The comparison of the physical activity based games and the physics of the 9th grade students of computer education (Strength, movement, newton's movement laws and frictional forces) on the effects of success and scientific process volumes

The present study aims to investigate the effects of Physical Activity-Based Games and Digital Games Method on 9th grade students' achievements in the lesson units of (Force, Newton's Laws and friction force within the scope of the course of Physics and on their Scientific Process Skills. In the study, the semi-structured experimental design was used. The study was carried out with 9th grade students from three different classrooms. The first experimental group included a total of 27 students (17 female and 10 male), who were taught the lessons with the method of Physical Activity-Based Games, while the second experimental group was made up of 28 students (17 female and 11 male), who were taught with the method of Digital Games. As for the control group, it included 28 students (17 female and 11 male). As the data collection tools, 30-item Concept Achievement Test, 11-item Open-ended Question Form, 21-item Scientific Process Skills Scale and an interview form made up of 10 semi-structured questions were used. For this purpose, Physical Activity-Based Games and Digital Games appropriate to the lesson units of Force, Newton's Laws and frictional force were determined. Prior to the applications, the Concept Achievement Test, whose reliability (α=0.75) and validity were ensured by the researchers, was applied to the three groups of participants, and no significant difference was found between the mean scores of the groups (p>.05). Before the experimental process, it was seen that the students were equal in terms of their conceptual knowledge about the lesson units of Force, Newton's Laws and friction force. In addition, the Scientific Process Skills Scale was applied to the groups as the pretest, and their scientific skill mean scores were found to demonstrate a significant difference in favor of the control group (p<.05). In the study, which was conducted in accordance with the semi-experimental control group pretest-posttest model, the lesson units of Force, Newton's Laws and friction force were taught in 2 class hours a week for six weeks making 12 class hours in total. In the first experimental group, the students were taught using the Physical Activity-Based Games Method, while the second experimental group students were taught using the Digital Games Method. As for the control group, the students were taught the lessons using the traditional teaching methods. In the study, following the end of the applications, Concept Achievement Test, Scientific Process Skills Test as posttest and the Open-ended Question Form were applied to all the three groups. The data collected were analyzed using the package software of SPSS 20. In addition, semi-structured interviews were held with 10 students randomly selected from the experimental groups to collect qualitative data. The results obtained in the study revealed a significant increase in the Concept Achievement Test mean scores of all the students in the three groups (p<.05). When the groups were compared, no significant difference was found between the group taught with the Physical Activity-Based Games method and the one taught with the Digital Games Method with respect to their achievement mean scores. In addition, significant differences were found between the control group students' concept achievement posttest mean scores and those of the students in the two experimental groups in favor of the experimental group students (p<.05). In the study, the findings obtained via the open-ended question form applied to the three groups for the purpose of examining the students' capability of interpreting Force, Newton's Laws and frictional force demonstrated that the students in the experimental groups were significantly more successful when compared to the control group students (p<.05). At the end of the study, the Scientific Process Skills scale was applied as posttest to the three groups of students. The results of the analysis revealed that there was no significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental groups, while the students in the two experimental groups were more successful than the control group students with respect to their scientific process skills (p<.05). In the study, the methods of Physical Activity-Based Games and Digital Games were also examined to determine their influence on students' academic achievements and on their scientific process skills with respect to their gender. The results did not show any significant difference between the female and male students in terms of either their achievements or their scientific process skills (p>.05). When the students' achievements and their scientific process skills were compared with their groups, it was seen that the female students were more successful than male students in terms of the Open-ended Question Form only in the group that learned the lessons with the Digital Games Method, and this result was found to reflect significantly upon the statistical findings (p<.05). Depending on the findings obtained in the study, it could be stated that teaching the lessons using the methods of Physical Activity-Based Games and Digital Games reflected positively upon the students' academic achievements as well as their scientific process skills. Whether the method applied included digital games or physical activity-based games, it was found that the game-based methods helped the experimental group students learn through games in an entertaining manner, allowed removing their prejudices regarding the course of physics and let them avoid their fear of the lesson subjects in physics. To sum up, these methods provide students with the opportunity to concretize what they have learned during lessons. Key Words: Physical Activity-Based Games Method, Digital Games Method, Physics Education and Games, Game-Based Learning, Achievement in Physics, Scientific Process Skills.