The Community-Based Learning Approach for Designing School Curriculums in Early Childhood Education with an Application to Promote a 21st Century Learning

Abstract

The mobile phone applications currently adopts and increasingly applies in education. The applications are widely used to promote and support learning in many levels and contexts. In this research, the 19 sophomore students who enrolled in a school curriculum in early childhood education course at Suan Dusit University in Thailand were expected to have the ability to design the school curriculum in early childhood education according to the early childhood school curriculum compositions with Roomle 3D & AR room planner application after using the learning approach of community-based integration and the use of application. The Roomle 3D & AR room planner application was used as a tool to draw floor plans, furnish and decorate the early childhood classroom and school. This study also aims to compare the academic achievement and to study the students’ learning satisfaction in the school curriculum in early childhood education course before and after using the learning approach of community-based integration and the use of application. The statistics used in this research were mean, standard deviation and percentage. The results showed the students’ ability to design the school curriculum in early childhood education according to the early childhood school curriculum compositions with Roomle 3D & AR room planner application. After using the learning approach, the students had an average score of 14.89 and a standard deviation of 2.08 which is 74.47% higher than before. The students’ learning satisfaction was also at the highest level with the mean of 4.77 and the standard deviation of 0.40. Thus, it can be concluded that the community-based integration and the use of application can be used in promoting student's learning and increasing their knowledge towards the subject learning.