Examination of teacher and student activities in the 4th grade social studies course: An action research

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of using games to teach the "Production, The aim of this research is to determine the effect of teaching through gamification on students' achievement and attitudes in the "Production, Distribution, Consumption" learning domain in 4th grade social studies. The study group of the research consists of 30 students studying in the 4th grade of a primary school in the central district of Kastamonu province during the 2021-2022 academic year. In the research, the "Social Studies Lesson Attitude Scale" developed by Kan and Erkensiz (2013) and the academic achievement test from production to consumption developed by the researcher were used. In addition, student diaries, worksheets, educational games were used. The implementation and data collection phases of the research were carried out over a period of 7 weeks and 15 class hours. SPSS 25.0 software was used for the analysis of quantitative data, and content analysis was employed for qualitative data. The research findings revealed a statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the academic achievement test. Although there was a significant difference in the pre-test results of the academic achievement test according to gender, no difference was found in the post-test results. There was no statistically significant difference in the pre-test and post-test results of the social studies attitude scale according to gender. When comparing the scores of the pre-test and post-test of the social studies attitude scale, it was determined that the post-test scores were higher than the pre-test scores. The student diaries indicated that the concept of "fun" was mentioned the most, followed by "instructiveness," and finally "socialization." Further research can be conducted on new techniques and methods that support students' active participation in the lessons and provide experiential learning. Similar studies can be conducted in all subjects and grade levels, not just in social studies. The implementation of gamification in schools can be increased, and educational games can be designed for different topics to create a productive and effective teaching and learning process. Skills, knowledge, values, and concepts that demonstrate the importance of teaching through gamification can be imparted to students through effective methods and techniques. KEYWORDS: Social Studies, Gamification, Action Research, Educational Games. June 2023, 131 Page