The effect of the use of educational digital comics in primary school fourth grade Turkish course on students' writing skills and self-efficiency

In this research, it is aimed to examine the impact of using educational digital comics in Turkish language classes on the writing skills and writing self-efficacy of fourth-grade primary school students. A quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was employed as a quantitative research method. The population of the study consisted of fourth-grade students attending primary schools in Manisa province during the 2022-2023 academic year. A total of 70 fourth-grade students were selected using convenience sampling, with 34 in the experimental group and 36 in the control group from a primary school with volunteer teachers The experimental and control groups were determined by lottery with the approval of teachers and administrators. The sample for the study comprised fourth-grade students attending a primary school in Yunus Emre district of Manisa province during the 2022-2023 academic year. Data were collected using the 'Writing Self-Efficacy Scale' and 'Writing Skills Rubric'. The Writing Skills Rubric was used to assess the writing skills of fourth-grade primary school students included in the study, and the writing content collected throughout the process was analyzed in terms of word choice, grammar, readability, and mechanics. The Writing Self-Efficacy Scale was used to evaluate the variable of writing self-efficacy, and at the beginning and end of the implementation process, the groups' self-efficacies were examined in terms of writing attitude, independent writing, reflective writing, and writing resistance. Data analysis involved Kolmogorov – Smirnov tests for normality, Independent Samples T-Test, and Paired Samples T-Test, Exploratory Factor Analysis conducted using SPSS 28.0.1 software package. Prior to the intervention, both experimental and control groups showed comparable levels of writing skills and writing self-efficacy. Post-intervention, it was observed that the experimental group exhibited higher levels of writing skills and writing self-efficacy compared to the control group.