DOI: 10.30738/union.v11i1.14240 © Author (s), 2023. Open Access
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The implementation of educational games to enhance elementary school students' interest in mathematics
Yosafat Manindo Turnip, Robert Harry Soesanto *
Mathematics Education, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Jl. M. H. Thamrin Boulevard 1100 Lippo Village Tangerang 15811, Indonesia
* Corresponding Author. Email: [email protected]
Received: 30 January 2023; Revised: 10 February 2022; Accepted: 16 April 2023
Abstract: The present study is motivated by the issue of low interest in mathematics among students in private elementary schools in Jakarta. Despite the abundant resources and infrastructure that support learning, technology has not been fully utilized to enhance students' engagement with mathematics. Consequently, students' learning interest has been declining, which in turn negatively impacts their enthusiasm and passion for learning. The aim of this study is to investigate how the application of educational games can increase the learning interest of elementary school students in mathematics, using a descriptive qualitative method. Educational games offer a convenient and effective means for teachers to deliver material, as they create an active, enthusiastic, and enjoyable learning environment in the classroom. The combination of technology and the role of the teacher is essential in supporting students' learning and developing human resources. By integrating educational games into the curriculum, students' interest and attraction in learning mathematics can be enhanced, making educational games an effective tool for increasing students' learning interest. Based on the findings of this study, the researcher suggests the importance of developing educational games and digital teaching materials, as well as moving away from conventional teaching methods. These recommendations are essential for enhancing students' learning interest and promoting effective learning in the classroom.
Keywords: educational game; learning interest; technology
How to cite: Turnip, Y. M., Soesanto, R. H. (2023). The implementation of educational games to enhance elementary school students' interest in mathematics. Union: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Matematika, 11(1), 29-34. https://doi.org/10.30738/union.v11i1.14240
INTRODUCTION
The education system in urban areas is one step ahead compared to small regions in Indonesia. This is indicated by the completeness of facilities and infrastructure that support learning, especially in urban areas such as Jakarta, compared to rural areas (Vito et al., 2015).
One benchmark is the availability of technology and easy access to the internet. The completeness of facilities, infrastructure, and technology should make classroom learning ideal.
Learning is modern, and learning goals are easily achievable due to the availability of complete and adequate technology. Teachers are also certainly very easy to teach materials and greatly assisted by the presence of this technology (Tekege, 2017). This is one advantage that can be seen in urban areas such as Jakarta.
Observations of second-grade students at an elementary school in Jakarta showed a decrease in students' interest in learning mathematics, even though technology was available.
Two students even loudly stated that they did not like learning mathematics and were very lazy in following this subject. Even though in class, the teacher tried to apply technology, it still did not attract the interest and attention of students in this subject. As it is known, learning
interest is a good capital that every student must have because it will create a pleasant learning atmosphere, and students will not be passive during learning (Asih & Imami, 2021).
Learning mathematics at school often makes students feel bored and tired. This boredom is caused by teachers when teaching mathematics lessons tending to focus only on the presentation of formulas and immediately work on problems (Nurhayati, 2021). This often happens in every school in general. This situation makes students trapped in the stereotype that mathematics lessons are scary, and the problems are very difficult to solve. This is the phenomenon found by the author when conducting PPL activities at an elementary school in Jakarta. With the completeness of facilities, infrastructure, and technology supporting learning, teachers must be more innovative in designing more interactive learning by using educational games in mathematics lessons, where students do not just always work on problems but also play games in the learning process. This can make students' interest stronger in learning mathematics.
Based on the facts and realities of the problem, the research problem is how the application of educational games can increase students' interest in learning mathematics at elementary school. The purpose of this research is to review how the application of educational games can increase students' interest in learning mathematics at elementary school.
Mathematics is a mandatory subject to be studied from elementary school to university to improve and equip students with critical and logical thinking skills, as well as systematic, creative, and collaborative abilities (Maesari et al., 2019). However, nowadays, mathematics seems to be a daunting subject for students. Many students are not interested in and do not have a passion for this subject (Hayatie, 2021). The root of this problem lies in the interest of each child in facing a learning process that seems very boring (Yanto et al., 2022).
Interest in learning activities is crucial for every student. Without interest, it becomes challenging for the student to follow the learning process. Interest is the primary motivator that increases students' enthusiasm and attraction towards the subject being studied (Nisa et al., 2017). Some argue that interest is a state where students develop liking and enthusiasm for performing an activity that can be measured by interest and attention in learning (Hidayat et al., 2018). These definitions suggest that interest is a state where students can increase their enthusiasm, liking, and attraction towards performing an activity.
According to Darmadi (2017), indicators of learning interest include: 1) feeling pleasure towards learning, 2) actively participating in learning, and 3) concentration of feelings, thoughts, and attention due to attraction. Lestari and Yudhanegara (2017) suggest that the indicators of interest are: 1) being interested in learning, 2) feeling happy and passionate, 3) being involved in learning, and 4) showing full attention during learning. Therefore, it can be concluded that the indicators of students' learning interest are having pleasure and being active in learning, having enthusiasm and wanting to be involved in learning, and having a concentration of feelings and thoughts due to attraction.
Educational games are games that stimulate thinking and enhance the interest and attention of students in learning. They are unique and creative interactive media presented in colorful games (Handriyantini, 2009). Yanto et al. (2022) define educational games as games designed explicitly for educational purposes that have incidental or secondary educational value. These definitions suggest that educational games use technology media packaged in a learning format that stimulates students' thinking and attraction, where students can learn while playing.
Educational games provide and increase motivation in each student, making them more enthusiastic about learning. Collaborative learning with games makes the teaching and learning process more enjoyable (Setyawan et al., 2019). Therefore, in learning, students not only learn but also play interactive games designed by teachers.
Handriyantini (2009) identifies the benefits of using educational games in learning, including: 1) training students' concentration, 2) training their ability to understand cause and effect, 3) training motor skills, and 4) training the learning material by giving interactive questions according to the material taught that require students to train their memory.
In the learning process, there is a need for a change in the classroom learning strategies conducted by teachers to increase student interest. Even though teachers have used interactive learning media, they may still not be able to attract students' attention. Mathematics learning in elementary school can apply educational games to make learning more enjoyable and interesting for students as it is combined with a game. Elementary school students generally love games, and it would be beneficial to conduct learning using educational games.
Based on the above description, the thinking framework can be illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Research Thinking Framework
However, there are some difficulties and shortcomings of using educational games, such as limited school facilities, infrastructure, and internet access, as well as the need for high creativity in designing animations that are suitable for the material (Hayatie, 2021). The following are the steps for implementing educational games in the classroom (Jundu et al., 2018): 1) Designing the template to be used, 2) Creating interactive slides by utilizing cartoons, 3) Displaying the PowerPoint in class, 4) Explaining the game rules, 5) Demonstrating the educational game in class.
METHOD
The study utilized a qualitative descriptive method to analyze data through theory and research findings. The subjects were 19 second-grade students from a private school in Jakarta, aged 7-8 years old. Observation sheets, lesson plans, and teaching reflections were used as instruments. The observation sheets diagnosed and provided an overview of the students' conditions in the classroom, focusing on indicators of students' interest in learning.
The indicators were synthesized into three categories: feeling happy and active during learning, having enthusiasm, and wanting to be involved in learning, and focusing their attention and thoughts due to attraction. The researcher designed a lesson plan for mathematics using educational games based on observed problems and discussions with expert mentors. The implementation results were documented in teaching reflections for further assessment of the indicators of students' interest in learning. Data analysis involved examining each indicator of students' interest during the learning process reflected in the teaching reflections. The researcher described how these indicators were observed during the implementation of educational games in the mathematics lesson.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In this study, there were several indicators of students' low interest in mathematics learning that the researcher observed in a private elementary school in Jakarta, as shown in Table 1.
Based on the Table 1, there are students who still have low interest in learning mathematics, as indicated by indicators such as enjoyment and activeness during learning, enthusiasm and desire to be active during learning, and concentration and feelings. According to Friantini and Winata (2019), the lack of student interest in learning mathematics is characterized by the absence of pleasure and a tendency to be passive during learning. Based on the observation
results in the table above, it is shown that two students directly stated that they do not enjoy learning mathematics because it is boring and very difficult, which was confirmed by their classmates who said similar things. This clearly indicates that students are not happy when learning mathematics.
Table 1. Observation results on students' interest in mathematics learning No Indicator Observation Findings
1 Feeling happy and active during learning
Two out of 19 students stated that learning mathematics is boring and very difficult, and they were followed by several other students who voiced the same opinion.
2 Having enthusiasm and wanting to be involved in learning
Half of the students actively competed to answer the questions, while the other half appeared passive and less attentive to the teacher (talking, feeling drowsy, and taking long toilet breaks) during the lesson.
3 Focusing their attention and thoughts due to attraction
There were students who were seen talking and walking around when the teacher asked them to practice, and there were also students who were unfocused and constantly asked for permission to leave the classroom to drink.
According to Lestari (2013), the factors that influence interest are the passion to participate in learning, where students want to be fully involved and have strong motivation to learn more deeply and broadly. However, the observation table above shows that only half of the students in the class can be said to have passion, as indicated by their competition to answer questions during learning. The other half of the students are still passive and often ask to leave the class for a long time to go to the toilet or drink. This clearly proves that the indicators of enthusiasm for learning mathematics in this class still cannot prove that the class is interested in learning mathematics. Meanwhile, according to Hayati et al. (2017), concentration is included in interest, which is a tendency of the heart towards something without being asked to do it and always concentrates without being asked. Based on the observation table above, it explains that students have not been able to concentrate and focus independently. There are still students who walk around, chat, or disturb their classmates during learning.
The steps taken to implement educational games in the classroom are as follows: a) designing an attractive PowerPoint template that is appropriate for the age level of the children, with cartoons being the appropriate media to attract students' attention; b) making the slides as interesting as possible by combining visual and audio elements to further attract the focus and interest of students in learning mathematics; c) presenting the slides in front of the class; d) explaining the rules of the game; e) demonstrating the game in class by displaying slide by slide to make the learning process more interesting. The concept is that students learn while playing.
Figure 2. Animation slide
The educational game created is in the form of an interactive PowerPoint that students can access through their own devices. Firstly, students will click on the entrance (see Figure 2) and be directed to several questions related to the multiplication of numbers in a table form. The
atmosphere presented in the slides has been designed with an outer space theme that is able to attract students' interest to access it. For every correct answer, praise will be given, while for wrong answers, words of encouragement will be given so that students are willing to try again (see Figure 3).
Figure 3. Interactive slides design
The reliance on students' responses during learning shows that the application of educational games in the classroom is effective and can increase students' interest in learning mathematics. This is evident from the increased activity in class, with more students volunteering to answer questions, asking more questions, and feeling disappointed when the math lesson ends because time feels too short. Students become enthusiastic in class and eagerly await math lessons because they are presented in the form of games that focus their attention and generate a high level of excitement to actively participate in math class.
Based on this situation, the researcher conducted a math lesson using educational games to attract students' interest in learning mathematics, and the results of implementing educational games in the classroom showed maximum results. The indicators of interest designed by the researcher to enhance the enjoyment and appeal of learning mathematics have produced satisfactory results. The role of educational games in the first indicator of interest is to create a feeling of enjoyment and activity in learning (Hidayat et al., 2018). During the application, two students initially said that mathematics was boring and difficult, and other classmates followed suit, but when educational games were introduced in the class, 100% of the students enjoyed and actively participated in the observed learning. This finding is consistent with studies that show that young children are motivated to be active when presented with learning media that engage them actively (Lestari, 2013; Maesari, et al., 2019).
Moving on to the third indicator, which is the focus of attention and feelings during the observation, students showed different attitudes. Some students were walking around and chatting in class, and frequently asked for permission to leave for a drink when asked to do exercises. This indicates that these students cannot concentrate their attention, feelings, or even their focus during the learning process. However, when the researcher implemented educational games in the classroom, the students seemed to be more focused and fully engaged in the games presented. Early childhood students have a relatively short attention span (Yanto et al., 2022), but effective pedagogical strategies can extend their concentration during challenging learning tasks (Darmadi, 2017). One of the effective pedagogical strategies is the implementation of technology in learning (Handriyantini, 2009), in which the researcher designed educational games. Through this implementation, students' learning interests can increase, supported by several studies (Setyawan et al., 2019; Renninger et al., 2014). Thus, activities that provide stimuli in the form of active involvement of early childhood students can increase their learning interest if carefully designed.
CONCLUSION
Based on the explanation, it can be concluded that the development of technology in the era of digitization has an impact on education. The use of technology as a learning support
must be applicable in the classroom. The implementation of educational games in learning can increase students' interest in learning mathematics, resulting in happier and more active students, who are passionate about learning, always wanting to be involved in the learning process, and can concentrate their attention and emotions during learning.
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