The effect of mathematics teaching which is supported with games on the students' success and the permanence of the knowledge learned

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of mathematics teachingwhich is supported with games on the students? success in mathematics and thepermanence of the knowledge learned.The subjects of research were chosen among the students having beeneducated in 23 Nisan Primary School in Ankara-Keçiören during the 2002-2003academic year. In the research, from two classes whose pre-test average points aresimilar to each other, the students of 4-C were determined as the experimental groupand the other class 4-A?s students were determined as the control group. Theresearch was carried out with 67 students in total (36 students in the experimentalgroup and 31 students in the control group).During teaching the aims and the behaviors about geometrical subjects of theseventh and the eighth units of Mathematics Curriculum in fourth class, after thegeometrical subjects had been lectured by the teacher in the experimental group, theywere supported with games which have repeating and exercising characteristic. Onthe other hand, none of the teacher and the teaching methods in the control groupwas interfered with researcher. Geometrical subjects were lectured through his ownplans by the teacher.In the research, pre-test and post-test experimental model was used. Firstlythe pre-test was applied to the groups before application. And then the post-test wasapplied to the groups after the application. The permanence test was applied to thegroups three weeks after the end of the application. Collected data were analyzed viat-test using SPSS software. Results of the study can be summarized as follows;1. a) There is a meaningful difference between the pre-test and post- test pointaverages of the experimental group.b) There is a meaningful difference between the pre-test and the post-testpoint averages of the control group.2. The teaching of mathematics which was applied in the experimental groupand was supported with games constitutes a meaningful difference in favor ofexperimental group about the success of students compared to traditionalteaching applied in the control group.3. a) There isn?t any meaningful difference between the the post-test and thepermanence test point averages of the experimental group.b) There is a meaningful difference between the post-test and the permanencetest point averages of the control group.4. The teaching of mathematics which was applied in the experimental groupand was supported with games constitutes a meaningful difference in favor ofexperimental group about the permanence of knowledge learned compared totraditional teaching applied in the control group.KEY WORDS: Teaching Mathematics, Educational Games in Mathematics,Teaching Mathematics with Games, Teaching Geometry, Teaching with Game.