Developing digital open badge learning innovation in social studies to enhance citizenship characteristics of secondary school students

Abstract

This study, “Developing Learning Innovation of Digital Open Badge in Social Studies to Enhance Citizenship Characteristics of Secondary School Students,” aims to (1) analyze theories and concepts of citizenship characteristics from the curricula of the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Singapore, and Thailand; (2) create a learning platform of digital open badge to improve students’ citizenship characteristics in Social Studies; and (3) evaluate the results of the learning platform. This study employs a mixed-method approach using documents, research papers, and primary and secondary document research, including papers on citizenship characteristics found in the curricula of the five sample countries. The participants in this study included three experts in Character and Citizenship Education, three in digital educational innovation design, 48 involved personnel, and a sample group of 38 Mattayom 4 (Grade 10) students from Sanpaong Wittayakom School who enrolled in S31211 Character and Citizenship Education course in 2023. The instruments utilized for data collection included a needs assessment, in-depth interviews, observation forms, and a Character and Citizenship Education online learning manual and its online platform to improve students’ character traits. The outcomes are as follows: 1. Citizenship Characteristics Evident in the Curricula of the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Singapore, and Thailand According to the analysis of the curricula of the five countries using Josephson’s Six Pillars of Character theory, Singapore and the United States encompass all six core values, while Canada illustrates five values, the United Kingdom demonstrates four, and Thailand adheres to three. 2. Results of Digital Open Badge Learning Platform Development 2.1 Needs Assessment Analysis From the analysis, 19 necessary core values were evident in the curricula. It was found that 90.6% of the interviewed personnel identified responsibility as the most essential character trait to be addressed in the learning unit. 2.2 Development of Learning Platform and User Manual The data were collected from needs assessments, the analysis of the Basic Education Core Curriculum B.E. 2551, and the school Subject Curriculum for Character and Citizenship Education for upper secondary school, which included 40 lecture hours for one credit unit. The Index of Item Objective Congruence (IOC) of the user manual, evaluated by the experts, scored 0.80. To align the results of platform development with the learning objectives of ten desirable characteristics, the digital badge was designed in task assignments at the individual, family, community, and international levels to motivate students to engage with the platform and self-assess their improvement. The experts involved in this study gave an IOC score of 0.80 for the platform and the user manual for the WWW.OPENBADGESVK.COM website. 3. Results of Digital Open Badge Learning Platform Application 3.1 Evaluation of Digital Open Badge Learning Innovation The overall student satisfaction with the Digital Open Badge was high, at an average score of 4.17. 3.2 Results from Observations and Interviews The changes in students’ behaviors aligned with the desirable character traits identified in this study. Evaluations from parents and students indicated notable improvements in responsibility and cooperation. The results suggested that after enrolling in Character and Citizenship Education, students’ character traits have improved significantly: 35.02% at the individual level, 29.39% at the family level, 22,62% at the community level, and 12,97% at the international level.