Students’ Perceptions of the Benefits of Scholastic Chess Instruction - A journal of educational research and practice 2021 Vol. 31 (1) 39-51

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr

This paper explores students’ perceptions of the benefits of chess-based instruction as part of a Chess in Schools (CIS) program implemented in 2017–2018 by a State Department of Education in the southeastern United States. Data were collected via a cross-sectional student survey administered at the end of the academic year after one year of exposure to CIS. Survey results from 1,286 students across grade levels show a majority reported multiple positive outcomes, supporting a broader understanding of chess’s holistic impact beyond test scores and GPA measures.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Program context and data collection

Reported positive outcomes

Cognitive outcomes

Noncognitive aspects

Students’ Perceptions of the Benefits of Scholastic Chess Instruction A journal of educational research and practice 2021 Vol. 31 (1) 39-51 [https://journals.library.brocku.ca/brocked](https://journals.library.brocku.ca/brocked) George Chitiyo 1*, Lisa Zagumny 1 , Michael N. Littrell 1 , Kevin Besnoy2 , Ashley B. Akenson 1 , Krista M. Davis 1 , Cephas Ablakwa 1 , Marlana Lastres 1 1 Tennessee Technological University 2 University of Alabama Abstract This paper explores students’ perceptions of the benefits of chess-based instruction as part of an evaluation of a Chess in Schools (CIS) program implemented in 2017-2018 by a State Department of Education in the southeastern United States. The data were collected using across-sectional survey administered to students at the end of the academic year after 1 year of exposure to the CIS program. Results from the student survey responses (n = 1,286) indicated that a majority of students across all grade levels felt they had experienced a variety of positive outcomes because of their exposure to scholastic chess-based instruction. These perceived positive outcomes are beneficial for understanding the holistic impact of chess-based learning as they provide insight beyond measuring students solely on test scores or GPA metrics. Keywords: scholastic chess instruction, chess-based instruction, student perceptions, chess benefits * [gchitiyo@tntech.edu](gchitiyo@tntech.edu) Thoughtfully playing a game of chess is an engaging mental experience. The inherent strategic nature of chess demands analytical awareness of its workings from players , and somehow the game can be enjoyable and accessible despite its depth and complexity. A skilled chess player must examine the current position of the pieces on the board and think carefully about moves that have yet to occur (Gumede et al. , 2017) . In addition to mere fun and entertainment, chess has many potential benefits and positive effects , including intellectual maturation, critical reasoning, and logical thinking. Chess players are also presumed to perform better academically than non-chess players , especially in mathematics and other disciplines that require systematic thinking (Gumede et al. , 2017) . Other virtues promoted by chess include increasing players’ sense of patience, community, planning, and self-esteem (Aciego et al. , 2012) . According to Aciego et al. (2012) ,“chess helps to develop intellective thinking, improving all the skills and capacities that are related to intelligence”(p. 552) . It is not only the intellect that is stimulated when playing chess; socio-affective abilities are potentially impacted as well (Aciego et al. , 2012) . Any instructional intervention or educational tool is only as good as its ability to produce a desired effect on learners. For example, there have been some successes with the near-transfer of learning in settings where teachers utilized chess as an instructional strategy to impart subject-area content knowledge or to increase measurable academic achievement levels (Sala & Gobet, 2016) . Near-transfer occurs when learning from one domain is transferred to another closely related domain. An example of this could be a student who learns about chemistry and is able to apply this knowledge to the subject of biology. Researchers have speculated that mathematics and chess occupy a similar subject domain , which could account for learning transfer as evidenced by academically related metrics (Ferreira & Palhares , 2008; Sala & Gobet, 2016) . Far transfer, on the other hand, is when a subject from one domain is transferred to a subject that is not obviously related. An example of this could be when a student learns about mathematics and is able to apply this knowledge to the subject of history. However, some chess researchers have argued that far transfer is rare or nonexistent (Gobet & Campitelli, 2006; Sala & Gobet, 2017) . Chess can be introduced readily into an instruction

FAQs

What program was evaluated in the study?

The study evaluates a Chess in Schools (CIS) program implemented in 2017–2018 by a State Department of Education in the southeastern United States.

How were student perceptions measured?

Student perceptions were measured using a cross-sectional survey administered at the end of the academic year after one year of exposure to the CIS program.

What did students report after participating?

Most students across all grade levels reported experiencing a variety of positive outcomes from exposure to scholastic, chess-based instruction.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr