The Use of Gamification Methods Through Thematic Activities to Enhance Vocabulary Mastery of Fifth Grade Students at SDN 006 Palembang

Abstract

This study examines the effectiveness of gamification methods integrated with thematic activities in enhancing the vocabulary mastery of fifth-grade students at SDN 006 Palembang. The research was motivated by students’ common challenges in memorizing and retaining vocabulary. The objective was to determine whether there is a significant difference in vocabulary achievement between students taught using gamification and those taught through conventional methods. A quantitative approach with a pre-test–post-test experimental design was applied. The participants were two fifth-grade classes: class 5B as the experimental group (N = 29) and class 5A as the control group (N = 30). A 50-item vocabulary test served as the main instrument. Due to the non-normal distribution of data, the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was used for within-group analysis, and the Mann-Whitney U Test was used for between-group analysis.The results showed significant improvement in both groups from pre-test to post-test. However, the experimental group achieved a higher post-test mean rank (34.79) than the control group (25.37), with a statistically significant difference (p = .033). These findings indicate that the use of gamification integrated with thematic activities has a significant positive impact on improving vocabulary mastery among fifth-grade students.