Examining the Differences between the Responses of the Students to a Digital Game and its Active Version According to their Mathematics Grades

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine students’ responses to the digital and the active version of Angry Birds™according to students’ mathematics grades. The relational screening model was used to reveal the relationshipbetween the students’ responses and their math grades. The participants were 26 elementary and secondary schoolstudents enrolled in a state or a private school. Data was collected during the 2012-2013 academic year using athree-question semi-structured interview. First, the responses of the students were analyzed using the qualitativemethod of content analysis. The responses of the students were examined in two categories based on being eitherpositive or negative. 39 codes were emerged from the responses to the digital games and active games. 27 of thecodes were positive while 12 of them were negative. Students whose mathematics grades were 70 and above on a100 point scale were grouped as high achievers. Those whose mathematics grades were below 70 were grouped aslow achievers. Later, the chi-square test was employed to compare the categories with the students’ mathematicsgrades. No significant difference was found between high and low achievers. After playing the digital version, lowachievers gave more positive responses while high achievers gave more positive responses after playing the activeversion.