The effect of using mind games in multigrade classes on students' social, mental and attention skills: A mixed method study

The aim of this study is to reveal the effects of mind games on the social, mental and attention skills of students studying in multigrade classes and to reveal the students' opinions about mind games. A mixed methods embedded design was used in the research. The sample of the research is Nurali Primary School and Yukarı Akçagöller Primary School, which were selected by easily accessible case sampling method from the multi-grade primary schools in Özalp district of Van province. Of these schools, 19 students from Nurali Primary School constitute the experimental group, and 14 students from Yukarı Akçagöller Primary School constitute the control group. While mind and intelligence games were played with the experimental group students for 10 weeks, there was no intervention in the control group. While the quantitative data of the research were collected with the Burdon Attention Test, Social Skills Scale and Mental Skills Test, the qualitative data of the research were collected with the Semi-Structured Interview Form. Independent samples t-test and dependent samples t-test analysis were used to analyze the quantitative sub-problems of the research using the SPSS 20 program. According to the findings of the research, a significant difference was found between the pretest and posttest of the students' attention test and mental skills test. However, no significant difference was found between the students' social skill scale pretest and posttest. Based on this, it was concluded that mind and intelligence games improved students' attention and mental skills, but did not improve students' social skills. The qualitative data obtained as a result of the interviews with the students were analyzed using the content analysis method and two themes emerged. These; These are the reasons why they love games and why they want mind and intelligence games to be taught as lessons. The reasons for liking games with a primary theme are; They are divided into three categories: liking games because of their form, games being fun, and games affecting their development. The second theme, Reasons for wanting mind and intelligence games as lessons; It is divided into three categories: being a fun lesson, being different from other lessons at school, and playing new games in the intelligence games lesson.