Abstract

Jawi is the official writing script used for Malay language before the adoption of the current Roman script. However, in schools, only religious subjects are taught in Jawi. Not many adults can read and write fluently in Jawi except for the elderly who were taught in Jawi during their school days. Even Jawi newspapers stopped publishing a couple of years ago. Currently, early Jawi reading is taught in primary schools, but its not compulsory for students to master it, therefore most students and adults still have difficulty to read and write in Jawi. Previous researches also showed that there are problems with the ability, interest and motivation to read materials written in Jawi. On the other hand, digital games have strong followings and motivate players to sustain the game play. Game-based software have been used for learning effectively. Hence we look at games design to teach early reading in Jawi. Specifically we look at different motivation theories and models for designing an effective and highly motivated MyJawi game learning software. In this paper we discussed the development of a motivation model suitable for game-based learning software in early Jawi reading and writing. We also present the user interface design of the software using the model.