Figure 2.5 A Screenshot of Atlantis:The Lost Tales downloaded from
http:www.gamefaqs.comsaturn939950-atlantis-the-lost-talesimagesbox- 89387
• Role-Playing Games The words role and play represent that the players should behave just like the
expected characteristics of persons or animals in some situations during the game Can, 2003. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is a massively
multiplayer online role-playing game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 and was developed by Square Enixs Product Development
Division 3, with Naoki Yoshida as producer and director. This role-playing game was released worldwide on August 27, 2013.
• Action Games These games normally follow a simple play pattern - the players should defeat
increasing numbers of increasingly skilled enemies and often in increasingly complex battlefields. These can also be categorized into shooting games
because the players’ characters move between onscreen platforms and another type of games is reactionbasedAlessi Trollip, 1991:173. Resident Evil
1996 developed and released by Capcom is one of the action games which became the idea of a box office movie.
• Puzzle Games A puzzle game is actually easy to play. The players only need to succeed
within some simplified recreation of a place or situation. Minesweeper, a popular computer puzzle game found on many machines, is an example.
Besides, hidden object games, reveal the picture games, and traditional puzzle games are also included in this type.
It is obvious that not all types of the computer games can be used for teaching. Some of the games are too complicated or too violent for young
learners. Other games might not be suitable for lower thinking level learners. However, to achieve the purposes of this study, a combination of role-play and
simultaneous games which represents the computerized educational game meant in this study is then chosen.
2.1.4.4 Advantages of Using Computerized Educational Games
Computerized educational games are developed based on learning principles through playing games. Therefore, they become a favorite technique for
students. The following are the advantages of using computerized educational games in learning:
a Challenge
A good computer game improves capabilities of the learners. The learners’ level is moved as the mastery of a level is acquired. Quinn 1997:3 ensures
that broad experiences and practice opportunities continue to challenge the learner. Learners are presented with a broad set of experiences and practice
opportunities. It is more challenging learning from a world that has colors, complexity and challenge than learning from printed textbooks only.
b Motivation
Computerized games propose motivational challenges and create competitive environments and affective experiences of fun in which learners can engage
Garris, et al., 2002:90. There is a difference between two types of motivation, in which intrinsic motivation pushes students to do the task freely
and extrinsic motivation which pulls students to act due to factors that are external to the activity itself, like reward or threat. Motivation is truly
considered for long-term education. It means the games are expected to help the learners to master the language they learn faster and in a long period.
c Competition
Competition does not always need rivals. It can be against oneself, chance or time. Learners are excited by competition because the question of what will
happen next remains unanswered until good or bad things occur, depending on the participation of the learners in playing the games Gee, 2003:90. If
carefully assisted, competition can be fun for learners.
d Engagement
Students can spend hours playing a game and not be aware of the time they have spent. Computer games represent fantasies and follow a simple principle
of winning or losing, with instant outcomes. Besides, they recognize features to engage the learners attention by stimulating the learners’ enjoyment with
visual feedback. The computerized games provide an interactive playing environment, better than learning in classroom, and an experience. They,
furthermore, open up different solutions of solving problems.
e Scaffolding Contextual Bridging
Computerized games can close the gap between what is learned and its use. Neimeyer 2006:87 ensures that using computerized games are used to train
the students brains to tune out distractions, pay attention to what was useful information and let students obtain the knowledge then connect it in their own
way with what they already have learned. These games can offer scaffolding, providing learners with prompts and partial solutions to keep them progressing
through learning, until they are capable of controlling their learning.
f Feedback
Feedback is an important component in learning. In computer games, feedback is given when the players do something right e.g. rewards or wrong
e.g. punishments. Computer games continually monitor progress, so the feedback should be clear and immediate, and appears after the attempt of
solving problems Lewis Hill, 1995:89. They can also provide visible and audible rewards such as music or images.
g Safe Training
Computerized games are played anywhere and everywhere without forcing the learners to move to other locations. It supports Gee 2003:98 who confirms
that the games provide inexpensive real-world background experiences and provide safe training in areas where it would be dangerous allowing learners
to experiment freely. Also, Norman 1993:67 adds they support a safe way of acting out a dangerous reality by playing computer games.
h Bring Real Life Situations
Electronic games bring real life situations to the confinement of the classroom which provide learners with an opportunity to use the language. Nunan
1999:26 reports that interactive visual media such computer games seem to have a unique instructional capability for topics that involve social situations
or problem solving, such as interpersonal solving. This study focuses on bringing the advantages in the real learning
activities within the country. Moreover, it is also expected to enhance the learning competences and develop the confidence of the learners.
2.1.5 Young Learners with Hearing Difficulty
Hearing is one of our five senses. Our ability to hear sounds has an impact on virtually every aspect of our lives. If hearing is limited, there can be far-
reaching effects on an individuals capability to interact with the environment. This is especially true during children formative years. When a young child is
unable to hear sounds clearly, significant educational problems may develop. For example, if a child has a problem in hearing speech sounds, he or she may not be
able to produce those speech sounds accurately later in life. This can have a direct effect on literacy development.
Education is important for the young learners with hearing difficulty because it develops their thinking, communication with other deaf and hearing
people. It also allows them to be able to live productive, independent lives and take part in the life of the community.
2.1.5.2 Definitions of Young Learners
The term of young learners varies around the world. It is interpreted differently. According to Teaching Knowledge Tests TKT of Cambridge
University, they define a young learner as a child who is in their first six years of formal education, from the age of 6 to 12. The reason for this choice is that the
lower limit of 6 roughly corresponds to the start of formal schooling in many countries, while the upper age of 12 approximates to a time when many children
have begun to experience significant cognitive and emotional changes.
.Meanwhile Rixon 2012 categorizes young learners into two categories – those from 6 to 12 years old which covers primary school in many contexts.
and from 6 to 16 years old which covers compulsory schooling in many contexts. The first category is used to describe learners who study in primary school only
and commonly least visited for researches. On the other hand, as Rixon further explains, the other category is more often familiar for researchers because it is
easier to test teenagers than children. According to the explanation, it means teenagers are also included as young learners.
Another definition is proposed by Hoesein 2006 in her dissertation. She explains that young learners are the students of elementary school who are at
grade four up to grade six. Their ages range from ten to twelve years of age and have learned English for about one up to four years.
Definitions of young learners are various depending on the contexts. In some elementary schools, the learners’ age exceeds 12 years old, in which
commonly becomes the normal age of learners in the sixth grade. However, because of the various contexts in education, I define young learners as those who
are between 6 to 16 years old and still in the level of elementary school.
2.1.5.2 Definitions of Hearing Difficulty
Most people often define the term “difficulty” the same as the terms “disability” and “handicap”. Hallahan and Kauffman 2006 mention that those
terms are often used interchangeably. However, they are different and it is an important thing for teachers to understand the difference. A disability is an
