Jurnal Pendidikan Terapan
Vol 4, No 3 July (2026)

Usability and Preliminary Learning Outcomes of a Visual Novel Game on the Circulatory System for Grade V Students

Julius Bata (Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia)
Pauelina Charmelita (Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Jul 2026

Abstract

Purpose: This study reports the classroom implementation and student-perceived usability of SIRKULASIKU, a visual novel game developed with the ADDIE model for fifth-grade IPAS (natural science) learning on the human circulatory system, and examines preliminary learning outcomes as indicative evidence of its instructional potential. Methods: A descriptive quantitative design with a one-group pretest–posttest component was used. Eighteen fifth-grade students (aged 10–11) from a private elementary school in Bekasi Regency participated in a single 70-minute session. Usability was measured with the Indonesian adaptation of the System Usability Scale (SUS); learning outcomes were measured with a 10-item multiple-choice test analysed using N-gain and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Findings: The mean SUS score was 73.75 (SD = 15.58), within the Good rating, with acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.78), and learnability and ease of use as the strongest items. As preliminary single-group evidence, scores rose from 66.11 at pre-test to 90.56 at post-test, giving a mean N-gain of 0.725 (Wilcoxon W⁺ = 153.0, p < 0.001; effect size r = 0.85). An exploratory analysis found no significant link between usability and learning gain (Spearman’s ρ = 0.22, p = 0.37). Research Implications: The results offer preliminary, non-causal indications that a simple narrative-driven visual novel can support elementary science learning, and they suggest concrete design refinements, including an embedded tutorial and optional voice narration. Two measurement limitations should be acknowledged: the reliability and item characteristics of the knowledge test could not be assessed because item-level responses were not retained, and the SUS, which was developed for adult populations, may carry interpretive bias when used with children. Originality: This study advances the SIRKULASIKU project from expert-validated design to authentic classroom implementation, and provides a joint evaluations of usability and preliminary learning outcomes for a visual novel on the human circulatory system at the elementary level, an underexamined pairing in Indonesian IPAS research, where usability is rarely treated as a precondition for instructional value.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

JUPITER

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Education Social Sciences Other

Description

Jurnal Pendidikan Terapan (JUPITER) is an open scientific forum for educational researchers,scholars and practitioners. This open access journal publishes articles related to the research results in the field of education. The journal seeks to digest innovations, issues and trends in educational ...