STEM

U L A T E
STEMulate: A 2D
Experience-Based
Simulation Game
in STEM-related
Work Immersion
12-More
Dela Cruz, Guarino, Navea, Martinito, Tan
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STEM
U L A T E RATIONALE
The STEM strand is a curriculum designed to educate and prepare
senior high school students for college and it includes a Work
Immersion program offered as a subject.

Senior high school students face several skill-related challenges

during their job immersion experience such as communication,
teamwork, initiative/proactivity, professionalism, and
dependability/reliability (Paño, 2021).
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STEM
U L A T E RATIONALE
The researchers hope to provide students with an engaging and
practical learning experience that will prepare them for a career in
this critical field.

This game will be an excellent educational tool since it will allow

students to build sophisticated cognitive abilities such as self-
assessment and higher-order thinking, as well as metacognitive skills
that will be essential for their future careers.
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STEM
U L A T E OBJECTIVE (SOP)

The study aims to design a 2-dimensional simulation

game focused on bridging the skill gap in STEM and
evaluate its effectiveness as a bridging medium
focused on the specific field. Also, it focuses on
assessing the respondent’s performance after playing
the game.
CHAPTER I: The Problem & CHAPTER II: Theoretical CHAPTER III: Research
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STEM
U L A T E OBJECTIVE (SOP)
Specifically, the researchers seek to answer the following questions:
1. What problems in STEM-related Work Immersion were identified based on the experiences
of the VCSMS alumni to be considered in preparing the 2D experience-based simulation
game?
2. How may the validity of the game be described based on the following criteria, as
evaluated by the VCSMS alumni and student respondents as regards to its:
a. appropriateness,
b. relevance,
c. format,
d. style, and
e. portability?
3. How does playing the 2D experience-based simulation game help the student
respondents?
4. What is/are the improvement(s) that can be made to improve the 2D experience-based
simulation game further?
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STEM
U L A T E SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS
Topics and challenges in STEM-related work immersion
Structured interview with five (5) alumni from VCSMS that had
undergone work immersion under STEM
Genre of the game is simulation game
Android 5 to 12, and Microsoft Windows 7 to 11
Ren’Py Visual Novel Engine
Thirty five (35) students from 12-More
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STEM
U L A T E RELEVANT THEORIES
Constructivism Learning Theory. Constructivism states that
knowledge is internalized by the learner instead of just passively
receiving the information. It equalizes learning with meaning that is
created via experience. In connection with the study, this theory
explains the use of a game since the students will learn more when
engaged in learning experiences.

Situated (Experience-based) Learning Theory. The theory states that

students are more inclined to learn when they can participate in a
community of practice. In connection with the study, the researchers
will use the experiences of the students they will gain from the work
immersion as the basis of the experience-based simulation game.
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STEM
U L A T E RELEVANT THEORIES

Ausubel's Learning Theory. The construction of new knowledge relies

on relating new information to previously known information and
concepts. In connection with the study, the experiences of the students
from work immersion will be used to mimic real-life activities in the 2D
simulation game which will help the students in improving what they
have struggled the most from their experiences in the work immersion.
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STEM
U L A T E RELATED LITERATURE
Work Immersion in the K-12 curriculum. A required subject integrated
into the K-12 curriculum for graduating students in senior high school to
develop the learner's competencies, work ethics, and values relevant to
pursuing their chosen field of specialization in line with the DepEd Order
No. 30, s. 2017.

STEM strand. One of the four tracks available in senior high school
(SHS) stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics,
and each of its fields offer many specializations (An Overview of the
STEM Strand and Curriculum, 2022).
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STEM
U L A T E RELATED LITERATURE
The Philippines Struggles in STEM Education. The Philippines has been
lagging behind in sciences and mathematics compared to its Asian
neighbors because of not properly investing in STEM (Dar, 2022).

Game-Based Learning. A type of approach to learning that utilizes

games-based environments in creating fun, but knowledgeable,
activities with the purpose of producing learning outcomes that can be
objectively examined (Pan et al., 2021).

Ren’Py as a Gaming Engine. A free cross-platform engine that is used

for creating visual novels and life simulation games (Ren'Py, 2022).
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STEM
U L A T E RELATED STUDIES

In a study conducted by Patacsil et al. (2017), most industries for

internship programs (e.g. work immersion, on-the-job training) provide
opportunities that make the students realize the importance of the
application of soft and technical skills in the actual work setting.

In concordance with Gashaw (2019), STEM-related engineering students

experienced numerous problems during their internship program
affecting their overall learning experience.
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STEM
U L A T E RELATED STUDIES
Games can offer a hands-on and interactive approach to learning that
can keep students engaged and interested in the material being
presented.

Educational technology can be used to enhance and improve learning,

but the use of technology in education does not have a direct effect on
student success as the software tools have to be in sync with the
curriculum for it to be effective (Zirawaga et al., 2017).

In the Philippines, there have been several studies that explored and
showed the potential of simulation games in STEM-related careers.
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STEM
U L A T E METHODOLOGY
Methods and Techniques
2-dimensional experience-based simulation game
Mixed method approach (Phenomenological Approach and Likert Scale)
Pre-experimental research method: One-shot case design

Population and Sample

Development of STEM-ulate:
Five (5) VCSMS alumni who had their work immersion in the field of STEM
Implementation of STEM-ulate:
Thirty five (35) Grade 12 senior high school students of VCSMS from section More who
will be taking their work immersion in the STEM field
After playing STEM-ulate:
Ten (10) respondents among the thirty five (35) More students selected through
Purposive Sampling
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STEM
U L A T E METHODOLOGY
Materials and Design
Ren’Py Visual Novel Engine
2D visual novel game for PC and mobile devices
Game Development > Playtesting > Beta-testing > Actual Implementation > Feedback

Research Instrument
Structured interview consisting of 15 open-ended questions based on SOP 1
Survey in a Likert Scale format to determine the game’s appropriateness, relevance,
format, style, and portability, and an open-ended question for suggestions, feedback, and
areas of improvement on STEMulate
Structured interview consisting of 15 open-ended questions to assess how the game
helped in the respondents' work immersion and identify possible improvements
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STEM
U L A T E METHODOLOGY
Data Gathering Procedure
Structured interviews with ten (10) purposively chosen alumni of VCSMS who have
experienced work immersion in the field of STEM
Thirty five (35) student participants from 12-More will be given a choice to play the
simulation game using their PC, Android mobile device, or both, for one (1) week, and will
then be given a survey form
Among the thrity five (35) participants, ten (10) will be purposively selected to participate
in a structured interview

Data Analysis
Qualitative Data Analysis
Colaizzi's descriptive
phenomenological method
Member checking technique
Quantitative Data Analysis
Likert Scale
Mean and Standard Deviation
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