Digital Game and Simulation-Based Instruction for Energy Learning in Primary School: Evidence from a Two-Cohort Quasi-Experimental Study

Energy is a fundamental yet conceptually demanding topic in primary science education. This study examined a curriculum-aligned digital instructional model for teaching energy concepts to Grade 5 students in Greece. A quasi-experimental design was implemented across two consecutive school years with two independent cohorts comprising 78 students. The experimental groups participated in instruction integrating simulations, educational games, interactive assessment, collaborative activities, and student-generated video, whereas the control groups received conventional textbook-based instruction. The pre-test was used diagnostically. Quantitative analysis focused on final assessment worksheets administered after instruction. Post-test performance was compared separately within each cohort using independent-samples t-tests, with Welch’s correction where appropriate, and complementary Mann–Whitney U tests because responses followed an ordinal four-category coding scheme and distributions deviated from normality. The experimental groups generally achieved stronger post-test performance. Parametric analyses identified significant differences in five of ten categories in the first cohort and eight of ten in the second. The non-parametric analyses confirmed three differences in the first cohort and all eight in the second. The most consistently supported findings across both cohorts concerned energy forms, multiple-choice reasoning, and energy transformations. Classroom observations additionally indicated enthusiasm, sustained participation, collaboration, friendly competition, and repeated attempts to improve performance during the digital activities. Overall, the findings suggest that the structured integration of digital technologies may complement conventional primary science instruction by supporting conceptual understanding, visualization, feedback, persistence, and collaboration.