Activity Book for Young Learners: State of the Art and Potential for ARCS Model Integration

Khairunnisa Khairunnisa; Dwi Kusumawardani; Mita Septiani

Authors

Khairunnisa Khairunnisa Educational Technology, Universitas Negeri Jakarta
Dwi Kusumawardani Educational Technology, Universitas Negeri Jakarta
Mita Septiani Educational Technology, Universitas Negeri Jakarta

Keywords:

Activity Book; ARCS Model; Learning Materials; Young Learners

Abstract

Activity books are instructional materials that provide young learners with opportunities to engage in concrete and participatory learning activities. Amid the increasing use of technology in education, printed instructional materials remain relevant, particularly in learning environments that limit the use of digital devices or implement screen-free learning. Research on activity books therefore warrants examination not only in terms of the purposes and forms of learning activities they provide, but also in relation to frameworks that may inform learner motivation and engagement. The ARCS Model (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) provides a motivational design framework that can be examined in this context. This study aims to map the state of the art of activity book research for young learners by identifying research trends and gaps, to examine trends and gaps in the application of the ARCS Model in learning, and to synthesize these two bodies of literature to identify conceptual opportunities for applying the ARCS Model in activity book design. A Narrative Literature Review (NLR) was conducted on Scopus-indexed scholarly publications from 2021 to 2025. The findings show that activity book research for young learners has developed across diverse learning objectives, learner characteristics, pedagogical approaches, and formats, while motivation has not been consistently positioned as an explicit design consideration in the reviewed studies. Research on ARCS applications shows that the model has been used across educational levels, subject areas, and design and evaluation contexts, with applications frequently reported in technology-mediated learning environments. The synthesis of both bodies of literature indicates a conceptual opportunity to apply ARCS principles in the design of activity books, including the organization of learning activities and other instructional components, particularly in non-digital learning materials for young learners. This direction requires further investigation through design, validation, and empirical testing.

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