Design, implementation and evaluation of an educational board game on rule awareness for preschool students according to the game design key model

This thesis study was conducted to examine the effect of a board game designed with the "Game Design Key Model" method on preschool students' rule awareness levels. Design and development method was used in the study. In the qualitative method data, "Semi-structured Interview Form" and "Observation Notes" data were collected and content analysis was performed. In the quantitative method data, "Personal Information Form" and "Rule Awareness Scale" were used. The research was carried out between the 2021-2022 academic year with the participation of 57 students from the Preschool 5-year-old level of a private school providing formal education in İlkadım district of Samsun province. During the research process, the control group was given preschool activities prepared in line with the outcome, and the experimental group was given a board game designed with the "Game Design Key Model". During the research, all statistical procedures were carried out in SPSS 20 program. The t-test for dependent samples was used to examine the change over time in the mean scores of the "Rule Consciousness Scale" of the students in the experimental and control groups based on the evaluations of the game designer and preschool teacher. One-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to examine the differences in the pretest total score averages of the students in the experimental and control groups based on the game designer and preschool teacher evaluations. As a result of the study, although there were differences in the evaluations of the preschool teachers and the game designer regarding the pre-test scores, both evaluators consistently reported that there was a significant and positive change in the rule awareness of the students in the experimental group over time. These findings suggest that the board game designed to teach rules according to the game design key model is a useful activity in the development of preschool children's rule awareness.