Design and Validation Study for a Conceptual Framework in Multiplayer Educational Games as an Agent for Social Learning and Critical Thinking

Nuraziera Mohd Hatta, Ibrahim Ahmad, Laili Farhana Md Ibharim, Norsiah Bahari, Heru Astikasari Setya Murti
dx.doi.org/10.17576/apjitm-2026-1501-17

Abstract

The opportunities of games to become active environment that facilitates Social Learning (SL) and Critical Thinking (CT) are opened by the integration of multiplayer educational games into educational process. This research seeks to confirm a conceptual framework to explicate how multiplayer educational games can be used to facilitate pedagogy by providing adaptive, interactive, and collaborative learning experiences. The framework was created through the incorporation of the ideas of Social Learning Theory, Community of Inquiry Framework, Constructivist Learning Theory, and well-known models of critical thinking. With the Design and Development Research (DDR) approach, the research adopted an expert validation approach to test the framework with respect to content validity, theoretical consistency, clarity and practicality. The framework was tested by six professionals in the field of educational technology, instructional design, and game-based learning using rubrics and qualitative evaluation. The results show that there is a high level of agreement on all dimensions of validation (mean = 4.65), which implies that the framework has a high level of theoretical consistency and a clear conceptual framework. The framework suggests two main constructs, SL and CT, which are manifested by multiplayer game activities such as collaboration, feedback, problem solving, and reflective interaction. Essentially, the framework introduces multiplayer educational games as learning systems that promote understanding, interaction, and critical thinking by sharing experiences and engaging in social interaction. Simply, games are created in such a way that encourages socialization and critical thinking.

keyword

Conceptual Framework, Multiplayer Educational Games, Social Learning, Critical Thinking, Design and Development Research, Expert Validation

Area

Multimedia and Usability