# Digital Gamification to Foster Attitudes Toward Science in Early Childhood Teacher Education
## 3 Results  
### Quantitative Analysis  
The analysis of the pretest and posttest questionnaires is divided into two sections. First, the results from the adapted 22-item questionnaire, which measured changes in the students' attitudes toward science, are detailed. Subsequently, the results from the additional posttest section, which assessed the perceived motivational impact of various FantasyClass features, are provided. The analysis of the questionnaire on attitudes and motivation of PECT towards science revealed varying degrees of change across the three temporal dimensions: past, present, and future. In the past dimension (Table 1), which reflects the students' retrospective perceptions of their previous experiences with science education, several noteworthy changes emerged. Initially (pretest), the students generally held positive perceptions of their prior experiences with science education. They agreed that, during their previous science classes, they received answers to questions that intrigued them (Item 1, M = 4) and were able to express their own ideas (Item 2, M = 4). They also agreed that they had fun learning science (Item 6, M = 4) and that science helped them understand everyday phenomena (Item 7, M = 4). However, their perceptions were more neutral (M = 3) regarding the fascination of science classes (Item 4), the ease of studying science lessons (Item 5), and the difficulty of learning science (Item 8). Additionally, they agreed that they could achieve good grades in science without the teacher's help (Item 3, M = 4), which suggests a sense of academic confidence. After completing the gamified course, significant changes were evident in several items within the past dimension (Table 1). Notably, the students reported an increased fascination with science classes, as the median for finding them fascinating (Item 4) rose from 3 to 4 (\(p\) = 0.003), with a small effect ([PERSON]'s \(\delta\) = 0.27). The ease of studying science lessons (Item 5) also improved, with a shift from 3 to 4 (\(p\) < 0.001) with a medium effect ([PERSON]'s \(\delta\) = 0.46) and the IQR decreasing from 2 to 1, indicating greater consensus among the students. The perception of difficulty in learning science (Item 8) decreased significantly, with the median dropping from 3 to 2 (\(p\) < 0.001), with a medium effect ([PERSON]'s \(\delta\) = \(-\)0.39), suggesting that the participants found science less challenging after the gamified intervention. While the medians for receiving intriguing answers (Item 1), expressing their own ideas (Item 2), and having fun learning science (Item 6) remained at 4, significant \(p\)-values (\(p\) < 0.001 for Items 1, 2, and 6) suggest internal shifts toward stronger agreement within the same median category, with small-to-medium effects ([PERSON]'s \(\delta\) = 0.32, 0.55, and 0.38, respectively). However, confidence in achieving good grades without teacher assistance (Item 3) saw a non-significant decrease in median from 4 to 3 (\(p\) = 0.617), possibly reflecting a heightened appreciation for teacher support. Overall, the items in the past dimension showed small to medium improvements, particularly in relation to enjoyment of science and perceived ease of learning it. These findings will be further contextualized in the discussion section, where they are considered in light of the qualitative responses. Unlike the significant improvements in the past dimension, the present dimension (Table 2) showed minimal changes. Prior to the intervention (pretest), the students demonstrated strong positive attitudes toward science in their current lives. They disagreed that science has no connection to their lives (Item 9, M = 2), and strongly agreed that understanding science is important for everyone (Item 10, M = 5). They agreed that they liked