GAMIFYING SCIENCE EDUCATION: MINECRAFT EDUCATION BOOSTS TEACHERS’ DIGITAL PROFICIENCY IN STEM EDUCATION

In creating interactive and stimulating STEM to supplement the current educational trends, it is essential to include technology learning environments (Nungu et al., 2023). However, teachers may be reluctant to use digital tools due to the insufficient training or have little experience with new educational technologies (Munna & Kalam, 2021; Nungu et al., 2023). Therefore, this study was undertaken to determine the extent to which digital proficiency was improved among the 39 science teachers through the utilization of Minecraft Education (ME) in the workshop. The technological pedagogical content knowledge of digital games (TPACK-G) framework was used to assess the digital proficiency in pre-test and post-test. Teachers’ digital proficiency was assessed from the perspective of game knowledge (GK), game content knowledge (GCK), and game pedagogical content knowledge (GPCK). The results showed that science teachers' digital skills improved significantly after the intervention with ME, with the GPCK showing the highest increase predictor. This was true for GK, GCK, and GPCK. The findings suggest that educational policymakers, curriculum designers, and professional developers should consider the potential of ME in enhancing teachers' and students' digital proficiency.