Sanal gerçeklik ortamlarının çocukların oyun ve öğrenme deneyimlerine etkileri
The effects of virtual reality technologies on children's play and learning experiences
Yazar: ÜLKÜNUR TURHAN
Danışman: DOÇ. DR. SENİYE BANU GARİP
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü / İç Mimari Tasarım Ana Bilim Dalı / İç Mimari Tasarım Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2020
Konu: Mimarlık = Architecture

Özet:
Günümüzde teknolojik gelişmeler eğitimi büyük ölçüde etkilemiş ve ayrılmaz bir parçası haline gelmiştir. Bu anlamda eğitim alanında birçok modelde teknolojiden yararlanılmaktadır. Sanal gerçeklik kavramı da bu gelişimle birlikte hayatımıza giriş yapmış, birçok alanda etkin bir konuma gelmiştir. Bu durum, bireylerin bu teknolojiyi
daha yakından tanıması ve hayatını kolaylaştıracak şekilde yararlanmayı bilmesi gerekliliğini doğurmuştur. Eğitim alanında önemli bir role sahip olan sanal gerçeklik teknolojileri, çocukların gelişim özelliklerine göre doğru kullanılmalı, öğrenme sürecinde etkin bir motivasyon yaratmalıdır. Araştırmalara göre farklı bir kuşağı tanımlayan günümüz çocuklarının, geçmiş dönemlere kıyasla teknolojiye daha yatkın olduğu ve adaptasyon sorunu yaşamadıkları
gözlemlenmiştir. Levin'e (2013) göre pek çok çocuk, uyku hariç diğer etkinliklerin hepsinden çok teknolojiyle vakit geçirmektedir. Guernsey (2012) ise, sekiz yaşına kadar olan çocukların %52'sinin akıllı telefon, tablet veya benzeri bir aracı kullandığını belirtmektedir. Farklı yaş grubundaki çocuklar için, teknolojik araçlar ile
iletişim ve etkileşim, ortaya faklı sonuçlar çıkarmaktadır. Çocuklar eğitimde teknolojiyle tanıştırılmalı, ancak doğru kullanıma teşvik edilmelidir. Bu anlamda tez çalışmasının amacı, sanal gerçeklik teknolojilerinin, çocukların gelişim özelliklerine uygun olacak şekilde, öğrenimlerini geliştirecek noktalarını saptamak, oyun ve
öğrenme sürecini bu teknoloji aracılığı ile geliştirmeyi sağlamaktır. Araştırmanın ilk bölümünde sanal gerçeklik kavramı tanımlanmış, tarihsel sürecinden bahsedilmiş, eğitim ve mimariye olan etkilerinin üzerinde durulmuştur. Bir sonraki bölümde oyun ve öğrenme kavramlarına yer verilmiş ve belli başlı kuramlardan bahsedilmiştir. Bu bağlamda tezin bundan sonraki bölümlerinde ise bu iki konu birleştirilerek, teknolojinin öğrenme ve eğitim üzerindeki etkilerine odaklanılmış, günümüzden örneklerle teknolojinin oyun ve öğrenme ortamlarına katkıları
değerlendirilmiştir. Literatür araştırmasından elde edilen bu bilgiler dahilinde sanal gerçeklik ortamlarının
çocukların oyun ve öğrenme deneyimlerine etkisini sorgulayan "Archiplay" isimli bir oyun tasarlanmış ve bu oyun 11-14 yaş grubundaki çocuklarla İTÜ Taşkışla kampüsünde etkinlik kapsamında deneyimlenmiştir. Etkinlik esnasında gözlem yapılmış ve sonrasıda bir anket çalışmasıyla çocukların cevapları değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışma sonucunda ortaya çıkan verilerle, literatür araştırmaları sonucu geliştirilen hipotez desteklenmiştir. Buna göre, sanal gerçeklik teknolojileri kontrollü ve doğru kullanılırsa, çocuklarda oyun ve öğrenme sürecinde motivasyon sağlamakta, merak ve araştırma güdüsü oluşturup öğrenmeyi kolaylaştırmakta, yaparak ve yaşayarak öğrenimi desteklediği için öğrencilerin interaktif bir şekilde eğitim almasına imkan sağlamaktadır. Öğrenciler oyun oynayarak öğrendikleri için, ezbercilikten uzak, kalıcı öğrenim gerçekleşmektedir.

Abstract:
In today's world, technological developments have greatly influenced education and become an integral part of it. In this sense, technology is used in various models in many fields, especially in education. With this development, virtual reality technologies have entered our lives and has become an active position in many fields.
This situation has led to the need for individuals to get to know virtual reality technology more closely and to use it in a way that makes their lives easier. Virtual reality environments, which have an important role in education and architecture, should be used correctly according to the developmental characteristics of children and should create an effective motivation in the learning process. The systemic perspective, thinking and brain structure between the generation born before digitalization in the 20th century and those born in the 21st century at the height of digitalization are different from each other. The difference between generations is largely due to the world's transition to digitalization. Because individuals born in the digital era were directly born in a world where technology is hybridized. From this, it is concluded that behavior patterns, thinking structures and perceptions differ due to the conditions born and grown up in and learned. According to Levin (2013), many children today spend more time with technology than any other activities except sleep. Guernsey (2012) states that 52% of children up to the age of eight use a smartphone, tablet or similar device. Today, children are using new computer-aided methods in the field of education, and virtual reality environments have entered their lives. Although the topic of virtual reality and children's play and learning experiences have been handled and analyzed
separately in the literature, their effects on each other have not been studied. Communication and interaction with technological tools produce different results for children of different age groups. Children should be introduced to technology in education, but encouraged to use it properly. In this sense, the aim of the thesis is to determine the points of virtual reality technologies that will improve their learning in accordance with the developmental characteristics of children, and to improve the game and learning process through this technology.
In the first part of the study, the concept of virtuality and virtual reality is defined, and the historical process of this technology, which can be visited by perceptions without moving physically, can live different lives and travel in different environments, is mentioned. In the following sections, the effects of virtual reality on education and architecture are emphasized. The role of virtual environments in education is an undeniable fact. Being based on interaction increases the desire of the student to participate in learning and prevents him from being passive. In order for the learning to take place effectively, the student must interact with the environment and people. This way of learning also increases creativity and social interaction. Virtual reality systems also play a very important role in special education. With this system, solutions are produced for the needs of individuals in special situations. For various reasons, it becomes possible for people with disabilities to experience activities that cannot be done due to restrictions, using virtual reality environments, and enables them to operate independently from the limitations imposed by their disabilities, and to do them in safety. Architecture is an abstract environment of thought. In this sense, the concept of virtual is of great importance for architecture. The potential of the relationship between virtual and reality for architecture emerges in the revision of the concepts of space, body and time. Considering the relationship of virtual reality environments with architecture, virtual environments differ from traditional presentation environments due to the
possibilities they offer in terms of depth perception. Depth perception is the visual perception of the third dimension of the real world. The depth perception consists of eye information, stereoscopic information, dynamic information and pictorial information data. In other traditional presentation environments, there is only pictorial information, the virtual reality environment takes this situation to the next level with tools and equipment. The user perceives the three-dimensional situation of the space in this environment with data from stereoscopic, dynamic and pictorial information sources. In this way, the user feels his presence in the virtual reality environment. Due to all these features, virtual reality technology offers a perception close to real environment perception. In the next section, the concepts of game and learning are included and major theories
are mentioned. In this context, in the following chapters of the thesis, these two topics are combined, focusing on the effects of technology on learning and education, and the contributions of technology to games and learning environments are evaluated with examples from today. Following the literature researches, Piaget's abstract operational period determined the age group of the children for the designed game, and the activity was carried out with children in the 11-14 age group at ITU Taşkışla campus. Observations were made during the activity, and then the answers of the children were evaluated with a questionnaire study. The hypothesis developed as a result of literature research was supported with the data obtained as a result of the study. All of the children in the 11-14 age group were able to adapt to the game and fulfill the tasks determined using their logic. According to the data, if virtual reality technologies are used in a controlled and correct manner, they provide motivation in the play and learning process in children, facilitate learning by creating curiosity and research motivation, and enable students to receive education in an interactive way as it supports learning by doing and experiencing.
Since students learn by playing games, permanent learning is realized without rote learning. The fact that augmented and virtual reality technologies can be experienced in practical and real environments increases the learning incentives of the learner. Therefore, the naturalness of interaction in virtual education is found to be intriguing by the learner. The individual goes through a process while acquiring new information, and if the
level of curiosity and desire is high in this process, it is easier and more permanent to learn that information. In this sense, the power of the virtual environment in the field of interaction is more effective than other learning tools. In addition, accessibility, visual and auditory advantage, space and time savings, being able to appeal to more masses, providing repetition and feedback opportunities support learning. Learning by playing games; Although it is a data emphasized in the literature research, it has shown its importance as a result of the project data. In this sense, the knowledge learned by playing games in both physical and virtual reality environments is important for children to perceive the experience as real, as it appeals to many sensory areas.
Learning with play stands out as a method encountered in many stages of the thesis and used in the field of education today. In this activity, it was concluded that, with virtual reality technologies, children try to learn the information they experience sensually and physically with enthusiasm and interest. This result can be presented as concrete data for the acquired knowledge to be memorable for a longer time.