Ni Wayan Surya Mahayanti, I Putu Indra Kusuma, Basikin, Sutrisna Wibawa
The education paradigm has radically changed from teacher-centered to student-centered, and the focus in education is not the teaching process anymore. It more focuses on how students learn from any source, at any time, at any place. One of the shifts brought by the advent of technology is the use of digital games in EFL learning, especially for young learners. Many studies have proven that digital games affect students' motivation, metacognition, strategic action. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of understanding of how digital games and self-regulated learning are related to young learners' language learning process. Thus, this study aimed at investigating (1) the effect of digital games to young learners' self-regulated learning and (2) how digital games affect young learners' self-regulated learning. This study was conducted with 144 young learners in Indonesia, where English is treated as a foreign language. A mixed-methods approach in the form of explanatory sequential design was implemented. Post-questionnaire of SRL was distributed to know the effect of digital games on students' self-regulated learning. Furthermore, observations and interviews were conducted to support the quantitative result. It is found that the digital game used in this study has a positive effect on young learners' SRL in English learning. Through playing the game, students unconsciously develop elements such as metacognition, strategic actions, and motivation, which happen to be the sources of SRL. Moreover, the game is mentioned as a fun, exciting, and engaging activity for young learners where they can play and learn at the same time. © 2020 Asian EFL Journal Press. All rights reserved.
Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha, Bali, Indonesia; Western Michigan University, Michigan, United States
