The impact of using escape room game in the light propagation unit of the science course on 5th grade students' academic achievement, motivation, and retention

In this study, an escape room game, which is a different type of game, was integrated into the 5th-grade science course unit "Propagation of Light." For this purpose, an educational escape room game was designed, implemented, and evaluated based on the learning objectives of the 5th-grade science curriculum. The effects of the developed escape room game on students' academic achievement, motivation towards learning science, and retention were examined. The study was conducted with 40 5th-grade students attending a public school in Kayseri during the 2022-2023 academic year. The escape room game, prepared in alignment with the science course objectives, was applied to the experimental group of 20 students at the end of the unit in teams. The control group students, on the other hand, continued their learning based on the curriculum's objectives. At the beginning and end of the study, academic achievement tests on the propagation of light, motivation scales towards learning science, and retention tests were administered as pretests and post-tests to both the experimental and control groups. The findings were analyzed using the SPSS 27.0 statistical program. According to the findings, no significant difference was observed in academic achievement. However, statistical significant differences favoring the experimental group were identified in the retention test and the motivation scales towards learning science. Based on these findings, it was observed that the escape room game activity had a positive impact on students' retention test performance and motivation towards learning science. This research is expected to contribute to researchers and science teachers working in this field, particularly in the context of the "Propagation of Light" unit in the 5th-grade science course.