Educational Games And Higher-Order Thinking Skills In Elementary Schools: A Systematic Review
Keywords:
Educational Games, Higher-Order Thinking Skills, Elementary School, Systematic ReviewAbstract
The demands of the 21st-century curriculum place Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)—including the ability to analyze, evaluate, and create—as one of the main learning outcomes, including at the elementary school level. On the other hand , educational games, both digital and non-digital, are increasingly being integrated into learning practices because they are seen as being able to increase student engagement and motivation. This article presents a systematic review of the literature discussing the relationship between the use of educational games and the development of HOTS in elementary school students over the past ten years (2016-2026). A literature search was conducted in scientific databases using a combination of the keywords "educational games," "game-based learning," "higher-order thinking skills," and "elementary school," then filtered following the identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion process commonly used in the PRISMA approach. Articles that met the criteria were then analyzed thematically to reveal the types of games used, the HOTS dimensions they focused on, and the reported results. The review findings indicate that educational games are consistently reported to positively contribute to elementary school students' critical thinking, problem-solving, creative thinking, and analytical-evaluative skills, although the magnitude of the effect varies depending on the type of game, the duration of the intervention, and the extent of teacher scaffolding. The review also identifies several limitations in the existing literature, including the predominance of quasi-experimental designs, relatively short intervention durations, and the diversity of HOTS measurement instruments that make generalization difficult. Implications for instructional practice and future research directions are discussed.
References
Alotaibi, M. S. (2024). Game-based learning in early childhood education: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1307881. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1307881
Angelelli, C. V., Ribeiro, G. M. C., Severino, M. R., & Johnstone, E. (2023). Developing critical thinking skills through gamification. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 49, 101354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101354
Anggraeni, M. C., Widodo, A., & Misbah, M. (2022). Pengembangan media IPS berbasis permainan monopoli untuk meningkatkan motivasi dan hasil belajar siswa kelas VII SMP. Jurnal Pendidikan IPS, 12(1), 45-58. https://doi.org/10.21831/jpips.v12i1.44501
Ariyana, Y., Pudjiastuti, A., Bestary, R., & Zamroni. (2018). Buku pegangan pembelajaran berorientasi pada keterampilan berpikir tingkat tinggi. Direktorat Jenderal Guru dan Tenaga Kependidikan, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan.
Behnamnia, N., Kamsin, A., & Ismail, M. A. B. (2020). The landscape of research on the use of digital game-based learning apps to nurture creativity among young children: a review. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 37, 100666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2020.100666
Cai, Z., Mao, P., Wang, D., He, J., Chen, X., & Fan, X. (2022). Effects of scaffolding in digital game-based learning on student's achievement: a three-level meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 34, 537-574. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09655-0
Hamari, J., Shernoff, D. J., Rowe, E., Coller, B., Asbell-Clarke, J., & Edwards, T. (2016). Challenging games help students learn: an empirical study on engagement, flow and immersion in game-based learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 170-179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.045
Lin, S. Y., Chien, S. Y., Hsiao, C. L., Hsia, C. H., & Chao, K. M. (2020). Enhancing computational thinking capability of preschool children by game-based smart toys. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 44, 101011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2020.101011
Marlita, I. N., Patonah, S., Ariestanti, E., & Miyono, N. (2024). Analisis penggunaan media pembelajaran Wordwall game dalam pembelajaran matematika di sekolah dasar. Jurnal Studi Guru dan Pembelajaran, 7(2), 725-735. https://doi.org/10.30605/jsgp.7.2.2024.4229
Qian, M., & Clark, K. R. (2016). Game-based learning and 21st century skills: a review of recent research. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 50-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.05.023
Robson, R. C., Hwee, J., Thomas, S. M., Rios, P., Page, M. J., & Tricco, A. C. (2019). Few studies exist examining methods for selecting studies, abstracting data, and appraising quality in a systematic review. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 106, 121-135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2018.10.003
Sari, R. K., Mudjiran, M., Fitria, Y., & Irsyad, I. (2021). Meningkatkan motivasi dan hasil belajar siswa dalam pembelajaran tematik berbantuan permainan edukatif di sekolah dasar. Jurnal Basicedu, 5(6), 5593-5600. https://doi.org/10.31004/basicedu.v5i6.1735
Sun, C., Shute, V. J., Stewart, A. E., Beck-White, Q., Reinhardt, C. R., Zhou, G., et al. (2022). The relationship between collaborative problem solving behaviors and solution outcomes in a game-based learning environment. Computers in Human Behavior, 128, 107120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.107120
Utaminingtyas, S. (2020). Implementasi problem solving berorientasi Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS) pada pembelajaran IPS Sekolah Dasar. Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Dasar, 7(2), 84-98.
Wibisono, F. C., Wahyudin, D., & Yogiarni, T. (2024). The effect of gamification learning model to improve students' critical thinking skills in elementary school science and social subjects. Educational and Social Research Journal, 2(1).
