Effectiveness of digital didactic games on the dynamic assessment of young EFL learners' reading comprehension skill

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Thesis Type: Postgraduate

Institution Of The Thesis: Ondokuz Mayis University, Eğitim Fakültesi, Yabancı Diller Eğitimi Bölümü, Turkey

Approval Date: 2024

Thesis Language: English

Student: FATMA NUR KAYA

Supervisor: Nalan Kızıltan

Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection

Abstract:

It is widely discussed that traditional assessment methods do not meet the needs of current education system. In contrast to traditional assessment, this study aims to assess the foreign language reading comprehension skills of 7th grade students at A2 level through dynamic assessment (DA) by designing digital games. This experimental study was conducted with a total of 41 A2 level 7th grade students randomly selected through accessible convenience sampling. These students were divided into an experimental group (N=21) and a control group (N=20). First, a pre-test was conducted to check the proficiency level of English reading comprehension skills of both groups. Then, computer game-supported curriculum-based dynamic assessment (C-CBDA) was administered to the experimental group through digital didactic games on Educaplay website at which teachers can design didactic games. Initially, students' readiness was checked. Then, during the study when needed, the students were intervened three times in the process of reading comprehension. The first intervention to their perception capabilities reading comprehension texts given was applied by asking them 'to put the randomly ordered words into the correct order'. The second intervention was applied to the students' abilities to retain the information in the text they read in their memory. This intervention was applied by asking students to make word matching with digital visual games. In the last intervention phase of the dynamic assessment, not the digital game but the human factor was activated. In this intervention, students' reading comprehension skills were intervened with non-verbal language (use of body, sign, gesture, etc.). In the control group, students' readiness levels were initially checked; all of the curriculum based dynamic assessment phases were carried out without intervention with digital games. Finally, a post-test consisting of the same question items as the pre-test was administered to both groups. According to the findings, the post-test results of both groups were higher than the pre-test results; however, the post-test scores of the C-CBDA group were higher than the CBDA group. The findings and semi-structured interviews with the students showed that both the use of digital games and dynamic (transactional) assessment in foreign language teaching positively affected student achievement.