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DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF GAME-BASED LESSONS
IN Science AND HEALTH
MITZY MENOR MACARAEG
Faculty, Pangasinan State University
Bayambang, Pangasinan
ABSTRACT
Observing children at play the researcher sees excitement, involvement, and concentration. The researcher then thought: “what if teachers can raise the pupils’ level of performance in Science and Health with this level of enthusiasm of pupils in playing games?” This study aimed to develop and validate Game-Based Lessons (GBLs) in teaching Science and Health V using the research and development method, one-shot case study design, and four sets of questionnaire/checklist as instruments. The developed and validated GBLs were then implemented to the Grade V pupils of PSU Laboratory Elementary School. Results show that 100% of the class using GBLs passed the Science and Health quizzes and a very satisfactory performance was gained. The findings imply that GBLs can be used by teachers as their instructional material to improve the performance of their pupils in Science and Health. Teachers are then highly encouraged to use games in their teaching whenever needed.
Keywords: Game-Based Lessons, instructional material, level of performance in Science, level of enthusiasm in playing games, one-shot case study design, questionnaire/checklist
Introduction
It is sad to note that despite the full support the government extends to Science and Technology education, evidences of poor performances are noted among Filipino learners. The poor test results in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the National Achievement Test (NAT) show evidence of numerous and persistent learning gaps. Both of these international and local Science Education statuses raised some concern to the researcher that moved her to think what could probably be done to improve the level of performance of Filipino learners in Science. How can teacher’s best design instruction so that learning will take place?
Science can be a difficult subject for pupils to master and it gets more complicated as the lessons progress. However, according to Knapp (2006), using games to teach science could help pupils learn science in several ways. By making learning easy and fun, the teacher could ensure that the material imparted is received, understood, and retained. Malone and Lepper (2001) support this theory of Knapp. According to them, games could be an excellent method of teaching science. Pupils could get interested in a subject they enjoy, and games could create that enjoyment.
There are also many different theories of how people learn. But these learning theories would also depend on the teaching theories applied in the classroom. The main theory in which this study is anchored is based on Activity Theory which offers a framework with strong intuitive appeal for researchers developing educational games. Activity theory claims that when individuals engage and interact with their environment, production of tools results. These tools are "exteriorized" forms of mental processes, and as these mental processes are manifested in tools, they become more readily accessible and communicable to other people, thereafter becoming useful for social interaction.
Another theory for which this study is also anchored is Motivation Theory attributed to Frederick Herzberg. It is concerned with the processes that describe why and how human behavior is activated and directed. Learners who are motivated can learn almost everything.
Meanwhile, the Theory of Engagement proposed by Kearsley & Shneiderman (2001) was also applied in this study. The theory focuses attention on student motivation and the strategies needed to increase the prospect that schools and teachers will be positioned to increase the presence of engaging tasks and activities in the routine life of the school. The fundamental idea underlying Engagement Theory is that pupils must be meaningfully engaged in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks. Pupils are intrinsically motivated to learn due to the meaningful nature of the learning environment and activities like the Game-Based Lessons in this study.
The Theory of Facilitative Learning or Facilitation Theory of Carl Rogers has also contributed to this study. The basic premise of this theory is that learning will occur with the educator acting as a facilitator, that is, by establishing an atmosphere in which learners feel comfortable to consider new ideas and are not threatened by external factors (Dean, 2009). Different kinds of games were used to make the learners feel comfortable in learning. It was used by the teacher in this study to facilitate the discussion.
The aforementioned statements, researches, theories and principles motivated the researcher to develop and validate Game-Based Lessons (GBLs) in teaching Science and Health V. It is the aim of the researcher to adopt naturally-motivating games in the Science classroom and create a learning environment that is fun and interesting.
The researcher believes that the findings of this study would benefit the pupils/students. Games can present information to them in a less threatening, fun-oriented environment. It can give them a feeling that they are doing something different, yet, are having fun in class. Games can reach kids who would not otherwise participate. Science Teachers can also gain wisdom from this study. The more a teacher can incorporate a fun twist in the classroom, the less resistant the pupils will be to learning. Games could allow a different type of setting where the teacher could use all learning modes to get his/her information across. According to Knapp (2006), using games to teach science could help pupils learn science in several ways. By making learning easy and fun, the Science teacher could ensure that the material imparted is received, understood, and retained. The administrators, as well, would be satisfied knowing that their teachers would become more effective in teaching through the use of the validated Game-Based Lessons, thus, improving the performance of the pupils. The result of this study could also provide researchers valuable information on the use of games in teaching Science and Health. It would serve as basis for further in-depth study on the effectiveness of using games to enhance science teaching. It will also serve as a reference for future researchers who aim to develop and validate instructional materials in their respective fields of specialization.
Methodology
Two groups of respondents were involved in this study: teachers and pupils. The first teacher-respondents were the 27 Grade 5 Science teachers in all the elementary schools of Bayambang District II, Bayambang, Pangasinan. They assessed the status of instructional materials in the form of textbooks and reference books used in teaching Science and Health V in terms of availability, relevance of content, suitability, and coverage. The second teacher-respondents were the five field experts in Science Education. They evaluated the Game-Based Lessons in order to establish its content validity in terms of the objectives, lessons, and activities. Likewise, they also assessed the acceptability of the Game- Based Lessons along the following areas: objectives, content, activities, and organization and presentation. The pupil-respondents were the 41 Grade 5 pupils of Pangasinan State University- Laboratory Elementary School (PSU-LES), Bayambang, Pangasinan for the school year 2010-2011. In trying out the developed Game-Based Lessons, the pupil-respondents were employed as subjects. It is emphasized that there is only one section, heterogeneously grouped, for each grade at PSU-LES, hence, all the 41 pupils were the subjects for this study.
Four sets of questionnaires/checklists were used in this study. The Questionnaire Checklist on the Attitudes of Grade Five Pupils toward Games for Fun and for Learning was used to conduct an attitudinal survey on games and to determine the need to pursue the study. A Questionnaire Checklist on the Status of Instructional Materials in Science and Health V was used to determine the availability, relevance of the content, suitability, and coverage of the existing materials used by the teachers as textbooks and references for teaching Science and Health V. Checklist on the Evaluative Assessment of the Game-Based Lessons in Teaching Science and Health V was used to determine the content validity of the Game-Based Lessons along objectives, lessons, and activities. While an Evaluation Checklist on the Level of Acceptability of the Game-Based Lessons in Teaching Science and Health V was used to determine the acceptability of the Game-Based Lessons along objectives, content, activities, and organization/presentation.
This study employed the research and development method. This method is most appropriate to use when a product such as an instructional material is developed, validated, and tried out to determine its impact in bringing about the learning outcomes and objectives. The researcher followed five stages in the development and validation of Game-Based Lessons patterned from the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) by Christopher Pappas.
The descriptive research method was also used to determine the status of instructional materials in the elementary schools of Bayambang District II and to ascertain the attitudes of Grade V pupils at Pangasinan State University- Laboratory Elementary School toward games for fun and for learning. The researcher opted to use this research method considering the objective to obtain first hand data from the respondents. The descriptive method is advantageous for the researcher due to its flexibility; this method can use either qualitative or quantitative data or both, giving the researcher greater options in selecting the instrument for data-gathering. The descriptive method is appropriate for this research since this method is used for gathering prevailing conditions. It is essential that the researcher already has a clear view or picture of the phenomena being investigated before the data collection procedure is carried out. It aims to describe what current conditions or attitudes exist at the moment.
This study also utilized the experimental research method. Specifically, the one-shot case study design was used to look into how well every pupil improved in their quizzes at the end of the Game-Based Lessons. The researcher’s Grade V pupils were exposed to the treatment. A posttest was given after every lesson to observe the impact of the Game-Based Lessons in teaching Science and Health. The lessons included are Vertebrates and Invertebrates; Ten Well-known Phyla of Animals; Five Major Classes of Vertebrates; Herbivores, Carnivores, Omnivores, Detrivores; Adaptations of Animals for Getting Food; Adaptations of Animals for Protection and Defense; Behavioral Adaptations of Animals; Classification of Plants; Needs and Uses of Plants; Medicinal Plants; Plant Adaptation; and, Balance of Nature.
To establish content validity of the Game-Based Lessons, five Science experts assessed the objectives, lessons, and activities. Their comments and suggestions were taken into account for the revision and improvement of the GBLs. After incorporating the comments and suggestions of the validators, the Game-Based Lessons were then tried out to the Grade V pupils of PSU-LES. Test was conducted after each lesson to evaluate the impact of the Game-Based Lessons in teaching Science and Health V.
The data gathered were organized, analyzed, and interpreted in accordance with the presentation of the specific problems. The result of the attitudinal survey for Grade V pupils were computed using the average weighted mean (AWM). The AWM was also used to describe the status of instructional materials in teaching Science and Health V.
The content validity of the Game-Based Lessons in teaching Science and Health V in terms of objectives, lessons and activities, were determined using the following statistical limits with the corresponding interpretations: 4.21-5.00 as Very Highly Valid; 3.41-4.20 as Highly Valid; 2.61-3.40 as Valid; 1.81-2.60 as Moderately Valid; and 0-1.75 as Not Valid.
The acceptability of the Game-Based Lessons in teaching Science and Health V in terms of objectives, content/subject matter, activities, and organization and presentation, were determined using the following statistical limits with the corresponding interpretations: 4.21-5.00 as Very Highly Acceptable; 3.41-4.20 as Highly Acceptable; 2.61-3.40 as Acceptable; 1.81-2.60 as Moderately Acceptable; and 0-1.75 as Not Acceptable.
The performance of the pupils on the Game-Based Lessons was measured with the following statistical limits: 95-100 as Outstanding; 90-94 as Very Satisfactory; 86-89 as Satisfactory; 80-85 as Fair; and, 75-79 as Poor.
Findings
After analyzing the gathered data, the researcher came up with these findings: (a) the pupil-respondents have a positive attitude towards using games in teaching Science and Health V. Consistently, they have positive attitudes in learning school lessons through playing games. They also love having contests in class. They like playing review games before taking written exams. They also prefer playing games instead of reading stories; (b) Science instructional materials in the elementary schools of Bayambang District II are not available, irrelevant, not suitable, and insufficient; (c) the Game-Based Lessons were assessed by the validators to be very highly valid along objectives, lessons, and activities as shown by the grand mean of 4.47; (d) Game-Based Lessons were also assessed by the validators to be very highly acceptable along objectives, lessons, activities, and organization/presentation with a grand mean of 4.54; (e) one hundred percent of the class passed the posttest. Five pupils (12%) are within the outstanding bracket; eleven pupils (27%) are within the very satisfactory bracket; nine pupils (22%) had a satisfactory rating; and sixteen pupils (39%) got a fair remark. It is worthy to note that no one failed in the GBL quizzes.
Discussion
A needs assessment was first conducted to determine the attitudes of Grade V pupils of Pangasinan State University- Laboratory Elementary School (PSU-LES) towards games. The pupil-respondents have a consistent positive attitude towards games as evidenced by the grand mean of 3.57. They rated highest the 15th question, “How would you feel if the teacher will use games in teaching subjects like Science and Health?” with a mean of 3.89. The 13th question, “How do you feel about learning school lessons through playing games?” was rated second highest. This implies that the pupil-respondents desire that games be used in learning subjects particularly Science and Health V as intended in this study. This finding is consonant to what Smith (2001) emphasized that the enjoyment students have from playing games increases their willingness to remain motivated and engaged in a Game-Based Learning process. Likewise, according to Malone and Lepper (2001), games could be an excellent method of teaching science since pupils could get interested in a subject they enjoy and that games could create that enjoyment. The findings can also be linked to the Motivation Theory attributed to Frederick Herzberg which states that “Learners who are motivated can learn almost everything. Motivation is the internal process that activates, guides, and maintains behavior over time.” The findings are also aligned to Knapp’s (2006) proposal that using games to teach science could help pupils to learn science in several ways. Accordingly, by making learning easy and fun, the teacher could ensure that the material imparted is received, understood, and retained. Children, he explained, can grasp maximum knowledge only when they are enjoying what they are learning and educational games and toys are the best way to combine education and entertainment. Thus far, the result of the attitudinal survey supports some related literature and studies on the benefits of using games for teaching and learning Science and Health. This gives the impetus for this study.