Catch That Element: Development of a Web-based Educational Game on the Periodic Table of Elements for Grade 8 Learners

Abstract

The Periodic Table of Elements in Grade 8 Science is often perceived by learners as abstract, content-heavy, and difficult to master using traditional instructional approaches. To address these challenges, this study aimed to develop a web-based educational game titled Catch That Element. Moreover, this study also determines the teacher evaluation, students’ achievement, and students’ perceptions towards the developed material. The study employed a developmental and quasi-experimental research design. The game was developed using the ADDIE model and incorporated interactive challenges, immediate feedback, scoring mechanisms, and increasing levels of difficulty to reinforce students’ knowledge of element names, symbols, atomic numbers, and mass. The participants included 50 Grade 8 students for the implementation of the game, and eight Junior High School Science teachers for the evaluation of the developed game. Statistical analysis also revealed a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores (normalized gain = 0.89) providing that the instructional material enhances students’ understanding. Moreover, the game gained a rating of “very satisfactory” (mean = 3.72) in the teacher evaluation of content, instructional, and technical quality, indicating that the game meets curriculum standards and supports effective learning. Lastly, the students' perception of the developed game was “very high” (mean = 3.56) in interest/enjoyment, value/usefulness, and perceived choice. These results show that the game is engaging, relevant, promotes autonomous learning, and fosters positive affective and motivational outcomes. Overall, the results highlight the potential of the material in enhancing both cognitive and affective learning outcomes for teaching abstract and content-heavy concepts.