Designing Digital Game Based Learning in Early Childhood Teacher Education Using the ADDIE Model
This study demonstrates that redesigning an early childhood teacher education course using the ADDIE model effectively enabled preservice teachers to develop digital game prototypes that showcase their ability to apply pedagogical and technological knowledge, as evidenced by expert feedback and high ratings for functionality and overall quality.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
In the modern classroom, the presence of screens is no longer a question of if, but how. Teacher training programs face a growing challenge: ensuring that future educators do not merely learn to operate digital tools, but understand how to weave them thoughtfully into the complex fabric of early learning. This is particularly delicate when working with young children, where technology must align with natural play, developmental stages, and safety. Experts in the field often speak of a three-part knowledge base required for this task: knowing the subject matter, knowing how to teach it, and knowing how to use technology to bridge the two. Without this balance, digital tools can become distractions rather than aids. The goal is to move beyond simple usage toward a deeper, more principled approach where technology serves the child's learning journey.
Researchers at Universitas Mataram in Indonesia set out to test a new way of teaching this balance to future early childhood teachers. They focused on a specific course designed to train students to create their own digital games for young learners. Instead of simply asking students to play existing games or use software, the instructors wanted them to become designers. To achieve this, the team restructured the entire course using a systematic five-step planning method known as ADDIE, which stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. This approach ensured that every part of the course, from the weekly lessons to the final project, was tightly connected to the goal of producing high-quality educational tools. Before the class began, ten experienced lecturers reviewed the new course plan. Their feedback led to significant changes, including clearer goals, updated materials, and a stronger emphasis on the ethics of using technology with young children, such as privacy and safety.
The redesigned course unfolded over sixteen meetings. The first half of the semester focused on building a foundation of knowledge about educational technology and how it fits into early childhood development. After a mid-term exam, the students shifted into a creative phase where they had to design and build their own online educational games. By the end of the term, seven distinct digital game prototypes were presented. These included games for counting objects, labeling diagrams, solving crossword puzzles, spinning wheels for answers, matching items, unjumbling words, and another counting game. The work was not just about making a game that worked; it was about making a game that taught something specific to a young child in an engaging way.
To see how well the students had learned, a group of eight peers evaluated each of the seven games. They rated the prototypes on six different qualities: how original the idea was, how innovative the approach, how good it looked, how well it functioned, how relevant it was to the subject, and how much impact it seemed to have. The results showed that the students had successfully translated their learning into tangible products. Six of the seven games fell into a "good" quality range, while one was rated as "adequate." The average score across all games was just under four out of five. When looking at specific qualities, the students excelled at functionality; their games worked as intended and performed their tasks smoothly. However, the visual appeal, or aesthetics, of the games scored the lowest. This suggests that while the students were very capable of building working educational tools, they still have room to grow in making those tools look as polished and inviting as they function.
The study offers a clear picture of what happens when future teachers are asked to design rather than just consume technology. The process made their thinking visible, showing that they could connect curriculum goals with interactive tasks and user experience. However, the researchers are careful to note what this study did not prove. Because there was no test of the students' skills before the course began, and no group of students who took a different version of the class to compare against, the results show what the students were able to produce after the training, not necessarily how much their skills improved because of it. The findings demonstrate that a curriculum embedded with a design project can generate observable evidence of a teacher's ability to apply technology and pedagogy together. It confirms that with the right structure, future educators can create authentic learning tools, even if the visual design of those tools still needs refinement.
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