Game desing and coding training for 7-11 year old gifted students - Kodu game lab example

When the characteristics and experiences of the people behind the big events in history are examined, it is seen that they are all gifted individuals. The education of these people behind important developments has always been the subject of discussion from past to present. Game design and coding training is seen as one of the important trainings in achieving 21st century skills. With this research, 9-11 age group students; attitudes about game design and coding education were studied. As a result of 8 weeks of training based on achievement intelligence theory, it is aimed to reveal the differences between the field and higher level gains of gifted and normal development students. Also, it was tried to reach the views of gifted students about Kodu Game Lab which is a game design and coding training program. For the quantitative research part of the study, which used convergent parallel pattern converging from mixed method research, "Educational Computer Games Assisted Learning Coding Attitude Scale"," Field and Top Level Acquisition Tables "and görüş Field and Top Level Acquisition Tables" and öğrenci Field and Top Level Acquisition Tables kullanılmış were used to obtain the students' interviews. The sample of the study consists of 80 gifted students, 9 gifted and 15 gifted students, aged 9-11 years, studying at the Potential Gifted Association (PUYED) in Bursa. The scale called "Educational Computer Games Assisted Learning Coding Attitude Scale " developed by Keçeci, Alan and Zengin (2016) was used to measure students' attitudes towards educational computer-aided coding (Appendix 2). According to the findings, no significant difference was found between the attitudes of gifted and normal development students towards educational computer games supported coding. In the second phase of the study, 8 hour game design coding training program was planned with enrichment based on Sternberg's successful intelligence theory and then education was applied to 65 gifted students and 15 normal development students within PÜYED. Students' field acquisition scores and Sternberg's achievement scores were calculated separately. According to the results of the study, significant differences were found in the field and upper level of the students who had a gifted and normal development. There was no significant difference between the field and upper-level acquisition points of 65 gifted students according to gender. In the third research, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 12 gifted students about Kodu Game Lab program and according to the results, the three dimensional image support of Kodu Game Lab program was appreciated by the students. However, the lack of any objects, backgrounds or images can be loaded into the program. In addition, according to the students' views, the program contributes to their imagination and learning programming logic.