The effect of using mathematical games on primary school 4th grade students’ attitudes towards mathematics course and their visual metaphorical perceptions

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of using mathematical games on 4th grade students‟ attitudes towards mathematics course and their visual metaphoric perceptions. The study was conducted with 101 students in a public school in Istanbul. Mixed method research design was used in the study. The attitude scale prepared by Baykul (1990) was applied as pre-test and post-test to the students in the experimental and control groups. At the same time, the metaphoric perception form which was formed to understand the visual metaphoric perceptions of the students was applied as pre-test and post-test to the experimental group students. According to the findings, it was seen that the mathematical games which were applied did not make a significant difference on students‟ attitudes. However, significant differences were found in visual metaphors created by students. As a result of the detailed analysis of the elements in visual metaphors, it was observed that the use of mathematical games generally affected the metaphorical perceptions of students about mathematics positively.