Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of kinesthetic educational game on students' mental computation speed and achievement. The participants were 63 students. The working group was divided into two separate groups as experimental and control groups. The pre-test developed by the researchers was applied to measure prior knowledge of the students in the beginning of the experimental process. In the following eight weeks, computer-based and kinesthetic educational games were applied to the experimental and control group. During playing the games, number of correct answers and completion time were recorded and the post-test was applied. According to results, the mathematical performance and mental computation speed of the experimental group is higher than the performance and speed of the control group. When the findings about the game completion time of experimental group evaluated, the time of the first game is longer than the time of the last game. And also, the scores of the last game is higher than the scores of the first game.
TopIntroduction
Today’s children have grown up with the opportunities of the internet and digital technology. They have new technological tools such as podcasts, cell phones, iPods, skype and iPads. We begin to understand that processing information, learning, socializing and playing games of this generation meeting technology at an early age are different from our generation. The student generation called “Digital Natives” or “The N Generation” finds technological tools such as developing video games and the internet engaging (Prensky, 2001). In the last decade, computer and video games have been popular especially among children and young people. According to surveys performed with young people in various countries, it is revealed that children expend most of their time in media (Blumberg, Blades, & Oates, 2013). Chen (2007) reveals that the annual income of video game industry containing game playing population with 10-34 years old people is as high as 15 billion in the United States. In the study conducted by Rideout, Foehr, and Roberts (2010), they state that average time of playing video game is about 1.15 hours among the American young people between 8 and 18 years old and the time period used for playing game has been rising recently; 24 min. in 1999, 49 min. 2004 and 73 min. in 2009. Vandercammen and Vandenbrande (2011) reported that the time per day spent for game by Belgian youngsters is about 1.20 hour while the time is 1.61 for Dutch youngsters. Gentile et al., 2011stated that 83% of adolescents and children play game at least time to time in Singapore in 2011. In addition, it was revealed that online games were played by more than half of junior high school Taiwanese students (Tarng & Tsai, 2010). On the other hand, a rapid increase in the number of digital player profile is observed in Turkey.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Game-Based Learning: Game-based learning is a type of game play that has defined learning outcomes.
Video Game: Video games are electronic, interactive games known for their vibrant colors, sound effects, and complex graphics.
Kinesthetic Learning: Kinesthetic learning is a learning style in which learning takes place by the students carrying out physical activities, rather than listening to a lecture or watching demonstrations.
Exergaming: 1.) Exergaming is the positive and engaging fitness ‘experience’ gained by combining exercise and gaming. 2.) Exergaming is a term used for video games that are also a form of exercise.
Educational Games: An educational game is a game designed to teach humans about a specific subject and to teach them a skill.