The Effectiveness of Wordwall-Based Gamification on Students’ Vocabulary Mastery and Students’ Perceptions Towards Its Implementation in Learning English Vocabulary
DOI:
10.29303/jipp.v11i2.5061Published:
2026-05-26Downloads
Abstract
Students' perceptions are important because they influence how learners respond to teaching methods, learning media, and classroom activities. Therefore, examining both vocabulary achievement and students' perceptions can provide a more comprehensive understanding of Wordwall implementation in English learning. This study investigated the use of Wordwall-based gamification in improving students' vocabulary mastery and examined students' perceptions of its implementation in English vocabulary learning. The study employed a quantitative approach with a pre-experimental one-group pre-test and post-test design. The participants were 25 tenth-grade students from the Electrical Engineering 1 class (X TE-1) at SMK Negeri 2 Gerung. Data were collected through vocabulary tests and a students' perception questionnaire. The data from the vocabulary test were examined through descriptive statistics, a normality assessment, and the Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test as the scores from the post-test did not follow a normal distribution. The results indicated that the average score for students rose from 29.80 in the pre-test to 72.00 in the post-test. The Wilcoxon assessment revealed a notable difference between the pre-test and post-test outcomes, Z = -4.376, p < .001. Every one of the 25 students achieved improved scores in the post-test, with no negative rankings or ties present. The questionnaire results also indicated positive to very positive perceptions of Wordwall, particularly in terms of ease of use, affective engagement, usefulness, and learning engagement. These findings suggest that Wordwall-based gamification can support vocabulary learning and create a more enjoyable and engaging classroom atmosphere. However, because this study used a pre-experimental design without a control group, the results should be interpreted as evidence of improvement associated with the intervention rather than definitive causal proof.
Keywords:
Gamification, students’ perception, vocabulary mastery, Wordwall.References
Barata, G., Gama, S., Jorge, J., & Gonçalves, D. (2013, October). Improving participation and learning with gamification. In Proceedings of the First International Conference on gameful design, research, and applications (pp. 10-17). https://doi.org/10.1145/2583008.2583010
Bonwell, C. C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. 1991 ASHE-ERIC higher education reports. ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, The George Washington University, One Dupont Circle, Suite 630, Washington, DC 20036-1183.
Craik, F. I., & Lockhart, R. S. (1972). Levels of processing: A framework for memory research. Journal of verbal learning and verbal behavior, 11(6), 671-684. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5371(72)80001-X
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS quarterly, 13(3), 319-340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008
Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011, September). From game design elements to gamefulness: defining" gamification". In Proceedings of the 15th international academic MindTrek conference: Envisioning future media environments (pp. 9-15).
Dörnyei, Z. (2001). Motivational strategies in the language classroom (Vol. 10). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ekayanti, A., & Thohir, L. (2019). The effectiveness of using crossword puzzle to improve students’ vocabulary Mastery. Jurnal Lisdaya, 15(2), 148-154.
Lail, H. (2018). The effectiveness of using English movie with English subtittles in teaching vocabulary at the eighth year students of SMPN 1 Selong in the academic year of 2018/2019. JOLLT Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, 6(2), 100-107. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v6i2.1261
Laufer, B. (2006). Comparing focus on form and focus on forms in second-language vocabulary learning. Canadian Modern Language Review, 63(1), 149-166. https://doi.org/DOI:%252010.1353/cml.2006.0047
Listiani, T. (2024). Implementing Wordwall in teaching sampling techniques for higher education students. KnE Social Sciences, 458-467. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v9i8.15582
Rosidah, S., Putra, H. D., & Hendriana, H. (2024). The implementation of Kahoot to improve students' understanding ability on integral materials. (JIML) JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE MATHEMATICS LEARNING, 7(1), 20-31. https://doi.org/10.22460/jiml.v7i1.18641
Saumi, F. K., Melani, B. Z., Wardana, L. A., & Elmiana, D. S. (2025). The Implementation Of Wordwall Platform to Deliver Interactive Medium for Students' Vocabulary in SDN 1 Jeringo. Journal of Classroom Action Research, 7(3).
Sukma, K. I., & Handayani, T. (2022). Pengaruh penggunaan media interaktif berbasis wordwall quiz terhadap hasil belajar IPA di sekolah dasar. Jurnal Cakrawala Pendas, 8(4), 1020-1028. https://doi.org/10.31949/jcp.v8i4.2767
Thornbury, S. (2002). How to Teach Vocabulary (1st ed.). Pearson Education.
Zhang, R., Cheng, G., & Chen, X. (2020). Game-based self-regulated language learning: Theoretical analysis and bibliometrics. Plos one, 15(12), e0243827. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243827
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Yulia Komalasari, Lalu Thohir, Desi Herayana
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
klik di sini 
