The effect of Scratch-supported mathematics instruction on 4th grade students' problem-posing skills and motivation

This study aims to examine the effect of an educational game developed using the Scratch programming tool on 4th-grade students' problem-posing skills and motivation. Today, the use of technology in mathematics education is increasing, and traditional teaching methods are gradually being replaced by more interactive and student-centered digital learning environments. In this context, block-based programming tools such as Scratch enable students to concretize mathematical concepts and structure problem-solving processes more systematically. A quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test control groups was employed in the study. The research was conducted with 4th-grade students attending a primary school in the Akyaka district of Kars province. The sample consisted of students divided into experimental and control groups. While the experimental group received instruction through an educational game designed with Scratch, the control group was taught using traditional methods based on the official curriculum. Data were collected using a problem-posing test to assess students' problem-posing skills and a motivation scale to measure their learning motivation. After the instructional process, statistical analyses were conducted to examine changes in students' skills and motivation levels. The results indicated that students in the experimental group showed a significantly greater improvement in problem-posing skills compared to those in the control group. This suggests that the Scratch-based educational game enabled more active participation in the problem-posing process. Regarding external motivation, no statistically significant difference was found between the post-test scores of the experimental and control groups; however, the experimental group's own pre- and post-test comparison revealed a significant increase in external motivation. In terms of amotivation, a significant difference was observed between the post-test scores of the two groups, in favor of the experimental group. While the experimental group demonstrated a significant decrease in without motivation, the control group showed a significant increase. Concerning internal motivation, a significant difference was found in favor of the experimental group in the post-test scores between groups, but neither group showed a significant change in their own pre- and post-test comparisons. This indicates that Scratch-based mathematics instruction did not lead to a statistically significant improvement in internal motivation within the groups.