Students Perceptions Towards Learning Webpage Design Using "Webdes" Educational Software

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Hypertext Markup Language is a scripting language used to create webpage design and considered as a challenging subject for students and teachers, that's why students feel less motivated to learn it. This study discusses the author pilot's study about Grade 8 Special Science Program students' perceptions towards using non-generic type of educational games as their learning medium.

METHODS

To satisfy the objectives of this study, original game software was developed. The game design was created included additional game characters to play and varieties of special action cards for more thrills. The initial testing of the software is evaluated by the two international game programmers before using it in class session. After using the game, a set of questionnaires followed with 24 items divided into 5 constructs and an open ended student comments were slicited. The instrument was adapted and modified from Masrom (2006). And finally after gathering the data, computation of weighted mean and standard deviation was applied.

RESULTS

Findings revealed that all the students were found loving the game and became more engaged during the game play sessions. Students motivation, cognitive development, and expectations show that the respondents strongly agreed that they were motivated and that their cognitive development was enhanced by the WEBDES game in learning webpage. At the same time students agreed that their attitudes towards the game made them more interested in the ICT subject and that the game interface was user friendly. The overall survey ratifies that the respondents are eager to learn more using this kind of game in the future.

DISCUSSIONS

The results indicated that all of the respondents were highly interested in using the games as one of their learning approaches as this might be due to interactivity embedded in games design and trilling special abilities given in the players for their own strategies to win the game. In addition, this is totally a new experience for them as we have never introduced this kind of game software to complement their usual way of learning in the past. Furthermore,scripting subject is well-known as a difficult subject; thus, learning with games seems to develop students' inspiration on the subject.