Layyinatul Af"idah (1), Dian Novita (2)
This study aims to determine the effect of using board game in improving seventh-grade students’ English daily activity expression comprehension using the simple present tense. Many students’ experience difficulties in expressing daily activy in English, because of their limited vocabulary, lack of fluency in speaking, and low of self-confidence when constructing sentences.To overcome these issues, a pre-experimental design with a one-group pre-test and post-test was applied. The research involved 23 seventh-grade students from a junior high school in Sidoarjo. The procedure included administering a pre-test, delivering three sessions of treatment using a board game, and conducting a post-test. Students' proficiency in vocabulary, grammar, understanding, fluency, and pronunciation were evaluated using the tests to measure their comprehension regarding the daily activity expression. The data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test in SPSS. The results showed a significant increase in students' speaking scores from a mean of 67 in the pre-test to 81 in the post-test, with a significance value of 0.000, indicating the rejection of the null hypothesis. These findings suggest that board game has an impact in enhancing students’ English daily activity expression mastery. Besides improving students’ speaking skills, board game also creates a fun, relaxed atmosphere that motivates students to speak more confidently. Thus, board games can be considered a useful in teaching English expressions, especially in describing daily activity.
English has become a very important necessity in cross-national communication, so that people need to master all English skills to be able to interact effectively with others around the world. Among those skills, speaking ability is one of the most important ones to support oral communication. Therefore, schools need to provide the best opportunities for students to achieve a certain level of English proficiency .
Daily activities are the regular activities that people do on a daily basis, such working, studying, cleaning the house, or interacting with others. In order to sustain social connections and productivity in daily life, these activities are crucial. In carrying out daily tasks, communication is essential since people frequently need to engage with others in order to exchange information, voice opinions, give and receive orders, or just keep up relationships. Face-to-face interaction is the primary method of communication, whether in the community, at school, or at home. Because of this, communication is essential to daily life and helps many daily tasks run smoothly and effectively
The skill of speaking clearly and confidently is an essential ingredient to capturing and audience’s attention and becoming a successful speaker. This ability not only support a professional career but also enhances personal life, bringing about all-around growth. Speaking, as an important form of communication, helps boost self-confidence, making one look attractive and in control front of an audience .
According to Ariani , implementing daily activities is one efficient method for building confidence in language learners. In addition to giving students the chance to use the language in context, regular practice also helps them become less sensitive to the nervousness that comes with speaking. Engaging in activities like role-playing, group debates, and pair chats can foster a positive environment where students can practice their skills without worrying about making mistakes.
A board game is a kind of strategy game in which players move components on a board. In certain cases, rolling dice are used, as in board or chess. Players advance along the board's squares after rolling the dice in this game. Teachers can use board games to teach the students for speaking fluently and as an organized language practice tool by writing different instructions on each square. Board games can also aid in the development of social skills like listening, speaking, following rules, and more. Additionally, they help in the development of critical learning skills like reading, counting, and the recognition of colors and shapes—all of which are components of the learning process .
Board game is a valuable tool for practicing concepts, principles, and models discussed during the process of learning. Designed to be engaging, the game actively involves the participants through case study cards, requiring them to solve problems and make decisions . Board game is effective for increasing students’ interest and focus by creating fun learning atmosphere. They encourage foreign language practice and provide a meaningful learning experience benefiting both teachers and students .
The use of games in teaching can create communicative activities as well being an effective tool in language learning. Based on this statement, games can be considered as an appropriate strategy for teaching student’s, especially in teaching speaking skills. Game-based learning is a method in which teacher utilizes games as learning media to help students understand the material more easily and enjoyably. This strategy not only increases learning interest, but also supports the natural development of student’s communication skills .
From the classification, board game is an effective and fun learning media to encourage students to speak up in class. Besides being entertaining, board game creates an interactive learning atmosphere and helps reduce students’ anxiety. The research shows that board games increase students’ self-confidence, support natural interaction and develop their speaking skills effectively. In addition, board games build students confidence while encouraging them to communicate actively and cooperate effectively . Board game is engaging for students and it is different from regular speaking lessons in the classroom. The game makes the learning atmosphere more fun and relaxed. A comfortable and environment is essential for students to be more confident when speaking. This kind of atmosphere can reduce anxiety and increase their motivation to learn .
Board game can serve as an effective learning device to increase students’ interest in learning. With a playful approach, board games can help students stay focused without feeling pressured or forced to learn. In addition, the game is a useful device for teachers to create an interactive learning atmosphere, while providing a more interesting and meaningful learning experience for the students . Board games are one of the most frequently used tools in language teaching. These are defined as activities that are entertaining, engaging and challenging, play on a board, and require social interaction to achieve the goals of the game. Because it is designed as a social activity, board game provides challenges that are difficult to achieve by playing alone. Through board games, players can playfully improve their counting, speaking, and strategizing skills effectively .
According to the explanation, board games have the potential to help students with their English language development, particularly with speaking. Relating to the present study which was conducted in one of private junior high schools in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, English daily activity expression became the main problem for the seventh grade students. To overcome the challenge, the board game method was applied in English teaching with the aim of helping students develop their speaking fluency. In addition, the use of board game also aims to increase students’ English daily activity expression comprehension. Through this method, students can practice their English daily activity expression, enrich their vocabulary, and build confidence in using English in a more relaxed and fun atmosphere. Based on these problems, this research conducted by focusing on the question: Does board game affect the seventh grade students’ mastery of daily activity expression in English?
This research design was conducted by observing one class that was given special treatment to achieve maximum change. This study aims to test the effect of using board game in improving students' English daily activity expression comprehension in English, particularly through simple present tense material. The main focus of this study is to measure students' English daily activity expression comprehension by comparing the results before and after the implementation of learning using the board game. This research was conducted at a junior high school, with 23 seventh-grade students as the sample from the school students’ population. The learning process was carried out in three meeting sessions, including a pre-test, treatment, and post-test.
The study used speaking tests as the tool to collect data from each student. The main objective of this research was to determine whether the board game has an impact in improving students' comprehension in English daily activity expression. Through this game, students were challenged to express the sentence in the present simple tense form, related to daily activities. The research process was conducted with a pre- test to measure students' skill before using the board game as a learning tool to help them improve their English daily activity expression comprehension. In the final stage, a post-test was conducted to evaluate whether the use of the board game method resulted in a significant improvement in their English daily activity expression comprehension. In the tests, students were asked to make sentence and describing their daily activity expression and then present it in front of the class without reading the text using the present simple tense.
To collect the data, the research began with a pre-test before the treatment was given. At this stage, students were asked to choose a topic related to daily activity expression using the simple present tense. The researchers gave the students 10 minutes to prepare a description of their daily activity expression. After the preparation time ended, the students were asked to present the topic they had chosen in front of the class without reading from a text or using notes. The assessment process was carried out by the researchers and the teacher to obtain objective and reliable results.
After conducting the pre-test, the researchers applied the treatment using board game as a learning method. This treatment was carried out in several stages. Before starting, the researchers first explained the board game that would be used. The researchers then presented material on the simple present tense to the students. The students were also taught how to compose sentence on the topics of daily activity expression using the simple present tense correctly. Additionally, the researchers provided instruction on effective speaking techniques to help students explain activities clearly and fluently. After understanding the material, students were asked to come to the front to play the board game. In the game, students first rolled the dice, then moved their pieces according to the number that appears. The piece would stop on a specific topic square. Students were then asked to make a sentence based on the topic they received and present the sentence in front of the class.
After the treatment was completed, the researchers continued by providing post-tests to the students. They were asked to make sentence using the present simple tense to describe their daily activity expression. Then, they were asked to present their sentence in front of the class without using the text. As with the pre-test, the assessment process was carried out by the researchers and teachers. Finally, the results of the initial and final tests were analyzed to determine the differences and improvements in the students' English daily activity expression mastery before and after the treatment.
The researchers collected data through tests given to seventh-grade students’ at a junior high school. The data obtained from the tests were analyzed quantitatively. The data collection instruments consisted of pre-tests and post-tests aimed at measuring students' scores before and after the treatment. After the data was collected, the researchers analyzed it to draw the research conclusion by comparing changes in students’ scores between the pre-test and post-test in a descriptive and comparative manner. The purpose of this analysis was to determine whether there were significant differences between the pre-test and post-test results of seventh-grade students’ mastery of English daily activities expression. In this research, the researchers used the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and SPSS.
The variables evaluated in the speaking tests included grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and pronunciation. The speaking test was conducted in two stages. First, students created simple present tense sentences based on determined theme. Then, students described the text in front of the class without using the text. The following table is the scoring rubric adapted from Brown
Note:
Maximum score = 25
Score x 100
This research is conducted at the seventh grade and consists of three stages: pre-test, treatment, and post-test. The pre-test is a presentation on daily activity using the basic present tense in English to assess students' skills to work independently. The purpose of treatment is to determine whether there is an improvement or change in the students’ speaking skill. These pre-test and post-test data were collected by researchers and teacher. The results of the pre- and post-tests are then analysed to determine the difference between the students’ mastery of English daily activity expressions before and after the treatment; they are can be seen in Table 2.
Based on the data above, students who played the board game media before the exam had an average score of 67, and by the time the exam was over, their post-test score was 81. This shows a significant improvement in students' abilities after using the board game media as a learning tool.
1. Normality Test
The pre-test and post-test results in the experimental class were subjected to a normality test in order to ensure that the data to be studied has a normal distribution. A general and adaptable statistical method for assessing the appropriateness of data distribution is the Kolmogorov-Smirnov method, which is used in this test. The purpose of this normalcy test is to evaluate the efficacy of employing the board game media to help the seventh-grade students' mastery of English daily activities expression. The reason of using Shapiro-wilk test rather than Kolmogrov-Smirnov is because the sample of the data is below 50.
Prior to applying the pre-experimental design technique to the data analysis, the researchers computed the average score for each student rated by the teacher and the researchers. The main purpose of this test is to determine whether the pre-test and post-test results from the use of board game media follow a normal distribution, because this is an important prerequisite in conducting further statistical analysis. The results are presented in the following table.
Figure 1. Data of Normality Test
The data collected for the pre-test is 0.150, and the data obtained for the post-test is 0.094. According to the results of the normality test in Table 3, the p-value of 0.150 and 0.094 are greater than 0.05, indicating that the data is considered normal or regular.
The researchers used two sets of data to avoid the bias in the data analysis. By testing both datasets for normality, the researchers aimed to ensure its consistency and reliability. The researchers were able to confidently analyze the effect of board game media on students' mastery of English daily activity expressions after verifying that the tests results showed a normal distribution. The normality test's outcome confirmed that the data were fit to the requirements for the statistical analysis.
2. Hypothesi s Test
The hypothesis is next examined and validated after finishing the normality tests. Completing the hypothesis test is done to determine if they should be accepted or rejected. The hypothesis was evaluated and whether a significant difference in the mean scores was found using the paired sample t-test. The table below explain the findings of the hypothesis test:
Figure 2. Hypothesis Test
Based on the Paired Samples Test results, there is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores. The mean difference is 14.609, with a standard deviation of 4.727 and a standard error of the mean of 0.986. The 95% confidence interval for the difference falls within the range of -16.653 to -12.565, indicating that the post-test scores were significantly higher than the pre-test scores. The obtained t-value is 14.823 with a degree of freedom (df) of 22, and the significance value (Sig. 2-tailed) is 0.000, which is lower than the significance level of 0.05. This confirms that the difference is statistically significant. Thus, these results suggest that there is a substantial improvement in students’ scores after the intervention, supporting the hypothesis that the treatment had a significant positive effect on students’ mastery of English daily activity expressions.
The aim of this research is to determine whether the use of board game as a learning medium can help students become more proficient in mastering English daily activity expressions. Based on the research result, the board game has an effect on the students’ mastery of English daily activity expression. The findings of the hypothesis test indicated a significant improvement in speaking skills (significant value 0.000 <0.05). The increase can be seen in the positive rank section (the number of students’ test results show that the pre-test is lower than the post-test scores) in the hypothesis results table. According to this result, H1 is approved and H0 is denied. Therefore, the usage of board game media in the classroom has an effect on students' mastery of English daily activities expression.
Based on data analysis using a pre-experimental design with pre-test and post-test, it is known that there is a change in students' mastery after the tasks are completed. According to the data, the highest score achieved by the seventh grade students’ in the pre-test is 78, while the lowest score is 60. In contrast, the post-test results show a positive increase in skill, with the highest score reaching 88. The average pre-test score is 67, while the average post-test score increases to 81. This shows that there is a significant increase in students' English daily activity expression mastery after being given the treatment.
This research supports the study completed by Khurnia which claims that games are fun and exciting activities, often challenging, in which students play and usually interact with others. Games are an effective way to create a positive and engaging learning environment. Games are fun and exciting activities that make students want to try speaking English. The use of games in English language learning can help increase student enthusiasm because many games involve student participation, making learning activities more active and enjoyable. Additionally, games can reduce students' fear or awkwardness in using English, as they feel more relaxed while playing. Through games, students can also learn to collaborate, compete healthily, and improve their communication skills in a more natural and meaningful context.
Furthermore, Sukirlan states that many students find that games help them stay interested in and motivated to complete their learning tasks. Game also assist educators in establishing situations that make language use more relevant and beneficial. Because they have to comprehend what others are saying and provide facts and thoughts through writing or speaking, students are encouraged to actively participate in the playing process. This becomes particularly pertinent when the subjects covered are connected to daily activity since students are able to connect the situations replicated in the game to their own experiences. Thus, in addition to learning language structures like the simple present tense, students also apply these structures in situations that are relevant to their everyday lives, such describing their daily activities, habits, and routines.
Further, the study also in line with Kasyulita’s research , which proofs that one of the learning benefits of board game is that they may increase students' enthusiasm in learning English. They are enjoyable and inspire pupils to engage with one another and investigate their surroundings. In the beginning, board game offer a physical reason to utilize the target language, which increases student motivation and adds variation to the learning process. Second, the cheerful tone of the game provides a setting that makes the study participants' use of the foreign language relevant and meaningful. One of the benefits of learning through board games is their ability to improve students' English language skills. Board games are fun and can inspire students to interact with others and explore their surroundings. Early on, board games provide a physical reason for students to use the target language, which can directly increase motivation and provide variety in the learning process. Furthermore, the playful atmosphere created by these games creates a supportive learning environment, where the use of a foreign language becomes more relevant, meaningful, and less stressful for students.
Students' attempts to speak a foreign language can be aided by board games. As they engage and converse, this gives students lots of chances to use their second language. Students are encouraged to utilize language organically and spontaneously in an enjoyable setting through engaging exercises. In addition to enhancing their speaking abilities, this boosts their self-esteem and lessens their anxiety of making mistakes. Additionally, board games give students the opportunity to acquire new words and sentence structures in a context, which enhances the learning process' significance and memorability
According to Tanjung , playing board games is a good way to teach vocabulary. Students become more engaged and motivated when board games are used in the classroom. This is due to the fact that games make studying more enjoyable for kids and increase vocabulary comprehension. Additionally, board games improve students' English speaking abilities by encouraging them to employ language when speaking. Besides, Nargizakhon states that board games encourage students to use English actively and provide a fun learning environment, making them an excellent tool for improving students' English proficiency. Through natural interactions, board games offer students a variety of opportunities to practice speaking the target language as a learning tool. These games also provide pupils a meaningful learning experience by relating them to events that are pertinent to daily activity. Students are inspired to think critically and creatively in this environment, and they become more enthusiastic and motivated.
In addition , claims that the use of board game in the learning process of speaking is proven to be able to improve students' speaking skills significantly. The results also showed a positive development in students' speaking skills after the implementation of the action. This improvement covers various aspects of speaking, including fluency, pronunciation, comprehension, as well as the use of grammar.
The findings demonstrated that students’ speaking English daily activity expression might be enhanced through the use of board game. According to the researchers’ findings, playing board game helps enhance a variety of speaking, including vocabulary, fluency, comprehension of grammar, and pronunciation. Students' English daily activity expression improved in this study when the game was used in line with the learning objectives, particularly when it came to pronunciation and its individual components. This statement is supported by the pre-test and post-test findings, which showed that the average post-test score on each speaking component was greater than the pretest. As a result, the researchers believe that board game are a practical and efficient way to help students’ enhance their speaking and can help them develop all aspects of oral results.
The results of the research support the notion that junior high school students’ mastery of English daily activity expression can be enhanced through the use of board game media. Following the application of board game treatment, students' speaking skill significantly improved, according to the results of the pre-test and post-test analysis backed by the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Board game have a positive effect on seventh-grade students' mastery of English daily activity expression. During the learning process, board games help students’ speak more actively because they enjoy and relax while learning. While playing, students are asked to speak in English to explain daily activity, allowing them to practice using the vocabulary and they have learned.
Board game offer an enjoyable, interactive, and dynamic learning environment that boosts students' confidence and reduces their anxiety levels while they are studying. Students’ are motivated and encouraged to use English more actively when board game are integrated into English classes. In conclusion, board game can serve as a useful and efficient teaching tool for enhancing students' mastery of English daily activity expression. Along with improving students' language proficiency, these activities also assist students’ determine a good attitude toward studying and create a language-friendly environment in the classroom.
[1] N. A. Khairunnisah, “Teacher and Students’ Perception Towards the Use of Speaking Board Games in Online English-Speaking Lesson in Senior High School,” Jurnal Ilmiah Mandala Education, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 3146–3152, 2023.
[2] A. H. Suryani, “An Analysis of Students’ Problems in Speaking English Daily Language Program at Husnul Khotimah Islamic Boarding School,” Undergraduate Thesis, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, 2019.
[3] S. D. Taka, “Teaching Speaking by Using Snake and Ladder Board Game,” IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 72–87, 2019, doi: 10.24256/ideas.v7i2.1021.
[4] S. Ariani, “Encouraging Daily English Speaking to Boost Students’ Confidence,” Journal of English Education Studies, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 45–53, 2025.
[5] R. A. Maulana, A. I. STKIP, and B. Binjai, “The Effect of Using Board Game in Teaching Speaking at the Tenth Grade Students of SMK Swasta YPIS Maju Binjai,” Journal of English Teaching Research, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 101–110, 2021.
[6] Y. S. Suri, “The Use of Board Game Strategy to Improve Speaking Skill of Twelfth Grade Students of SMA Negeri Bolan,” Academic Journal of Educational Sciences, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 55–64, 2022.
[7] Y. Wang, “Theoretical Foundation,” in Game-Based Learning and Education, Singapore: Springer, 2022, pp. 21–34, doi: 10.1007/978-981-19-6352-0_3.
[8] F. Tulloh, V. Dyah, and A. Sari, “Dart Board Game: Game-Based Activities to Teach English Speaking Skills for Young Learners,” Jurnal Pendidikan Tambusai, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 13768–13778, 2023.
[9] B. I. P. Sari and E. Wulandari, “Developing the ‘Speak and Go’ Board Game to Teach Speaking for Grade VIII Students of Junior High School,” Proceedings of the National Seminar on English Education, pp. 165–170, 2019.
[10] C. W. H. Tiing and M. M. Yunus, “Board Games in Improving Pupils’ Speaking Skills: A Systematic Review,” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 16, 2021, doi: 10.3390/su13168772.
[11] M. D. Zuhri and K. Kusyairi, “Improving Students’ Speaking Ability Using Board Game Media at MTs Nahdlatun Nasyiin Kadur Pamekasan,” KABILAH: Journal of Social Community, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 90–100, 2020, doi: 10.35127/kbl.v4i2.3494.
[12] N. Pittayanantakul and P. Phusawisot, “The Effect of Board Games on Speaking Skills of Thai EFL Primary Students,” Journal of Education and Learning, vol. 13, no. 6, pp. 227–242, 2024, doi: 10.5539/jel.v13n6p227.
[13] H. D. Brown, Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, 5th ed. White Plains, NY, USA: Pearson Education, 2000.
[14] J. B. Sinaga, R. Yurianti, M. Aulia, and P. Khurnia, “The Effect of Using Board Games on Students’ Speaking Ability at Eighth Grade Students of Junior High School,” in Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Multidisciplinary Studies, 2024, pp. 270–278.
[15] A. A. Putri, T. Sinaga, and M. Sukirlan, “The Implementation of Board Game in Improving Students’ Speaking Skill,” Journal of English Language Teaching, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 215–224, 2019.
[16] E. Kasyulita and B. Niati, “The Effect of Board Game on Students’ Speaking Skill at Grade XI of SMA N 1 Tambusai Rokan Hulu,” Journal of Educational Research, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 88–96, 2019.
[17] T. Rousoulioti, C. Tegou, and P. Thomou, “Digital Board Games as a Tool to Boost Speaking in Foreign Language E-Classes During COVID-19: Students’ Perspectives,” Bogazici Universitesi Egitim Dergisi, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 137–159, 2022, doi: 10.52597/buje.1068062.
[18] R. S. Siregar, A. Hasibuan, and S. Tanjung, “The Effect of Using Board Game on Students’ Vocabulary Mastery at the Eighth Grade Students of SMP Negeri 2 Saipar Dolok Hole,” Journal of English Language Education, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 45–54, 2019.
[19] M. Nargizakhon and A. N. Qodirberganovna, “The Usefulness of Board Games in Improving Pupils’ Speaking Skill,” International Journal of Scientific Research in Education, vol. 13, no. 16, pp. 1–11, 2021.
[20] M. A. Syakur, “The Use of Board Game in Teaching Speaking to Young Learners,” Journal of English Teaching and Learning Research, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 95–104, 2020.