The Development of the “Confused in a Forest of Evidence” History Board Game to Foster Learning of the Historical Method among Undergraduate Social Studies Students

Abstract

   The purposes of this research were to: 1. develop the history board game “Confused in a Forest of Evidence” to promote learning of the historical method; 2. compare students’ learning achievement related to the historical method before and after using the board game, and               3. examine students’ satisfaction with the history board game “Confused in a Forest of Evidence.” The samples consisted of 123 undergraduate students enrolled in the Social Studies Program, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Thepsatri Rajabhat University, during the first semester of the 2025 academic year, selected through stratified random sampling. The research instruments included the history board game “Confused in a Forest of Evidence,” a content validity evaluation form, a knowledge test on the historical method, and a satisfaction questionnaire. Data were analyzed using content validity analysis, mean, standard deviation, and t-test.

   The findings revealed that: 1. the developed board game was designed to simulate the work of historians by emphasizing the collection and analysis of evidence, encouraging face-to-face discussion and collaborative explanation of historical events. The team that could use diverse evidence to support its conclusions most logically was considered the winner. Overall, the consistency of the board game evaluated by experts was at the highest level; 2. students’ learning achievement related to the historical method after using the board game was significantly higher than before using the board game at the .05 level of statistical significance; and 3. students’ satisfaction with the history board game “Confused in a Forest of Evidence” was at the highest level.