Scientific story supported educational games used in science lesson investigation of 5th grade students' contribution to academic achievement

Purpose: In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effect of the scientific story supported educational game method applied to the 5th grade students in the science course on the academic success of the students and the permanence of knowledge. In addition, the opinions of the students about the scientific story-supported educational games method used in the study were consulted. Method: In this study, mixed research method was used. In the mixed research method, quantitative and qualitative approaches are used together. In the quantitative dimension of the research, a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was adopted. Quantitative data were obtained with the 'Measurement of Force and Friction Academic Achievement Test' developed by the researcher. The data of the research were analyzed with the SPSS25 statistical package program. Quantitative data were analyzed using the unrelated sample t test and the related sample t test. In the qualitative aspect of the research, interviews were conducted with the volunteer students in the experimental group. Qualitative data were obtained with a semi-structured interview form. The obtained data were analyzed by content analysis. The study group of the research consists of 34 students studying at the 5th grade level in a public secondary school in Eskişehir in the 2022-2023 academic year. Results: In this study, in which the effect of the scientific story supported educational game method on the academic success of the students and the permanence of knowledge was examined, a pre-test was applied to the experimental and control groups. According to the data obtained, no significant difference was found between the experimental and control groups. After the application was finished, the post-test was applied to the experimental and control groups and a significant difference was found in favor of the experimental group. A permanence test was applied to the participants weeks after the study was completed and a significant difference was obtained in favor of the experimental group. As a result of the interviews with the students, they stated that they understood the lesson better, remembered the information better, and had fun with the method of educational games supported by scientific stories. Qualitative findings support quantitative findings. Conclusion and Suggestions: As a result of the research, it was seen that the scientific story supported educational game method applied in the science lesson increased the academic success of the students and the permanence of the knowledge. It has been concluded that the scientific story supported educational games method can be used in other lessons by considering the characteristics of the lesson and the subjects. Keywords: Educational game, Force, Frictional force, Scientific story, Science teaching