Fostering Metacognition and Honesty Through Digital Games: A Multi-Method Quasi-Experimental Study with Indonesian Elementary Students

Abstract

Digital games have shown promise for fostering cognitive and moral development, yet no integrated mediation models have empirically linked game mechanics, metacognition, and character education within a single framework for young learners in Indonesia. We conducted a multi-method quasi-experimental study with second-grade students from elementary schools in Surabaya to address this gap. The intervention employed a structured nine-syntax STEAM-holistic learning model incorporating digital games embedded in contextual scenarios, while the control group received conventional instruction. Cognitive style was assessed using an adapted Children’s Embedded Figures Test; metacognitive ability was measured with a pictorially anchored Junior Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (α=0.84), and honesty was evaluated through a multi-method approach combining self-report, teacher observation, and peer nomination (α=0.87). Mediation analyses using the Hayes PROCESS Macro revealed a significant indirect effect of game exposure on honesty through metacognition, with bootstrapped estimates ranging from 0.10 to 0.15. Perceived enjoyment predicted metacognition (β=0.28, Cohen’s d=0.45), and cognitive challenge also predicted metacognition (β=0.22, d=0.38). Gender moderation analyses showed that enjoyment predicted metacognition more strongly for girls, while cognitive challenge predicted metacognition more strongly for boys. Hierarchical linear modeling further demonstrated that classroom integrity climate and teacher feedback quality moderated these effects. Qualitative process data, coded with an eighteen-frame framework and achieving a Cohen’s kappa of 0.87, confirmed that metacognitive monitoring utterances constituted fifteen to twenty percent of interactions. Our research provides the first empirically validated, culturally-adapted instruments for metacognition, honesty, and cognitive style specifically designed for lower elementary Indonesian students. This study contributes actionable evidence for designing educational technologies that simultaneously foster metacognitive growth and character development in young children.