Does Scratch Animation for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with AI-Comics Impact on Student Empathy, Self-Efficacy, Scriptwriting, and Animation Skills?

This study aimed to make and introduce a curriculum in Taiwan for fifth-grade students, merging Scratch animation with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The curriculum combined the Scratch Reflective AI digital learning platform with conventional teaching methods to assess its effect on students' empathy, self-efficacy, and scriptwriting and animation skills. A total of 133 fifth-grade students from elementary school were involved in the study. The experimental group (67 students) received the SDGs-themed Scratch animation course with the AI-Enhanced Comics Reflection Diaries, while the control group (66 students) received the traditional SDGs-themed Scratch animation course. The findings revealed a significant improvement in students' self-efficacy levels in the Scratch animation course within the SDGs theme when using the AI digital learning platform with Comic Reflection. However, there was no significant variation in empathy levels among the students. The Comic Reflection AI digital learning platform significantly enhanced students' scriptwriting and animation skills, boosting creativity and self-efficacy in their abilities within the SDGs-themed Scratch animation course. Classroom observations revealed students' enthusiasm for the platform, emphasizing its potential to foster creativity and learning engagement. The study offers insights into the effectiveness of integrating digital learning platforms like Comic Reflection can be beneficial for enhancing students' self-efficacy and scriptwriting skills, highlighting the importance of adequate time for cognitive processing. The study's findings provide valuable guidance for educators and researchers aiming to enhance students' empathy with regard to global sustainability development goals.