Papers by Jon Paul Maligalig
... One hundred seventeen students enrolled in DEVC 10 for the First Semester, Academic Year 2009... more ... One hundred seventeen students enrolled in DEVC 10 for the First Semester, Academic Year 2009-10 were randomly selected and distributed to three treatment groups: the Control (C) group, with no treatment; the Experimental 1 (X1) group, with a one-hour D2 game session ...
The Philippine political landscape has radically changed since the new administration assumed off... more The Philippine political landscape has radically changed since the new administration assumed office in 2016. The government's adoption of populist politics has split public opinion on the way the country's affairs are managed. While mass media performs its traditional role as a check-and-balance system of the government, Filipinos openly express mistrust on information from these sources. Citizens would base the truth value of information more on their political beliefs instead of the sources' reliability. As a result, many Filipinos would rather believe social media posts from people with similar beliefs and reject those with different views. Improving political awareness and critical thinking skills should help address this issue. However, these topics may not be covered sufficiently in national curricula, leaving youths and adults ill-equipped to process political and socially-relevant information. This descriptive case study investigates the use of Political Animals in enhancing political awareness and critical thinking skills education among teachers and students (Basic and Higher Education levels). Political Animals is a turn-based digital strategy game that allows players to take control of opposing candidates in a simulated election. Game workshops were conducted for the student and teacher participants. Guide questions about their gameplay experiences were answered through written or oral means. The responses were categorized into themes, which revealed insights on the participants' learning experiences from the game. Participant observation was also performed during gameplay to generate insights on how games can be used to enhance learning of political awareness and critical thinking skills.
This descriptive multiple-case study explored the use of a digital music rhythm game to fairly as... more This descriptive multiple-case study explored the use of a digital music rhythm game to fairly assess meta-learning in formal and nonformal learning cases within the University of the Philippines Diliman. The game, Frets on Fire X, simulates the experience of playing guitars and drums in a band. The formal case involved an educational technology course for baccalaureate students, where the course content was learning theory. The game was introduced to the students as part of lectures and discussions on the content. The students were then given time with the game, so they could use the content in learning how to play. Performance in the game was equated to learning of the content. A survey and focus group discussion were done to capture details of the students' learning experiences. The nonformal case involved a group of students from different colleges within the University; none had any courses in education or learning. The game was introduced without revealing the meta-learning context. After playing, a group discussion was done to process the students' learning experiences. For both cases, the students found the assessment fun, social, and hands-on. The observed application of learning and subsequent decision-making during assessment was consistent with features of choice-based assessments, which fairly measure quality of and give value to students' learning experiences.
This descriptive case study aimed to illustrate the modifications made in the DEVC 40 course (Col... more This descriptive case study aimed to illustrate the modifications made in the DEVC 40 course (College of Development Communication-University of the Philippines Los Baños) from 1 st Semester AY 2008-09 to 2 nd Semester AY 2014-15 to accommodate game-based learning approaches. While the educational communication and technology content of the course was unchanged, several modifications in the instructional design (based on Aldrich's Simulation Learning and Sheldon's Multi-player Classroom) were implemented to increase student engagement and reduce the communities' learning fatigue. The modifications were: 1. Use of a video game to teach and evaluate students on learning theories; 2. Establishment of a grading system mimicking pen-and-paper role-playing game (RPG) experience point systems; 3. Use of a dice and card-based RPG to evaluate students on the selection and use of educational media; 4. Revision of the RPG grading system to accommodate " real-time " evaluation in recitation and online discussions; and 5. Use of narrative and pen-and-paper RPG techniques to simulate situations wherein the students designed and implemented learning systems for imaginary learners. As the modified instructional designs were being implemented, observations were made to analyze student performance and engagement in class. Focus group discussions were performed to clarify the data gathered during observations. Final grades were also used as an indicator of performance. A previous study found that students who took the modified DEVC 40 performed well in class and had deep, higher-order learning (Maligalig, 2013). Students also gained meta-learning of the content as they strategized, collaborated, and used 21 st Century learning skills in class.
The study was conducted to determine the acceptability of Age of Empires (AOE) as a teaching aid ... more The study was conducted to determine the acceptability of Age of Empires (AOE) as a teaching aid for World History in high schools. The study specifically sought to: 1) determine whether AOE sessions significantly increased students’ knowledge gain compared to the knowledge gain from classes only; 2) determine if the students find AOE user-friendly; and 3) determine whether study time, user-friendliness, sex, and strategy game playing affect the knowledge gain from AOE sessions.
Following the pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design, the selected respondents from South Hill School, Inc. and the Science and Technology School of Los Baños, Inc. were given a pretest to assess their knowledge level on the Roman Civilization. Relevant socio-demographic characteristics were also obtained during the pretest. The respondents were then divided into two groups: the treatment (subjected to AOE session and regular classes); and the control (subjected to classes only). The treatment was administered a custom scenario, “The Rise of the Empire,” in the AOE session. Both groups were then given a posttest to determine their knowledge gain/loss from the classes and/or game sessions.
While the t-test for significance between two different means showed that the treatment group performed better than the control group in the posttest, the knowledge gained by the treatment group was not significantly higher than that of the control group. Several factors during the administration of the pretest and the AOE session may have had a direct effect in knowledge gain of the respondents. Overall user-friendliness was recorded at 3.55, deeming the game user-friendly. The result of relationship testing between intervening variables (low user-friendliness, study time after class, respondent sex, and strategy game playing) and the knowledge gain and user-friendliness showed no linear correlation between the variables except in a moderate correlation between sex and strategy game playing.
AOE was found to be unacceptable with regard to increasing knowledge gain, but was acceptable in terms of user-friendliness and playability by people of different socio-demographic characteristics.
The use of games in formal and non-formal education has experienced a resurgence in recent years,... more The use of games in formal and non-formal education has experienced a resurgence in recent years, especially in the United States of America and Europe. To capitalize on the benefits of game-based education (GBE) methodologies and resources, Philippine educators must conduct research on how to adopt these for the local setting. This paper proposes a four-phase study on the acceptability of game-based education in three key schools in Quezon City, Philippines. The schools will be selected for the purpose of testing GBE as a learning paradigm in single sex (male, female) and coeducational groups of learners. The four phases are as follows: 1. Gathering data on the availability of resources and readiness of learners and faculty to engage in either ludopedagogic (game-based teaching) and ludoandragogic (game-based learning) approaches; 2. Redesigning courses to adapt ludoandragogic approaches in junior and senior high school; 3. Comparing learner performance between conventional and ludoandragogic classes; and 4. Tracking the 5-year performance of learners who have experienced ludoandragogic approaches to learning. With the participation of the schools under consideration, the resulting data from the study will provide an overview of how GBE may be practiced in the Philippines. It is also hoped that the study will provide the basis of national and local policy for the creation of game-based learning systems within the Philippine education system.
This paper presents two cases on the varied approaches of game-based learning as implemented at t... more This paper presents two cases on the varied approaches of game-based learning as implemented at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and relevant studies which show the advantages of these approaches in formal education settings For the ludopedagogic case, the use of the computer game Democracy 2 in specified classes at the College of Development Communication (CDC) and College of Human Ecology (CHE) was described. Democracy 2 was used in both institutions as an integrative learning medium, where students were tasked to play the game and share their insights and realizations (through reflective reports) on development issues and the role of government policy on social development. Benefits of using the game were higher-order learning and better appreciation of the complex interactions of the different elements of society on development. For the ludoandragogic case, the Game for Learning (G4L) designed for DEVC 40 (Fundamentals of Educational Communication and Technology), a foundation course offered by CDC, was identified. The course delivery method was modified to accommodate two game systems and technologies (Frets on Fire X, d6) so that the assessment of learner achievement was done through gameplay during and outside class hours. Students found the G4L enjoyable, immersive, and engaging; the course content was also found to be relevant by the students as the content was directly accessible to them through the gameplay. Currently, UPLB faculty are trained to use these game-based learning approaches with a half-day lecture hosted by the Interactive Learning Center (ILC) and showcases the two approaches mentioned. The lecture, part of a one-week seminar and workshop series, culminates with the proposal of learning object designs; some of these designs have adopted gamified mechanics or ludopedagogic approaches.
Gamification of Learning and game-based education are now mainstream in the Western educational e... more Gamification of Learning and game-based education are now mainstream in the Western educational ecosystem. For example, several universities, through departments established to perform game studies in the early 2000s, are already offering multidisciplinary game-oriented courses; these deal with game design, game-based learning, and games as a medium of entertainment and education. Other institutions, such as Quest 2 Learn (Q2L), have embraced game-based education as their central learning paradigm. Q2L is a middle and high school in the USA that uses game-based pedagogy and andragogy to teach courses in the prescribed curriculum. As early as 2012, this researcher proposed several policies for the adoption of game-based education into the learning systems of the University of the Philippines (UP) System. This paper proposes to take those policies and perform a comprehensive action research on the establishment of game-based education as a learning paradigm in UP Diliman. This research will employ case studies focused on the study and implementation of the following policies proposed in 2012: 1. Creation of interdisciplinary Game-based Education Committee in UP Diliman; 2. Utilization of the Interactive Learning Center (ILC) for game-based learning sessions and game development assistance of faculty; 3. Reorienting courses which may fully utilize game-based education methodologies; 4. Using game-based learning methodologies to enhance large class lecture/recitation classes; 5. Developing a ludoliteracy (game literacy) general education course; and 6. Selling and/or licensing effective game-based learning products developed by UPD to private institutions and the general public. Each of the research's six (6) threads may be undertaken simultaneously and in varying depth, depending on UPD's decision to study, refine, and implement each policy. It is hoped that by studying how the UPD adopts game-based education, a " roadmap " or framework may be developed to help other constituent universities in the UP System successfully adopt the same learning paradigm.
The recently concluded Philippine National Elections seems to have raised political awareness in ... more The recently concluded Philippine National Elections seems to have raised political awareness in the nation. The prevailing view of Philippine politics and governance as " corrupt " is well-established and contributed greatly to the newly-elected president's victory on a platform of political and societal change. " Corruption culture " in Philippine politics, however, runs deep in its nature. This is evident in mass media portrayals of politics and its actors, further fanning the flames of negative public perceptions on government institutions. This descriptive case study investigates the representations and perceptions of contemporary politics in the country as shown in the turn-based strategy game Political Animals, developed by Filipino indie game studio Squeaky Wheel for international distribution. The game simulates an election scenario where players may take the path of anthropomorphic animals " Mousey, " the honest politician, or " Croccy, " his corrupt counterpart. The political sectors in the game were identified and their representations contextualized with interviews of the lead game designer. The mechanics, rules, and strategies to winning were compared with prevailing perceptions of political interactions in the Philippines. Finally, the perceptions of the international gaming community (developers, publishers, gaming press, and fans) were also analyzed for similarities with local views on contemporary Philippine politics.
This case study sought to describe how learning occurred in an educational communication and tech... more This case study sought to describe how learning occurred in an educational communication and technology class which used the d6 System, a role-playing game (RPG)based learning system.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of Democracy 2 (D2) as a medium for teaching development i... more This study evaluated the effectiveness of Democracy 2 (D2) as a medium for teaching development issues to undergraduate students taking DEVC 10 at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. A pretest-posttest randomized experimental design was used.
Uploads
Papers by Jon Paul Maligalig
Following the pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design, the selected respondents from South Hill School, Inc. and the Science and Technology School of Los Baños, Inc. were given a pretest to assess their knowledge level on the Roman Civilization. Relevant socio-demographic characteristics were also obtained during the pretest. The respondents were then divided into two groups: the treatment (subjected to AOE session and regular classes); and the control (subjected to classes only). The treatment was administered a custom scenario, “The Rise of the Empire,” in the AOE session. Both groups were then given a posttest to determine their knowledge gain/loss from the classes and/or game sessions.
While the t-test for significance between two different means showed that the treatment group performed better than the control group in the posttest, the knowledge gained by the treatment group was not significantly higher than that of the control group. Several factors during the administration of the pretest and the AOE session may have had a direct effect in knowledge gain of the respondents. Overall user-friendliness was recorded at 3.55, deeming the game user-friendly. The result of relationship testing between intervening variables (low user-friendliness, study time after class, respondent sex, and strategy game playing) and the knowledge gain and user-friendliness showed no linear correlation between the variables except in a moderate correlation between sex and strategy game playing.
AOE was found to be unacceptable with regard to increasing knowledge gain, but was acceptable in terms of user-friendliness and playability by people of different socio-demographic characteristics.
Following the pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design, the selected respondents from South Hill School, Inc. and the Science and Technology School of Los Baños, Inc. were given a pretest to assess their knowledge level on the Roman Civilization. Relevant socio-demographic characteristics were also obtained during the pretest. The respondents were then divided into two groups: the treatment (subjected to AOE session and regular classes); and the control (subjected to classes only). The treatment was administered a custom scenario, “The Rise of the Empire,” in the AOE session. Both groups were then given a posttest to determine their knowledge gain/loss from the classes and/or game sessions.
While the t-test for significance between two different means showed that the treatment group performed better than the control group in the posttest, the knowledge gained by the treatment group was not significantly higher than that of the control group. Several factors during the administration of the pretest and the AOE session may have had a direct effect in knowledge gain of the respondents. Overall user-friendliness was recorded at 3.55, deeming the game user-friendly. The result of relationship testing between intervening variables (low user-friendliness, study time after class, respondent sex, and strategy game playing) and the knowledge gain and user-friendliness showed no linear correlation between the variables except in a moderate correlation between sex and strategy game playing.
AOE was found to be unacceptable with regard to increasing knowledge gain, but was acceptable in terms of user-friendliness and playability by people of different socio-demographic characteristics.