Learning, Practising and Competing in Chess: A Study Investigating the Relationship Between Chess in Schools and Standardised Literacy and Numeracy Scores

Learning, Practising and Competing in Chess: A Study Investigating the Relationship Between Chess in Schools and Standardised Literacy and Numeracy Scores

This doctoral study investigates the relationship between students who have progressed beyond the beginner level in chess and their performance on standardised literacy and numeracy assessments (NAPLAN) in Queensland, Australia. The research is grounded in a systematic and scoping literature review of 393 studies, revealing a fragmented field and a notable gap in research linking chess proficiency with academic outcomes. While prior studies, such as those by Sala and Gobet (2016, 2017a, 2017b, 2017c, 2018), question the existence of far transfer effects from chess to academic domains, this study builds on emerging evidence suggesting that chess rating, rather than mere participation, may be a critical factor influencing academic performance. Adopting a postpositivist paradigm, the study employed a quantitative, explanatory design. Chess proficiency was operationalised through rating-based groupings (novice, rookie, intermediate, advanced), while academic achievement was measured using NAPLAN scores across five domains: numeracy, reading, grammar and punctuation, writing, and spelling. Advanced statistical analyses, including MANOVA, ANOVA and t-tests, were conducted to test the study’s hypotheses. Findings indicate a statistically significant relationship between higher chess ratings and improved performance in spelling, writing and particularly numeracy. Furthermore, schools with a stronger chess culture, measured by the proportion of rated players to school population, demonstrated significantly higher average scores across all five NAPLAN domains. These results suggest that chess, when practised and competed in beyond the beginner level, may contribute to far transfer effects, especially in numeracy, thereby offering pedagogical value for schools seeking to enhance academic outcomes through extracurricular programmes. The study also identifies future research directions and raises questions about the influence of school types and chess culture on academic achievement. As a Doctor of Professional Studies (DProfSt) thesis, the research contributes not only to educational practice but also to the candidate’s development as a reflective practitioner-scholar, with a reflexive account of professional growth included in the concluding chapter.

File reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher/author.