Introduction
Children with special needs are children who experience limitations both physically, mentally, intellectually, socially, and emotionally during their growth and development.
Children with special needs have several types including (1) mental retardation, namely children who experience obstacles in mental development, (2) Learning Disabilities, namely children who have difficulty learning in terms of understanding or using spoken or written language, and these difficulties are seen in terms of listening, thinking, reading, writing, and spelling, (3) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which is a mental disorder that causes children to have difficulty paying attention, and have impulsive and hyperactive behavior, (4) Tunable are children who experience obstacles in regulating emotions and adjusting to the environment in which they live surroundings, (5) Deafspeech are children who have problems in hearing and in communication, (6) Blind are children who experience obstacles in vision, (7) Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes behavioral and social interaction disorders, (8) Physical disability is a form of abnormality or disability in the muscle, bone, joint, and nervous system caused by disease, virus, and accidents both occurring before birth, at birth and after birth, (9) Giftedness and Special Talents are children who have potential or abilities above children of their age in certain fields such as intellectual, academic, artistic, and leadership(9) Giftedness and Special Talents are children who have potential or abilities above children of their age in certain fields such as intellectual, academic, artistic, and leadership(9) Giftedness and Special Talents are children who have potential or abilities above children of their age in certain fields such as intellectual, academic, artistic, and leadership (Chamidah, 2013).
Children with special needs require special attention, especially in the field of education. Based on the Law on the Indonesian National Education System Number 20 of 2003 Article 5, Paragraph 1 reads “Every citizen has the same right to obtain quality education services. Article 11 states that the government is obliged to provide services and facilities, as well as ensure the implementation of quality education for every citizen without discrimination. Based on this article, mentally retardation students are entitled to the same educational services as students in general in the form of special education. Regulation of the Minister of education and Culture concerning Special Education Number 46 of 2014 Article 4 states that this special education is carried out inclusively. Inclusive education for children with special needs consists of Elementary School, Junior High School, and Senior High School. Inclusive schools can support children with special needs to obtain the same education as children in general.
Mental retardation students are divided into three classes: mild, moderate, and severe. Mild mental retardation has an IQ of 50-70, so it is included in individuals with intellectual and social disorders who can thrive in academic classes, develop adequately, and require special services. The impact of intellectual conditions causes them to experience difficulties in the educational field and the need for adaptation to the surrounding environment where language, verbal, and emotional disturbances occur. Mild mentally disabled students have almost the same level of knowledge as students aged 9 to 12 years (Maulidiyah, 2020).
Schools that implement inclusive education accept students with special needs. One of the students with special needs who got into the school was a student who has trouble thinking. According to Dedi Kustawan (2016), mentally handicapped children are children who have below average intelligence. He also said that children who suffer from mental retardation will experience problems in the academic field so that it is difficult to understand the material at school (Ramirez-Tagle et al., 2022; Sari et al., 2017). Teachers who teach in schools with the implementation of inclusive education should have special teaching methods or methods because there are some students who have certain limitations, especially students with mental retardation. However, some teachers in the class still use the same method as non-disabled students so that learning is not optimal. During the learning process, the mental retardation students have difficulty accepting and understanding the material presented by the educator. This is also because not all educators can provide special treatment to students with disabilities in overcoming learning difficulties. The lack of special learning media for students with disabilities is also one of the factors that make students experience difficulties during the learning process.
These problems can be overcome by developing appropriate learning media and of course attracting the attention of mentally handicapped students. One of the learning media that can be used is interactive learning media combined with game content. Gamification is a learning that uses games or video games and aims to attract students’ attention in the learning process and make learning more fun (Jusuf, 2016). In gamification there are several elements, namely game thinking, game design, and game mechanics which aim to increase students’ learning motivation (Darnanta et al., 2020; Autores, 2022; Autores, 2022). Learning media combined with games is the right solution for mentally handicapped students. This is because with the concept of gamification, learning becomes more fun, mentally handicapped students become more focused and can maintain their concentration in the learning process in class and can increase the learning motivation of mentally handicapped students. Learning media with the concept of gamification can also train the cognitive and motor skills of mentally handicapped students (Mejia Camacho et al., 2022; Nurmanditya, 2021; Saputra & Kurniawati, 2021).
Methods
The method used in this research is Systematic Literature Review (SLR). Systematic Literature Review (SLR) is an article review method that uses standardized rules to identify and synthesize relevant research articles and assess what is known about the topic being studied (Permatasari et al., 2022). The articles analyzed in this discussion come from online database searches such as SINTA. In this study, the keywords used were “IT-based learning media to increase students’ learning motivation”, “Edugame-based learning media to increase learning motivation of mentally handicapped students”, and “Edugame-based learning media for mentally handicapped students”. After searching for these keywords on Google, the researcher reads the title of each article that appears in the search view. Then choose several articles that match the criteria set by the researcher. The criteria consist of (1) related to IT-based learning media for mentally handicapped students; (2) related to Edugagame learning media for mentally handicapped students; (3) the year of publication of the article from 2015 to 2022.
Results And Discussion
Effectiveness of IT-Based Learning Media
The development of technology is a solution to innovate in the field of learning, especially in terms of making and developing learning media so that the learning process becomes more enjoyable. Making IT-based learning media using computer technology and in its application can be done using a smartphone. IT learning media can be used to increase and direct students’ attention so that it can increase student learning motivation, more direct interaction between students and their environment and students’ ability to learn on their own according to their abilities. According to Hikmah and Maskar (2020), display and animation in a learning media can increase students’ interest in learning, it is not boring, more enthusiastic in learning, and IT-based learning media is very practical because it can be used anytime and anywhere.
Based on research conducted by Permana (2019), IT-based learning media can make it easier for mentally handicapped students to understand the material being taught and mentally handicapped students are motivated by the presentation of structured material, images, audio, and animated videos that can be found in these learning media. In addition, IT-based learning media can also increase the activity of mentally handicapped students and can improve the learning outcomes of mentally handicapped students (Permana, 2019). Based on observations made by Prihati and Paramita (2016), IT-based learning media can make students more active and participate more in the learning process and students can also interact directly with learning resources to increase their learning motivation. In the use of IT-based learning media, the role of the teacher is still very much needed. Teachers must be able to arouse the interest of mentally handicapped students so that students want to be actively involved and participate in the learning process using IT-based learning media (Nenohai et al., 2022; Prihati & Paramita, 2016; Rizzatti & Jacaúna, 2022).
IT-Based Learning Media Validity
In the learning process, mentally handicapped students require an interactive learning media that is interesting and can increase learning motivation. Learning media that can be used by mentally handicapped students is IT learning media. According to interviews conducted by Hikmah and Maskar (2020), students are very interested in learning by using IT-based learning media. This is because, according to them, learning activities using IT-based learning media are more intriguing than conventional learning activities. Based on research conducted by Ferawati and Saputri (2022), the results of filling out the student response questionnaire to IT-based learning media were 80% on the material aspect, 90% on the design aspect, and 86% on the use of good language. This shows that mentally handicapped students can use IT-based learning media very well in learning activities (Ferawati & Saputri, 2022). Based on this, many researchers conduct research by developing IT-based learning media to increase learning motivation for mentally handicapped students. The results of the validation of IT-based learning media originating from several studies can be seen in Table 1.
Table 1 Results of Validation of IT-Based Learning Media from Several Researches.
No. | Media Name | Validation Results | Chemistry Topic | Source |
1 | Learning Media Based on Three Levels of Representation using Prezi | Learning media validity has a value of 0.89 with very high validity category. This validity consists of four components, namely the components of the feasibility of content, language, presentation and visualization. The content feasibility component has an average kappa moment of 0.89 with a very high validity category, which means that the material in the threelevel representation-based learning media using Prezi is in accordance with core competencies and basic competencies. | Chemical equilibrium | (Guci et al., 2017) |
2 | Learning Media based on android “WINLAB” (Insights in Laboratory Learning) | The results of the analysis of the Android-based learning media validation questionnaire obtained that the total number of validators of media design experts was 51 with a maximum score of 60, so the percentage of learning media validity was 85%, meaning that Android-based learning media were in the very valid category. The results of the analysis of the android-based learning media validation questionnaire obtained that the total number of learning material expert validators was 63 with a maximum score of 65, so the percentage of learning media validity was 96.92%. | Introduction to chemistry laboratory equipment | (Saputra & Kurniawati, 2021) |
3 | Android-Based Learning Media | Material expert validation includes aspects of material content, learning and language. The results of material validation obtained a percentage of 80% with very decent qualifications. Media expert validation includes aspects of display and presentation and programming aspects. The results of media expert validation obtained a percentage of 80% with very decent qualifications. Practitioner validation includes aspects of cover and material content, learning aspects, linguistic aspects as well as presentation and display aspects. Based on the practitioner’s assessment, the percentage obtained is 82.22% with very decent qualifications. | Redox and electrochemical reactions | (Harianto et al., 2019) |
4 | Learning Media Based on e-magazine | The evaluation of the e-magazine by media experts got a percentage of 81.25% in the “very valid” category. And the evaluation of the e-magazine by material experts got a percentage of 91.25% in the “very valid” category. | Electrolyte and nonelectrolyte solutions | (Juliani & Refelita, 2022) |
5 | Edmodo Learning Media | The results of the validation by media experts on the feasibility of the media obtained an overall score of 38 with an eligibility percentage of 86.36%. Based on the assessment of media experts, this learning media has several advantages, including in the engineering aspect software that can be easily maintained (maintainable), easy to use and simple, can be run on a variety of hardware and software. The results of the validation of the feasibility of learning materials by expert 1 and expert 2 obtained an overall score of 45 and 38, respectively, with a feasibility percentage of 93.75 and 79.17%. | Redox and compound nomenclature | (Fadloli et al., 2019) |
6 | Flappy Chem Game Media | The results of the validity test got a score of more than 3 with good categories. Practicality scores get an average percentage of <85% for each goal with a very practical category. The effectiveness score can be seen through the learning outcomes of students and the level of happiness. Classical completeness achieved is 87% and the level of happiness of students is 83% with a very effective category. Based on this explanation, it can be concluded that the Flappy Chem game media has met the feasibility indicators, namely validity, practicality, and effectiveness so that it can be used as a game-based learning media. | Electron Configuration | (Nabilah & Lutfi, 2022) |
7 | Poster Media | The instruments used in the form of sheets of media validity assessment by experts, and questionnaires perception of learners. The results showed that the posters have fulfilled both criteria. Rate the quality of the posters by the experts obtained eligibility percentage of 82.53% categorized as very decent, and perceptions of learners obtained as a whole given a positive response to the media posters developed a range value obtained 46.09% on a chosees answer agree | Atomic Structure | (Rizawayani et al., 2017) |
8 | Animation Video | media feasibility test by material expert I at 87.5% (perfect) and material expert II at 92.5% (perfect) and by media expert I at 92.5% (perfect) and media expert II at 95% (Good once) and personal test aspects of 95% (perfect) and small groups of 95% (very good), it can be concluded that the media is feasible to use. | Sains | (Pambudi & Arthana, 2016) |
9 | Interactive Website | The validation results obtained an average percentage of media experts 82.9, which means it is perfect in media development. Material expert with a percentage of 83.6 means very good in the suitability of the material. Experts with intellectual disabilities with a percentage of 80.4 mean good at matching the needs of children with intellectual disabilities. | Science | (Alawiyah & Erlani, 2022) |
10 | Word Card Media (Visual ) | The word card media in science learning applied to mentally disabled students shows that the level of interest abilities of mentally disabled students in knowing words on plant structures dramatically increases with a percentage of 77.25% in the overlap range. | Plant Structure | (Ariskayanti, 2017) |
Based on several studies on IT-based learning media, the overall validity results of IT-based learning media are categorized as very valid and can be used by students. This learning media can be used anywhere and anytime. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, ITbased learning media were innovative learning media that could be used by both students and teachers.
Conclusion
Based on the results of the review of the articles carried out, it can be concluded that IT learning media can be used to attract the attention of mentally disabled students so that it can increase learning motivation of mentally disabled students; there is a more direct interaction between students and the learning media used so that students become active in learning activities. Students in the mild and moderate class of mental retardation are still allowed to attend regular lessons like normal children in general. However, students in the heavy class require special treatment from teachers and parents. IT-based learning media can make it easier for mentally disabled students to understand the material being taught, and mentally disabled students are motivated by presenting material in a structured manner, pictures, audio, and animated videos contained in the learning media. Several studies’ validation results of IT-based learning media show very valid results. This shows that learning media can be accepted and used by students and teachers.