Creativity Emergent Themes and Sub-Themes of the Study

4.5 Discussion

When recalling my understanding of the literature review and comparing it to the findings, of this study, my concern is more to how computerized educational games enhance young learners with hearing difficulty in English learning. However, the enhancement itself does not only come from their learning but also come from their personal life. It means the participants found relation between the game and their life. As I noticed that after playing the game, the participants realized that what they played was similar to what they faced in life. After few times playing, they found their own strategy on how to achieve the goals of the game and survive living. It required the input, interaction and negotiation of meanings of the participants. Input is what the participants have learned previously. The existing knowledge of the participants helped them in achieving the goals of the game. When they knew the instructions and what they needed to do, the interaction between the participants and the game could run well. The participants enjoyed the game and the game continued to run. The negotiation of meanings the participants found when playing game brought their understanding on the game they played. Through the negotiation, the participants faced some problems. When they knew how to solve the problems and respond to certain circumstances, the participants unconsciously negotiated the meaning of their learning. When playing the game, the participants learned through symbols they found in game. Symbols here meant the instructions, the signs of success or failure, and the daily and social activities. The symbols existing in the game brought the participants’ memory in the events they experienced in life. Both participants, for example, understood that when they had the symbol of spoon and fork while the character held their stomach meant the character needed something to eat. However, when eating, they needed money to buy. Therefore, to earn money, they must work first. This kind of simultaneous events brought a significant experience of life to participants since they understood their character would have probably died if they had not been taken care of carefully. Unconsciously, the participants should be able to interpret the symbols and understand the instructions given before being able to complete the game’s goals. Furthermore, in the interview, the participants realized that when playing the games, they found some familiar words just like those they learned at school formerly. Those words apparently made the participants sometimes just interpreted the translation more than figuring out the whole meaning in the instructions. However, there were some parts of the instructions where the participants were not common with, so they needed to ask me or sometimes consult to the dictionary about the translation of the words. The participants completely controlled the game. Therefore, when they wanted to ask or consult to the dictionary, they stopped the game because the game would still run when the participants made sure of the meanings. It meant that the participants were aware of the strategy they had to use when playing. The enhancement of English learning with computerized educational games is not only seen only when playing or the game that used English as the language, but also holistically, as formerly explained in Ignatian pedagogical interpretativism where there are five key elements in this paradigm. As stated also in the findings, the meaning in this study resulted in four things – challenge, motivation, scaffolding, and creativity. Participant A had a different meaning about English learning after playing the game to participant B. Beforehand, the participants played computer games just for leisure. They enjoyed the challenge given during playing. However, after playing, participant A thought that the game tended to give more challenge in English learning since she found many difficult words while completing the goals thought she finally looked up in the dictionary for a help in the word translation. Different from participant B, she regarded the challenge she found in the game tended to be life challenge. Despite her English learning during playing, she concerned more to what she had experienced in life. These differences were because the participants came from different background. Participant A was older than participant B. Different age showed different way of thinking and understanding what she they had experienced previously. Participant A was more aware of her learning through the game playing. Moreover, family condition in which participant A came from more affluent family than participant B led to different way in expressing her mind. Though she felt confusion when playing, she thought it was a fun confusion, so she could learn better. On the other hand, The Sims, the chosen game which also represented the real life gave a different challenge to participant B who came from less affluent family where the parents were not employees in an office. Although realizing that she also learned English language, she realized more about the life fact that she needed to work to earn money for her life. Learners with hearing difficulty tend to be sensitive. It is true due to what I experienced when conducting this study. The English learning through the game brought about different motivations. When asked if they liked English and the reason, participant A was just able to answer the questions briefly that she loved English. Meanwhile, participant B was able to specify her intention why English was meaningful to her. Her expectation to be able to speak to native speakers made her learn English more full of spirit. It is a way participant B expressed her feeling about not only the motivation, but also the challenge in English learning. Participant B considered to be more motivated than participant A in a way that participant B found the game was interesting since it was something new to her. New experiences commonly trigger young learners’ curiosity. It was also experienced by participant B. Coming from less affluent family, she found this new experience, learning by playing, could help her in achieving her purpose. The participants’ motivation should be continuously maintained in order to help the participants to be independent learners. To be independent learners, learners need assistance. Teachers are the people who can give learners appropriate guidance in learning. The participants of this study also needed a help to be able to completely use not only computerized educational games, but also any computer games in learning, particularly English learning. Through the interview, the participants revealed that they could understand of what to do when playing The Sims after few times. They got used to the playing and became independent without any assistance, but at the same time they still learned. This scaffolding considered the teacher’s assistance, the participants’ experiences at home, and the participants’ experience at school. The participants used their experiences with the assistance of the teacher to gradually finally control their own playing. Another interesting finding of this study was the creativity the participants developed when playing. Through the game, there were two creativities the participants revealed. Firstly, the participants found their most appropriate strategy to play and learn. Their learning was shown on their notebook where they wrote words they did not know and then looked them up in the dictionary. The participants also improved their imagination because of this game. Not all learners like English language. The participants also have their own favorite subjects. This study disclosed the participants’ opinion of what subjects they liked, and also expressed their idea and imagination of what they expected in the future through the concept of game they wanted to make. The reason why they wanted to do it showed that the participants thought logically about what they wanted. During my engagement with the participants, I was aware that they were slowly but surely more confident in expressing their idea, opinion, and feeling. This confidence appeared along with their being able to complete the tasks given in the game. It appeared to me that the participants built their confidence when they could complete certain tasks during playing the game. Therefore, engaging in new activities could enrich not only the participants’ experiences but also other learners’ experiences, particularly for young learners with hearing difficulty.