The effectiveness of instructional games on academic achievement and attitude towards science learning
Subject Areas : Research in Curriculum Planning
Esmaeel
Azimi
1
(1کارشناس ارشد آموزش و پرورش)
Reza
Jafari Harandi
2
(2استادیار گروه علوم تربیتی، دانشگاه قم، قم، ایران)
Saeed
Mousavi Pour
3
(3استادیار گروه علوم تربیتی، دانشگاه اراک، اراک، ایران)
Keywords: instructional computer games, teaching science, and attitude towards learning scienc, Academic Achievement,
Abstract :
The goal of the present study is to investigate the effectiveness of instructional computer games on academic achievement and attitude of forth grade students towards science learning in the city of Arak. The method being used in this research is semi-experimental research method and the research pattern is of two group pattern with pre-test and post-test. The statistical population is of 1836 students in the fourth grade of primary schools in Arak city during academic year of 1390-91. Based on random stratified sampling method Forty students are selected 20 of them being placed in the experimental group and 20 in the control group. Thus, 10 topics are selected from the 4th grade science book and computer games are produced out of those topics. The experimental group played those instructional computer games and the control group was taught based on the traditional method. Data collection was conducted through educational improvement test and attitude scale towards learning science by Akpinar et al. Reliability coefficient was computed for educational improvement test as 0.8 and for attitude towards science as 0.77. ANCOVA was utilized to analyze the data. Results suggest that those students playing instructional computer games significantly had better academic achievement and better attitude towards science learning than students who were trained through traditional method , P < 0/001. Therefore, the use of instructional computer game is recommended in teaching science.
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