Effect of Game-Based Instructions on Learners' Academic Performance at the Primary Level

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Game-Based Instructions (GBI) on the academic achievement of students in 3rd grade and 5th grade on the Pakistani education system. The overall sample of 260 respondents was chosen through stratified sampling methodology, 20 Head Teachers, 40 Primary School Teachers (PSTs), and 200 students of the public and private primary school. The design used in the study was the quantitative descriptive, and it chose a validated bilingual (English majority Urdu) 30-item questionnaire that was developed on 10 important instructional factors (planning, engagement, motivation, collaboration, feedback, curriculum relevance, resources, classroom management, skill development, and teacher facilitation). The analysis of data was carried out by descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation), item-by-item, frequency analysis, and inferential (t-test and ANOVA) tests. It was found that 85 to 92 per cent of respondents gave the same responses to the effectiveness of GBI in all dimensions as agreeing or strongly agreeing. The average scores were between, 4.18 to 4.31 with low standard deviations, which shows that the participants responded well to the questions. There was also a high level of realization regarding student performance on the subjects of Mathematics, English, and Science in terms of high levels of improvement in academic performance, especially in the Grade 5 because measurable learning improvement on the application of GBI strategies. According to the research results, it can be noted that GBI is a powerful and exciting pedagogical practice on the primary level, which contributes to cognitive, emotional, and social development. The sections of making game-based learning a part of the classroom routine, teacher training, and curriculum designing and reform on the background of sustainability are all provided with recommendations.