Yunus Emre Öner’s scientific contributions

People play games to have fun, and they are an important part of children's lives. People have used various materials to play games. With the development of technology, digital environments have also been used for games. The educational game method develops students' discovery, imagination, and high-level mental skills and provides permanent learning. Especially children spending time in digital environments has attracted the attention of educators. It is possible to transfer knowledge to students by using this time used by students in teaching environments or at home. In this study, the digital game developed by the researchers on household waste and recycling was evaluated according to the RETAIN model, and an achievement test was applied. The digital game was developed in 2D and RPG format using the Unity game development platform. It was determined that the digital game scored 46 points out of 63 points according to the RETAIN model weighting table. The research was conducted with 40 7th-grade students taking the course in the 2021-2022 academic year. A quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test control group was used in the study. The achievement test developed by the researchers was used to collect data. When the post-test scores were examined, there was a significant difference in favor of the experimental group. The retention test was applied 5 weeks after the post-test and since there was no significant difference between the post-test and the retention test, it can be said that the effect of the application continues. Based on these results, it can be recommended to use this game developed for teaching the subject of household waste and recycling in teaching environments.

Waste is creating serious environmental problems today, unlike ever before in history. Research has shown that waste recycling has not reached the desired level. Despite educational institutions providing waste and recycling training using various methods and techniques from a young age, the results are not satisfactory. The objective of this study is to develop a scale to assess the behaviors of middle school students regarding household waste recycling. Both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to validate the scale. The sample consisted of 392 7th and 8th-grade middle school students who had already received education on household waste recycling. The data included 177 students for the EFA and 215 students for the CFA from two separate sample groups. EFA revealed that the measurement tool could be grouped into three factors. The CFA results demonstrated that the data were within acceptable values, indicating that the model was supported by the data. The final version of the scale comprised 16 items. The first seven items were categorized under "Participation in Project," 6 items under "Care," and the remaining three items under "Reminder" based on factor names and expert opinions. The Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficients for the three factors ranged from 0.641 to 0.814. The Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient for the 16-item scale was determined as 0.862. It is believed that this developed scale will assist in assessing the impact of various methods used for household waste recycling on student behavior.