Digital Educational Games for Enhancing Environmental Literacy in Early Childhood: A Systematic Literature Review

Rakha Asyraf; Dhanar Intan Surya Saputra; Hellik Hermawan

doi:10.35671/jmtt.v4i2.91

Authors

Rakha Asyraf Universitas Amikom Purwokerto
Dhanar Intan Surya Saputra Universitas Amikom Purwokerto
Hellik Hermawan Universitas Amikom Purwokerto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35671/jmtt.v4i2.91

Keywords:

Digital Games, Educational, Interactive, Learning

Abstract

Environmental literacy in early childhood is an important foundation in shaping a generation that cares about environmental sustainability, but conventional learning methods are often less engaging, necessitating more interactive media. This study aims to systematically review the use of digital educational games in enhancing environmental literacy in early childhood, employing the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method in accordance with Kitchenham and PRISMA guidelines. Literature was collected from the IEEE Xplore, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink databases with inclusion criteria that included research on digital educational games for children aged 4–7 years with a focus on environmental literacy or awareness. The results of the review show an increasing research trend in the last ten years, although studies specifically targeting early childhood are still very limited. The dominant game mechanisms are puzzle solving, drag-and-drop, matching games, and simple simulations. Digital educational games have been proven effective in improving understanding of environmental concepts (cognitive aspect) and fostering caring attitudes (affective aspect), although the impact on actual behavior remains inconsistent due to limited implementation duration and learning environment support. The main contribution of this study is to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the effectiveness of environmental educational games specifically for early childhood, which has not been widely studied in systematic reviews. These findings can be utilized by teachers, parents, and developers to develop more contextual digital learning media, as well as serve as a reference for educational policy makers in designing environmental curricula from an early age.

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