combines digital arithmetic tasks with darts-board interac-tion and teacher-led use. The study is based on a validation pilot involving six primary schools. Student performance was measured through input, interim, and output tests comparing a Darts Matek group with a control group. The analysis covers the lower-primary classes of the pilot, in which 129 Darts Matek and 110 control students were tested and 213 completed both the input and the out-put test. The two groups did not differ at baseline. The Darts Matek group then improved more than the control group in completed tasks (+17.3 versus +4.3, p < 0.001, d = 0.63) and in correct tasks (+19.6 versus +4.6, p < 0.001, d = 0.84), while the difference in percentage score was not significant. Teacher questionnaires collected before, during, and after implementation showed how the model was used and what made implementation difficult. Teachers generally found the model useful and engaging, but reported barriers including COVID disruption, device access, technical issues, and short implementation time. The pilot does not establish causal effectiveness, but it provides sufficient evidence from student performance and teacher feedback to justify a longer, bet-ter-controlled follow-up study.
Keywords: blended learning; arithmetic practice; pilot validation study; primary mathematics education; educational technology.