Enhancing grammar mastery through Climbing Castle app: A game-based learning for secondary students

Abstract

With the undeniable growth of digital learning as a cutting-edge educational technology, there is an increasing demand for diverse digital grammar-learning experiences for secondary-level students. This study examines the effectiveness of Android-based games in enhancing grammar learning, using a quasi-experimental design with control and experimental groups to evaluate the Climbing Castle app. Seventy secondary-level students from an Indonesian school, aged 13 to 15, participated in the study. The results of this study indicated a significant improvement in students’ grammar skills, particularly in understanding and applying the simple present and past tenses. Using the Climbing Castle app, the experimental group demonstrated a substantial improvement, increasing their grammar scores from 62.71 to 68.29 from pre-test to post-test. By comparison, the control group rose from 60.86 to 61.29. A comparative analysis indicates that the Climbing Castle app had a more significant positive impact on the acquisition of grammatical skills than conventional learning methods for junior high school students. The findings provide teachers with an alternative digital tool to foster grammar learning in engaging ways. Academically, the study contributes to the growing body of research on game-based learning and offers a foundation for further investigations into its long-term impact on language proficiency.