<![CDATA[Purpose: This study aims to analyze the need to develop the “Teman Bahasaku” digital media to improve students’ language skills and creative thinking in Indonesian language classes, as well as to determine the suitability of this media for fourth-grade elementary school students. The development of this media was motivated by the need for Indonesian language instruction that is more interactive, contextual, enjoyable, and capable of integrating listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills with creative thinking abilities. Method: This study employed a Research and Development (R&D) approach using the Four-D (4D) development model, which includes the define, design, develop, and disseminate stages. However, this study was limited to the stages of needs analysis, design, initial product development, and product validation. Data were collected using a needs analysis questionnaire and an expert validation questionnaire. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, and mean. The needs analysis involved respondents from several provinces in Indonesia, while product validation involved media experts, Indonesian language experts, and creativity experts. Results: The needs analysis revealed that Indonesian language learning still heavily relies on textbooks as the primary medium, while the use of interactive digital media remains suboptimal. The main barriers to learning are low student motivation and the lack of appeal in the media used. The skills most in need of improvement are speaking and reading, followed by listening and writing. The analysis also revealed a high level of interest in educational games and play-based learning activities, as well as a need for the integration of videos, animations, and games within a single platform. Based on these needs, “Teman Bahasaku” was developed as an interactive digital platform featuring learning modules, a Game Center, Creative Thinking, Educational Games, Assessment, Learning Progress tracking, and an AI Assistant/Writing Companion. Validation results show that the platform received a very high feasibility rating from media experts, Indonesian language experts, and creativity experts, with an overall average of 98.3% and a rating of “highly feasible.” Feedback from validators was used to refine learning outcomes, learning objectives, content summaries, evaluations, variations in interactive activities, higher-order thinking challenges, open-ended questions, and the use of AI based on probing questions. Limitations: This study is still limited to needs analysis, initial product development, and expert validation; therefore, it has not yet tested the effectiveness of the media in improving students’ language skills and creative thinking through broader field testing. Respondents for the needs analysis were also predominantly from the East Java region, so the representation of needs from other regions remains limited. Recommendations: Future research is recommended to continue with broader pilot testing and implementation to determine the practicality and effectiveness of “Teman Bahasaku.” Further development should also optimize high-level creativity challenges, increase open-ended activities, and develop AI as a thinking companion through probing questions so that students continue to generate ideas independently.]]>
