The effectiveness of teaching science using the educational crossword puzzle in developing the achievement and retention of scientific concepts among middle school students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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1 Assistant Professor of Curricula and Teaching Methods, Faculty of Education - Al-Azhar University in Cairo.

2 Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, Jazan University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of using crossword puzzle on gaining and retaining scientific concepts among middle school students in Saudi Arabia. A random sample of 60 middle school students (8th grade) was selected to serve the purpose of the study. The sample was divided into two equal groups: a treatment group (30 students) and a control group (30 students). The treatment group was taught human body systems (Unit 3 of the 8th grade required science book) by crossword puzzles while the control group was taught the same unit by traditional instruction. A pretest-posttest design was applied where both groups took a test of 30 multiple questions (each question has four options) before and after teaching the unit. The results show that the treatment group was better in gaining scientific concepts and retaining them compared to the control group. The study suggests including crossword puzzle in science curriculum across all education levels as well as offering training workshops for teachers on how to utilize educational games in general and crossword games in particular to improve student learning in science.

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