The Master's thesis addresses the use of the Mundus didactic game in primary school.
In the first part, the importance of using didactic games in class is presented. The Mundus didactic game is described in detail, together with its advantages and disadvantages. Ways of easily preparing the tasks for knowledge tests are explained. An important part of the Mundus didactic game, the Mundus quiz, is described in detail. The main characteristics of the internet security knowledge test, which is implemented in the form of the didactic game, are introduced. The main topics are the purposeful misuse of computers, technical protection from internet risks, the copyright law and various forms of misuse on the internet. In this context, the motivation of students for learning, especially in the learning format of a team, is also examined.
In the empirical part, a qualitative study is discussed, which was designed and implemented, examining the impact of the Mundus didactic game on the knowledge of students. The opinions of students of the sixth grade of primary school regarding the use of the game mentioned above in class were also obtained. The students were divided into two groups, a test group and the control group. The test group answered the questions in the test by using the Mundus didactic game. The control group’s knowledge was tested in a classical way, with individual students answering the test on a sheet of paper. For the second part of the information-gathering, a survey was designed, examining the students’ opinion on the use of the didactic game in class. Using the collected data, answers to research questions were found, addressing the question of whether the Mundus didactic game helps achieve better results in knowledge tests, helps to raise the motivation of students and encourages mutual cooperation in a team. The opinions of students on the actual Mundus didactic game were also examined.
The findings of the survey show that students positively view the Mundus didactic game. The group, which was using the game, achieved better results at the knowledge test in comparison with the group where the knowledge test was done in a traditional way, using a sheet of paper. Results were obtained which suggest that there is no gender-based difference in the knowledge of internet security.
The study shows that using the Mundus didactic game positively affects the motivation for learning. The game helped students reinforce their knowledge and encouraged cooperation of students in teams. Most students would like to see the game used again in class. Therefore, we recommend using the Mundus didactic game to teachers, mostly as one of the options to test the students’ knowledge.
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