Improving Primary School Students' Number Sense Levels Through Scratch-Supported and Game-Based Activities

The aim of this research is to determine the number sense levels of second-grade primary school students and to improve these levels with Scratch-supported activities and game-based activities. The research was conducted using a mixed method with an explanatory sequential design. The study group was determined through criterion sampling and convenience sampling and consisted of 14 second grade students studying at a primary school located in the Central Anatolia Region of Türkiye during the spring semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. Scratch-based activities and game-based activities were implemented within the framework of the lesson plans prepared for the students for 7 weeks. In the study, the Number Sense Test (NST), developed by considering the number sense components and the “Numbers and Operations” learning domain included in the curriculum, was administered as a pre-test and post-test, and semi-structured interviews were conducted based on the students' responses to the test. The data obtained were evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and descriptive analysis. The findings showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores in favor of the post-test. Additionally, it was determined that students used number sense-based strategies rather than rule-based strategies at the end of the process. These results suggest that Scratch-supported and game-based activities are effective in developing students' number sense skills. Therefore, it can be recommended that number sense can be developed from an early age using computer software such as Scratch and game-based activities.