The impact of educational games in physical education and sports classes on students' quality of life, self-regulation skills, and attitudes towards the class

Educational games contribute not only to students' physical development but also to their cognitive and social skills. This study investigated the effects of educational games used in physical education and sports classes on the quality of life, self-regulation skills, and attitudes toward the course of 5th grade middle school students. The study was conducted using a pretest-posttest control group experimental design. The sample consisted of 40 fifth-grade students (20 experimental, 20 control) enrolled at Boztepe Şehit Furkan Hamamcı Middle School in the Kocasinan district of Kayseri. For eight weeks, the experimental group participated in game-based activities during physical education and sports classes, while the control group continued with non-game-based physical education and sports classes. Data were collected using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, the Elementary School Physical Education Attitude Scale, and the Perceived Self-Regulation Scale. Analyses were performed with mixed model ANOVA in SPSS 22. Findings revealed a significant group × test interaction for quality of life; quality of life scores increased in the experimental group, whereas a decrease was observed in the control group (p < .05). For self-regulation skills, the pretest-posttest effect was significant, but neither group nor interaction effects were significant. This indicates that the intervention had a general impact on self-regulation. Regarding attitudes toward physical education and sports, no significant effects were found for group, test, or interaction. In conclusion, game-based instruction in physical education and sports was effective in enhancing students' quality of life, had partial effects on self-regulation, and did not influence attitudes toward the course. Therefore, it is recommended that physical education and sports teachers incorporate educational game-based practices, as they promote positive outcomes in quality of life and self-regulation.