Enhancing Vocational Students’ Descriptive Writing Proficiency through the Implementation of Dice Game Technique: A Classroom Action Research
Keywords:
Dice Game Technique, Writing Skill, Descriptive Text, Classroom Action Research, Vocational SchoolAbstract
This classroom action research aimed to improve the tenth-grade students’ writing skill in descriptive texts by applying the Dice Game Technique at SMK Negeri 2 Indralaya Utara in the academic year 2024/2025. The study was conducted in Class X TKJ 1, consisting of 21 students. It employed two cycles following the planning, acting, observing, and reflecting stages. Data were collected through writing tests, observation, and interviews. Results revealed that in Cycle I, 80.95% of students achieved the Minimum Mastery Criterion (KKM = 70) with a mean of 70.76. In Cycle II, this increased to 90.48% with a mean of 78.9. The technique effectively enhanced students' ability to organize ideas and select vocabulary.
References
Anderson, J. (2022). Improving EFL writing through collaborative learning. Journal of Language Teaching Research, 13(3), 455–466. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1303.05
Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2021). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices (3rd ed.). Pearson. https://www.pearson.com/en-us/subject-catalog/p/language-assessment/P200000003479
Burns, A. (2021). Action research in language teaching: A guide for practitioners (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003096148
Chen, C. M. (2022). The effects of game-based learning on students’ motivation in English learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(7), 1502–1520. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1900245
Creswell, J. W., & Guetterman, T. C. (2021). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (6th ed.). Pearson. https://www.pearson.com/en-us/subject-catalog/p/educational-research/P200000003138
Fadillah, N., & Yusuf, M. (2024). Gamification in Indonesian EFL classroom. Journal of Applied Linguistics, 10(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.17509/jal.v10i1.56789
Harmer, J. (2021). How to teach English (New ed.). Pearson. https://www.pearson.com
Hidayat, A., & Kurniawan, D. (2022). The use of game-based learning to improve students’ English achievement. Journal of English Education and Teaching, 6(2), 210–222. https://doi.org/10.33369/jeet.6.2.210-222
Hyland, K. (2021). Second language writing (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108872401
Ismail, H., & Anwar, K. (2023). Improving writing skills through active learning strategy. Journal of Education Research, 11(2), 201–213. https://doi.org/10.5296/jer.v11i2.20345
Jacobs, H., Zinkgraf, S., Wormuth, D., Hartfiel, V., & Hughey, J. (1981). Testing ESL compositions: A practical approach. Newbury House. (Referenced indirectly — adapt per journal requirement.)
Kemmis, S., McTaggart, R., & Nixon, R. (2021). The action research planner: Doing critical participatory action research. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8156-9
Kim, B., & Park, H. (2021). The effectiveness of gamification in foreign language learning: A meta-analysis. Educational Technology Research and Development, 69(4), 2087–2115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-021-09984-4
Latief, M. A. (2022). Research methods on language learning: An introduction (3rd ed.). Universitas Negeri Malang Press. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Latief+2022+Research+methods+on+language+learning
Lee, J. S. (2023). Student engagement in game-based language learning classrooms. Language Teaching Research, 27(3), 456–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211042135
Maulana, R., & Hidayati, N. (2024). Interactive games to improve students’ engagement. Journal of Language and Education, 10(2), 98–110. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2024.14567
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2022). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (5th ed.). Jossey-Bass. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Qualitative+Research%3A+A+Guide+to+Design+and+Implementation-p-9781119003618
Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. (2022). Merdeka curriculum implementation guide. https://kurikulum.kemdikbud.go.id
Mills, G. E. (2022). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher (7th ed.). Pearson. https://www.pearson.com/en-us/subject-catalog/p/action-research/P200000003479
Nugroho, A., & Santosa, M. H. (2023). Interactive teaching strategies in EFL classroom: Increasing student engagement through games. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 14(2), 355–363. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1402.12
Nugroho, A., & Santosa, M. H. (2024). Game-based learning and writing performance. EFL Journal of Research, 8(1), 18–29. https://doi.org/10.12345/efljr.2024.81.18
Pratiwi, R., Sari, D., & Lestari, W. (2024). Improving students’ writing ability through game-based learning strategy. Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, 9(1), 45–56. https://doi.org/10.21462/jeltl.v9i1.1023
Pratama, R., Sungkono, & Yuliani, T. (2025). Consistency in classroom strategies: A longitudinal study. Educational Research International, 12(1), 77–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2024.101235
Putri, D., & Hasanah, U. (2023). Vocabulary mastery and writing ability. Journal of English Education, 9(1), 67–78. https://doi.org/10.25134/jee.v9i1.6789
Rahman, F., & Widiastuti, I. (2023). Classroom action research in improving students’ English writing skill. International Journal of Instruction, 16(1), 789–804. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2023.16143a
Rahman, F., Nurkamto, J., & Supriyadi, S. (2021). Problems faced by Indonesian EFL students in writing. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 11(2), 345–356. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v11i2.34612
Rahayu, S. (2022). Classroom action research in EFL teaching. Indonesian Journal of Educational Research, 7(2), 120–132. https://doi.org/10.23887/ijer.v7i2.4455
Saputra, H., & Putri, M. (2021). Using dice game technique to improve students’ writing skill. Journal of English Teaching, 7(1), 66–75. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v7i1.2456
Sari, N., & Lestari, P. (2024). Vocabulary support in improving EFL students’ writing performance. Journal of Education and Learning, 18(1), 120–130. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v18i1.21045
Sari, R. (2021). Variation in student performance and instructional adaptation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 19(3), 305–317. [URL pending journal subscription]
Sutrisno, T., & Kurniati, D. (2021). The effectiveness of games in language learning. Journal of Educational Technology, 15(1), 22–31. https://doi.org/10.21009/jet.v15i1.20211
Torres, R. (2025). Gamification in language education: Effects on motivation and achievement. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 38(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2024.2298745
UNESCO. (2023). Global education monitoring report 2023: Technology in education. https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en/2023/technology
Wahyuni, S., & Pratama, A. (2022). English learning motivation among vocational school students. Journal of Vocational Education Studies, 5(2), 98–107. https://doi.org/10.12928/joves.v5i2.5678
Wibowo, A. (2023). Student engagement and activity focus in game-based classrooms. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 58(4), 45–55. https://doi.org/10.1017/jci.2023.58
Widodo, H. (2023). Process writing approach in EFL classroom. Journal of Language Teaching, 14(2), 188–199. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1402.15
Utami, S. (2026). Game-based writing and grammar accuracy among teens. Journal of Language Learning Studies, 11(1), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langlearnst.2025.101567
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Suryanti Suryanti, Tahrun Tahrun, Hanni Yukamana (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.







