Effect of Teaching with Games on Student Personality Traits in Primary School

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Sarı M., Bay Y.

HACETTEPE UNIVERSITESI EGITIM FAKULTESI DERGISI-HACETTEPE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, vol.41, no.1, pp.67-81, 2026 (ESCI, TRDizin)

Abstract

Playing, a practice that humanity has maintained almost since its beginning, begins with life and continues to change in every period. Playing is a very important tool for children to make sense of and realize the world they live in and their environment. For this reason, it is important to keep the traditional games alive, which have started to lose their importance, to pass them on to future generations, and therefore to practice teaching through games. This research aimed to determine the reflection of teaching through games in primary school on the personality characteristics of students. In this research, a basic qualitative research design was used, which is one of the qualitative research methods. Surveying and observation were used as data collection tools. By surveying, students' knowledge of the games, their playing habits, and their sources of learning the games were determined. Information on the students' personality traits in the games was collected through observation. The research consisted of 40 3rd grade students attending a primary school affiliated with the Istanbul province Sancaktepe district national education directorate in the 2022-2023 academic year. According to the results obtained, it was observed that traditional and modern children's games had a positive impact on the personality traits of students. Some personality traits were more affected by traditional games, while others were influenced by modern games. There has also been an increase in awareness levels of the games. The games were adapted to the course outcomes, and thus, it was observed that the students' interest in the course increased. Keywords: Primary school, teaching with games, traditional games, modern games, personality development