Developing an Android-Based Digital Snakes and Ladders Media on Life Cycles to Enhance Science Literacy in Fourth-Grade Elementary Students

Abstract

This study was motivated by the relatively low scientific literacy of elementary school students, particularly in explaining scientific phenomena, interpreting information, and relating scientific concepts to everyday life. In addition, science and social studies (IPAS) instruction was still dominated by conventional teaching methods, while the use of Android-based digital learning media remained limited. This study aimed to develop Android-based digital Snakes and Ladders learning media on the topic of the life cycle of living things and to analyze its validity, practicality, and effectiveness in improving elementary school students’ scientific literacy. The study employed a Research and Development (R&D) method using the 4D development model, consisting of Define, Design, Develop, and Disseminate stages, combined with a mixed-methods approach. The research subjects involved 47 fourth-grade students from SDN 17 Tilamuta, SDN 11 Tilamuta, and SDN 05 Tilamuta. The research instruments consisted of validation sheets for media, subject-matter, and learning experts, teacher and student response questionnaires, observation sheets, and scientific literacy tests administered as pretests and posttests. The data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative descriptive techniques, while N-Gain analysis was employed to determine the improvement in students’ scientific literacy. The results showed that the developed media obtained validity scores of 92.5% from the media expert, 92.5% from the subject-matter expert, and 89% from the learning expert, with an overall average of 91.33%, categorized as highly valid. The practicality assessment showed a student response score of 92.61% and a teacher response score of 97.22%, both categorized as highly practical. The effectiveness of the media was indicated by an increase in the mean scientific literacy score from 58.50 on the pretest to 89.80 on the posttest, with an N-Gain score of 0.75, categorized as high. Therefore, the developed Android-based digital Snakes and Ladders media was determined to be highly valid, highly practical, and effective in improving elementary school students’ scientific literacy on the topic of the life cycle of living things.