Educational games and their role in developing mathematical thinking skills among primary school students from the perspective of teachers in Benghazi, by the two researchers

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the role of educational games in developing certain mathematical thinking skills among primary school students from the perspective of teachers in Benghazi. It also sought to identify whether there are statistically significant differences attributed to variables such as educational qualification, specialization, and teaching experience.

The researcher adopted the descriptive method for the study and used a questionnaire as the data collection tool. The questionnaire consisted of 21 items distributed across three main themes: competitive games, construction games, and puzzle games. The study was conducted on a randomly selected sample of 193 male and female teachers from the original population during the academic year 2023/2024.The results of the study revealed that educational games play a very important role in developing some mathematical thinking skills. The findings also indicated that there were no statistically significant differences at the significance level (α = 0.05) in the teachers’ responses based on gender, academic qualification, specialization, educational qualification, or professional experience. The study concluded that educational games stimulate and assist students in focusing, being patient, drawing conclusions, and achieving a more accurate understanding of mathematical concepts. They also help students develop logical thinking, self-expression, and personality formation. The study recommended that educational games should be integrated as a fundamental teaching method in early stages of primary education. It also emphasized the importance of raising teachers' awareness about the role of educational games in enhancing the educational process.