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VOLUME 27 ISSUE 1 The International Journal of Technologies in Learning ________________________________________________________________________ Kinder Learns: An Educational Visual Novel Game as Knowledge Enhancement Tool for Downloaded by Manuel B. Garcia on Tue Apr 27 2021 at 14:24:10 PM +08 Early Childhood Education MANUEL B. GARCIA THELEARNER.COM EDITORS Bill Cope, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA Mary Kalantzis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA José Luis Ortega, University of Granada, Spain ACTING DIRECTOR OF PUBLISHING Jeremy Boehme, Common Ground Research Networks, USA EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Grace Park, Common Ground Research Networks, USA ADVISORY BOARD The Learner Research Network recognizes the contribution of many in the evolution of the Research Network. The principal role of the Advisory Board has been, and is, to drive the overall intellectual direction of the Research Network. A full list of members can be found at https://thelearner.com/about/advisory-board. PEER REVIEW Articles published in The International Journal of Technologies in Learning are peer reviewed using a two-way anonymous peer review model. Reviewers are active participants of The Learner Research Network or a thematically related Research Network. The publisher, editors, reviewers, and authors all agree upon the following standards of expected ethical behavior, which are based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices. More information can be found at: https://thelearner.com/journals/model. ARTICLE SUBMISSION The International Journal of Technologies in Learning publishes biannually (June, December). To find out more about the submission process, please visit THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF https://thelearner.com/journals/call-for-papers. TECHNOLOGIES IN LEARNING https://thelearner.com ABSTRACTING AND INDEXING ISSN: 2327-0144 (Print) For a full list of databases in which this journal is indexed, ISSN: 2327-2686 (Online) please visit https://thelearner.com/journals/collection. https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0144/CGP (Journal) RESEARCH NETWORK MEMBERSHIP First published by Common Ground Research Networks in 2020 Authors in The International Journal of Technologies in Learning are University of Illinois Research Park members of The Learner Research Network or a thematically related 2001 South First Street, Suite 202 Research Network. Members receive access to journal content. To find Champaign, IL 61820 USA out more, visit https://thelearner.com/about/become-a-member. Ph: +1-217-328-0405 https://cgnetworks.org Downloaded by Manuel B. Garcia on Tue Apr 27 2021 at 14:24:10 PM +08 SUBSCRIPTIONS The International Journal of Technologies in Learning The International Journal of Technologies in Learning is available in electronic and print formats. Subscribe to gain access to is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal. content from the current year and the entire backlist. Contact us at cgscholar.com/cg_support. COPYRIGHT © 2020 (individual papers), the author(s) © 2020 (selection and editorial matter), ORDERING Single articles and issues are available from the journal bookstore at Common Ground Research Networks https://cgscholar.com/bookstore. All rights reserved. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism, or review, as permitted under the applicable HYBRID OPEN ACCESS copyright legislation, no part of this work may be reproduced by any The International Journal of Technologies in Learning is Hybrid Open process without written permission from the publisher. For permissions Access, meaning authors can choose to make their articles open access. and other inquiries, please contact cgscholar.com/cg_support. This allows their work to reach an even wider audience, broadening the dissemination of their research. To find out more, please visit https://thelearner.com/journals/hybrid-open-access. DISCLAIMER The authors, editors, and publisher will not accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may have been made in this publication. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, Common Ground Research Networks, a member of Crossref with respect to the material contained herein. Kinder Learns: An Educational Visual Novel Game as Knowledge Enhancement Tool for Early Childhood Education Manuel B. Garcia, FEU Institute of Technology, Philippines Abstract: Because of its potent force within the educational settings, digital game-based learning is considered as a methodological means to keep up with the changing pedagogical landscape precipitated by technological developments. While educational technology has already established its presence in most parts of the education sector, it is still under- used in kindergarten level. The purpose of this study is to develop a digital educational game called “Kinder Learns” by using visual novels as the game design and K to 12 Kindergarten Curriculum Guide of the Department of Education as the game content, and to investigate its impact as an educational tool for preschoolers and educators. A digital educational game development methodology was employed to sensibly plan, design, develop, and implement Kinder Learns. The game impact was then evaluated by 243 preschoolers and 29 preschool teachers from the Pasay Schools Division of the Department of Education using the Serious Game framework, which is composed of learning and pedagogy theory in combination with gaming requirements. The result supports the acceptance of the game as an educational tool for knowledge enhancement in preschool. Kinder Learns shaped a novel realization that technology has a place in the early education landscape. Consequently, the game has successfully reinforced the positive influence of employing a digital educational game into the classroom curricula of preschool education and the unequivocal stakeholders’ perceptions towards technology use in early education years. Keywords: Digital Educational Game, Visual Novel, Digital Game-Based Learning, K-12 Basic Education, Kindergarten, Early Childhood Education Introduction nside a digital society, indigenous games are highly regarded as foundational, yet also considered to be an obsolete element of human culture in juxtaposition to electronic games, I which are deliberated as cultural and media vanguards in today’s fast-paced world. In the last decade, digital games have vigorously assumed sovereignty in the education sector. As pointed out by Gee (2005), games and learning engage humans at a deep level of pleasure. Perhaps, these primordial human urges are the reason why educational games are still deeply entrenched in the digital culture. In today’s digital environment, educational institutions must comprehend the complexities of incorporating digital games in education in order to survive and cope up in a technologically-biased pedagogical landscape. Thanks to the international research community, the educational use of digital games is not an unexplored research territory anymore. In fact, the body of knowledge is widely distributed over a number of disciplines such as educational studies, information technology, psychology, instructional technology, business studies, literary studies, ethnography, sociology, and history. Discounting the discipline to which an educational game was created for, there are theoretical foundations, learning design features, and game properties that were recruited as fundamental modalities of the game architecture of this study. Downloaded by Manuel B. Garcia on Tue Apr 27 2021 at 14:24:10 PM +08 In pursuance of developing the digital game in this paper as an effective as possible knowledge enhancement tool for preschoolers aged three to five, the proponent envisaged how digital educational games should be conceptualized, modeled, designed, and developed through combining theoretical and technical knowledge with empirical experiences found in different studies. Undeniably, the game concept will dictate how much investment a learner will put into playing the game. Learners, when experiencing curiosity especially in the contents of the game, are instinctively inclined to continue playing the game resulting in a completion of more tasks (Malone 1980). However, as contended by Mildner, Stamer, and Effelsberg (2015), there should The International Journal of Technologies in Learning Volume 27, Issue 1, 2020, http://thelearner.com © Common Ground Research Networks, Manuel B. Garcia. All Rights Reserved. Permissions: [email protected] ISSN: 2327-0144 (Print), ISSN: 2327-2686 (Online) https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0144/CGP/v27i01/13-34 (Article) THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGIES IN LEARNING be an emphasis not only on the integration of learning content but also on an engaging design when developing learning games. Moreover, an inviting screen design, where learners can naturally feel they are playing rather than operating a program, can motivate them to engage more. In general, both content (Amr 2012) and design (Haworth and Kamran 2011) are essential features of an educational game that must be put into consideration if the goal is to create an effective educational game. Consequently, the proponent decided to use visual novel as the game design, and a K to 12 Kindergarten Curriculum Guide, as the basis of the game content, both of which will be explained in the next section. Guidelines for creating mobile applications for young children (Mak and Nathan-Roberts 2017) were also put into development consideration to ensure that the proposed educational visual novel