The Effect of Cartoon-Enriched Instruction on Primary School Students’ Academic Achievement and Attitude in Turkish Courses

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effect of cartoon-enriched instruction on 4th grade primary school students’ academic achievement and attitudes towards Turkish courses. The research was carried out with a total of 62 students studying in two separate fourth grade classes of a public primary school during the 2019-2020 academic year. A quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was used in the study. While the cartoon-enriched method was implemented with the students in the experimental group, regular curriculum was followed with the students in the control group. Achievement test and the attitude scale were applied to the students as a pre-test and post-test to obtain the research data. Normality tests, descriptive analyses, Mann-Whitney U and Independent Groups t-test were used in data analysis. According to the findings obtained as a result of the research, it was concluded that there was a difference between academic achievement and attitudes towards the course in favor of the experimental group, but this difference was not significant. While there was a difference in academic achievement according to gender in the experimental group students in favor of female students, there was no difference in the attitude towards the course according to gender. The research can also be applied to other courses taught in primary schools. Different humor elements can be used together with cartoons to improve students’ attitude towards humor in a positive way. In the research, some acquisitions were selected and cartoons were created in a limited way. The study can be replicated by creating cartoons for all other acquisitions in Turkish courses.