Improving Arabic Vocabulary Mastery of Fourth-Grade Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Students Through Giant Snakes and Ladders Media

Oct 1, 2026

Uploaded by asda1da

Arabic vocabulary mastery among fourth-grade students at Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Datok Sulaiman Putra Palopo remained low because instruction relied on lectures, question-and-answer routines, and rote memorization with limited active student involvement. This classroom action research described the implementation of giant snakes and ladders media and evaluated its effectiveness in improving vocabulary mastery. Using the Kemmis and McTaggart spiral model with two cycles, results showed mean scores rising from 39.50 to 65.00 and then 80.50, while classical mastery increased from 10% to 55% and then to 80%, exceeding the 75% success criterion.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Improving Arabic Vocabulary Mastery of Fourth-Grade Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Students Through Giant Snakes and Ladders Media 1Nurmiati, 2Nur Aliyah Ali, 3Kartini Pendidikan Bahasa Arab, Fakultas Tarbiyah dan Ilmu Keguruan, Universitas Islam Negeri Palopo, Indonesia [1](1 nurmiati@uinpalopo.ac.id)[ nurmiati@uinpalopo.ac.id](1 nurmiati@uinpalopo.ac.id) ABSTRACT Arabic vocabulary mastery among fourth-grade students at Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Datok Sulaiman Putra Palopo remained low because instruction was dominated by lectures, question-and-answer sessions, and rote memorization with little active student involvement. This study aimed to describe the implementation of giant snakes and ladders media and to examine its effectiveness in improving students' Arabic vocabulary mastery. Classroom action research was employed using the Kemmis and McTaggart spiral model, conducted in two cycles, each comprising planning, action, observation, and reflection. The subjects were 20 fourth-grade students, and the collaborating Arabic teacher served as observer. Data were collected through a ten-item multiple-choice vocabulary test on the theme of professions, observation sheets, and documentation, and were analyzed descriptively using mean scores, classical mastery percentages against the minimum mastery criterion (KKM = 70), and normalized gain. The findings revealed a consistent improvement across cycles: the mean score rose from 39.50 in the pre-cycle to 65.00 in Cycle I and 80.50 in Cycle II, while classical mastery increased from 10% to 55% and then to 80%, exceeding the success criterion of 75% . The class-level normalized gain from precycle to Cycle II reached 0.68, and 80% of students attained moderate to high individual gains. The floor-sized board, which turned students into human pawns and embedded recognition, pronunciation, and contextual vocabulary tasks into every square, created active, enjoyable, and collaborative learning, and its refinement in Cycle II (heterogeneous regrouping, vocabulary review before play, rule re-explanation, and group rewards) proved decisive. Future research is recommended to employ controlled designs with retention tests, measure productive vocabulary use, and adapt the media to other thematic units and grade levels. Keywords: Arabic Vocabulary Mastery, Classroom Action Research, Game-Based Learning, Giant Snakes and Ladders, Madrasah Ibtidaiyah INTRODUCTION Arabic occupies a distinctive position in Indonesian Islamic education because it is not only a foreign language subject but also the gateway to the primary sources of Islamic teaching. In the madrasah system, Arabic is formally taught from the elementary level (Madrasah Ibtidaiyah) upward, as regulated by the curriculum of Islamic religious education and Arabic for madrasahs (KementerianAgama Republik Indonesia, 2019). Among the components of the language, vocabulary (mufradāt) is the most fundamental, since the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing cannot develop without an adequate stock of words (Ṭuʿaymah, 1989; Effendy, 2012) . Nation (2013) likewise emphasizes that learners need repeated, meaningful encounters with words and opportunities to retrieve them in order to move from recognizing a word's form to understanding and using its meaning. For young learners, therefore, the way vocabulary is introduced and practiced determines whether Arabic is perceived as an enjoyable language or as a list of words to be memorized. Children at the elementary level learn most effectively through play, movement, and direct experience. Pamessangi (2020) argues that the intelligence potential of young learners in Arabic is best developed through methods that match their developmental characteristics, such as role play, storytelling, and games. Learning media play a central role in this regard, because media convey messages from teacher to learner in a more concrete form, reduce verbalism, and stimulate attention and m

FAQs

Why was Arabic vocabulary mastery low among the fourth-grade students?

It was low because instruction was dominated by lectures, question-and-answer sessions, and rote memorization, with little active student involvement and limited media variety.

What research method and learning model were used?

The study used classroom action research with the Kemmis and McTaggart spiral model, carried out in two cycles including planning, action, observation, and reflection.

How did students’ vocabulary scores change across cycles?

The mean score increased from 39.50 (pre-cycle) to 65.00 (Cycle I) and then to 80.50 (Cycle II), while classical mastery rose from 10% to 55% and then to 80%.

Oct 1, 2026

Uploaded by asda1da