Digital Comics in Online Learning During COVID-19: Its Effect on Student Cognitive Learning Outcomes

Abstract

<p class="0abstract">Comics have been used as an alternative tool to improve student learning outcomes during the pandemic, but not yet for junior high school science learning.<strong> </strong>The study aims to explore the impact of digital comics in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic on students' cognitive learning outcomes (CLO). A quasi-experimental research design was used in the study. A total of 42 eighth-grade students participated in the current study. They were randomly assigned to two conditions. The first condition was online learning assisted by digital comic media. The second condition was non-comic online learning. A multiple-choice test developed by the researchers was used to measure students' CLO. Although the number of participants is limited, an independent samples t-test was used to analyze the data because the data was normally distributed.  The results show that students' CLO differs significantly between comic and non-comic assisted online learning in favor of comic assisted online learning conditions. The possible reasons behind the findings were discussed. As a conclusion, several suggestions for researchers and teachers were offered.</p>