The Role of the Mandamonic Games in Supporting Mandarin Learning at Elementry School

Abstract

Foreign language education has begun to combine conventional education with mobile learning or “M-Learning”. M-Learning offers a modern way to support the learning process through mobile devices, such as handheld computers and tablets, MP3 players, smart phones and cellphones. This study explains Chinese learning through smart phones among elementary school students. Students’ interest in playing games, especially on smart phones, is the background of researchers designing Chinese learning applications by emphasizing game based learning. Before designing a smart phone game, researchers first conducted a survey of 129 elementary school students in grades 1-6 in two private primary schools in Jakarta about the use of smart phones and student interest in playing educational games. From the survey the researchers designed a game application called “Mandamonik”. This application consists of three types of games, namely memory games, puzzle games and word shoot games. The author asks 33 students to play the game. From student feedback, 85% of students consider Chinese learning, especially vocabulary mastery, can be fulfilled with the Chinese Character game.