‘Leave no one behind’: A systematic literature review on game-based learning courseware for preschool children with learning disabilities

Abstract

The rapid growth of multimedia pedagogy in the education sector has brought about a game-based technological approach that is shaping the learning of children nowadays. The focus of the approach is to encourage active participation from children; the effect can be seen in their interaction, involvement, and engagement throughout the learning content. Active participation in a learning environment would have a substantial impact on children’s self-development and academic achievement, particularly for those with learning disabilities (LD). Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to systematically analyze research conducted on Game-Based Learning (GBL) courseware to support the education of children with LD. A systematic literature review was undertaken, following the PRISMA framework for paper selection. A total of 109 articles were retrieved from the Scopus and Science Direct databases by using a specific keywords search. 14 articles were finalized at the end of the screening based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results reveal the trend of publications, approaches used, and research themes of the selected papers, which include the courseware requirement, student adaptation, and impact of the implementation. The findings demonstrate that GBL is one of the effective methods to be applied in preschool education. It has a significant impact on the development of cognitive skills and assists children who have difficulty in reading, writing, and arithmetic. The findings in this paper can be used as a guide in developing GBL courseware that is developmentally appropriate and effective for children with LD.