USING GAMES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS : A Classroom Action Research

Kemampuan berbicara adalah salah satu keterampilan utama yang diperlukan untuk menguasai suatu bahasa, namun hasil pengamatan awal menunjukkan bahwa siswa memiliki kemampuan berbicara yang rendah. Game memiliki potensi sebagai salah satu metode yang dapat mengajarkan keterampilan berbicara, tetapi penggunaan game pada pengamatan awal menunjukkan bahwa game yang diterapkan masih belum cocok untuk kegiatan kelas karena tidak memberikan kesempatan bagi siswa untuk berbicara. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran keterampilan berbicara dengan menggunakan game yang sesuai dengan kriteria game yang baik. Penelitian ini menerapkan penelitian tindakan kelas partisipatif di kelas X di satu sekolah di Bandung. Proses penelitian ini adalah: Perencanaan, Pelaksanaan, Pengamatan, dan Refleksi. Ada dua set instrumen yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini, daftar pengamatan peneliti dan kuesioner guru. Para siswa diberikan pre-test dan post-test untuk mengetahui peningkatan keterampilan para siswa.Tiga siklus dilakukan dalam penelitian ini sampai hasil yang diinginkan tercapai. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa setelah membuat beberapa perubahan tentang bagaimana permainan 'Who am I' disajikan dan dimainkan, game ini dapat meningkatkan kegiatan belajar mengajar. Game ini menyediakan kegiatan belajar yang menyenangkan dan memungkinkan semua siswa untuk berlatih berbicara, meningkatkan keterampilan berbicara, motivasi dan kepercayaan diri siswa. Hasil tes dihitung secara manual menggunakan match t-test. Skor t-test membuktikan bahwa peningkatan keterampilan berbicara siswa dan tiap aspeknya signifikan untuk setiap siklus karena tobs> tkrit. Untuk studi lanjut direkomendasikan agar game yang dimodifikasi ini diterapkan untuk topik studi lain. Studi yang melibatkan games juga direkomendasikan untuk tidak hanya mencoba game namun juga mencoba membuat modifikasi pada game tersebut untuk memenuhi kebutuhan kelas dan untuk meningkatkan penggunaannya.----------Speaking ability is one of the major skills needed to master a language, but the students observed in the reconnaissance showed that the students have low ability in speaking. Games have potential as one of the methods to successfully teach speaking skills, but the use of a game observed in the reconnaissance showed that the game implemented was still unsuitable for the class as it did not allow equal chances to speak. This research aims to improve the process of teaching and learning speaking skills by using a game that fits the criteria of good games. This study implemented participatory classroom action research in class X of one school in Bandung. The process of the research followed the steps: Planning, Acting, Observing, and Reflecting. There are two sets of instruments that were used in this study, a researcher’s observation checklist and teacher’s questionnaire. The students were given pre-test and post-test to know the improvement of the students’ skills. Three cycles were done in this study until the desirable result was achieved. The result of the study showed that after making some changes on how the ‘Who am I’ game was presented and played, it was able to improve the teaching and learning activity. The game provided a fun activity that allowed all students to equally practice speaking and helped improving students’ speaking skills as well as their motivation and confidence. The result of the test was calculated manually using match t-test. The t-test score proved that the improvements on students’ speaking skills and all of its aspects were significant in every cycle because the tobs > tcrit. It was recommended that for future study this modified game to be implemented for other topics of study. It was also recommended that studies involving games ought to not simply try the game but to consider making changes to fulfill the needs of the class and to improve its uses

A Reflection on Virtual Reality Design for Psychological, Cognitive & Behavioral Interventions: Design Needs, Opportunities & Challenges

Despite the substantial research interest in using Virtual Reality (VR) in healthcare in general and in Psychological, Cognitive, and Behavioral (PC&B) interventions in specific, as well as emerging research supporting the efficacy of VR in healthcare, the design process of translating therapies into VR to meet the needs of critical stakeholders such as users and clinicians is rarely addressed. In this paper, we aim to shed light onto the design needs, opportunities and challenges in designing efficient and effective PC&B-VR interventions. Through analyzing the co-design processes of four user-centered PC&B-VR interventions, we examined how therapies were adapted into VR to meet stakeholders’ requirements, explored design elements for meaningful experiences, and investigated how the understanding of healthcare contexts contribute to the VR intervention design. This paper presents the HCI research community with design opportunities and challenges as well as future directions for PC&B-VR intervention design

The Effects of Surprising Events on Promoting Social Change in Unwinnable Persuasive Games

Surprising events can be beneficial for unwinnable persuasive games, especially since they can evoke players to reflect on their failure to win the game. Despite its presence in some titles, the usage of surprising events still lacks empirical support. This study aims to gain insight into it by comparing the effects of revealing the game’s context from the beginning to delaying it until the game ends. In addition, we also examine the interaction effects with playing duration since it is possible that longer playtime will lead to smaller effects for a game with surprising events, whereas longer playtime will result in greater effects for a game without surprising events. To do so, we conducted a 2 x 2 factorial between-subject experiment with an additional no-treatment control group. The results suggest that delaying the revelation to create a surprising event can promote the same level of donation from players, regardless of their playing time. On the other hand, longer playtime is important if players know the context from the beginning. Additional results about the effect of playing duration on donation and willingness to help were also discussed in this paper

The Play Your Process Method for Business Process-Based Digital Game Design

Serious games have been understood as a useful tool to engage, educate and train individuals in many areas. They are also suitable for the business processes management area where it is expected that business-process-based digital games can bring together players (process actors) to better understand and learn organizational business processes. This paper presents a game design method for the development of serious games which aims to provide business process understanding to players, as well as to allow them to reflect on process challenges and difficulties. The design of serious business process games requires game designers to have business process modeling skills and instructions on how to represent business process elements in the game context. This research was conducted using the Design Science Research Methodology, and addresses the challenge of providing a method for the design of serious business process games. The method receives business process models as input and comprises steps to (i) map business process elements into game design elements, game design and development, and (ii) evaluate games with game designers, process actors, and game players. In order to validate the method, a set of games was built and evaluated with players. The designed games were evaluated as to adequate quality, although fun and entertainment can still be improved, and players´ understanding regarding process increase after games are playe

The Players' Experience of Immersion in Persuasive Games: A study of My Life as a Refugee and PeaceMaker

Game studies has seen an increasing interest in serious games with a persuasive goal. Yet, empirical research about the impact of these persuasive games is still limited. This paper aims to advance the field by reporting on an explorative, qualitative study, investigating player experiences in My Life as a Refugee and PeaceMaker, games that address pressing socio-political issues. Theoretically, our research was based on immersion theory and Calleja’s account of player involvement. We conducted in-depth interviews with twelve participants. Our results showed that players experienced the two games in a similar way. With respect to immersion, our results highlight its different aspects by showing that the games’ narratives had the largest impact on feeling immersed. Our participants also experienced ludic, affective, and spatial immersion, which partly deepened their narrative immersion. Finally, we found that perceived realism, narrative depth, and identification contributed to the immersive experience. The major contribution of this paper is showing that immersion heightened participants’ susceptibility to persuasion within the gaming environment, while adding that the roles of emotion and identification in immersion warrant further research

Persuasive Gaming in Context

The rapid developments in new communication technologies have facilitated the popularization of digital games, which has translated into an exponential growth of the game industry in recent decades. The ubiquitous presence of digital games has resulted in an expansion of the applications of these games from mere entertainment purposes to a great variety of serious purposes. In this edited volume, we narrow the scope of attention by focusing on what game theorist Ian Bogost has called 'persuasive games', that is, gaming practices that combine the dissemination of information with attempts to engage players in particular attitudes and behaviors.This volume offers a multifaceted reflection on persuasive gaming, that is, on the process of these particular games being played by players. The purpose is to better understand when and how digital games can be used for persuasion by further exploring persuasive games and some other kinds of persuasive playful interaction as well. The book critically integrates what has been accomplished in separate research traditions to offer a multidisciplinary approach to understanding persuasive gaming that is closely linked to developments in the industry by including the exploration of relevant case studies

Juegos serios para la difusión del patrimonio en Cuenca: sistematización de información y factibilidad

El patrimonio en Latinoamérica ha recibido reconocimiento a nivel mundial debido a su riqueza cultural, arquitectónica y natural. Sin embargo, la difusión de este patrimonio en Latinoamérica ha sido limitada debido a la falta de recursos y acceso a información. En este contexto, los Juegos Serios (JS) representan una herramienta clave para difundir el patrimonio, ya que son atractivos e incentivan el aprendizaje. Aunque, se evidencian pocos casos de estudio en Latinoamérica, se han realizado esfuerzos para implementar estrategias de difusión, utilizando JS y otras actividades lúdicas. Los JS se definen como juegos con un propósito educativo explícito ya que tienen la capacidad de educar y entretener al mismo tiempo. La presente investigación consiste en una Revisión Sistemática (RS) de JS para la difusión del patrimonio en Latinoamérica misma que ha identificado 14 casos de aplicación, incluyendo juegos basados en ubicación, realidad aumentada y mundos virtuales. Mediante su estudio se han planteado 20 variables de análisis, tales como: la tecnología utilizada para el desarrollo de dichos JS, la temática abordada, el costo de cada JS, etc. La identificación de estas variables ha permitido resaltar características que demuestran la efectividad de los JS como herramienta de enseñanza y difusión del patrimonio en la región. En este sentido, se emplean dichas variables para la elaboración de encuestas aplicadas a docentes y estudiantes de la Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, para determinar la factibilidad, ventajas y desventajas que resultan del uso de JS para la difusión del Patrimonio Cultural en el contexto local.Heritage in Latin America has received worldwide recognition due to its cultural, architectural, and natural wealth. However, the dissemination of this heritage in Latin America has been limited due to the lack of resources and access to information. In this context, Serious Games (SG) represent a key tool to disseminate heritage, as they are attractive and encourage learning. Although there are few case studies in Latin America, efforts have been made to implement dissemination strategies using SG and other ludic activities. SG are defined as games with an explicit educational purpose since they have the capacity to educate and entertain at the same time. The present research consists of a Systematic Review (SR) of SG for heritage dissemination in Latin America that has identified 14 application cases, including location-based games, augmented reality and virtual worlds. Through its study, 20 analysis variables have been identified, such as: the technology used for the development of such SG, the subject matter addressed, the cost of each SG, etc. The identification of these variables has made it possible to highlight characteristics that demonstrate the effectiveness of SG as a tool for teaching and disseminating heritage in the region. In this sense, these variables are used for the elaboration of surveys applied to teachers and students of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, to determine the feasibility, advantages and disadvantages resulting from the use of SG for the dissemination of Cultural Heritage in the local context.0000-0002-2916-150

Scoping the Potential Use of Serious Games for Public Engagement with Tree and Plant Health

After the devastating introduction of Chalara ash dieback into Great Britain in 2012, all devolved GB governments agreed on the need for increased public engagement in protecting tree and plant health. Serious games have been proposed as a tool for achieving this. This thesis explores two questions. Firstly, to what extent is there an appetite for using Serious Games among plant health professionals and the general public? Furthermore, when compared to traditional methods of presenting information in public engagement, can Serious Games improve participant engagement and retention of information? To address the first question, we conducted two studies of attitudes to Serious Games. In the first study, we conducted face-to-face structured interviews of tree and plant health professionals. In this group, we found that there was interest in the potential use of Serious Games; however, a lack of game development skills emerged as a challenge. In the second study, we used an online survey aimed at the general public to ask about attitudes, preferences, and experiences with Serious Games. Again, we found that there was an interest in the use of games with some reservations. In addressing the second question, two experiments were conducted comparing game and non-game methods of presenting identical information to participants. These experiments measured enjoyment and retention of information. In both experiments, the non-game treatment participants had higher quiz results, suggesting that the Serious Game treatment did not improve information retention. This may be because the learning content was not sufficiently related to the games. Additionally, despite Game players reporting a higher perceived level of learning in the second experiment this did not translate to longer term retention of information. We conclude that Serious Games can be useful in arousing interest; however, careful design is needed if they are to promote, rather than distract from, learning

Design revolutions: IASDR 2019 Conference Proceedings. Volume 4: Learning, Technology, Thinking

In September 2019 Manchester School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University was honoured to host the bi-annual conference of the International Association of Societies of Design Research (IASDR) under the unifying theme of DESIGN REVOLUTIONS. This was the first time the conference had been held in the UK. Through key research themes across nine conference tracks – Change, Learning, Living, Making, People, Technology, Thinking, Value and Voices – the conference opened up compelling, meaningful and radical dialogue of the role of design in addressing societal and organisational challenges. This Volume 4 includes papers from Learning, Technology and Thinking tracks of the conference