Enhancing Students’ Vocabulary Mastery through Team Race Game: A Pre-Experimental Study
Abstract
This study examined whether the Team Race Game could enhance the vocabulary mastery of seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 2 Panca Rijang. A quantitative pre-experimental approach with a one-group pretest-posttest design was employed. The population consisted of 99 seventh-grade students distributed across four classes in the 2018/2019 academic year, while Class VII.2, comprising 25 students, was selected through cluster sampling. Data were collected using a vocabulary pretest and posttest, classroom observation, and a 20-item interest questionnaire administered after the treatment. The intervention was implemented in four 80-minute meetings over two weeks. Descriptive statistics showed that the students’ mean score increased from 34.80 in the pretest to 67.16 in the posttest. The paired-sample t-test produced a significance value of 0.000, which was lower than the 0.05 significance level, indicating a statistically significant improvement after the treatment. The questionnaire results also revealed a mean interest score of 73.88; most students were categorized as interested in learning vocabulary through the game. These findings indicate that Team Race Game can provide an active, competitive, and enjoyable classroom environment that supports vocabulary practice and retention. The technique may therefore be used as an alternative strategy for teaching vocabulary in junior secondary EFL classrooms.
References
Departemen Pendidikan Nasional. (2006). Kurikulum 2006: Standar kompetensi SMP. Dharma Bakti.
Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah. (2005). Peraturan Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah tentang penilaian perkembangan anak didik. Depdiknas.
Fauziati, E. (2005). Teaching of English as a foreign language. Muhammadiyah University Press.
Hadfield, J. (2001). Elementary grammar games. Longman.
Hanifia, F. N. (2013). The use of vocabulary journal in enriching students’ vocabulary mastery and the students’ attitudes toward its use.
Lee, W. R. (1979). Language teaching games and contests. Oxford University Press.
Linse, C. T. (2005). Practical English language teaching: Young learners. McGraw-Hill.
Lodico, M. G., Spaulding, D. T., & Voegtle, K. H. (2006). Methods in educational research: From theory to practice. Jossey-Bass.
Manik, S., & Christiani, M. (2016). Teaching vocabulary using matching word in computer-assisted language learning.
Mudinillah, A., Kuswandi, D. ., Erwin, E., Sugiarni, S., Winarno, W., Annajmi, A., & Hermansah, S. (2024). Optimizing Project-Based Learning in Developing 21st Century Skills: A Future Education Perspective. Qubahan Academic Journal, 4(2), 86–101. https://doi.org/10.48161/qaj.v4n2a352
M U, Sari H, Hermansyah S, Maming K, Kahar A, Hasan, Elfahmi FK (2025), "Understanding Indonesian students' reading knowledge in digital literacy within socio-cultural of rural middle schools". International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, Vol. 42 No. 5 pp. 432–448, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJILT-12-2023-0239
Mukoroli, J. (2011). Effective vocabulary teaching strategies for the English for Academic Purposes ESL classroom.
Rosadi. (2017). The effectiveness of anagram technique in teaching vocabulary.
Sam Hermansyah, Usman M., Syamsu T. (2026). Developing Digital Learning Media for Teaching Public Speaking to Improve English Skills of Junior High School Students. International Journal of Special Education, 41(16s), 502–509. Retrieved from https://www.internationalsped.com/index.php/ijse/article/view/5027
Soedjito. (2009). Kosakata bahasa Indonesia. Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Sudjianto, & Dahidi, A. (2004). Pengantar linguistik bahasa Jepang. Kesaint Blanc.
Syukri. (2009). Psikologi pendidikan. [Publication details not provided in the source article
