Bringing Numbers to Life through Numeracy Literacy: Practical Use of E-Comic Media in Early Education

Abstract

This research aims to develop and assess the effectiveness of e-comic media as a literacy-numeracy learning tool for early childhood education, specifically in helping children distinguish letters b, d, and p. This study employed a research and development (R&D) approach using the Borg and Gall model. The media were validated by early childhood experts, linguists, users (teachers), and media experts, followed by field implementation in PAUD Pembina 7 Ternate City. The participants included 25 children aged 5–6 years, selected based on their difficulty recognizing the targeted letters. Expert validation results showed high feasibility, with average scores of 84% (material experts), 93.4% (linguist), 95.4% (teachers), and 82% (media expert), indicating that the media met the developmental, linguistic, and technical criteria. Field trials, including limited and operational tests, showed strong student engagement, with response scores of 83.71% and 88.86%, respectively, in limited trials, and 90.02% in the operational test. The children showed enthusiasm, understood the storyline, and were able to differentiate letters effectively after viewing. These findings suggest that e-comic media is an effective, engaging, and developmentally appropriate tool for improving early literacy and numeracy. The use of animated storytelling, visual cues, and moral values in videos supports both cognitive and character development in young learners. This study recommends integrating multimedia learning tools in early education and encourages further development and research on similar digital media for broader educational contexts.