The Effect of Computer Based Games on the Academic Achievement and Motivation Towards Biology of Grade 8 Students

النوع : Mémoire

A computer-based game is a powerful learning tool which has the potential to engage students in the learning process and motivate them. The purpose of this study is to test the effect of computer-based games as a learning tool in the enzymes lesson on students’ achievement and motivation in the subject of biology. The study is held with grade 8 students (n=18) in a private school in Beirut. A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design is used to examine students’ achievement, and the Science Motivation Questionnaire II is applied in the pre-test and the post-test to examine students’ motivation. The time taken for intervention was two weeks. Data obtained from the achievement and motivation tests were analyzed by using SPSS 16.0 program and Microsoft Excel 2010. A paired samples t-test revealed a statistically reliable difference between the mean achievement of the students in the pre-test (M=5.2 s=0.57) and in post-­test (M=8.9 s=0.53), as well as in the pre-test Science Motivation Questionnaire (M=29.6 s=1.6) and the post-test Science Motivation Questionnaire (M=49.3 s=0.55). These results revealed that computer-based games as a learning tool affected students’ achievement and motivation positively, since they significantly increased by the end of the study.