The effect of cooperative educational games implemented in physical education and play lessons on primary school students' mathematical problem-solving skills

This study aimed to examine the effect of educational games designed based on the cooperative learning approach in Physical Education and Play classes on the mathematical problem-solving skills of third-grade primary school students. A mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data, was adopted in the study, and an explanatory sequential design was employed. A quasi-experimental design was used in the quantitative dimension of the study, while a phenomenological design was preferred in the qualitative dimension. The study group consisted of 60 third-grade students enrolled in a primary school in the city center of Bayburt during the 2024–2025 academic year. One of the classes was randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 30), and the other to the control group (n = 30). In the experimental group, activities supported by cooperative educational games were implemented during the Physical Education and Play course, whereas the control group continued with the existing instructional process. In the qualitative dimension of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 volunteer students from the experimental group. The data collection instruments included the Problem Solving Scale for Primary Schools, the researcher-developed Problem Solving Achievement Test, worksheets, and a semi-structured interview form. Dependent-samples and independent-samples t-tests were used to analyze the quantitative data, whereas content analysis was employed to analyze the qualitative data. In addition, the worksheets completed by students in the experimental group were scored using a rubric to evaluate their problem-solving performance throughout the activities. The findings revealed that instructional practices supported by cooperative educational games had positive effects on students' mathematical problem-solving skills. According to the Problem Solving Scale, students in the experimental group showed a significant increase in problem-solving scores following the intervention, whereas no significant change was observed in the control group. Comparisons of the posttest scores indicated a significant difference in favor of the experimental group. Similarly, the results of the Problem Solving Achievement Test showed that students in the experimental group improved significantly and that their posttest scores were higher than those of the control group. Findings from the worksheets indicated that students demonstrated high performance across activities and developed effective strategies during the problem-solving process. Student opinions further revealed that cooperative educational games made learning more enjoyable, facilitated problem solving, promoted collaboration, increased motivation, and contributed to students' cognitive, affective, and social development. In conclusion, educational games designed using the cooperative learning approach in Physical Education and Play classes were found to be an effective instructional practice for improving primary school students' mathematical problem-solving skills. In light of these findings, it is recommended that educational games and cooperative learning practices be incorporated more extensively into instructional processes aimed at developing mathematical problem-solving skills at the primary school level.