The effect of game-based instruction on primary school 4th grade students' achievement and attitudes in the unit of "Properties of Matter"

This research was carried out to determine the effect of game-based teaching on student achievement and attitudes towards the course in the "Properties of Matter" unit of Science course. 62 students attending the 4th grade of an official primary school located within the borders of Manisa province, Kula district, participated in the study. The research was designed according to the pretest-posttest and experimental model with the control group, and the Properties of Matter Conceptual Knowledge Test and the Science Lesson Attitude Scale were used as data collection tools. The Properties of the Item Conceptual Knowledge Test was prepared in accordance with the specification table, which includes the acquisition, concept and target behaviors, emphasizing the importance of concept teaching. In the experimental group, the game-based learning technique and game cards prepared by the researcher were applied to support the teaching of the subject. In the control group, applications were carried out within the framework of the Science Education Program by using the teaching method deemed appropriate in the program. Whether the data obtained after the application conformed to the normal distribution was checked with the Shapiro-Wilks Test. Comparisons were made between the scores of the students in the Academic Achievement Test and the Science Course Attitude Scale using the Related Samples T Test, Unrelated Samples T Test, Wilcoxon Test and Mann-Whitney U Test. The success levels of the groups were compared by calculating the effect size. According to the results of the analysis, it was determined that there was a significant difference in favor of the experimental group between the Experimental and Control Group students' Substance Properties Conceptual Knowledge Test post-test scores. It was determined that game-based instruction increased student achievement on the "Properties of Matter" unit and positively affected their attitudes towards the Science course.