THE EFFECT OF EDUCATIONAL COMPUTER GAMES ON THE VOCABULARY LEARNING PERFORMANCE OF TURKISH MIDDLE SCHOOL EFL STUDENTS

This study aims to establish the effects of educational computer games on the vocabulary learning of EFL students. In the research, the real experimental model with a pre-test/post-test control group was used. The application of the study was carried out with 5th grade EFL students in two middle schools. The study group consisted of 166 students in the experimental group and 171 students in the control group. Five different games have been developed for use in research, including selection-matching-space-filling games, memory games, word capture games, crossword games, and millionaire games. Games were prepared by using Adobe Captivate 9.0 program. The students in the experimental group learned through educational computer games. The students in the control group learned according to the current program. Data were collected by applying the academic achievement test before and after one month of the experiment. To analyze the data were used quantitative data methods; T-Test for independent samples, t-Test for dependent samples, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The results of the study indicate that the students who learned vocabulary with educational computer games were more successful than the students who learned according to the current program. The learning in the experimental group is more retention than in the control group.  Article visualizations

Using online game for Indonesian EFL learners to enrich vocabulary

For students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), vocabulary mastery is an essential component of language skills. Vocabulary may contribute to the success of language skills. However, most students had some trouble learning vocabulary. Vocabulary learning requires an advanced technology such as online game. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the outcome of using an online game named SpellingCity to enrich vocabulary, which is a part of modern gamification. The research design is to have 22 students finish one turn game of SpellingCity and then fill out a survey and interview at the end of the data collection process. The result was that all students agree that using SpellingCity increase their vocabulary acquisition besides of also learning the pronunciation. SpellingCity simple interface design is also found to be one of the factors why SpellingCity considered interesting and easy to play by these students

The effects of IPad applications on creative thinking and learning motivation among preschool children in Jordan

IPad applications have positive evidences to promote literacy and academic outcomes among preschool children, but iPad applications contributing to creative thinking and learning motivation are still scarce in Jordan. Thus, this study will help to develop a new curriculum for preschool as part of Jordanian Education reforms. The present research aims to investigate the effects of iPad applications on creative thinking and learning motivation among Jordanian preschool children. The research used a quasi-experimental non-equivalent group design involving 67 children (34 girls and 33 boys) at preschool stage (KG2). The experimental group underwent an iPad applications intervention for twelve sessions (30 minutes each) in a regular classroom setting by a trained teacher. Whereas, the control group used traditional curriculum for the same amount of time in a regular classroom setting. Data were gathered for pre-testing and post-testing using TCAM and MLCT-Scale for the variables (creative thinking and learning motivation). The pilot study confirmed the reliability of the questionnaire. A one-way ANCOVA in the post-test revealed that the experimental group have better significant results compared to the control group in relation to all variables. The significant mean differences were observed between the pre-test and post-test for the experimental group with the main effects observed for creative thinking as a result of TCAM-test, and between the means of the pre-test and post-test for the experimental group with the main effects observed for learning motivation as a result of MLCT-Scale. The findings have supported the use of iPad applications in education which could increase the levels of creative thinking and learning motivation. This study recommends that in order to enhance creative thinking and learning motivation among preschool children, iPad applications need to be updated regularly and conducted consistently

How peer assessment could be interactive and effective

In practical courses, students consider teachers’ assessment of various skills to be baseless and unfair. Unfortunately, due to a lack of equipment, only a few students take part in practical skills performance, while the rest of the students remain passive in learning and assessment. In this paper we suggest an original design to use peer assessment as an interactive strategy and examine its efficiency to improve students’ individual skills, teamwork skills and practical performance in an educational technology course. In the study reported on here, a quasi-experimental design was used, which included a sample of 73 female students divided into experimental and control groups. The treatment tools were provided to the experimental group while the assessment tools were applied to both groups before and after the intervention. Data analysis revealed that an interactive peer assessment strategy was effective in improving individual skills, teamwork skills and practical performance. We recommend that this suggested strategy is used widely in practical courses. Keywords: individual skills; interactive peer assessment strategy; peer tutoring; practical performance; teamwork skill

THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL GAMES BASED LEARNING (ABACUS) ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN FRACTION FOR FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS IN AL-AIN

ABACUS active learn is an inclusive online site for teachers and students to illustrate and learn Mathematics in the primary level. ABACUS is considered as an online innovation that enables the students to have the ownership of their learning through interactive activities that can be done independently in the classroom or spend their rewards in online learning games. The main objective of this study is to examine the effect of using ABACUS on students’ performance of 5th grade while studying Fractions. This study designed to be tested in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates. A quasi-experimental design was used to collect data using a pre-test and post-test tool to evaluate the effectiveness of the ABACUS active learn intervention. Eighty (n=80) participants were randomly divided into two groups of control and experimental. The results of the post- test indicated a statistically significant point of preference of using ABACUS digital based gamed learning for the experimental group over the control group. Specifically, results revealed that students who were exposed to ABACUS actively achieved a higher average score (M= 11.93, SD= 1.738) on the overall score compared to the score (M= 9.90, SD= 1.875) of students of the control group. The research finding will facilitate further researches on the use of the Active learning on teaching Mathematics. Additionally, it gives some recommendations for professional development for the implementation of ABACUS active learn in online learning for the primary Mathematics teachers

The Effectiveness of Using Webinar on Improving Speaking Skills for the Rafah UNRWA Seventh Graders and their Anxiety in Speaking

This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of using Webinar on improving speaking skills for the Rafah UNRWA seventh graders and their anxiety in speaking. The speaking sub-skills which were the study's focus were fluency, accuracy and comprehensibility. For achieving this aim, the researcher adopted the experimental approach. The sample of the study consisted of (48) female students equally divided into (24) students for the experimental group and (24) students for the control one. It was randomly chosen from Rafah Prep (B) Girls' School. The researcher designed three tools; the achievement test to measure the students' speaking achievement, the observation card to observe the students' speaking development, and the anxiety scale to measure the students' anxiety level when speaking occurred due to the implementation of the experiment. The researcher also used the Web based seminar for implementation and the content analysis as helping tools. The experiment was applied during the first term of 2013-2014 scholastic year and used speaking functions in Grade Seven, English for Palestine, Students' book. The experiment lasted for 8 lessons given online through using webinar. The data were analyzed statistically by using Mann Whitney to measure the differences between the performance of the experimental and control group in the pre and the post test. The effectiveness of using Webinar on developing speaking skills was also measured by using Mann Whitney. The results of the study revealed that the webinar has affected positively students' English language speaking skills. It has also reduced students' speaking anxiety. In the light of those findings, the researcher suggested some recommendations that are hoped to help syllabus designers, supervisors and English language teachers in developing teaching speaking skills. The researcher recommends that the Palestinian teachers should update the latest technology tools to get benefit from their advantages

The effectiveness of SCAMPER and CoRT programs on creativity among gifted and talented students

The gifted and talented students possess special abilities. There is a need to enhance their special abilities, ideas and creativity. Hence, there is the need to determine and utilize creative thinking programs that develop thinking skills, their usefulness and relevance as well as their validity. However, there are limited numbers of studies, in particular on the use of SCAMPER and CoRT programs, among gifted and talented students at the King Abdullah Schools for Excellence (KASE) in Jordan. The present study examines the effectiveness of the SCAMPER and CoRT programs on creativity among the students at KASE in Jordan. The study had used quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quasi-experimental research design and tests were used to obtain the quantitative data while qualitative data was collected via semistructured interviews. The experimental group consisted of 42 students, with 21 were in the SCAMPER program group and 21 were in the CoRT program group. The control group was comprised of 21 students control group. The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) was used to measure students’ creativity for pretest and posttest. The research findings show a significant effectiveness of both the SCAMPER and CoRT programs on students’ creativity. However, the research findings show that there is no significant difference between the SCAMPER and CoRT programs on the students’ creativity. Analyses of the qualitative data indicate that the learning environment in KASE is different from other regular schools. This difference seemingly had contributed to positive learning process that improved students thinking ability. The research findings also provide evidence for the effectiveness of the SCAMPER and CoRT programs on the students’ creativity and flexibility in thinking. The findings in this study contribute to the knowledge about teaching within KASE in Jordan and can be used as a guide for the enhancement of learning among excellent students. This study also contributes to studies on gifted and talented students in Jordan