TikTok Filter-Based Educational Game to Improve Elementary Students’ Conceptual Understanding

Abstract

The integration of digital technology into elementary education has created new opportunities for developing interactive learning media. However, students often experience difficulties in understanding concepts in integrated science and social studies learning, indicating the need for more engaging instructional approaches. This study aimed to develop a TikTok filter-based educational game using Augmented Reality (AR) technology to improve elementary students’ conceptual understanding. The study employed a Research and Development approach based on the 4D model (Define, Design, Develop, and Disseminate). The product was evaluated through expert validation, user response questionnaires, and a one-group pretest–posttest design involving 26 sixth-grade students. The results showed that the educational game was feasible for implementation, with content expert and media expert validation scores of 83% and 94.79%, respectively. Teacher and student responses were also highly positive, reaching 84.6% and 88%. Furthermore, the Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test indicated a statistically significant improvement in students’ conceptual understanding, while the mean normalized N-Gain score of 0.56 demonstrated a moderate level of learning improvement. These findings suggest that TikTok filter-based AR educational games are practical and effective tools for supporting conceptual learning in elementary education. This study contributes to the growing body of research on AR-enhanced learning by demonstrating how social media-based technologies can be transformed into curriculum-aligned educational media that promote student engagement and conceptual understanding.