DEVELOPING VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING OF INTEGERS THROUGH A DIGITAL ROLE-PLAYING GAME (RPG)

Date

2024-9

Author

Kalkan, Şekufe

Metadata

Show full item record

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Item Usage Stats

81
views

66
downloads

Cite This

The main purpose of this study was to explore middle school students’ evolving understanding of the concept of integers and the addition and subtraction operations of integers. In this context, integers were taught conceptually through a Digital Role-Playing Game (RPG) specifically designed for students with visual impairments. Given the limited availability of mathematics course content, materials, and games tailored for visually impaired students, this study addressed a significant gap. The abstract nature of integers can be challenging for students, particularly those with visually impaired students. This study examined how visually impaired students develop their understanding of integers and the operation of addition and subtruction of integers using a digital RPG supported by the walk-it-off model. The RPG developed for this study included voiced instructions and tasks, making it accessible and engaging for students with visual impairments. This study involved five visually impaired students aged 12 to 14 in Eskişehir, with three attending a private school, and two a public school. Data was collected during the spring semester of 2023-2024 through an integer achievement test, which included 19 open-ended questions, as well as activity sheets, audio recordings, and video recordings. The findings indicated that visually impaired students’ understanding of integers improved significantly with the help of the RPG that incorporated the walk-it-off model. This success demonstrates the potential of gamification in teaching abstract mathematical concepts like integers to visually impaired students.

Subject Keywords

Visually Impaired Students, Role-Playing Game, Walk-it-off model, Integers, Addition and Subtraction Operations of Integers

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/111498

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis