A Comparative Study: Concept Number Skills of Children Aged 4-5 Years after Playing Two Different Games

Abstract

Mastering mathematics for preschoolers is essential because it will make children become more skilled in solving problem. Currently, learning number concepts becomes easier because the smartphones have provided the games, including "Belajar Angka" and "Marbel Belajar Berhitung". Games used to introduce the concept of numbers to children mostly in two kinds, text games, and illustrative games. A text game used many symbols, while an illustrative game used images of concrete objects. This study aimed to determine the understanding of the concept number skills of children between a text game and an illustrative game in learning through mobile games. This study used a quantitative approach. 20 children who are 4-5 years old were participated and they were divided into two groups. A test was involved to obtain information about the concept number skills of children. The results showed that the illustrative game was significantly better in improving the understanding of the concept of numbers through pre-test and post-test comprehension, t(18) =2.855, p = 0.011. This paper also discussed the design of each game.