and growth to personal interaction and human relationships. Ignatian pedagogical paradigm leads the learners toward a learned understanding that includes in it its
significance here and now for the learners, for the society, and for building a better world.
The Ignatian pedagogical interpretativism helps me in my effort to understand the meaning of computerized educational games in English learning
experienced by the participants of the study. Therefore, the participants’ background, knowledge and experiences are seen holistically in this study and
influence the participants’ behaviors and way of thinking. Next, I describe and interpret their learning through my engagement with the participants.
2.2.2 Case Study Research as the Chosen Approach
Case study is often seen as a means of gathering together data and giving coherence and limit to what is being sought. Therefore, when choosing case study as
an approach, the researchers need to provide implication and explanation to give readers a clear picture on how the research was carried out. It means I need to explain
the unique realities found in the school and hardly found in other places. It, then, focuses on the idea of a bounded unit which is examined, observed, described and
analyzed in order to capture key components of the ‘case’. The case might be, for example, a person, a group of particular professionals, an institution, a local authority
etc. Robert Stake 1995 describes this kind of case study as ‘holistic’, it captures the essentials of what constitutes this personthis role. It means the study sees the
participants progress wholly without judging them previously. Stake also offers an alternative form of case study, and this is the model which is used most frequently by
those in education: an instrumental or delimited case study Stake, 1995:3. In this latter form, the focus is usually on an issue, problem or dilemma within the case. The
case, therefore, still exists as a bounded unit but the research focus does not attempt to provide a broad inclusive portrait. Instead, research processes are shaped by the
particular aspect of the case which is of interest. Considering the learners better might come out the teachers’ understanding and help the teachers to always develop
their teaching techniques. It is supported by Hamilton 2011 who emphasizes that a case study
approach is often used to build up a rich picture of an entity, using different kinds of data collection and gathering the views, perceptions, experiences andor ideas of
diverse individuals relating to the case. This approach provides what is termed ‘rich data’, as it can give the researcher in-depth insights into participants’ lived
experiences within this particular context. In her study, Pitaloka 2008 elaborates that Cohen 2000 explains that the
case study typically observes the characteristics of an individual – a child, a clique, a class, a school, or a community. The purpose of the observations were to prove
deeply and analyze intensively the multifarious phenomena that constitute the life cycle of the unit with a view to establishing generalizations about the wilder
population to which that unit belongs. This study highlighted the uniqueness of the school and the participants. It
only focuses on one case, which is the meaning of computerized educational games in English learning by young learners with hearing difficulty. This study does not view
case study merely as the used approach, but rather as a way to choose, describe, and interpret the object to be studied under a given paradigm. That is why case study
somehow is more humane and some ways transcendent because of the researchers, not the methods.
The school is a public school which is situated on one of the main streets in Yogyakarta. Therefore, the learners come from modest family and sometimes even
poor family in which their neighborhood is not being able to accept their existence. They are sometimes ignored. However, the school withdraws the attention of some
parties to give fund for the school to develop their teaching learning process because of the music and cooking lessons. The learners are taught those lessons though they
have difficulty in hearing. The school is equipped with instruments for cooking, marching band. The teachers try to reveal the potentials within each individual.
Beside skills, the school also tries to build the learners’ independence in life. They provide a dormitory for those who live far from the school and prefer to stay close to
the school. The teachers also want to develop the learners’ abilities more. Therefore, they start to involve the learners in using technology to learn. Indirectly the learners
need to be accustomed to computer using. Regarding to the uniqueness of the school and participants, I chose case study to be the umbrella of the study.
2.3 Framework of Pre-Understanding
It is imperative to put the theoretical review on the research questions about the enhancement of young learners with hearing difficulty of SLB B Wiyata
Dharma I Tempel Yogyakarta in English learning with computerized educational games into theoretical framework of this research. Theoretical framework is
expected to help answering the research question. Moreover, this framework is also useful to create a design on the research procedure.
Relating to the previous theoretical review, young learners with hearing difficulty have equal chances and opportunities to get better education, including
in learning English. Their limitation in hearing is sometimes considered as an obstacle to learn languages. Therefore, when learning English, teachers commonly
still use a conventional way to teach young learners with hearing difficulty due to the simple learning condition. They teach by using blackboard and chalk.
However, in line with technology development, teaching methods and media change. Nowadays, learning assisted by computer is developed because it is
considered helpful for improving learners’ knowledge and independence. For this reason, young learners with hearing difficulty deserve to get the same chance.
Many previous related studies have proven that computer games can help various learners to learn better if it is carefully conducted. Some studies use computer
games to understand its effect to the learners’ progress in English learning. The learners with hearing difficulty have the same opportunities to acquire English
through a different method, just like the normal learners. They have different ways in learning English through computer games.
Young learners of elementary school are the focus of this study since English in elementary school is still considered as a local content. Therefore, the
implementation in teaching learning activities is not yet fully developed. Regarding to the characteristics of young learners, English learning in early age
should be an interesting experience in order to make the learners experience a pleasant moment. The young learners at SLB B Wiyata Dharma I Tempel
Yogyakarta are accustomed to playing computer games for fun. Therefore, from
the previous considerations, an appropriate computer game is chosen to accommodate this study. Referring to the characteristics of young learners and the
educational context in this study, the chosen computer game is The Sims, a combination of role play and real-life simulation games. The learners do not only
learn English, but also experience the real-life situation they might face everyday. In this study, I portray a phenomenon as a case in which it is only to
understand the young learners’ experience and explain it in a thick description. The focus of this study is to describe and interpret the use of computerized
educational games in English learning to young learners with hearing difficulty of SLB B Wiyata Dharma I Tempel Yogyakarta. In order to capture the experience
holistically, Ignatian pedagogical interpretativism is used. This paradigm helps this study not to judge the learners based on what is seen only, but to look beyond
what is seen. It means the understanding of the complete experience by the young learners should be realized. Many factors might affect the learners’ experience
and their behaviors in which they might affect the result of the study. The following figure is the figure of adopted framework which derives from my
perspective in looking at the grand view and pursuing the research problem. It is formulated based on my knowledge, beliefs, and experience Creswell, 2003;
Holliday, 2002.
