INTERACTIVE DIGITAL STORYBOOK FOR
INCREASING CHILDREN
READING INTEREST OF INDONESIAN FOLKLORE
Mohammad Farid Naufal
1, Selvia F. Kusuma
2Universitas Surabaya1, Politeknik Kediri2
Jl. Mayor Bismo No. 27, Kediri
Email : faridnaufal@staff.ubaya.ac.id1, mailbox.selvia@gmail.com2
Abstrak— is very important for children but now children reading interest are decreasing, especially in Indonesian folklore. It happened because Indonesian folklore is written in traditional storybook version. If it continues to happen then children in the future will not know the histories of Indonesia. One way to increase children reading interest is introducing pictured storybook, but the traditional pictured storybook are not sufficient to increase children reading interest. In a growing era we can create a more interesting pictured storybook with implementing interactive digital storybook on android devices. Interactive means that children can interact to move the animated storybook characters. We assume that children interaction with interactive digital storybook can increase their enthusiasms in reading Indonesian folklore. To prove our hypothesis we conducted an experiment to 30 children. In the experiment, the children will read interactive digital storybook and traditional storybook after that we will see their responds. The result shows that interactive digital storybook can increase children reading interest of Indonesian folklore.
Kata Kunci— Indonesian Folklore, Interactive Digital Storybook, Children Computer Interaction, Children Reading Interest.
I. INTRODUCTION
Indonesia is a big country and contains multicultural and multilanguage population. Indonesia has many interesting folklore story on each region. But children enthusiasm for reading Indonesian folklore are getting down. This is because the delivery of Indonesian folklore still lacking. If it continues to happen then children in the future will not know the histories of Indonesia. In fact, by reading folklore, it will increase children's knowledge of Indonesian cultures and histories.
Based on nationally representative survey data 60% children ages 0-8 read 30 minutes per day [1]. In particular, it only 28% of children ages 8 and under have ever been read books on an electronic devices. Reading has many benefits for children to expanding their knowledge, developing their emotion, thinking and knowledge [2].
Pictured storybook is a book which tells a fiction story and it can be used as an entertainment or a tool to increase reading interest for children. From picture storybook children learn to understand their unknown words with visual referents via textual exposure to the words [3]. Traditional pictured storybooks that exist today are considered less attractive for children. It only contains boring static pictures. Children
prefer to watch cartoon movies on television. Yet high reading interest is a useful thing for children.
Traditional book reading is still more common than ebook reading although the growing of using electronic media such as computer tablet or smartphone in recent years [1]. The benefits of book reading could be introduced to almost via computers and have similar benefits comprehension as traditional storybook [4]. Because children are avid on electronical media [1] [5] [6] then they are increasingly exposed to picture storybooks through electronic devices such as DVD or e-books app on smartphone [7]. T parent in the U.S reported that electronical devices helped learning on their 6-month to 6-years children [8].
The interactive digital book has full benefits for vocabulary words has been shown in [9] [10] [11] [12]. Although using an interactive digital book are challenging for children such as operating mouse and keyboard on computer storybook [13], but the development of android touch screen devices can be potential to implement an easier interactive digital storybook. Children not only read the story in digital storybook but also can interact with the existing picture on it, such as moving the characters in the story by only touching it. Interactive digital storybook that tells the Indonesian folklore will increase reading interest for children.
Research conducted by [14] applied the digital storytelling in Keong Mas story and applications that are used to build a digital storytelling is Adobe Flash CS3, Adobe Photoshop, and PaintTool SAI. Research conducted by [15] gives Indonesian folklore introduction to children. They see the reality of a lack of interest in children reading because of increasingly advanced technology. Media delivery of Indonesian folklore is transformed into interactive digital game. The design is aimed not only to attracting children to know the Indonesian folklore but also expected to make a habit of children playing game no longer have a negative impression. Research conducted by [16] developed an application locally named Tale folklore. This application run on iOS operating system environment. Although these applications run on the iOS, this app only supports on iPad. This application utilize the work Kakas UIKit, Cocos2d V2, Cocoa Touch, Box2D, Game Center, and Store Kit.
technology in interactive digital storybook is easy to use for children. Our hypothesis are as follows:
H1: Interactive digital storybook can increase children reading interest of Indonesian folklore. By trying Interactive digital storybook, we hope the children is entertained and increase their reading interest of Indonesian folklore.
H2: Interactive digital storybook is more attractive for children than traditional storybook. Attractive mean it can take the children attention to try interactive digital storybook.
H3: Interactive digital storybook is easy to use and entertain children. We want to test that children were entertained by using interactive digital storybook.
H4: After children read interactive digital storybook, they more like to read another Indonesian folklore. Because children was entertained to read interactive digital storybook of Indonesian folklore, we hope they more like to read another Indonesian folklore. Section 2 describes the literature study. Section 3 describes the methodology. Section 4 introduces the implementation and evaluation of this research. Section 5 describes the conclusion and future work.
II. LITERATURE STUDY 2.1. Picture Story
Picture story is a story written in simple language, equipped with pictures to convey facts or ideas [17]. According to the growing era where technology is growing rapidly, currently using a conventional storybook began to be abandoned and switched by interactive digital storybook. Interactive digital storybook is considered to enhance children enthusiasm in reading by allowing interaction between children and their storybook.
2.2.The Importance of Reading
Reading is a human activity to analyze, understanding and get an information from the writer. Reading is very important for everyone, by having reading interest, human can get more knowledge and information. Reading interest
have to be increased since childhood. Reading is very important for children to improve their language, literacy skills [3] and promoting children's social understanding in general [18]. If the children didn’t have reading interest, they will not expand their knowledge until they are adult.
2.3.Interactive Digital Storybook Concept
Interactive digital storybook is an interactive book which is applied in touchscreen devices. Interactive means reader not only read information from the book but also can interact with the book. In Interactive digital storybook, the information means the story inside the book and readers can interact with the animated picture inside it. Figure 1 shows interactive digital storybook.
2.4.Andaired
Andaired is an application to convert powerpoint file format to android application. It help people who did not have IT background in order to make their own android application easily and instantly. Application which created by andaired can be published in Google Play and Amazon Appstore directly. Step by step to convert powerpoint to android application can be seen on [19].
III. METHODOLOGY
3.1 Determining Story
In this phase we will select the story that will be used as materials for interactive digital storybook. Selection is made based on folklore that exist in the surrounding area in Indonesia. The story entitled "Asal Mula Bukit Catu Bali (The Legend of Bali Supply Hill)" will be used as research material for this story. We choose this story because it is Indonesian folklore that not famous but we think the story is interesting and have good moral value.
Asal Mula Bukit Catu is a folklore that comes from Bali. The story tells about an ambitious farmer who never feel satisfied with his harvest. One time the farmer saw a mound that suddenly appeared on his farm. The farmer thought that
it was a hint of the god to make offerings at the mound. Every day the mound continued to grow, and every day the farmer was also make offerings at the mound because he believed that the harvest will be overflow if he gave offerings for that magical mound. Eventually the harvest ran out to make offerings, but the mound was still enlarged. The farmer felt disapponted to have spent all their crops for the offerings. At the end mound named by a farmer “hill supply” because all the crops used to make offerings of the hill.
3.2. Determining Picture Inside Story
In this phase we will select pictures which can represent the storyline. Pictures are taken frame by frame from a video which is made by the timeline studio and uploaded on youtube, but not all of the pictures are selected. The selected pictures should represent interesting activities for children and related to the story. There are 33 pictures which we consider contain interesting activity for children. Figure 5 shows the selected picture which represent interesting activities. While we pressing the screen on picture "the farmers separate rice to the barn", the picture will bring up an animated pack of farmers who were separating rice to the barn.
3.3. Creating Story Text Draft
In this phase we will create story text draft of each picture. The story text is made based on what is happening in the picture. Examples of the story text draft along with the picture shown in Figure 2.
3.4. Creating the Instruction
We make an instructions for guiding the children how to use the application, we will not teach them directly how to use the application, because we want to test their understanding whether the application is easy to use by only
read the instruction. Figure 3 is an example of the instructions how to use interactive digital storybook
3.5.Creating Interactive Digital Storybook
In this phase we will explain the steps to create interactive digital storybook which can be seen on Figure 4. There are three stages to create interactive digital storybook. First, we convert the video to JPG pictures frame by frame. Second, we put the pictures to powerpoint slides and adding the background music, and convert to swf flash files. Third, we convert swf flash file to apk android application files. The detail of the first stage is we convert video to jpg pictures frame by frame, after that we select them based on criteria. Criteria means pictures which represent an interesting activity for the children. One criteria is one storyline. In second stage, the selected pictures are collected to powerpoint slides. The selected images in the powerpoint will form animated movement, because it is a combination of frame by frame of video. Figure 5 shows the animated movement of a storyline. There are two pictures which has same storyline but has little different. At that pictures there are farmers who entering rice to the barn. When the pictures are touched then they will be repeating and create the impression that the picture are moving. To create interactive digital storybook more interesting, we make the transition at each storyline, so the children feel like reading a book. We also adding the background music to test whether it will disturb the children concentration or not. We are not creating storyteller audio in
Figure 3 Instructions how to use the application
Figure 4 Steps to Create Interactive Digital Storybook
order to increase children reading interest. If we add storyteller audio, we assume that the children only interest to listen the storyteller sound. After the animated movement of pictures collected and background music added to powerpoint file, we will convert it to flash file (.swf) using iSpring. The output flash file then converted to android application file (.apk) using andaired
IV.IMPLEMENTATION
4.1 Case Study
In order to prove the hypothesis, it will be tested on 30 children in age range of 5 to 12 years in SDN 3 Dono Tulungagung subdistrict, Indonesia, see on Figure 6. We choose this elementary school because it is located in countryside and has not using e-learning media. This is important to see whether interactive digital storybook is easy to used by children which have not familiar with e-learning. From the experiment we can know the level of children interest in using interactive digital storybook. Assessment level of children interest is done by looking at the enthusiasm of the children when read interactive digital storybook and conventional digital storybook.
4.2 Scenario
This scenarios will be tested on 30 children in aged 5 to 12 years. It contains:
5 children in grade 2, 5 children in grade 3. 5 children in grade 4 7 children in grade 5 8 children in grade 6
We did not include children in grade 1 because not all of them can already read. It happens because this school is located far from city, so the resource is still limited. Children will be given a conventional storybook and interactive digital storybook to read. Assessment is done by looking at the enthusiasm of children when they read both types of books. In addition to assessing the level of enthusiasm, this study also assess the level of children understanding of how to use interactive digital storybook. Assessment will be based on questionnaire that filled out by each children. The composition of the questions on the questionnaire and the reason why give that question are shown in the Table 2.
Figure 6 Student of SDN 3 Dono Tulungagung are using interactive digital storybook
Table 1 Results of quessionaire
Number Question
Count of Question
Yes Perhaps No
1 30 0 0
2 30 0 0
3 30 0 0
4 30 0 0
5 30 0 0
6 30 0 0
7 30 0 0
8 24 5 0
9 30 0 0
Table 2 Questions and Reason Make That Questions
No Questions and Reason Make That Questions Choice of Answer
1 Do you like to read this interactive digital storybook? Reason:
We want to know whether the children like interactive digital storybook
Yes Perhaps No
2 Do you know how to use interactive digital storybook? Reason:
We want to know whether the children understand how to use interactive digital storybook without teaching them first, if they understand it, so the instruction is clear.
Yes Perhaps No
3 Is this interactive digital storybook easy to use? Reason:
We want to know whether interactive digital storybook easy to use for children for first use.
Yes Perhaps No
4 Do you prefer to read interactive digital storybook? Reason:
We want to know what kind of book which is more liked by children, the traditional book or the interactive digital book.
Yes Perhaps No
5 Can you read interactive digital storybook clearly? Reason:
We want to know whether interactive digital storybook is easy to read.
Yes Perhaps No
6 Can you move interactive digital storybook page easily? Reason:
We want to know whether children can move page easily. If they can move the pages easily, it coan be concluded that interactive digital storynook easy to use.
Yes Perhaps No
7 Is the guideline clear? Reason:
We want to know whether the intsruction to use the application is easy to understand. Will the children who use for the first time can use it well if we did not give the instruction?
Yes Perhaps No
8 Do you understand the story in this interactive digital storybook? Reason:
We want to know whether interactive digital storybook is easy to understand
Yes Perhaps No
9 Do you want read other Indonesian folklore story in interactive digital storybook? Reason:
We want to know whether the children will more interest to read Indonesian folklore after use this application
Yes Perhaps No
10 Is the sound in interactive digital storybook disturb you? Reason
We want to know whether the background music will disturb the children concentration or not:
Yes Perhaps No
4.3 Result
There are 30 students answered that they like read interactive digital storybook, 30 students answered that they know to used interactive digital storybook, 30 students answered that interactive digital storybook easy to
4.4 Discussion
Based on the result from questionnaire, we know that children prefer to read interactive digital storybook than read conventional storybook because they not only read but also can interact with it. They like to read more Indonesian folklore in interactive digital storybook. We also know that human computer interaction concept in interactive digital storybook is easy to use and understandable for children because although they use interactive digital storybook for the first time they has not difficulty and like to use it. We also prove the hypothesis which we discuss earlier as follows:
P1: Interactive digital storybook increase children reading interest of Indonesian folklore by seeing the
answer of question 9 and all of the children answer “yes”.
P2: Interactive digital storybook is attractive for children than traditional storybook by seeing the answer of question 1 and 4. All of the children answer “yes”.
P3: Interactive digital storybook is easy to use and entertain the children by seeing the answer of question 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10. But not all of children said “yes” in question 8. This may be due some children more focus on animation than storytext.
P4: After children read interactive digital storybook, they more like to read another Indonesian folklore by seeing the answer of question 9 and all of the children answer “yes”.
V. CONCLUSION
Indonesian folklore. The existence of animation on digital storybook make children more interested in reading. Human computer interaction concept applied to interactive digital storybook was appropriate, because children are able to use various features of interactive digital storybook easily. The student hope this method can be applied at their lesson book because interaction between application and the student can make them easy to understand and make learning activities more interesting
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The great gratitude to all students and Headmaster of SDN Dono III Sendang, Timeline Studio and Bali Relaxation Music who helped this research.
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