THE EFFECT OF CROSSWORD PUZZLE GAMES ON STUDENTS' VOCABULARY MASTERY: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AT SMP NEGERI 3 BREBES

Abstract

A strong command of vocabulary is essential for students to communicate and understand English effectively. Nevertheless, many learners in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms still encounter difficulties in expanding and retaining their vocabulary because learning activities often provide limited opportunities for meaningful practice. This research examined whether the use of crossword puzzle games could improve students' vocabulary mastery at SMP Negeri 3 Brebes. The study adopted a quantitative quasi-experimental design involving 64 eighth-grade students, consisting of 32 students in the experimental group and 32 students in the control group. Students' vocabulary achievement was measured through identical pre-test and post-test instruments. The collected data were processed using descriptive statistics, the Shapiro–Wilk normality test, Levene's homogeneity test, paired-samples t-test, and independent-samples t-test. Although vocabulary achievement increased in both groups, the experimental group obtained significantly better post-test results than the control group (t(62) = 3.012, p = .004). These results indicate that crossword puzzle games are an effective classroom strategy for strengthening vocabulary mastery by encouraging active learning, repeated word retrieval, and meaningful engagement with new vocabulary