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CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION

In this Chapter shows the full and overview of what the Proposed Software/System is all

about. It contains the development and the foundations of the needed study for its continuous

development, the objectives and purposes of the soft ware also discussed. Its scope and

delimitations/limitations, hypothesis, and its significance.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Empirical research has shown that well-designed games have a potential to improve academic

achievement and engagement. Games have been used as a means to improve communication, present

instructional materials, train, and motivate learners in a variety of settings, such as educational

institutions, military, business and industry.

Although there are many claims about instructional effectiveness of games, researchers do not

have yet an answer on how to make fundamental decisions whether or not to consider games as part of an

instructional solution. For example, learners’ audience, quality of a game, subject matter domain,

instructional objectives, desired learning outcomes, or environmental constraints, are just a few factors

that may influence educators’ decisions on whether or not to incorporate games in a curriculum. One of

the major differences between the categories is the game design or more specifically gaming

characteristics (GCs). The question is how to choose an appropriate game to achieve specific instructional

objectives and what role GCs play in this process.

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Nowadays, the use of technology had widely spread almost everywhere by means of desktops,

laptops, tablets and most especially, smartphones. These may help in improving the life of each and every

one of us. On contrary, they may also be a bane for some particularly to students because of the various

downloadable applications that catches their attention.

Due to the said distractions, students lack focus and, at the same time, had a hard time

remembering the things that needs to be learned particularly those students in line with the electrical

industry due to a lot of words and symbols to memorize which needs to be familiar with. This is how this

study came to be.

Moreover, the need for a more interactive way of teaching and learning thus make each and every

one of us more dependent on this drastically improving technology.

The user will be able to display and to enhance his skills. All of these reasons motivated the

proponents to create and accomplish a project such as this.

RATIONALE

The primary goal of the study is to develop a software that will provide learning and

entertainment on the student of the BPSU –IIEE. This will be accomplished in program of Electrical

Symbol Memory Game. As with stated, unlike most game this project involves the subject of Electrical

Engineering which deals with the familiarization of the electrical tools and equipment. Aside from the

game, the study also aims to present the user with information including the uses of each of the tools,

symbols and equipment.

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OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Presented in this section are the general and specific objectives of the proposed software.

General Objective. The general objective is to apply the concepts of Visual Basic 6.0 and to

contribute to the existing body of knowledge in the society through science and technology are the

proponents’ aim in this study.

Specific Objectives. Specifically, this study seek to accomplish the following:

1. To analyze on how the existing system on computer games operates

2. To identify the problems encountered in using existing system

3. To develop the proposed information system that will be:

a. User-friendly

b. Interactive

c. Informative

d. Reliable

e. Efficient

4. To show that the proposed is technically and operationally feasible for implementation

5. To determine if there is any significant difference between the existing system and the

proposed software

HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY

The target users will be provided with a more efficient and reliable reference through the

proposed system.

The following assumptions will be considered in the study:

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1. The existing system is based on general aspects. The user plays the game just for having fun and

as a leisure. Based from the game mechanics, the user generally aims the goal of the game which

is to clear the puzzle. The user then have no essential benefits from playing the game.

2. Several issues may arise from using the existing system. The user may built boredom within the

gameplay due to the unproductivity of the system. The user is pressured due to the time allotted,

the user will not be able to complete its aim since the system is not interactive. Also, the user is

then left to decide for the entire process of the system.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The scope of this system is all about the symbols used in the course electrical engineering, the

system will only tackle things that are all about this topic. This section outlines the ways in which games

are currently used in the said area of education, presenting several broad and specific categories for

consideration. It also looks at the problems of integrating games into the curriculum and into teaching and

learning. Even though this is not as graphically pleasing as the existing systems, the said system will offer

a more informative way of learning. It also considers new areas and unexplored avenues for gaming in

education. This will also investigate and present how instructional games stimulates one’s learning. The

games used offer motivation for learning because they are interactive and built on the ubiquitous culture

of young people. Recognition and acceptance of young people’s culture could offer schools and education

a better understanding of the way in which young people learn, think and integrate socially. The games

currently available to schools may be limiting but not as limiting as the curriculum into which they are

being inserted at present.

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SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The importance of the proposed software will be discussed in this section. It is through these

factors that the reader will be able to see the need to implement the proposed system in our society today,

specifically in the education system of Bataan Peninsula State University.

Educational Significance. The proposed software will contribute to the improvement of the

educational system. By using entertainment and learning this will aid the student to focus on the

understanding of the electrical symbols.

Technological Significance. The completion of the study will mark a significant progress in the

technology of our society since it changes the usual way learning through the use of a memory game.

Psychological Significance. This will help the improvement cognitive skills and memory

processing and coordination of the student. Through this software the act or process of knowing,

perceiving, conscious reasoning will be develop.

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CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Brief review of existing studies and literature that has relation to the proposed study is discussed

in the chapter. Comparisons between the existing system and the proposed software in the theoretical

framework where the differences the two towards each other. Lastly, terms that will be used in this study

will be defined in the Operational Definition of Terms section.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY

The flow of data from inputs, processed by the system produce the desired output will be

discussed in this section, both the existing and the proposed system.

The existing software basically involve instructional games which are intended commonly for

kids. These include instructional games which not just promote enjoyment but also develop motivation of

every individual. They also come in visually appealing displays and often cover general and easy subject

matters.

The proposed software, on the other hand, provides a student-friendly intervention material. The

said software will feature a more challenging game which tackles a specific subject area. This will

involve topics about Electrical Engineering and its allied courses. These will serve as a sort of reference, a

form of learning as well as a reviewer for the said users. This will also feature a more strategic way of

teaching and an interactive way of learning. The discussion about the system’s framework are graphically

illustrated in figure 1.0.

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CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

The game is
presented to the user and
instructions are User’s decision making Completion of game and
discussed. retrial

EXISTING SYSTEM

The game is Process the user’s Completion of game,

presented to the user, decision, verified and facts are on screen,
objective and information executed objective is reached and
is projected. retrial.

PROPOSED SOFTWARE

Fig. 1.0

Theoretical Framework of the Existing System and the Proposed System

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RELATED LITERATURE

The assumption many are making is that digital games are well suited to improve instruction and

differentiate learning while also providing more effective and less intrusive measurement than traditional

assessments offer. This is what the proposed system is all about. This paper also provides an overview of

some of the current thinking about digital games.

In order to understand the potential role of mainstream games in supporting learning, we need

first to ask what we mean by ‘learning’. This is harder than it looks as there are multiple and evolving

definitions of learning, with significant areas of disagreement both as to what it means to learn, and what

forms of learning are valuable.

In line with developments in learning theory, research that has examined children’s self-

motivated computer games play sees their learning as a process of participation in practice rather than a

process of acquisition of facts or disconnected ‘pieces’ of information, ie ‘doing’ rather than ‘knowing’.

This takes a variety of different forms.

While the majority of research discussed so far has been concerned with what and how children

learn in their informal playing of computer games, in recent years there have been a number of studies of

the use of mainstream computer games in schools, intended to explore whether these games can have any

role in supporting current educational objectives. Given the research above on the potential of games to

support learning of competencies, collaboration and participation in practice, however, there are some

significant tensions in evidence when introducing mainstream games into the school setting.
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Moreover, research into the use of mainstream games in education is relatively novel, but

growing rapidly. Research is mainly concerned with the development of related competences and

literacies during game play, or the role of games in the formation of learning communities either while

gaming or related to game play.

On the other hand, software designed to support young people’s learning often borrows from

game design in an attempt to replicate the levels of engagement and harness this to facilitate more

traditional learning.
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RELATED STUDIES

One of the aspects that attract people to games is that they are enjoyable. Csikszetmihalyi (1990)

has studied many enjoyable activities. He argued that there are several elements (components) that make

games an enjoyable activity.

Aside from that, games can be used as instructional activities or some of the aspects of games can

be incorporated into other instructional activities to make them more enjoyable for the learner (Garris,

Ahlers, & Driskell, 2002).

In line with this, instructional games have been used for a wide variety of tasks with learners of

different ages.

Past reviews have found that the majority of articles on instructional games are opinions about

whether to use games and about the potential of games to provide effective instruction (e.g., Dempsey, et

al., 1993-1994). Far fewer articles provided empirical data on research that has investigated the

instructional effectiveness of games. This was also found in the present review.

In addition to these, an instructional game will only be effective if it is designed to meet specific

instructional objectives and used as it was intended. (Caftori & Paprzycki, 1997)

Hays and Singer (1989) discussed several ways that games could be used for instruction. They

observed that potentially, games can be used to assess entry level performance, to measure criterion

performance, to aid in formative and summative evaluations of instructional approaches and programs, to

provide instructional information on specific knowledge and skills, to help change attitudes, to serve as
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advance organizers prior to other forms of instruction, to replace alternate forms of instruction to transmit

facts, teach skills, and provide insights, to serve as a means for drill and practice, to help integrate and

maintain skills and to illustrate the dynamics or abstract principles of a task.

Furthermore, Pierfy (1977) did find that some research indicated that the use of games might

improve the retention of learned information.

Moreover, Dorn (1989) found mixed results from his review. He observed that there are

consistent results that show that games generate interest and motivation in learners. In general, he found

that games appear to be as effective as other techniques for teaching factual information, principles, and

concepts.

Likewise, Randel, Morris, Wetzel, and Whitehill (1992) reviewed 68 studies that compared the

instructional effectiveness of games to conventional classroom instruction. A consistent finding is that

games are rated as more interesting than conventional instruction.

As an example, Rieber and Noah (1997) used a game to teach university students the

relationships between acceleration and velocity. When compared to participants who were taught these

topics without a gaming context, it was found that the game actually interfered with the participants'

learning of these principles.

On the other hand, the "Folk Model" divides games into 4 (non-exclusive) categories: games of

skill, games of chance, games of strategy, and simulation games (Wikipedia, 2005). Games of skill

include: board games, card games, letter games, mathematical games, puzzle games, guessing games,

word games, games of physical skill, and instructional games. Games of chance include: dice games, card

games, casino games, lottery-type games, Bingo, and Pifiata. Games of strategy include: Checkers, Chess,
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Go, and Mastermind. Simulation games include: role-playing games, board games like Monopoly, and

computer and video games.

To sum things up, this section showed the different studies to the current one. Additional

information from these studies into consideration while developing the proposed software. The mentioned

related studies above can be used as references for additional research.

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OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

The technical terms used in the study are defined in this section. This includes the simplest

corresponding definitions of the said terms.

Instructional Games – It is a game designed to encourage student motivation to include learning a fun

activity.

Software – These are programs that run on a computer and perform certain functions.

Digital – These are the things using or characterized by computer technology.

Simulation – The imitative representation of one system or process by means of the functioning of

another.

Visual Basic – is a programming environment in which a programmer uses a graphical user interface to

choose and modify preselected section of code written in BASIC programming language.

Literacy – These are the knowledge that relates to a specified subject.

Electrical Engineering – This is the application of science as well as mathematics by which the properties

of electricity including electronics are made useful to people.

Mainstream Games – These are the games which include incorporation to mainstream.

Motivational Activities – These are the activities that promotes enjoyment as well as additional

information to a certain user.

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CHAPTER III

PROGRAM DESIGN AND FLOW CHART

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