The impact of digital gaming on social emotional learning and financial literacy among young people in East Africa

• In Event: Catalysts of Change: Youth, Education, and Creativity in a Digital Era

Proposal

RELEVANCE (1-4): Relevance of topic as related to comparative and international education, conference theme and / or special interest group
Digital gaming is relevant to the CIES conference theme ‘Envisioning Education in a Digital Society’’ for several reasons: - It involves the use of digital devices to facilitate learning; it involves generation of data generation of data to facilitate financial literacy in schools. Digital gaming improves digital literacy, emotional learning and financial literacy and it is relevant to young people who are a key stakeholder in the education sector.
● THEORY / CONTEXT (1-4): Strength of theoretical framework or contextualization
Youth unemployment in East Africa is between 51-57% (The East Africa Youth Survey Report, 2016). Although education imparts knowledge and skills that enable people to realize their full potential and address unemployment challenges, the traditional education system in East Africa still grapples with poor learning outcomes among learners. This traditional education system has instead created barriers to employment ranging from skills mismatch to a lack of soft skills (Mgaiwa, 2021) justifying the fact that the current traditional education system alone cannot address unemployment challenges. Other sources have argued that many children are not learning, evidenced by failure to master even the most basic competencies. Just being at school is not enough for children to develop desired learning competences (1st National Conference on Learning Outcomes in Uganda, 2017). Digital technology, however, has potential to change this narrative. Based on evidence from our Enterprise challenge digital gaming program, this paper presents the impact of digital technology on learning outcomes among young people in remote communities of East Africa.
The Enterprise Challenge (EC) programme is an annual inter-school competition for secondary school students designed to develop and encourage their entrepreneurial spirit and business knowledge. Students form teams and play a Pop-Up business simulation game with support from a business mentors, they understand the stages of setting up and running a successful business. The 8-week program starts with recruitment of learners and mentors from remote communities. These are the supported to play a Pop-Up business game, learning about the green economy, competing to achieve the highest score, developing a business idea based on a business from the game, and subsequently pitching this business idea to an audience.
● INQUIRY (1-4): Strength of critical analysis or research methods (including design, data collection, analysis)
In 2023, Asante Africa Foundation engaged 1,645 youths (Tanzania: 625, Kenya: 576, and Uganda: 444) in the EC program from 40 secondary schools in Uganda (8), Kenya (12) and Tanzania (20). Base line and endline quantitative and qualitative program data on participants' entrepreneurship-related knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours was collected using structured surveys, interviews and focus group discussions. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics while Qualitative thematically analysed to identify emerging themes and patterns regarding participants' experiences and learnings from the program. Most technology facilitates programs focus on using digital tools which are not children centered. Digital games are very important for children’s social emotional learning, but these have not been adopted or integrated in the formal classroom environment in remote rural settings due to several challenges. Moreover, the available technology learning programs do not consider what children want. The learning platforms are not fun enough to attract children’s attention for continued learning. This paper explores the impact of digital gaming on social emotional learning and financial literacy among young people in remote rural communities of East Africa
● FINDINGS (1-4): Clarity and coherence in the presentation of findings or argument
Improved Digital skills: 88% of the students reported feeling comfortable with digital devices after the program compared to 84% at baseline. Increased financial literacy: The % of young people who believed the importance of having a savings plan for their future use increased from 77% at base line to 98% at endline. The frequency of saving money improved from 65% at baseline to 97% at endline. Knowledge of how to save or stretch money to afford desired items increased from 57% (baseline) to 95% (endline). Participants’ ability to make a budget rose from 59% (baseline) to 95% (endline). Improved young people’s Social emotional learning skills: Communication skills improved from 13% (baseline) to 17% endline; a 10% improvement in team work (from 17% at baseline to 27% at endline); increased confidence level from 16% to 24% at baseline and endline respectively; improved decision making from 10% (baseline) to 17%(endline); creative thinking skills improved from 8% (baseline) to 17% endline while problem solving skills improved from 9% at baseline to 17% at endline. These results were consistent with findings from the analysis of data collected using the ‘My Journey data tool’ to determine skills acquisition of the same young people.
● CONTRIBUTION (1-4): Scholarly originality or contribution to existing knowledge
This paper’s objective is to explore how fun digital gaming can improve social emotional learning and financial literacy among young people in remote rural communities of East Africa: It brings a new dimension of digital gaming as a tool to enhance social emotional learning and foster financial literacy skills to prepare youth to face the employment world after school.

Author

• Erna Grasz, Asante Africa Foundation