الملخص الإنجليزي
The study aimed to explore the effectiveness of a gamification-based educational platform in developing reading comprehension skills according to the four processes of the “PIRLS” International Study, accelerating reading among grade four students in the Sultanate of Oman, and their attitudes towards reading. The mixed method approach was adopted, deploying various tools and collecting multiple samples, specifically the Concurrent Triangulation Design which simultaneously collects, analyzes, and interprets quantitative and qualitative data. This enhances the researcher’s understanding of the research problem. A quasi-experimental design was utilized, with one experimental group, of 59 male and female students, and a control group, of 58 male and female students. Additionally, the interactive qualitative approach was used, deploying interviews with the two applying teachers, 8 students, and 6 mothers.
To achieve the objectives of the study, a set of materials and tools were designed. These included materials and tools derived from the theoretical frameworks of the previous five study cycles for the reading comprehension skills according to the four processes of the “PIRLS” International Study, a list of criteria for building a gamification-based educational platform, and “Bara’a” educational platform and its guide. These materials were presented to a group of specialized reviewers to ensure their validity.
As for the quasi-experimental study, the tools consisted of two reading comprehension tests, reading speed, and a scale of reading attitudes. These were applied after checking their psychometric properties. Three forms were used for in-depth qualitative interviews and focus groups following reliability and dependability checks. The results provided input for answering the quantitative questions and their hypotheses. Hence, the study concluded with the following results:
There was a statistically significant difference in favor of the experimental group that studied reading using the "Bara’a" platform in the post-hoc application of the reading comprehension test.
There was a statistically significant difference in the post-hoc comparisons between the four measurements of the reading comprehension test for the students in the experimental group. Additionally, the rate of change in reading comprehension skills was linear, increasing exponentially with time.
There is a statistically significant difference between the average scores of male and female students (gender) in the experimental group in the post-hoc application of the reading comprehension test in favor of females.
There is a statistically significant difference between the average time taken by the students from the experimental group and those from the control group in the post-hoc application of the reading speed test in terms of completion time in favor of the experimental group.
There is a statistically significant difference between the average scores of the students from the experimental group and those from the control group in reading comprehension in the post-hoc application of the reading speed test in favor of the experimental group.
There is no statistically significant difference between the average time taken by male and female students of the experimental group in the post-hoc application of the reading speed test (gender factor).
There is no statistically significant difference between the average scores of male and female students in the experimental group in reading comprehension in the post-hoc application of the reading speed test (gender factor).
There is a statistically significant difference between the average scores of the experimental group students and the average scores of the control group students in the post-hoc application of the reading attitude scale in favor of the experimental group.
There is no statistically significant difference between the average scores of male and female students in the experimental group in the post-hoc application of the reading attitude scale in terms of gender.
Based on these results, the study concluded with a number of recommendations, including: deploying the “Bara’a” platform to teach reading skills (comprehension, speed, attitude) to grade four students; providing an enjoyable educational environment similar to the learning environment provided by the “Bara’a” platform - gamification-based reward motivates students to achieve and familiarize students in grades 1-4 to speed reading; and benefiting from the “Nahla and Nahil” platform listed in the My Library section of the “Bara’a” platform as a reading resource for free reading classes for all grades 1-4.
