The effectiveness of scrabble-based instruction in improving Arabic vocabulary mastery among fifth-grade students at an Islamic elementary school in Ngawi

The academic performance of fifth-graders in the area of Arabic vocabulary is relatively low, as evidenced by the significant gap between their average scores and the minimum proficiency threshold (70). This is partly due to the limited use of teaching materials in classrooms. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the game “Scrabble” as a teaching tool for improving students’ mastery of Arabic vocabulary. In this study, a quantitative approach was adopted using a quasi-experimental design, specifically a non-equivalent control group. The study was divided into two groups: an experimental group taught using the Scrabble game and a control group taught using traditional methods. Both groups took pre-test and post-tests. The data were analyzed using normality tests, reliability tests, and the Mann-Whitney U test to determine the significance of the differences between the groups. The results showed that the significance level (Sig.) was was below 0.05, which means that the null hypothesis was rejected, and the alternative hypothesis was accepted. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test results of the experimental and control classes, with a mean difference of 5,64. These results indicate that using Scrabble as a learning medium does not improve fifth-graders’ understanding of the Arabic language.