Foundations of reading - learning Malay syllable for primary school using game-based learning

Although reading proficiency is a very important skill for young learners, a lot of primary school students especially in Year Ones find it hard to master Malay syllables with traditional methods of learning. To address this issue, this project introduces "Foundations of Reading – Learning Malay Syllable for Primary School Using Game-Based Learning." The system is designed as a game-based learning application that engages students through interactive activities which can enhance their reading skills in a fun and effective way. As the main game engine used for development, Construct 3 is utilized in this system, along with Canva for designing graphical assets with, to provide an engaging and visually appealing experience for young learners. This application was developed using the Rapid Application Development (RAD) methodology which provides an iterative and flexible approach in the development of the application, and which enables the application to respond quickly to educational and user needs. A usability test based on the E-Game Flow model was conducted with 20 students to evaluate the game's engagement and overall learning experience, assessing the effectiveness of the application. The results demonstrate that 79.8% of the respondents that used the application had a good time and expressed positive feedback on interactive elements and the game play. This implies that the game-based learning techniques have helped to increase motivation and interaction with the students thereby making learning more fun and enjoyable. In summary, the Foundation of Reading application offers an innovative way to teach Malay syllables, by adding game mechanics, visual learning and interactive exercises. Possible future improvements could be to introduce mobile compatibility, make the features available online, and enable pronunciation feedback using some speech recognition technology to improve learning.