The Educational Effectiveness of Didactical Games in Project-based Science Learning among 5th Grade Students

The purpose of this study was to examine how the use of didactic games in teaching science affects the learning environment, achievement, and motivation among primary school students. The research population consisted of 188 5th grade students from two primary schools. This group was divided into an experimental group and a control group. The research tools consisted of two questionnaires: one to determine the motivation to study science, and the other to determine the learning environment. Moreover, a pre-test in science was administered before the intervention and a post-test was administered afterwards. In addition, 20 pupils were interviewed. It was found that the use of didactic games in teaching significantly increases student motivation to learn science and that it has a positive effect on all the components of the “learning environment”, as perceived by the students. In classes in which didactic games were used, the classroom atmosphere improved more than in classes where such games were not used.