The Effectiveness of Using “Punctuation Island” Game for the Improvement of Children’s Basic Punctuation Skills

Abstract

This research was implemented with the purpose of resolving the Year 5 pupils’ problem of using basic punctuation skills in writing using the “Punctuation Island” digital intervention. Additionally, the game is also executed to improve the researcher’s teaching practice on teaching basic punctuation skills in writing. The participants selected for this research consisted of three pupils whose English Language proficiency ranged from low to average. The “Punctuation Island” digital intervention was developed to gain pupils’ attention and motivation to learn particularly basic punctuation skills. In this research, observation, interviewing, and document analysis were used as the data collection instruments. The researcher analysed the data using a thematic qualitative analysis approach as well as a quantitative data analysis approach using basic statistics. The findings of this research have shown that the participants successfully improved their knowledge of using basic punctuation marks in their writing through the application of the newly achieved skills of using basic punctuation and better involvement in the teaching and learning activity. In conclusion, the researcher was also able to improve his teaching practice by teaching basic punctuation skills through fun and interactive learning and encouraging a student-centred learning environment.