GAME-BASED EDUCATION: EFFECTS ON

THE 21ST CENTURY LEARNERS’ LEARNING

CAPABILITY

By:
Joel G. Campo
Aeron Mig P. Garcia
Alejandro Ivan P. Garcia
Greevan Gidal N. Lacorte
Russel Klein D. Torres
Introduction
A new era means new ways of learning, and game-based education draws the
attention of researchers in observing its effectivity to pass as the new learning standard.
Although games are usually associated with mental and physical problems, it doesn't
mean that they will only be a hindrance in our life, it doesn't mean that they can't be a
learning method. Many believe that games can offer a unique structure to complement
traditional teaching strategies and infuse teaching with energy, spark innovative thinking
and provide diversity in teaching methods. Games can make learning concepts more
palatable for students and supply learners with a platform for their creative thoughts to
bounce around, and games can encourage creative behavior and divergent thought and
are excellent ice breakers (Fuszard, 2001).
 According to Prodigy (2021), game-based education refers to the teaching method that uses different types
of games for learning, in which pedagogical objectives as well as entertainment and engagement objectives have
been considered in the game design. Games implemented in game-based education can be digital or non-digital and
should have game elements such as engagement, healthy competition, and immediate rewards, and should keep the
learners motivated while playing.
The game-based learning (GBL) concept has a long pre-history with board games like Kalaha, Xiangxi, Chess
and other forms of game having been used for thousands of years in educational contexts, training strategic and
tactical thinking, as well as language skills, mathematics and other subjects.
Game-Based Education was being suggested in the learning of the local schools also by the local council and
how this type of learning affect them mostly in the junior high school students in different aspects.
With these, the researchers aim to determine the effects of the game-based education towards the learning
capability of the 21st century learners.
Objectives of the Study
The study aims to explore game-based education as a learning technique among the Junior High School
students of San Celestino Integrated National High School. Specifically, it seeks to assess the following
objectives:
 
1. Describe the participants in terms of:
1.1. sex;
1.2. age; and
1.3. grade level.
2. Ascertain the 21st century learners’ utilization of game-based education in terms of:
2.1. problem-solving;
2.2. creativity;
2.3. collaboration; and
2.4. technology literacy.
3. Ascertain the level of the learning capability of 21st century learners in terms of:
3.1. critical thinking;
3.2. logical thinking;
3.3.reflective thinking; and
3.4. creative thinking.
4. Determine the significant difference between the game-based education and learning capability of the
21st century learners.
5. Determine the significant relationship between game-based education and 21 st century learners when
grouped according to profile.
6. Determine whether the school should consider the integration of game-based education as a part of
innovation.
Scope and Delimitation
The study covers the game-based education and determining its effectivity towards the
learning capability of the students.
It aims to understand the 21st century learners’ utilization of game-based education in terms
of critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and technology literacy and
ascertain the level of the learning capability of 21st century learners in terms of identifying an
idea, utilizing mental and logical thinking, and flexibility.
However, the researchers delimit this study only for Junior High School students of San
Celestino Integrated National High School of any grade level. It also excludes the effects of
digital games towards the students’ behavior and attitude which is commonly associated in
different studies.
Significance of the Study
This research is made with the aim to provide crucial information and knowledge regarding the
game-based education, considering that this is widely unknown and not practiced yet in most of the
schools inside and outside of the country. More specifically, this study will benefit the following
individuals and organizations:

• Teachers
• Parents
• Students
• School
• Department of Education
• Researchers
• Future Researchers
Relevance of Related Literature and Studies to the Current Study
Game-based education is a learning method wherein different types of games are used for learning.
Digital games are a common medium used for learning in game-based education, and their usage of it can be
proven effective and increases learning enjoyment and effectiveness in a variety of areas. 
The use of games in education is widespread among students in the twenty-first century. Problem-
solving, creativity, collaboration, and technology literacy are all prevalent traits that researchers look at in their
study. The numerous applications of game-based learning have demonstrated their efficacy by producing
excellent results and realizing the objective of game-based learning, which is to have students have fun while
learning. In contrast to other studies, the researchers assess technology literacy as the utilization of game-
based learning and were also proven to have superb outcomes. The other utilization of game-based learning,
however, has already been shown to be successful in numerous studies.
 Additionally, the degree of students' learning capability will be evaluated. The factors that the researchers
utilized to gauge the degree of learning capacity included critical thinking, logical thinking, reflective thinking, and
creative thinking. The factors utilized to gauge the degree of the learning capacity of students in the twenty-first
century show that the aim of game-based learning can be accomplished when applied appropriately. Last but not
least, no studies that evaluated the learning capacities of 21st-century learners could be located online, which
distinguishes the researchers' suggested study from other similar ones.
The researchers' proposed study will be carried out in the Philippines, where playing mobile and digital games
are more popular than in any other nation. The respondents' regular use of mobile and digital games may yield
interesting and persuading answers. The country's own culture and norms may also have an impact on the study's
variables, resulting in different results. The study's unique context makes it crucial to our investigation and
distinctive from other studies.
The collections of studies are related in the area of the importance in keeping the findings reliable. It will give
assurance that the data are trusted as the researchers back up these with the related studies.
Theoretical Framework

Figure 1: Theoretical Framework

Conceptual Paradigm

Figure 2: Conceptual Framework

Definition of Terms
Research Design
The study's main goal is to determine the effects of game-based education on the learning
capabilities of 21st century learners. The researchers employ the descriptive research method. The
descriptive research method refers to the method used to describe data and characteristics used to
describe the population. The purpose of using the descriptive research method is to acquire
accurate, factual, systematic data that can provide you with an actual picture of the data set that you
are reviewing (Pedraza, 2014).
As widely accepted, the descriptive method of research is a fact-finding study that involves
adequate and accurate interpretation of findings. Relatively, the method is appropriate to this study
since it aims to assess the effectiveness of using game-based learning as a learning technique
towards the learning capability of the 21st century learners.
Population and Sampling
The respondents of the study were the Junior High School students of San
Celestino Integrated National High School. There are 4 grade levels of Junior High
School students at present with the total number of 932 students. After the pre-survey
was conducted, the population was reduced into 466 students which are the ones who
played digital educational and are likely to adapt in game-based learning. However, the
researchers diminished the number of respondents by using Quota Sampling. The quota
number of participants was 50 students which are the final respondents of the study.
Research Instruments Used
To obtain the needed information of the study, a self-constructed survey questionnaire
will be used as an instrument in gathering the data by the researchers.
The questionnaire aimed to gather sets of information according to the 21st century
learner's response in terms of their utilization of game-based education and their learning
capability. This will aid in gaining thorough understanding of the true extent of the
effectiveness of game-based learning in 21st century learner's learning capability.
This questionnaire will consist of three parts. Part I: Demographic Profile; Part II: 21st
Learners’ Utilization of Game-Based Learning; and Part III: Level of Learning Capability of
21st Century Learners.
Data Gathering Procedure
The researchers stated gathering necessary information through searching sources on the internet
such as journals, blogs, past studies, and published research papers. Using of these different sources, the
researchers will be able to collect related literature and studies to support conduct of the study.
On the other hand, the researchers coordinate with the respondents to seek information by visiting
and distributing survey questionnaire for different grade levels in San Celestino Integrated National
High School. After getting the survey forms, the researchers will add all the data and use the appropriate
statistical methods to determine how game-based learning has affected the 21st century learners’
learning capability.
After that, the researchers will interpret the results based on the responses given and will come up
with the findings, conclusions, and recommendations which will be presented in the chapter 5 of the
study.
Ethical Consideration
Respondents are needed to gather essential data to be analyzed. Researchers will first
obtain consent from respondents and assure them that their information and as well as their
responses and personal information will be kept solely for the purposes of the study as a part of
the confidentiality. Considering the respondents' participation in the study should be voluntary,
researchers will write a letter requesting the respondents' responses to be recorded and the
researchers will also write a letter of approval to the adviser to conduct surveys. 
None of the data utilized in this study is fictional, participants will be made aware of this.
Instead, they were obtained from reputable and reliable sources. For the benefit of everyone
who accesses this research, each review of the related literature and studies will be properly
summarized and cited.
Statistical Treatment
To further organize the data, the researchers used tabulation of data. The data gathered will be
treated statistically using various formulas. The following statistical tools were used:
• Frequency and Percentage. It was used to determine the demographic profile of the respondents in
terms of sex, age, and grade level.
• Weighted Mean and Composite Mean. It was used to measure the general response of the survey
samples.
• Analysis of Variance. It was used to determine the significant difference between game-based
education and 21st century learners.
• Correlation Coefficient. It was used to determine the significant relationship between game-based
education and 21st century learners when grouped according to profile
REFERENCES