Deep learning approach-based gamification to improve English vocabulary mastery among fifth-grade elementary school students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30603/al.v11i2.7777Keywords:
Deep learning approach;, gamification; , vocabulary mastery; , learning media; , primary English; , 4D modelAbstract
Background: English is now mandatory in Indonesian elementary schools, but vocabulary is still often taught through memorized lists from textbooks. Meanwhile, the curriculum emphasizes deep learning, yet interactive digital media that support both engagement and understanding remain scarce at this level.
Aims: This study developed gamification media grounded in the deep learning approach, and examined their validity, practicality, and effectiveness for improving mastery of Parts of the Body vocabulary among fifth-grade elementary school students.
Methods: Research and Development (R&D) was conducted using the 4D model of Thiagarajan, Semmel, and Semmel (1974). Participants were four experts and 26 fifth-grade students of SDN 5 Limboto, Gorontalo, Indonesia. Effectiveness was examined through a one-group pre-test-post-test design, using expert validation sheets, a student response questionnaire, and a vocabulary achievement test.
Results: The media were rated highly valid, with validation scores of 87.06% (media expert), 87.37% (content expert), and 86.76% (deep learning teaching-module experts), giving an overall mean of 87.06%. Student responses placed the media in the highly practical category, and observed active participation averaged 87.94%. The class mean rose from 42.31 on the pre-test to 78.85 on the post-test, a gain of 36.54 points, with a normalised gain of 0.63 in the medium category; 24 of 26 students (92.31%) reached the minimum criterion of learning goals.
Implications: Six web platforms (Baamboozle, Educaplay, Blooket, BookWidgets, Kahoot, and Canva) arranged across three phases offer primary English teachers a workable model in which game elements are assigned to distinct instructional functions rather than applied uniformly.
Downloads
References
Akbar, S. (2013). Instrumen perangkat pembelajaran. Remaja Rosdakarya.
Arsyad, A. (2020). Media pembelajaran (2nd ed.). Rajawali Pers.
Bada, S. O. (2015). Constructivism learning theory: A paradigm for teaching and learning. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education, 5(6), 66-70.
Bai, S., Hew, K. F., & Huang, B. (2020). Does gamification improve student learning outcome? Evidence from a meta-analysis and synthesis of qualitative data in educational contexts. Educational Research Review, 30, Article 100322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100322
Biggs, J., Tang, C., & Kennedy, G. (2022). Teaching for quality learning at university (5th ed.). Open University Press.
Dehghanzadeh, H., Fardanesh, H., Hatami, J., Talaee, E., & Noroozi, O. (2021). Using gamification to support learning English as a second language: A systematic review. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 34(7), 934-957. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1648298
Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: Defining gamification. In Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference (pp. 9-15). https://doi.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040
Dindar, M., Ren, L., & Jarvenoja, H. (2021). An experimental study on the effects of gamified cooperation and competition on English vocabulary learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(1), 142-159. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12977
Fullan, M., Quinn, J., & McEachen, J. (2018). Deep learning: Engage the world change the world. Corwin Press.
Hake, R. R. (1998). Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses. American Journal of Physics, 66(1), 64-74. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.18809
Hamari, J., Shernoff, D. J., Rowe, E., Coller, B., Asbell-Clarke, J., & Edwards, T. (2016). Challenging games help students learn: An empirical study on engagement, flow and immersion in game-based learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 170-179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.045
Hanus, M. D., & Fox, J. (2015). Assessing the effects of gamification in the classroom: A longitudinal study on intrinsic motivation, social comparison, satisfaction, effort, and academic performance. Computers & Education, 80, 152-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.08.019
Homer, R., Hew, K. F., & Tan, C. Y. (2018). Comparing digital badges-and-points with classroom token systems: Effects on elementary school ESL students' classroom behavior and English learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 21(1), 137-151.
Huang, R., Ritzhaupt, A. D., Sommer, M., Zhu, J., Stephen, A., Valle, N., Hampton, J., & Li, J. (2020). The impact of gamification in educational settings on student learning outcomes: A meta-analysis. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(4), 1875-1901. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09807-z
Kapp, K. M. (2012). The gamification of learning and instruction: Game-based methods and strategies for training and education. Pfeiffer.
Koivisto, J., & Hamari, J. (2019). The rise of motivational information systems: A review of gamification research. International Journal of Information Management, 45, 191-210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.10.013
Landers, R. N. (2014). Developing a theory of gamified learning: Linking serious games and gamification of learning. Simulation & Gaming, 45(6), 752-768. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878114563660
Laufer, B., & Hulstijn, J. (2001). Incidental vocabulary acquisition in a second language: The construct of task-induced involvement. Applied Linguistics, 22(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/22.1.1
Li, X., & Chu, S. K. W. (2021). Exploring the effects of gamification pedagogy on children's reading: A mixed-method study on academic performance, reading-related mentality and behaviors, and sustainability. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(1), 160-178. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13057
Majuri, J., Koivisto, J., & Hamari, J. (2018). Gamification of education and learning: A review of empirical literature. In Proceedings of the 2nd International GamiFIN Conference (pp. 11-19).
Marton, F., & Saljo, R. (1976). On qualitative differences in learning: I-Outcome and process. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 46(1), 4-11. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.1976.tb02980.x
Mulyatiningsih, E. (2021). Metode penelitian terapan bidang pendidikan. Alfabeta.
Nation, I. S. P. (2013). Learning vocabulary in another language (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68
Sailer, M., & Homner, L. (2020). The gamification of learning: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 32(1), 77-112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09498-w
Sailer, M., Hense, J. U., Mayr, S. K., & Mandl, H. (2017). How gamification motivates: An experimental study of the effects of specific game design elements on psychological need satisfaction. Computers in Human Behavior, 69, 371-380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.033
Sandberg, J., Maris, M., & Hoogendoorn, P. (2014). The added value of a gaming context and intelligent adaptation for a mobile learning application for vocabulary learning. Computers & Education, 76, 119-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.03.006
Shortt, M., Tilak, S., Kuznetcova, I., Martens, B., & Akinkuolie, B. (2023). Gamification in mobile-assisted language learning: A systematic review of Duolingo literature from public release of 2012 to early 2020. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 36(3), 517-554. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1933540
Sugiyono. (2021). Metode penelitian pendidikan: Pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan R&D. Alfabeta.
Suryani, N., Setiawan, A., & Putria, A. (2020). Media pembelajaran inovatif dan pengembangannya. Remaja Rosdakarya.
Thiagarajan, S., Semmel, D. S., & Semmel, M. I. (1974). Instructional development for training teachers of exceptional children: A sourcebook. Indiana University.
Zainuddin, Z., Chu, S. K. W., Shujahat, M., & Perera, C. J. (2020). The impact of gamification on learning and instruction: A systematic review of empirical evidence. Educational Research Review, 30, Article 100326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100326
Zhang, S., & Hasim, Z. (2023). Gamification in EFL/ESL instruction: A systematic review of empirical research. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 1030790. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1030790
Zou, D. (2020). Gamified flipped EFL classroom for primary education: Student and teacher perceptions. Journal of Computers in Education, 7(2), 213-228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-020-00153-w
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ainsha Ainun Habibie, Karmila Machmud, Wiwy Triyanty Pulukadang
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Notice
Authors who publish in Al-Lisan: Jurnal Bahasa (e-Journal) agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
