The Effect of Gamification Activities on Students' Achievement in the Sound and Its Properties Unit and Their Attitudes Towards the Science Course

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a gamified learning environment, developed using the Web 2.0 tool Wordwall, on sixth-grade students' academic achievement in the Sound and Characteristics unit and their attitudes toward the Science course. Conducted with an experimental and a control group, the study employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test measurements. The experimental group engaged in gamified activities designed to incorporate elements such as competition, leaderboards, certificates, scoring, progression, and visual engagement. In contrast, the control group participated in traditional worksheet-based activities. Data were collected using the Sound and Properties Unit Achievement Test (SPUAT) and the Attitude Scale Toward Science Course (ASTSC). Statistical analyses, including the Mann-Whitney U Test, Independent Samples T-test, and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, were employed to analyze the data. The findings revealed a significant improvement in the experimental group’s academic achievement compared to the control group, highlighting the effectiveness of gamification in enhancing learning outcomes. However, while the experimental group demonstrated a higher mean score in attitudes toward the Science course, the difference between the experimental and control groups was not statistically significant. These results suggest that gamification positively influences academic achievement in the Sound and Properties Unit but has a limited impact on students' attitudes toward the Science course within the five-week intervention period. The study contributes to the growing body of research on gamified learning and provides recommendations for future studies, including exploring the impact of specific gamification mechanics, extending the intervention duration, and examining additional variables such as motivation and retention.