The Development of a Board Game to Promote Knowledge about Green Economy for Early School Age Students in Samuth Prakarn

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) develop a board game to promote knowledge about the green economy for early school age students and 2) compare the pre-test and post-test learning achievement of early school age students regarding their understanding of the green economy after using the board game. The sample consisted of 70 early primary school students from a school in Samut Prakan during the 2024 academic year. The participants were selected through multistage random sampling. In step 1, the sample was stratified by grade level. In step 2, matched pair sampling based on test scores was assigned to two mixed ability groups of 35 students each. In step 3, simple random sampling was used to assign Group 1 as the experimental group (n=35) and Group 2 as the control group (n=35). Research instruments included expert interview forms for early school-age development, a board game suitability assessment form, a student satisfaction survey, and a green economy comprehension test. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and a dependent samples t-test.

The research findings revealed that 1) the developed board game promoting green economy knowledge was found to be of high quality. The game was a strategy-based simulation focusing on daily waste management through the 3Rs principle and its impact on daily expenses. 2) The experimental group, which participated in the board game activities, achieved significantly higher average comprehension scores on the green economy than the control group, which followed traditional textbook-based learning, at a statistical significance level of .05. Furthermore, students who used the board game reported a high level of satisfaction across all evaluation criteria.