Cartoon Story Maker Software, Project Based Learning Assessment and Validity

Cartoon Story Maker Software, Project Based Learning Assessment and Validity

Erik Yuda Pratama

English Education Department

School of Postgraduate

Indonesia University of Education

Abstract

This qualitative study focuses on investigating the validity of Cartoon Story Maker Software as an assessment tool in project based learning assessment. Participants were 22 students of six grade elementary school in West Java, Indonesia. The study revealed the use of Cartoon Story Maker software produced a positive impact on the validity in assessing students’ project in terms of improving the students’ 21st century skills, the potential for positive effects on learning, increasing motivation, and reducing the assessment anxiety. The study also found that this software could reduce the biased interpretation on scoring the students’ collaborative project, for example, subjectivity, and poor understanding on information about the assessment.

Keywords: Validity, Cartoon Story Maker Software, Project based assessment.

Abstrak

Fokus dari studi kualitatif ini untuk mengivestigasi validitas perangkat lunak Cartoon Story Maker sebagai sebuah media penilaian dalam penerapan penilaian berbasis proyek. 22 siswa kelas 6 SD menjadi partisipan di dalam penelitian ini. Penelitiaan ini menemukan bahwa perangkat lunak ini memberikan pengaruh positif terhadap validitas penilaian proyek siswa seperti meningkatkan keterampilan abad 21 siswa, memberikan efek positif dalam pembelajaran, dan menurangi kebingungan terhadap tugas. Penelitian ini juga menemukan bahwa penggunaan perangkat lunak ini dapat mengurangi subjetivitas dalam memberikan penilaian terhadap proyek siswa dan mengurangi kebingungan terhadap tugas.

Kata Kunci: validitas, perangkat lunak Cartoon Story Maker, penilaian berbasis proyek.

1. Introduction

Teaching English to young learners is important since it is believed that second language is, to certain extent, better to be introduced in the childhood era (Slattery and Willis, 2001 cited in Hakim 2011). The earlier a language is introduced to children, the better input as well as output will be obtained. In relation to this, Chomskyans (Ellis, 1994) claim that human brain has the-so-called innate capacity which comprises the prior knowledge and universal grammar of any languages meaning that there is a system which is able to automatically grasp the pattern of any novel language being learned or acquired. This innate capacity tends to have better performance in early stage of human development.

However, children are very unique; the way they learn, including learning language(s), is not similar to that of adults (Pinter, 2006). For instance, children are active learners and thinkers (Piaget, 1970). They usually grasp a new knowledge through active engagement of certain activities. They are also more interested in concrete and fun things or activities when thinking. In addition, Vygotsky (1962) states that children learn through social interaction. Vygotsky (1962) also introduces the concept of ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) which simply means the zone in which children need to do or know something they do not know yet by the assistance of, for example, adults. Children also learn effectively through scaffolding by adults (Bruner, 1983). This concept is actually closely related to Vygotsky’s ZPD where children need to be guided step by step.

To cope with those unique characteristics of children, there has to be an appropriate evaluation tool in the process of teaching and learning English (Pinter, 2006). Teachers of English for Young Learners (hereafter EYL) need to provide an assessment that is able to accommodate their characteristics. Project-Based Learning (hereafter PBL) assessment seems to be one of the effective evaluation tools in teaching English for Young Learners. This type of assessment requires learners to be actively engaged in the whole process of teaching and learning for learners will be doing a certain project which will involve their active participation in doing so. Project-Based Learning is a model for classroom activity that emphasizes on students centered learning activities that are long-term, interdisciplinary and making integration with real world issues and practices (Asan & Haliloglu, 2005).

The PBL may indeed benefit since it allows a teacher to create meaningful project across curriculum areas, moreover, projects that provides interdisciplinary learning (Erben, Ban & Castaneda, 2009). Within the framework of PBL, teachers can have a lot of chances to develop meaningful interaction with the students. Scaffolding is also taken into consideration since the procedure of the project in this assessment is procedural and sequential (Paul: 2000).

Further, PBL platforms drafting, editing, and redrafting stages allow teacher’s to assess students’ learning during the process of the project as well as the product of the project (Erben, Ban & Castaneda, 2009). It also facilitates collaboration and students interaction. Within, a Vygotskian perspective, students have enough time to develop intersubjectivity and dialog space to self-regulate learning.

PBL assessment can also be a powerful tool in making successful teaching and learning for young learners in the 21st century era. The integration of ICT media is brought into practical classroom activities. Hence, teachers should be able to use ICT media for numerous activities throughout the curriculum bearing the teaching and learning of the subject in order to meet the ideal situation in the 21st century education. According to UN (cited in Seamolec Online Course Module 2, 2006), the challenge of the education in the 21st century is developing knowledge-based society who owns:

1. ICT-media and literacy skill
2. critical thinking skill
3. creative thinking skill
4. effective communication skill
5. collaborative skill

Consequently, the educators have to organize the powerful vision of the 21st framework in teaching and learning activity in order to guarantee every child’s success as the citizen and worker in the 21st century era (Partnership for 21st Century Skill, 2008).

To this relation, Cartoon Story Maker, interesting useful software for children, comes up as a solution to the inappropriateness of evaluation tool for young learners. This software is child-friendly as well as interesting for children. This software also promotes the ICT-based learning to young learners; for, they need to operate it in a computer PC or laptop. Both interactionist (Long, 1996) and sociocultural (Donato, 1989) researchers agree that the use of computer technologies provide more chances for all students to be equally and actively engaged in learning activities. Considering the aforementioned issues, this study investigates the validity of Carton Story Maker in assessing young learners’ writing skill (project) in an elementary school in Bandung.

II. Methodology

This research employs qualitative case study design. The findings from the three instruments— document analysis, observation, and interview—were analyzed by using triangulation, so that the subjectivity of this study can be reduced. Further, the participants involved in this study were 22 students of six grade elementary school and they were divided into 5 groups. The amount of writing assessed was a single piece of writing; here is the rubric used for assessing students’ writing process using cartoon story maker software.

The project was used in order to test the performance level of the students after being scaffolded for four meetings. In this project, the students must create the story using cartoon story maker about describing job. The rubric was taken from with little modification from the teacher. This rubric was purposively designed in order to assess the students’ project.

Further, PBL platforms drafting, editing, and redrafting stages allowed teachers’ to assess students’ learning during the project as well as the product of the project (Erben, Ban & Castaneda, 2009).

III. Findings and Discussion

Implementing project based assessment using Cartoon Story Maker software produced a positive impact on the validity in assessing students’ project. In the present study, the software gave various benefits on they experienced by manipulating the use of technology in language learning activity. Students’ project could be assessed comprehensively since the use of software could help the students to explore their potential in achieving the goal of the learning. The use of technology-supported formative assessment can inform students self assessment and help guide their work without relying on the teacher until necessary (Ravitz, 2001). Moreover, technology also provided the student with ways of presenting peer-feedback or getting feedback from the interaction with others which could be assessed when the interactions were focused on teaching and learning activity. This aspect also helped the ability of the teacher to assess the group work or project work.

The data from the observation showed that the introduction of Cartoon Story Maker software increased the opportunity for exposure to a target language which was considered interesting and enjoyable. Further, the data also proved that the use of the software in assessing students’project has particular strengths and gave positive to the validity of the assessment in terms of improving the students’ 21st century skills, the potential for positive effects on learning, increasing motivation, and reducing the assessment anxiety. Those factors demonstrated that the use of software seemed to give the positive impact on the validity of the assessment.

This is also supported by the interview data; the student reported that the software helped them to understand the project assessment, as shown in the following quotes:

“The use of Cartoon Story of Cartoon Story Maker Software made the assessment easily”

Indeed, in the present study, students expressed their interest and explained that the use of the software enhanced their motivation to explore their potential, as shown in the following quote:

“It was fun for me to do the project in the class. The software makes it more enjoyable.”

The document analysis data strenghthen the findings from the two previous data. From the project document analysis, it proved that the use of Cartoon Story Maker, in practically, could reduce the biased interpretation on scoring the students’ collaborative project, for example, subjectivity, and poor understanding on information about the assessment. The software could rightfully fit with the rubric which was designed in accordance with the project based assessment framework.

The use of software was intended to give a positive impact on the validity in this respect by providing a number of benefits to the quality of the learning by promoting 21st century skills, such as: creative thinking, critical thinking skill, collaborative and communicative thinking skill by manipulating the software when doing the project.

To this relation, the use of software in doing project based learning offered a boarder and more relevant a set of skill to be tested and produced an authentic work of from the students. In addition, the use of software forced the students to explore their ability, to relate their background knowledge with the project. This factor might reduce the potential threat to the validity of the assessment.

IV. Conclusion

The use of Cartoon Story Maker could give a positive impact on the validity of project based learning assessment. This present study found that the use of the software in assessing students’ project has particular strengths in terms of improving the students’ 21st century skills, the potential for positive effects on learning, increasing motivation, and reducing the assessment anxiety. In practically, this software could reduce the biased interpretation on scoring the students’ collaborative project, for example, subjectivity, and poor understanding on information about the assessment.

V. References

Asan, A & Haliloglu, Z. (2005). Implementing project based learning in the computer classroom. Turkish Online Journal of Education Technology, 4 (3). Retrieved 31 August, 2007, from

Bruner, J.S. (1983). In search of mind. London: Harper and Rpw.

Donato, R. (1989). Beyond group: A psycholinguistics rationale for collective activity in second language learning. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Delware.

Ellis, Rod. (1994). The study of second language acquisition. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

Erben, T, Ban, R & Castaneda, M. (2009). Teaching english language learners through technology. Routledge.

Hakim, Lukman. (2011). The implementation of the interactive learning media in teaching speaking to young learners. Unpublished paper. Indonesia University of Education.

Long, M. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. Ritchie and T. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition. San Diego: Academic Press, pp.413-468.

Paul, David. (2003). Teaching english to young learners in asia. Hongkong: Longman Asia ELT.

Piaget, J. (1970). Genetic epistemology. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.

Pinter, Annamaria. (2006). Teaching young language learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Partnership For 21st Century Skill. (2012). 21st century skills, education and competitiveness. A Resource and Policy Guide.

Ravitz, Jason. (2001). Will technology pass the test? Buck Institute for Education. ESEA, Title III, Subpart 1, Sec. 3122.

Semiolec Online Course Module 2. (2006). The urgency of ict-integrated learning. USAID.

Vygotsky, L. (1962). Thought and language. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.

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