1
Utilizing Minecraft Java Edition for the Application of Fire Disaster Procedures to Establish Fire Disaster Readiness for Grade 12 STEM
students of DLSU-IS
Aravella Flores
1*, Luis Romulus Phillippe R. Javier
1, Jose Rafael E. Sotelo
1, and Josh Christian V. Nunez
11De La Salle University Integrated School (Laguna)
Liandro Antonio T. Tabora
2, Research Adviser
2De La Salle University College of Computer Studies
Abstract:
This study analyzes the performance of Grade 12 STEM students of De La Salle University - Integrated School that has completed the Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction course in handling fire hazards through Minecraft Java Edition. This platform is suitable because fire DRRR is challenging to learn in a practical setting and questionable concerning supplementing the successful implementation of textbook knowledge into actual practice. The purpose of this study is to acknowledge whether Minecraft can be a suitable environment to familiarize oneself to fire DRRR. The objectives are achieved through utilizing Minecraft in simulating fire scenarios, which allows the participants to act freely upon and practice fire DRRR. The experiment was divided into the Grounding and Validation Phases, where researchers observed the participants' performance in the simulation. A Pre-Simulation and Post-Simulation survey was given to acknowledge the change in participants’ perception of being able to utilize fire DRRR procedures and their vulnerabilities.
The paired t-test was used, showing significant differences in the Pre-Simulation and Post- Simulation survey scores, thus, insinuating improved judgment of DRRR, lessening their vulnerabilities in the possibility of encountering a fire hazard. This research poses a model for future research which can gather more participants and dwell on more complex codes outside just command blocks and into the code lines of Minecraft itself.
Keywords: Minecraft, DRRR, fire, disaster, simulation
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study
On March 16, 2020, the Philippines went under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) because of the escalation of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), leading to the economy gradually collapsing (Lim, 2020) with not only
the livelihoods of the adults getting affected but also the education of the youth. Various schools were forced to practice methods preventing students from being exposed to the virus:
Modulars or/and Online Classes. Although students have become familiar with the new learning setup, many still find it lacking (Adonis, 2021); thus, allowing the researchers to propose a new learning method.
A medium that has proven itself to be very malleable
2 concerning the purpose of education is video games, as it is proven to improve confidence, competence, and character (Adachi & Willoughby, 2017). One hundred studies have concluded that video games increase motor, intellectual, and physical skills (Merino-Campos & Fernandez, 2016). Video games provide a safe environment for experimentation that allows users to fail without consequences and provides users with self-directing freedom (Toh & Kirschner, 2020). Bearing this in mind, one may conclude that a player may experience a life-threatening scenario, such as a disaster, without any significant consequence due to the opportunity to do so through a video game.
The Philippines has had its fair share of disasters emphasizing the importance of disaster readiness and risk reduction (DRRR). Over the past years, 3 million fires have occurred worldwide, along with 16,808 deaths and 47,948 injured individuals (Brushlinsky et al., 2019), which is gradually increasing. In 2017, the Philippines experienced an average of 15,545 fire incidents, with 251 deaths and 848 injured individuals (Mayuga, 2018). In 2019, fire incidents spiked up to approximately 15%, and 9% increase in deaths (Cabrera, 2019). Lack of fire disaster readiness and risk reduction may be the reason behind such tragedy.
DRRR being a part of the curriculum of Senior High School STEM students of De La Salle University Integrated School has given students background on how to go about disasters and safety procedures; however, students are only taught through regular teaching methods such as class lectures or reading assignments, but one may even attest that experience will always surpass education. Thus by acknowledging both video games and disasters, the researchers combined both aspects to evaluate disaster survival in a digital environment that will not risk lives.
Minecraft Java Edition is a fitting medium as it is infamous, played by 126 million players every month (Knight, 2020). Mojang has made it accessible on mobile devices, consoles, and personal computers. In collaboration with education, Minecraft has been utilized as a teaching and learning tool and has proven to develop cognitive abilities and authentic engagement (Callaghan, 2016). In Minecraft, users can interact with anything in the world server, allowing them to learn actively. According to Nebel et al. (2016), apart from skills developed from operating Minecraft, gaps such as the flexibility of a game for its code to be modified are bridged.
This allows a focus to be more centralized and personalized to
the user's liking. This is due to its nature being formed through Java coding, which makes modifications feasible. As mentioned, the game is widely known. It has a huge community, forum, and youtube video that discusses the features and how to modify the programming to your liking, making Minecraft a suitable medium to host a fire simulation for this study. More specifically, according to Le De et al.
(2021), playing, in this case, Minecraft, fosters participation in DRRR which, in extension, leads to stronger disaster readiness.
This research utilizes Minecraft Java Edition to simulate fire hazards and disasters for fire preparedness and awareness to be monitored and practiced in an environment that will not compromise one’s safety.
1.2. Research Objectives
The researchers analyzed how an educated individual with the fundamentals of fire DRRR interacts in a virtual environment, specifically Minecraft. Through the established fire simulations in Minecraft, the evaluation of the participants’ DRRR applicational capability was analyzed along with their responses in the Pre-Simulation and Post- Simulation surveys. Thus, the objectives of this research:
a. To identify fire disaster scenarios that are problematic to replicate in real life,
b. To simulate fire hazards through Minecraft Java Edition,
c. To evaluate if students can properly apply fire hazard safety and procedures during the disaster simulation.
2. METHODOLOGY
2.2 Research Design
This research conducted a simulation that used a quantitative method approach over three months. Before conducting the simulation, the 8 participants gathered from DLSU-IS Grade 12 STEM through a convenient sampling were given a Pre-Simulation survey – a close-ended survey that utilized a 1-10 scale – focusing on analyzing participants' perception regarding their ability to apply safety procedures specifically in fire hazards and disasters; hence allowing the researchers to acknowledge the participants’ level of vulnerability and fire hazard readiness integration scores.
3 The experiment is divided into Grounding and Validation Phase, which solely transpired in Minecraft Java Edition 1.17.1, which the participants must possess before the research. The researchers created two main scenarios for the simulation in Minecraft Java Edition, the socket fire and the kitchen stove fire.
Figure 1
Scenario 1: Bedroom Hosting Socket Fire
Figure 2
Scenario 2: Kitchen Hosting Stove Fire
The Grounding Phase enabled the participants to exercise their fire DRRR knowledge as they were given ample time for trial and error. The data recorded for this phase was the number of trials the participants underwent before they successfully accomplished the scenario, which means finishing it with 9-10 hearts remaining.
Conversely, the Validation Phase is a single-trial assessment wherein the participants had to go through each scenario in one trial. The number of hearts left after each scenario was recorded in this phase. The participants were then given the Post-Simulation survey, which had the same rating questions as the Pre-Simulation survey.
To analyze the data gathered from the Pre and Post- Simulation surveys, the researchers enumerated the total scores of each participant. They calculated their respective survey mean scores, representing their vulnerability level and fire hazard readiness integration scores before and after the simulation. Additionally, the former data mentioned was utilized in calculating paired t-Test to determine the correct hypothesis between the following:
Ho: There is no significant difference in the Pre-Simulation and Post-Simulation fire hazard readiness integration scores.
Ha: There is a significant difference in the Pre-Simulation and Post-Simulation fire readiness integration scores.
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Grounding Phase and Validation Phase
Participant behavior varied between the Grounding Phase and the Validation Phase. As shown in Figure 3, in the Grounding Phase for Scenario 1 of the simulation, 5 participants went through multiple trials, with 5 trials being the highest, leaving 3 participants going through it just once. As for Scenario 2, as shown in Figure 4, the largest number of attempts occurred were 2 trials by 2 participants each, while the rest passed within one trial.
4 Figure 3
Grounding Phase First Scenario Data
Figure 4
Grounding Phase Second Scenario Data
In the case of the Validation Phase, as shown in Figure 5, all participants overcame the scenarios as they maintained a considerably healthy state (9-10 hearts) after the simulations.
Figure 5
Validation Phase Data
Although notable cases occurred during the Grounding Phase, such as a participant trying to put out an electric socket fire with water and another participant unable to path find through falling debris. Regarding the Validation Phase, the participants were able to learn from their mistakes as they prioritized their safety.
In general, the results of the Validation Phase may imply that the participants improved their performance due to their experience in the Grounding Phase.
3.2 Results of the T-Test for the Pre-Simulation and Post- Simulation Survey Scores
To verify a significant difference between the results of the Pre-Simulation and Post-Simulation survey, the researchers utilized Statistica – an application that serves as a medium to input, calculate, and observe data for statistical analysis – to compute for the paired t-Test.
5 Table 1
Pre and Post-Simulation Survey Mean Scores of Participants Participants Pre-Sim Survey
(𝑥)
Post-Sim Survey (𝑥)
1 6.3 8.2
2 7.7 7
3 8.6 9
4 6.4 8.8
5 8.2 8.9
6 8.5 9.8
7 9 9.7
8 6.3 6.9
Note. The raw scores recorded above are the mean survey scores of the Pre and Post-Simulation surveys, representing the vulnerability and fire hazard readiness scores utilized in the paired t-Test.
The calculated probability value from the test based on a confidence score of 95% was 0.030569, which was a value less than .05000, thus proving that there is a significant difference in the Pre-Simulation and Post-Simulation survey mean scores, graphically shown in Figure 6, hence, elevating fire readiness integration scores and reducing vulnerabilities in the possibility of encountering a fire hazard.
Figure 6
T-Test for the Mean of Pre and Post-Simulation Survey Mean Scores Graph
Note. This figure demonstrates the degree of significance between the Pre and Post-Simulation survey mean scores, labeled as Pre-Test and Post-Test, respectively.
4. CONCLUSIONS
This research evaluates whether students can apply fire hazard safety procedures using a Minecraft: Java Edition simulation. Analyzing the Pre-Simulation and Post-Simulation survey results with the paired t-Test with an alpha level of 0.05, there is a significant change in the participants’ scores which insinuates evident improvement in their judgment on applying DRRR, thus, lessening their vulnerability in the possibility of encountering a fire hazard. After actively engaging in the Grounding Phase, all the participants were able to pass the Validation Phase by acquiring 9-10 hearts after the fire simulation portraying that the Grounding Phase allowed the participants to learn DRRR procedures through the Grounding Phase and apply it in the Validation Phase and possibly in real- life disasters. This study not only serves as research that showed positive improvements in establishing fire disaster readiness, but it also poses a potential developmental basis for future studies.
5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
6 First and foremost, the group would like to thank their research mentor during 11th and 12th grade, Ms. Leah Madrazo, for sharing her knowledge and essentials in writing a research paper through the topics discussed in class. The group’s ideas were molded through her guidance, and a comprehensive research paper came to fruition. Furthermore, the group would like to thank DRRR instructors, Ms. Mary Geraldine Yumang and Mr. Kenneth Toral, for extending their knowledge regarding DRRR. Finally, the group’s appreciation goes to their research adviser, Mr. Liandro Tabora, LPT, for taking the group under his wing and providing his time and support in making this paper.
6. REFERENCES
Adachi, P., & Willoughby, T. (2017). The link between playing video games and positive youth outcomes.
Child Development Perspectives, 11(3), 202-206.
https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12232
Adonis, M. (2021, April 13). PH lags behind in acting on remote learning problems amid pandemic.
Philippine Daily Inquirer.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1418185/ph-lags- behind-in-acting-on-remote-learning-problems- amid-pandemic
Brushlinsky, N. N., Ahrens, M., Sokolov, S. V., & Wagner, P.
(2019). World fire statistics. International Association of Fire and Rescue Services.
https://www.ctif.org/sites/default/files/2019- 04/CTIF_Report24_ERG.pdf
Cabrera, R. (2019, December 13). BFP: More fires, more deaths reported in 2019. The Philippine Star.
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2019/12/13/19765 67/bfp-more-fires-more-deaths-reported-2019 Callaghan, N. (2016). Investigating the role of Minecraft in
educational learning environments. Educational Media International, 53(4), 244–260.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2016.1254877 Knight, S. (2020, May 18). Minecraft extends lead as best-
selling game of all time. Techspot.
https://www.techspot.com/news/85265-minecraft- extends-lead-best-selling-game-all-time.html Le Dé, L., Gaillard, J. C., Gampell, A., Loodin, N., &
Hinchliffe, G. (2021). Fostering children’s
participation in disaster risk reduction through play:
A case study of lego and Minecraft. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 12(6), 867–878.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-021-00375-1
Nebel, S., Schneider, S., & Rey, G. D. (2016). Mining learning and crafting scientific experiment: A literature review on the use of Minecraft in education and research. Educational Technology &
Society, 19(2), 355-366.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/jeductechsoci.19.2.355 Merino-Campos, C. & Fernandez, H. D. C. (2016). The
benefits of active video games for educational and physical activity approaches: A systematic review.
Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 5(2), 115-122.
https://doi.org/10.7821/naer.2016.7.164 Toh, W. & Kirschner, D. (2020). Self-directed learning in
video games, affordances and pedagogical implications for teaching and learning. Computers and Education, 154(5), 103912.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103912