The effect of using educational games in the topic of area measurement in 5th grade on students' academic achievement and attitudes

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of teaching the fifth-grade topic of area measurement through educational games on students' academic achievement and attitudes in mathematics. A mixed-method research design was employed. The sample of the study consists of 26 fifth-grade students from two different classes during the 2022–2023 academic year. Two classes with similar academic levels were selected; one was assigned as the experimental group and the other as the control group. While the 11 students in the experimental group received instruction supported by educational games, the 15 students in the control group were taught using conventional instructional methods as outlined in the curriculum. Achievement tests, attitude scales, and interview forms (administered only to students in the experimental group) were used as data collection tools. The data obtained from the achievement test were analyzed using the SPSS-22 program. Since the data did not show a normal distribution, Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Tests were used for analysis. The data from the attitude scale, which followed a normal distribution, were analyzed using independent and paired samples t-tests. The data obtained from the student interview forms were analyzed using content analysis. As a result of the study, a significant difference in favor of the experimental group was found in students' mathematics achievement, whereas no significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of attitude scores. According to the findings from the student interviews, students expressed positive opinions, stating that they learned while having fun and that their interest in the lesson increased. Keywords: Mathematics, Game, Educational Game, Digital Game, Attitude Towards Mathematics, Area Measurement