Integrating Touchscreen-Based Applications with Gamification Elements to Learn the Arabic Alphabet

Abstract

Language learning is considered an essential task for a child’s early education journey. However, children have traditionally received language learning components, such as the alphabet, through methods based on teacher-centred learning. These methods make students passive in the learning process and raise concerns regarding their individual differences. Technology has been widely accepted in education sectors in the last couple of decades as an effective educational tool that can compensate for the shortcoming of traditional learning methods. Therefore, this thesis presents the design and development of a novel touchscreen-based application integrated with gamification elements to enhance the understanding of the Arabic alphabet's forms for elementary school students in Saudi Arabia. In this thesis, an evaluation of the proposed application’s efficiency has been obtained by conducting two studies in elementary schools in Saudi Arabia. The study findings indicate that the proposed application increased and improved students’ comprehension of the Arabic letters’ forms. In addition, the study showed considerable positive attitudes and behaviours among students regarding the educational application. Therefore, it is considered an efficient educational tool that is able to address the difficulties of learning the Arabic alphabet and considerably influence the students’ learning outcomes. This research has provided several contributions, including the design and development of a novel educational application to learn the Arabic alphabet and its evaluation processes and methodology.