TINAJEROS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

S.Y. 2019 - 2020

E-games: Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA)

affecting the Academic Performance of Students in Malabon
City

A Research Paper Submitted

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Practical Research 2 in Senior High School

By:

Andrade, Kyla Jhorge C.

Gallardo, Rinoa Jade

Jose, Prince Noriel Crayon E.

Martin, Desiree Mae P.

Tapang, Aaron Jacob M.

August 2019
Introduction

Technology, as part of the most useful innovation plays a vital role in the people's lives in

different aspects. It aids the conflict of time management as it assists in a faster way of accomplishing

various responsibilities that usually takes plenty of time. In line with technology is the development of

internet. Internet has helped thousands of people, especially students in complying with different tasks

that depends on the assistance of internet such as researches. With the growing and increasing tasks that

depends on the help of the internet, the demand on the use of internet also increased. Internet has been a

necessity for the people to cope-up with this fast growing and changing world.

Together with the uses of internet is also its ability to entertain people, as entertainment has

been one of the necessities in this current time. With the need to entertain, development of online games

and mobile games also arise. Online games, particularly Massive Online Battle Arena (MOBA) that

demands the use of sportsmanship and excellent use of socialization skills has been on trend this past

few years. It also combines the real time strategy and role playing game (Steemit, 2019). It has aided the

need of people for entertainment for this continuously evolving world.

In 2014, Micro-Star International (MSI) stated that there are 1.8 billion of gamers worldwide

(Gomez, 2014). However, in 2016, there are more than 2.5 billion mobile gamers around the world as

stated by The European Mobile Game Market. With this growing number of gamers around the world,

the effect of online games on people lives is being very evident. There are more and more people, of

different age groups being influenced by online games as time goes by.
 Based on the study conducted by Polytechnic University of the Philippines with regards

whether playing Mobile Legends affects the students' academic performance, from 126 students, 53.97%

obtained a grade ranging from 86-90 which is interpreted as "Good". 38.89% of the students got a grade

ranging from 81-85 interpreted as "Satisfactory". Followed by a grade ranging from 91-95 which is

interpreted as "Very Good" which is of the 5.56% of the respondents. Last is the remaining 1.59%,

which is the grade ranging from 75-80. (Dumrique & Castillo, 2017)

Student's academic performance can be affected by various factors. While the technology, such

as internet is a necessity, and multiplayer online battle arena games such as Mobile Legends provide

entertainment. Academic performance will carry the students’ reflection of how well they comply in

accordance to their class requirements. Furthermore, there are various studies that shows the connection

between the use of Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games and the academic performance. Those

researches also showed positive and negative effects of using multiplayer online battle arena games to

students’ academic performance. The research is all about whether multiplayer online battle arena games

could affect the students in Malabon city’s academic performance or not.

Conceptual Background

1.1 Academic Performance

Academic performance is when the institution, teacher, and student have achieved their

educational goal. It is commonly measured by examinations or continuous assessment. Performance in

school is evaluated in a number of ways. IGI Global states that "Academic performance is measured by

the final grade earned in the course" (2019).

Academic performance can be influenced by various factors such as classroom management,

parental support, student- teacher interactions, social- behavioral attributes, motivational- effective

attributes, the peer group, school culture, and classroom climate. (McGrew, 2008). Playing MOBA

games falls under the social-behavioral attribute wherein students who play MOBA games tends to

socialize while playing.

A study from Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) claimed that playing MOBA does

not affect students’ academic performance for they know how to limit themselves, it is just a matter of

discipline where students should acquire.

There are several researches regarding the effects of online games in students’ academic

performance however, not all studies showed uniform result on whether online games can affect the

academic performance or not. Hence, researchers will measure the academic performance in order to

provide statistical data and proofs on whether playing MOBA games will show significant effects on

students’ academic performance or not. In the study, researchers will measure the academic performance

through the final average for the whole school year.

1.2 Playing Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games.

“Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) is a rapidly emerging sub-genre of the Real-Time

Strategy genre and E-sport that may well be on its way to a full blown genre of its own

(giantbomb,2019). MOBA games had been on trend these past few years for the gamers of different age

brackets because according to MSI, there are 1.8 billions of gamers worldwide. 82% of these gamers are
coming from Asia-Pacific region, wherein 12.4 million of gamers worldwide are Filipinos. This implies

that Filipinos are huge fan of playing MOBA games.

The study will focus only to the senior high school students of Malabon City who play MOBA

games. This is to make sure to attain the desired result for the study, to provide evidences on whether

playing MOBA games can affect the students’ academic performance or not.

Theoretical Framework

1. Walberg’s Theory of Educational Productivity

Walberg’s theory of educational productivity states that there are 11 influential domains that

affects the students’ educational productivity wherein 8 concerns the social-emotional aspect of the

students such as classroom management, parental support, student- teacher interactions, social-

behavioral attributes, motivational- effective attributes, the peer group, school culture, and classroom

climate. The theory also added that distant background influences such as state, district, or school

policies, organizational characteristics, curriculum, and instruction may not impose great deal of

influence in educational productivity. In this theory, each factors may be essential but insufficient by

itself to greatly affect the educational productivity. Student’s characteristics may play an important role

for school learning, but it only comprises a small portion in the learning equation (McGrew, 2008)

While playing MOBA games may fall under the social-behavioral attributes, this attribute alone may not

be sufficient to directly affect the students’ academic performance as there are also many other factors

that should be considered.

Research Question:

Does playing Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games affect the student’s academic performance?

Hypothesis

Playing MOBA games affects the students' academic performance.

Methodology

Participants
Participants of this study are the 30 Senior high school student of Malabon city who

are playing MOBA. The purposive sampling will be employed as the sample respondent of the

survey. This sampling method was considered due to limited resources allocated for the survey

and the participants share at least one common characteristic, which is playing MOBA.

High school within the Malabon City are the primary participants since it is also convenient and

could easily capture the effect of playing MOBA games to the academic performance of a

students.

Ethical principles will be informed that the participation in the survey is voluntary and

will be treated as strictly confidential. Nevertheless, participants will be given chance to disagree

and refuse with the research process and will not be forced to answer the survey questionnaire,

additionally, they are also given a chance to skip some questions that they intend not to answer

because they are uncomfortable, so respondents may indicate in the questionnaire that they

refuse to answer. Lastly, the personal identity of the participants will not be asked in the survey

questionnaire for the full confidential of the research study throughout the presentation of the

result of the study.

Measures

The researcher will be modifying survey-questionnaire as its primary data-gathering

instrument to capture the relevant information from the respondents regarding playing MOBA

games and how it affects student’s academic performance. Thus, the questionnaire will predict

the effect of playing MOBA games to the student’s academic performance, a thirty-statement

will be asked. The responses will be measured by using 6-point Liker scale, while entering the

data, completely important opinion assigned a weight of six and Unimportant, and slightly

unimportant are assigned weights of five, four, three and two, respectively. For the third part of

the questionnaire, as for the dependent variable, it will be measured also by using a 5-point

Likert scale, while entering the data, completely important to me opinion assigned a weight of

one. In between these two extremes, other levels such as slightly important to me somewhat

important to me somewhat unimportant to me and slightly unimportant to me are assigned

weights of five, four, three and two, respectively. This scale is assigned to know if academic

performance is affected by playing MOBA games of Senior High School

Procedures

The researcher will be providing a letter of permission to conduct a research study

from the division office of Malabon City, as well as the School Principal, senior high school

teachers and to the Senior high School MOBA players who will be the participants of the study.

The survey questionnaire will be distributed and collected personally to maintain confidentiality
 of the data. The researcher will be expecting to have at least 90% return-rate of questionnaire

from the targeted sample.

Data Analysis

Descriptive statistics will be use to measure the demographic profile of the respondents such as

gender, age, and their final average from the previous school year. Frequencies mean scores and

standard deviation will be computed to show and represent by figure the answers of the

respondents as to demographic profile. Moreover the main data analytic statistical strategy to be

utilized is multiple regression to supply the degree of relationship among variables. This

statistical analysis tool will be applied since it wants to examine the effect of playing MOBA be

utilized is multiple regression to supply the degree of relationship among variables. This

statistical analysis tool will be applied since it wants to examine the effect of playing MOBA as

independent variables on a dependent variable which is students Academic performance.

Conceptual framework

Playing Multiplayer Students’ Academic

Online Battle Performance
Arena(MOBA)

Figure 1. Paradigm of the Study

This framework consists of the playing MOBA as independent variable and academic

performance as dependent variables. The study claims that playing MOBA affect the academic

performance of students. Which can be helpful in assessing the different factors that might affect

the students’ academic performance or not in this modern age, thus, educators and curriculum

makers can establish and formulate more effective and modern approach in incorporating higher

quality of education given the statistical proofs of this research regarding on whether playing

MOBA games could affect the students’ academic performance or not. To achieve higher

education quality, there are different factors that could affect the students’ academic performance

based on Walberg’s educational productivity. Where in playing MOBA games falls under the

peer group outside the school factor and use of out-of-school time factors. Therefore, the

researchers claim that playing MOBA games affect students’ academic performance.