The impact of educational digital games on financial literacy in 4th grade social studies courses
EGITIM VE BILIM-EDUCATION AND SCIENCE, vol.51, no.226, pp.301-326, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus, TRDizin)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 51 Issue: 226
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.15390/es.2026.2512
- Journal Name: EGITIM VE BILIM-EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
- Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, EBSCO Education Source, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM), Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Education Collection (ProQuest), Education Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Page Numbers: pp.301-326
- Anadolu University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
In a rapidly digitizing world, technological developments offer significant opportunities in all areas, including education. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of educational digital games on the acquisition of financial literacy skills in social studies courses. A mixed research method involving an embedded experimental design was used in this study. The study group consisted of a total of 54 fourth-grade elementary school students attending a public school, selected using criterion sampling and simple random sampling methods. Of these students, 27 were assigned to the experimental group and 27 to the control group. Quantitative data were collected using the Financial Literacy Scale for Elementary School Students and the Financial Literacy Academic Achievement Test, while qualitative data were collected through student journals, field notes, researcher journals, and semi-structured interviews. Because the quantitative data showed a normal distribution, parametric tests were used: t-tests for dependent and independent samples and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Effect sizes were calculated for the results obtained from the paired-sample t-test. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The findings show that teaching through educational digital games increases students' academic achievement, positively affects the sustainability of learning, and improves financial literacy. Furthermore, the qualitative results reveal that students understand the courses better, enjoy themselves during class, enjoy the time they spend in class, and are more motivated when courses are taught using educational digital games. In this study, educational digital games were used in the financial literacy education process. For future research, it is recommended that comprehensive studies be conducted to comparatively evaluate the effectiveness of different teaching methods. Such studies can contribute to determining the most effective teaching strategies for imparting financial literacy skills, especially for educators and policymakers.