The Effect of Game-Based Learning on Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to combine the results of the experimental studies conducted between the years of 2000-2018 examining the effect of game-based learning method on the academic achievement of students through a meta-analysis. In this study addressing the effect of game-based learning method on the academic achievement of students, meta-analysis included 38 studies which had been issued in the databases of Google Academic and National Thesis Center of Turkish Council of Higher Education between 2010 and 2018 and selected according to certain criteria. The study also involved subgroup analyses in addition to revealing the overall effect of game-based learning on academic achievement. According to the research findings, it is possible to allege that Hedgesgvalue which was estimated to be 1.695 for the overall effect size of game-based learning on student achievement indicates a wide-ranging effect. Furthermore, as a result of the analyses, it was revealed that the effect of game-based learning on the academic achievement of students does not differ according to the sub-dimensions of the levels of schooling, the different types of reporting and various disciplines.