Ayo Bermain LIBI: Demystifying Indonesian Affixes through a Visual-Spatial Practice Tool

Abstract

Indonesian as a foreign language, also called Bahasa Indonesia bagi Penutur Asing (BIPA), students often struggle to use the correct grammatical structures when languaging, even at more advanced levels of study. This is due to the differing linguistic structures of Indonesian compared to western languages. Because of the large number of grammatical changes words in Indonesian can undergo, BIPA students often mix up or mis-use these forms. To support BIPA learners, a visual-spatial learning aid was developed. This learning aid, “The LIBI Game,” made use of gamification, grammar in context, and interaction with word parts to scaffold these grammatical changes for learners. The learning aid was tested with Indonesian speakers (n = 17) across three levels of speaking ability. The target audience gave positive feedback, indicating the learning aid was effective in some regard. Its largest strengths were the use of color and proximity in the visual design of this tool. However, more work is needed for future development in the areas of linguistic support and true spaced repetition. Additional development of “The LIBI Game” should take into account the learning levels uncovered in this study.

Keywords: Indonesian, foreign language education, BIPA, affixation, visual-spatial