Degree Name

Master of Science in Education (MSEd)

Semester of Degree Completion

1986

Thesis Director

Judith J. Ivarie

Abstract

Games and toys used in the classroom have been determined to be an effective means of instruction. The more teachers know about the games and toys being used in their classrooms, the more valuable these games and toys will be to their teaching and their students' learning. The main focus of this study was to gain understanding of the qualities and characteristics of instructional games and toys that will affect the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of the student at the elementary level. This study examined the criteria that was considered important by "experts in the field" and validated those "expert" judgements by asking teachers to rate the importance those criteria had in their selection and evaluation process of instructional games and toys. There were significant differences on the ratings of three criteria by educators at the K-3 grade level, educators at the 4-6 grade level, and special educators K-6 grade level. There were also significant differences on the ratings of three criteria at the .05 level between regular elementary teachers as a whole (K-6) and special elementary teachers (K-6). The study concluded that research needs to be conducted on a larger scale to be able to come to any significant results.

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