The Role of Mind and Intelligence Games in Supporting Student Development: A Focus on Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor Domains

his study aims to examine the contributions of mind and intelligence games (chess, mancala, kulami, reversi, globe, pentago) to the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domain development of secondary school students (5th-6th-7th grades) according to the views of teachers, parents, and students. As a qualitative research design and a case study, this study employed purposive sampling to determine participants. The participants consisted of 30 students, 10 teachers, and 10 parents from a secondary school during the 2022-2023 academic year. An interview was preferred as the data collection technique. Student interviews were conducted using a focused interview technique at each grade level. Semi-structured interview forms were used as the data collection tool. Descriptive analysis and thematic coding were employed for data analysis. According to the findings, mind and intelligence games contributed to cognitive domain development in terms of thinking skills, academic achievement, decision-making abilities, and social learning dimensions; affective domain development in terms of values education, social skills, motivation, and attitudes dimensions; and psychomotor domain development in terms of coordination, fine motor skills, and reflex dimensions. Based on these findings, it is recommended that mind and intelligence games be included in curricula from preschool to university, that schools receive support for game materials, and that teachers receive training to use these games in the classroom.