T1__Full text Institutional Repository | Satya Wacana Christian University: Incidental Vocabulary Learning Through HiddenObject Game: Gardenscapes T1 Full text

INCIDENTAL VOCABULARY LEARNING THROUGH
HIDDEN-OBJECT GAME: GARDENSCAPES

THESIS
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Sarjana Pendidikan

Demas Widyantomo
112012101

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION PROGRAM
FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS
UNIVERSITAS KRISTEN SATYA WACANA
2017

INTRODUCTION
Learning vocabulary is an important part of second language acquisition.
A large portion of second language vocabulary learning research focuses on which
words learners have learned and should be learning (Gu, 2005); however,
vocabulary learning processes and strategies are recognized as increasingly

important. There are many ways for learning vocabulary. Among them, incidental
vocabulary learning is the main source that learners can acquire vocabulary in
relevant context and language examples at their own learning paces. Nation
(2001) argues that there is a distinction between incidental and intentional
vocabulary learning by arguing that the vocabulary learned incidentally refers to
all the words that have been learned from a special context, while vocabulary that
is learned intentionally is learned in another way.
The popularity of computer games over the last decade has motivated
many researchers‘ interests to examine their educational value. Some researches
pointed out that games can be an effective tools for enhancing learning and
understanding of complex subject matter (Cordova & Lepper, 1996; Ricci, Salas,
& Cannon-Bowers, 1996, cited in Turgut & Irgin, 2009). The results of some
studies also indicated that active participation in vocabulary games will direct to
learning reinforcement (Baltra, 1990; Carrier, 1991; deHaan, 2005; Hubbard,
1991; Li & Topolewski, 2002; Bell, 2005, cited in Ghanbaran & Ketabi, 2014).
In Salatiga, most of the learning process in junior high schools is done
intentionally. The digital technologies are used with some degree of limit and

have not been maximally used to support the learning process, particularly
vocabulary learning using games. Naderi (2002, as cited in Ghanbaran & Ketabi,

2014) explored the effect of 20 language games on English learning improvement.
The results of the study showed the efficiency of games in learning English in
middle schools. The results of a study conducted on language learning of young
learners through computer games in Turkey by Turgut and Irgin (2009) also
revealed that the performance of young learners involved in playing online games
was better in language skills, especially vocabulary skill. It seems that language
games have positive effects on learners‘ vocabulary learning (Dolati & Mikaili,
2011). Highlighting the issue of incidental vocabulary learning through game, the
Gardenscapes hidden-object computer game is seemed to help students in learning
vocabulary incidentally.
This study was therefore conducted to find out whether or not students do
learn vocabulary incidentally through hidden-object game as well as evaluated the
effectiveness of learners' incidental vocabulary learning in the Gardenscapes
game. Based on such a purpose, the study addressed the following question: How
does Gardenscapes game facilitate junior high school students in learning
vocabulary? The result and the importance of the study could contribute to SLA in
vocabulary learning strategies field and as a reference for the educators to
improve the vocabulary learning in facilitating the students.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Vocabulary Learning
Second language learners have to deal with unfamiliar vocabulary during
their language learning or acquisition. With the intention to learn and maintain
new words, learners should experience in different task-based activities in their
classroom whether it is a guessing task, a describing exercise, conversation
making, repetition or any other task. Such activities also include vocabulary
games which especially focus on facilitating learners develop and use words in
different contexts by making the lessons more enjoyable. For a long time,
vocabulary has not been a specific subject for students to learn, but has been
taught within lessons and included in the four skills of speaking, listening, reading
and writing (Dolati & Mikaili, 2011). They further mentioned that a number of
learners may have the same experience of looking up words in a bilingual
dictionary to find difficult words‘ meanings or definitions when they encounter
new words. They may even write down lines of new words without any idea of
the real use of them in context.
One of the first vocabulary learning that might be done by students in
classroom is asking for words they do not know in English or asking the meaning
of English words they do not understand. Aitchison (1996, as cited in Bytheway,
2011) proposed that vocabulary learning develops from an incomplete knowledge
of words in limited contexts and—through words‘ relationships to other words—

learners gradually gain more extensive word knowledge and word skills in wider
contexts. Instead of just asking and doing the formal way in vocabulary learning, a

new breakthrough by maximalizing the use of nowadays technology, particularly
computer games.
Incidental Vocabulary Learning
Incidental learning is the process of learning something without the
intention of doing so. It is also learning one thing while intending to learn another
(Richards & Schmidt, 2002). In terms of vocabulary learning, incidental learning
always means the approach of learning vocabulary through texts, working on
tasks or doing other activities that are not directly related to vocabulary (Yali,
2010). The situations in which incidental learning occurs are usually unlike the
normal instruction with progress learning purposes. Therefore, the learning
effectiveness is shown in a gradual progress. (Coady, 1997 as cited in Huang &
Yang, 2012)
In addition, some related study also mentioned that although the number of
encounters may affect the words learned incidentally, the quality of the context
may have a greater effect on gaining the meaning of words (Webb, 2008). In other
words, the learning context has an important role in incidental vocabulary
learning. Yoshii and Flaitz‘ (2002) study also involved text and images into Web

allowing learners to read English text online. They found that online learning
material which was designed based on duel-code theory could help learners with
incidental vocabulary learning. Previous studies from Hulstijn, Hollander, and
Greidanus (1996, as cited in Huang & Yang, 2012) indicated that the context
would affect learners‘ understand of word meaning during incidental learning.
The previous studies emphasize that incidental learning through digital technology

can provide a different context for the learners to enrich their vocabulary
knowledge. Providing glosses such as situational pictures, animations and other
appropriate cues may assist learners to understand the word meaning.
Games
During the years, to increase the vocabulary we need technology to be
used. One of them is game. Richards, Platte, and Platte, (1992) defined game as
―an organized activity that usually has the following properties: a particular task
or objective, a set of rules, competition between players, and communication
between players by spoken or written language (p. 153). Game is also defined as
an ―activity with rules, a goal, and an element of fun‖ (Hadfield, 1990, p. v).
Games can make the students more focus in learning, because they do not feel that
they are forced to learn by experiencing an enjoyable activity. Teachers can use
games to help their students practice more their skills of communication. Besides,

Uberman (1998, as cited in Azar, 2012) also states the helpful role of games in
vocabulary teaching after quoting and analyzing different opinions of experts.
And also, she observed the interest of her students in learning through games. She
believes that games can be an assistant tool to help students not only enjoy and
amuse with the language they learn, but also practice it incidentally. To be short,
games can be considered useful and effective tools that may be applied in
vocabulary classes. The use of games in teaching vocabulary is a way to make the
lessons more interesting, enjoyable and effective.
Games are often classified into genres, which imply to define games in
terms of having a common style or set of characteristics, e.g. as defined in terms

of perspective, gameplay, interaction, objective, etc. The game used in this study
is Gardenscapes game, a hidden-object game for the junior high school students,
particularly the VIII graders. According to Fritts‘ game genre division (n.d),
hidden-object game is included in casual game which provides relaxing mental
stimulation and can be found or played in computers. Gardenscapes offers a game
plot of gorgeous mansion with hidden items and restore a once stunning garden to
its former glory.
Vocabulary Learning Using Computer Game
The use of a computer as a learning tool has influenced many adults and,

since the past century, it has become an important factor in learning language
(Uberman, 1998). Today, many approaches have been introduced to gain more
skills in and knowledge of English. In this century, research on the potential of
digital educational games in enhancing language learning has increased very fast
from year to year. Computer games, for example, might be a suitable tool to
improve English language as it provides language learning environment (Mich.
et.al, 2004, as cited in Bakar & Nosratirad, 2013). Accordingly, teachers should
employ new vocabulary games that stimulate the students and entice them to
participate. Teachers should consider games which are appropriate to students‘
age, cultural background and interests, and teacher also should consider activities
where students can experience success (Lightbown and Spada, 1999).
Turgut and İrgin (2009) researched L2 vocabulary learning in digital
games. They observed and interviewed students in Turkey while they played a
range of digital games in English. They noted that motivation to play games and

repetition of words in games helped L2 vocabulary learning. Participants reported
using several vocabulary learning strategies: guessing from context, looking‐up
words in online dictionaries, and asking adjacent friends for meanings. Another
study related to computer game for vocabulary learning is done by Huang & Yang
(2012) in investigating incidental vocabulary learning of MMORPG game. The

results of this study showed that there was a progress difference between pre-test
and post-test for learners' vocabulary abilities, which reveals that learners‘
vocabulary abilities have improved after they used the MORPG language learning
environment. Learners were not only immersed in high-quality 3D virtual reality
scenes and enjoyed in interesting game tasks, but also acquired vocabulary
incidentally. Therefore, learning new vocabulary through enjoyable and out of the
ordinary ways may assist the students to learn vocabulary.
THE STUDY
Context of the Study

Stella Matutina junior high school in Salatiga was chosen as the context of
the study as the students are considered intermediate level of L2 learners and
provides required condition for researcher to conduct this study. According to an
ESL website with the topic of Levels and Progression, Intermediate Level (Niveau
A2-B1) learners are those who often restart sentences in order to be understood
and does not yet master special turns of phrase. This intermediate level of learners
sometimes also has gaps on grammar, accentuation and vocabulary. However,
they also have a good general understanding.

Participants

10 students of VIII graders at Stella Matutina junior high school were
selected for the research and the data were compared from the tests given to view
its progress. Random sampling was used as the English teacher from the school
chose the students to participate in this study. The 10 participants were from the
same class. The selection of the participants also considered the accessibility in
gathering the data later as the researcher was also an alumnus of the school
involved. Thus, the researcher had an overview of the school‘s learning process
which provides the chance for this study to take place. Some students were also
selected for piloting. Table 1 shows the demographic profile of participants in the
sample. The age range was 13-14 years old, five were female and five were male
participants.
Table 1. Demographic Profile of the Participants

Participants
A
B
C
D
E

F
G
H
I
J

Gender
Male
Male
Male
Male
Male
Female
Female
Female
Female
Female

Age
13

14
14
14
14
13
14
14
13
14

All of the participants acquired English lesson experience less than 10
years and basically they can operate computer. This study was conducted outside
the classroom activity yet still took place on the school‘s area.

Data Collection Instruments
The data for this study were collected through two instruments. The first
instrument was a test using the Gardenscapes game. Thus, before doing the test,
the participants played the Gardescapes game as the tool. The participants needed
to follow the game‘s instruction which led them into a room where they had to
choose the correct object desired by the customers. During the game,
Gardenscapes provided three assistance of searching tool to help the players if
they got stuck with unfamiliar words encountered. The following picture is an
example of the game‘s scene:
Figure 1: Screenshot from the Gardenscapes game.

After playing the game, the participants carried out some tests, a
researcher-made vocabulary test, which consisted of 15 items in a form of table to

identify the vocabulary items understood by the participants. All of the vocabulary
items listed on the table was noun forms of things based on the game and can be
found in daily life. Each test had the exact vocabulary items with no change of
questions. The more detailed test instrument is attached. (Appendix A)
The second instrument used in this study was interview. The interview was
done shortly after the participants finished all the tests given. According to Burns
(2000, p. 424), a semi-structured interview ‗permits greater flexibility and permits
a more valid response from the informant‘s perception of reality.‘ The interviews
were based on a common set of questions with some follow up questions related
to the study‘s issues so that it could be explored in detail (Bogdan & Biklen,
2007). The length of the interviews ranged from 5 – 10 minutes and was
undertaken in Indonesian to enable a comfortable interview process for the
participants. The interview question is attached. (Appendix B)
Data Collection Procedures
The data collection procedure of this study consists of some steps. Firstly,
the participants were given a period of time (±30 minutes) to play the game. After
playing the game, the participants filled in the test with the purpose to find out the
incidental vocabulary learning using Gardenscapes game (See Appendix B). The
researcher provided the media for playing the game and the time to conduct this
step was also in the same day for the 10 participants. This step was done two more
times with a one-day interval from the previous test to truly go through the
progress of the participants in learning vocabulary. The tests on vocabulary items

were in constant form and content in order to look at the progress of the
vocabulary learning. The following is the details of the tests conducted.
Test
Test 1
Test 2
Test 3

Date
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Saturday, April 8, 2017

After the third test was done, the participants were interviewed individually. The
interview was done on the last day of the game played. The more specific
description of the interviews‘ period for each participant is shown below:
Participants
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J

Date
April 8, 2017
April 8, 2017
April 8, 2017
April 8, 2017
April 8, 2017
April 8, 2017
April 8, 2017
April 8, 2017
April 8, 2017
April 8, 2017

Time
10:52 AM
10:59 AM
11:04 AM
11:15 AM
11:10 AM
11:34 AM
11:22 AM
11:28 AM
11:40 AM
11:45 AM

Length of Interview
4‘14‖
4‘20‖
4‘21‖
5‘00‖
4‘24‖
4‘39‖
5‘05‖
6‘08‖
4‘42‖
5‘14‖

Data Analysis Procedures
The vocabulary tests data were analyzed and compared using column chart
to view the differences from the very beginning of the test. The descriptive
analysis was also engaged in order to explicitly describe relevant students‘
background information. The process of data analysis was identified as a complex
and challenging part of qualitative research. As Spencer, Ritchie and O'Connor
(2003) pointed, "It requires a mix of creativity and systematic searching, a blend
of inspiration and diligent detection" (p.199). The interviews were transcribed
word for word for accurate analysis and interpreted manually. Then, they were all

read. Interesting passages were marked with highlights to add supplementary
result in this study. The data were then translated and presented in English.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
In this section, the data collected from the Test 1, Test 2, and Test 3 were
displayed in tables and charts. The following tables or charts presented in this
chapter are the analysis and discussion regarding to this study‘s issue. The results
of the interviews were also presented in below headings with some highlights
excerpt from the participants. The findings of the interviews were divided into two
sections, which are the Students‘ Feeling Using the Game to Learn Vocabulary
and Students‘ Difficulty & How to Solve It. All of the findings were elaborated
with the vocabulary learning process outside the classroom to weigh its
effectiveness in emphasize of incidental vocabulary learning. Further description
was shown below along with its final thought to wrap up these sections. At the
end of the section, findings from the study were summarized to highlight its
importance of the result.
Findings and Discussion Based on the Test Results
The discussion in this chapter focused on the participants‘ test result based
on their answer (meaning in Indonesian). Further description was discussed in the
following paragraphs. The results of participants‘ answer are attached as the
appendix of this study (See Appendix C).

The following tables are the

participants‘ answer on vocabulary items‘ meaning in Indonesian.

Table 2. Participants’ Score Based on Their Answer (Meaning in Indonesian)

Participants
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
Average Score

Test 1
10
8
12
2
4
7
8
10
7
9
7.7

Test 2
12
7
13
5
3
8
14
12
14
12
10

Test 3
13
9
15
5
6
14
14
13
14
14
11.7

Chart 1. Group Average Score

Compared to how many vocabulary items that the participants tried to
answer, it can be seen that not all of their answers were correct. However, their
average score in each test showed a progress score. The average score from Test 1
was 7.7. There were 6 participants who scored equal or above the average score.

The average score in the Test 2 score was 10; there was an improvement of 2.3
points compared to the previous one. There were also 6 participants who scored
above the average. Lastly, the average score in the Test 3 score was 11.7; there
was an improvement of 1.7 points compared to the second group average score.
There were 7 participants who scored above the average.
Regarding to the progress issue in this study, an interesting result showed
that there were some vocabularies which had two definitions in the game. Most of
the participants did not find it difficult yet felt a bit challenged regarding to the
emergence of the two-definition vocabularies in the game, such as bow and wheel.
In addition, 9 out of 10 participants used hint when they really did not know or
understand the vocabulary items in the game. Interestingly, only one participant
who did not use the hint when playing the game from the very beginning until the
data collection was done. The more description of the participants was explained
below.
Based on the tests‘ results, some of the participants showed interesting
progress results. Participant F showed a progress score from Test 3. She got 14
correct answers and only incorrectly translated wooden dummy into boneka
instead of boneka kayu. In the Test 2, she only got 8 points. Thus, from the Test 2
into Test 3, she made a six-point progress. This indicated that participant F
showed a progress number of vocabulary learning through game.
Participant G also got 14 correct scores in the Test 2 by only incorrectly
answered candle stick into lilin. In the last test, she still got 14 correct scores with

the same incorrect answer on candle stick. She constantly got 14 correct answers
in Test 2 and Test 3 which showed her improvement from the Test 1 score that
only got 8 correct answers. From this point, it can also be pointed out that the
most common mistake made by participants is found in the candle stick noun
phrase.
Another interesting result came from Participant I who got 7 correct scores
in the Test one on words gloves, lunch bag, pumpkin, mask, cup, raven, and
palette. She incorrectly translated wooden dummy into kapur and the rest of the

numbers were left unanswered. In the Test 2, she got 14 correct answers by only
incorrectly answered candle stick as pegangan. She also got 14 correct answers
with the same mistake in the Test 3. Although she incorrectly answered a noun
phrase from the tests given, participant I showed a progress number of vocabulary
learning through game from Test 1 by making 7 correct scores into 14 correct
scores in the Test 2 and Test 3.
The last participant, participant J, got 9 correct scores in the Test 1 on
words scarf, lunch bag, pumpkin, mask, flashlight, cup, bow, palette, and bouquet.
She incorrectly translated candle stick into pegangan and the rest of the numbers
were left unanswered. In the Test 2, she got 12 correct answers by only incorrectly
translated wooden dummy into tiruan kayu and candle stick into pegangan. In the
last test, she made a progress point on answering gloves into sarung tangan in
which in the Test 1 and Test 2 she did not know what that word meant. She got 14
correct answers in the test 3 with only incorrect answer on translating candle stick
into pegangan. Interestingly, this participant is the only one participant who did

not use any hit or help tool form the game. Participant J said that she did not want
to use any hint as she wanted to try to make it more challenging. She further
explained that by challenging herself, she could know the vocabulary she
encountered in the game better. The clearer progress score of each participant can
be viewed below.
Chart 2. Participants’ Score Based on Their Answer (Meaning in Indonesian)

Although most of the participants showed progress score on answering the
vocabulary correctly, there were also two participants who showed a lower score
in Test 2 compared to the previous test. Participant B, for example, got 8 correct
score in the Test 1. In the Test 2, however, he showed a lower score from 8 to 7
correct answers. He did not answer the meaning of the word cup and just left it
blank. In the Test 3, he got 9 correct answers with a progress score on answering

the word scarf into syal in Indonesian correctly. In the previous test, he did not
know the meaning of the word yet in the Test 3 he could answer it.
The other participant who showed a very little progress score of
vocabulary learning through game is participant E. Participant E got 4 correct
scores, which is the second lowest score in the Test 1 on the words mask, wheel,
flashlight and cup. He miss translated lunch bag into tas and candle stick into stik;

the rest of the numbers were left unanswered. In the Test 2, he only got 3 correct
scores on the words wheel, flashlight, and cup which made it into the lowest score
in the Test 2 and showed a lower score from the previous test. In the last test, he
answered 6 correct numbers on the words scarf, mask, wheel, flashlight, cup, and
lantern. He incorrectly answered the words gloves, lunch bag, pumpkin, bow,
wooden dummy and candle stick.

In addition, according to the test results, the most common mistake made
by participants from all the Tests given was miss-translating the meaning of
candle stick into Indonesian. Some of the participants translated candle stick into
lilin, stik or pegangan. They seemed to translate each word instead of translating

the noun phrase. Another common mistakes made by participants was the word
lantern. Some of the participants translated lantern into lampu pijar, lilin, or just
lampu. The last common mistake is the noun phrase wooden dummy in which the

participants mostly translated into hiasan memahat, semacam patung, boneka,
tiruan kayu, tiang tangga , or even kapur . Some of the participants showed that

they miss-translated the words and kept making the same mistakes by answering
incorrectly on the same vocabulary items. Likewise, after doing interview session

with the participants, there are other findings which bring a closer look into the
vocabulary learning through hidden object game. The more description will be
elaborated in below sub-heading.
Findings and Discussion Based on the Interview
When the researcher interviewed the participants about what they thought
or how they felt about the game and the activities that demanded thinking, the
majority of them said that such game was thrilling and helped them acquire new
vocabulary. Participant J said, ―ya seru sih, pengen lagi, pengen lebih tahu
kosakata yang baru… bisa tahu kosakata baru yang dulunya ngga tahu‖ (―It is
exciting, I want to play again, and I want to know new vocabulary… I can learn
new vocabulary which I have never known before‖).
Instead of only focusing on the game, the participants also demanded that
the game was not only exciting, but also helped them to learn new vocabulary. It
can be concluded that Gardenscapes Game can be a fresh ice-breaking for the
students in their process of vocabulary learning. As found in the study conducted
by Lam (2014) who investigated the use of Web 2.0 games to help students learn
vocabulary in a tertiary institution in Macau, students preferred using technology
to learn vocabulary not only because it was more fun and exciting but also
because it facilitated vocabulary retention. The research is then similar to the
findings of this study that students liked to play game for vocabulary learning
because the game was interesting. Playing game could also increase students‘
motivation to learn. Gardenscapes has a number of levels to be accomplished.
Here, each level has a different level of difficulties. As the students were eager to

finish each level, they were unconsciously knew that their motivation was
increased. Motivation was raised when external rewards, such as awards or good
scores, drive the players to take an action.
Furthermore, it was found that according to most participants, pictures in
the Gardenscapes game were useful for vocabulary learning activity. There were 6
out of the total 10 participants in this study who said that the pictures gave them
assistance in terms of gaining an understanding of new words. Below are some
results from the interview. Participant C, for example, said, ―pilih belajar dari
game, karena ada bendanya‖ (―I would prefer learning through game, as it has the
visual object‖). The same thought also came from Participant E by saying ―lebih
pilih belajar lewat game, sekalian bisa lihat benda-bendanya‖ (I would rather learn
through game as I can see the objects as well‖). Moreover, Participant H also
mentioned that she ―lebih paham kalau ada bendanya kaya di game‖ (―I am more
able to understand if the visual objects are presented such as in the game‖).
Since the basis of the game‘s rule was to match the pictures of objects with
the words, of course the game has an eye-catching look with the pictures in it. The
various pictures provided in the game may attract the participants in playing this
game further to the next level. From the answer of the participant in extracts
above, the pictures of the game make them understand better and the new words
stay longer in their head. In other word, it helped the students did not easily forget
the new words they had learnt. Pictures can be visual stimuli that are beneficial to
learning (Yip and Kwan, 2006). Visual elements like pictures might help students
remember and recall the words they have seen. It can facilitate the transfer of

information from short-term to long-term memory. The activity of matching the
words with the right objects might stimulate the memory of the students itself. At
first, they might have to struggle to find the right picture. Once they found the
pictures, they might always remember the words, since it gives the opportunity to
see the reference of the words. Phillips (1993) stated ―the best way to learn
vocabulary is when the meaning of the word is illustrated for example by a picture
or real objects‖ (p. 68). Through pictures, participants got the chance to see the
concrete things in which would make the words which is abstract to be visually
clear.
The participants revealed that the Gardenscapes game could assist to
enrich vocabulary as well. Particularly, it provides difficult words and words that
a learner rarely heard in daily life. There were some participants who said so. The
following are some results from the interview. Participant A said that the
vocabularies in the game ―menambah wawasan…. ada kata-kata yang belum tahu
tapi kalau main game ini jadi lebih tahu‖ (―It broadened my knowledge…. There
were some unfamiliar words and by playing this game I can understand better‖).
Participant D also shared the same thought by saying that the vocabularies in the
game ―bisa nambah kosakata dalam bahasa Inggris‖ (―I can enrich my English
vocabulary by playing the game‖). Another participant, Participant I, also had the
same opinion about the game‘s vocabularies as ―ya nambah ilmu, jadi tahu bendabenda yang jarang digunakan‖ (―It increases my knowledge; I become aware of
the rarely used objects‖).

Based on what the participants shared in the extract, it indicated that
playing a vocabulary game like Gardenscapes was more effective to enrich the
students‘ vocabulary bank. Having a rich vocabulary is more helpful rather than
grammar constructions (Ghadessy, 1998; cited in Sripramong 2004), because in
language learning, it was harmful when one has a good knowledge of grammar
without a rich vocabulary bank. Since vocabulary collection is crucial in the use
of language to communicate. The person will not be able to convey or utter their
ideas as much as those who have a rich vocabulary bank. The idea was the same
with Asgari (2011) who proposed that ―vocabulary has been recognized as crucial
to language use in which insufficient vocabulary knowledge of the learners led to
difficulties in second language learning‖ (p.84). The lack of vocabulary bank
often becomes an obstacle for communicating with others, since the basis of
communication is arranging one word with another into sentences. Gardenscapes
offers the chance for the players to gain more new words. The more words
collection participants have, the easier the participants could communicate. Thus,
the activity that provided by the game might be suitable to be used for vocabulary
learning, since it could help students improve their knowledge of vocabulary that
also can support their ability to communicate using the target language.
In addition, according to the participants, the use of the game can be an
alternative tool to learn new vocabulary. Meaning that, the learning activity is
different from the usual activity such as the conventional way of learning in class
which deals with textbooks and worksheets. The following are some of the
interview results. Participant J said ―kayanya lebih mending game…. ya kan beda-

beda [materinya], kalau di kelas belum tentu diajarin juga‖ (―I think the game is
more passable… well, the materials are different; the vocabulary items on the
game are not necessarily taught in the classroom as well‖). Another participant
also preferred game in learning vocabulary by saying ―pilih game kayak gini
soalnya bisa mempelajari yang lain. Kalau di kelas itu terlalu formal, jadi bikin
gampang bosan‖ (―I would prefer this game because I can learn other things. The
classroom lesson is too formal, so it could get me bored easily‖). The use of game
as an alternative tool in learning vocabulary was also supported by Participant G
who said ―tapi agak senang game sih, soalnya bisa cari tahu sendiri. Kalau
misalnya di kelas itu kan dijelasin dulu baru dikasih soal/contoh‖ (―I would rather
have game, because I can find out [the vocabulary] by myself. If, for example, the
classroom lesson gave me the explanation first and then the exercise was given
afterward‖).
From the interview results above, it can be seen that 3 out of the 10
participants agreed that the Gardenscapes game could be an alternative learning
tool. In this case, the participants shared the same thought by saying that this kind
of game can be used to learn vocabulary, rather than the traditional way of
learning in the classroom. The good sound effects and other features offered by
the Gardenscapes game might engage the students to learn more.
The traditional way of learning that deals with completing exercises such
as blank-filling, multiple-choice questions, and Cloze on worksheets to improve
and review vocabulary might be way too painful and boring for students,
particularly young learner. It might be less effective at capturing students‘

attention during the learning. Learning needs to be more entertaining so that
students will be attracted and their attentions will be captured. This idea was
similar to the findings of Wood (2001, in Yip and Kwan, 2006) that concluded that
the use of game-like formats as a tool in vocabulary learning could be much more
effective to gain learner‘s attention than traditional media like textbooks.
The findings in this study were similar to the findings of Alemi (2010) on
100 third grade junior high school students, who found that word game have a
positive effect on vocabulary development of third-grade junior high school
students. In his study, the word game was done in pairs in which the player could
get help from their partner. Differ from this study, the Gardenscapes game only
can be played individually in which the player can only get help by the feature of
the game called hint.
An additional discussion regarding to the results of the interviews was the
participants‘ difficulty and how they solved it. Participant A, for example,
mentioned that he used hints to help him understand the difficult words in the
game by saying ―pakai hint itu… trus di klik tadi benda-benda yang udah di kasih
tahu hint nya‖ (―I used the hint… then I clicked the things showed by the hint‖).
Thus, it can be seen that the hints helped him to get clearer understanding by
providing picture as a clue. Participant G also shared the same thought of using
hint to solve the difficulty she faced while playing the game as she said, ―kadang
pakai hint, kadang coba ngeklik-ngeklik‖ (―Sometimes I used the hints and tried
clicking–on the pictures‖). According to the interview results, only participant A

and G who directly used the hints to solve the difficulty they encountered when
playing the game.
However, Participant A further mentioned that he did not always use the
hints but also tried to guess the word meaning first. This strategy, the guessing
strategy, was also carried out by the other 9 participants. The following are some
results from the interview. Participant B said ―nebak-nebak dulu… kira-kira ini…
ya dicoba dulu‖ (―I tried guessing it first… or so… I tried first‖). Participant D
also shared the same thought with Participant B by saying ―nebak aja, yang
sekiranya mungkin bendanya itu‖ (―Just guessing; what if it might be the object‖).
Another participant, Participant H also used the guessing strategy when playing
the game by saying ―nebak, nyoba-nyoba‖ (―well, I tried guessing‖). Therefore, it
can be assumed that the strategy most frequently used by the participants is
guessing the word meaning based on the game pictures or the context. According
to Cameron (2001, cited in Zhou, 2014), guessing word meanings from context is
an important strategy in vocabulary learning. Guessing, then, seems to be the
primary choice for learners when they encountered new vocabulary while playing
the game.
Although most of the participants shared the same idea of guessing the
word meaning to solve the difficulty, in fact, some of them also mentioned that
the use of hints while playing the game was inevitable. Some of the participants‘
interview results are shown below. Participant D said ―ya nanti kalau misalnya
udah lama ga bisa baru pakai hint‖ (―Well, if I got stuck then I used the hint‖).
Participant F also used hints as the last option help when he said ―kalau bener-

bener ngga tau baru pakai hint‖ (―If I did not really know–the word meaning, I
used the hint‖).
Even though the use of hint by participants cannot be put aside, the
participants emphasized that they only used the hints as their last option while
playing the games. As mentioned in the previous sub-heading, only one
participant who did not use the hint from the very beginning of the game until the
last time she played the game. Her way to solve the difficulty she encountered
while playing the game, of course, was by guessing and trying to match the
correct picture and words. If the participants‘ strategies to solve the difficulty they
faced while playing the game is compared with the chart score, the strategies is
seemed to successfully help them to show a gradual progress in learning
vocabulary through game.
An addition to the results of the study, a further thought of having
vocabulary learning through game leads to the incidental learning. Incidental
learning is the process of learning something without the intention of doing so. It
is also learning one thing while intending to learn another (Richards & Schmidt,
2002). In terms of language acquisition, incidental learning is said to be an
effective way of learning vocabulary from context (Day, Omura, & Hiramatsu,
1991; Jenkins, Stein, & Wysocki, 1984; Nagy, Herman, & Anderson, 1985;
Saragi, Nation, & Meister, 1978, as cited in Ahmad, 2011). The vocabulary
context of this study is based on the Gardenscapes game which provides daily
vocabulary items that can also be found in daily life. From the interview, all of the
participants shared the same thought that they did learn new vocabulary and that

their vocabulary were enlarged by playing this game. Besides, all of the
participants used guessing technique to accomplish the game‘s mission as they
were not allowed to bring any dictionary or ask their friend for help. The only
assist tool to help the participants was the hint provided in each stage.
The focus of this study was to ask the participants to play the game
without the intention of learning as the classroom learning process has done.
Although the participants were not forced to learn the vocabulary in the game, two
of the participants said that after they played the game and there were some words
that they still did not know, they looked them up on the dictionary. Nevertheless,
they confirm the effectiveness of the vocabulary games and it is shown in a
gradual progress. At last, vocabulary games such as Gardenscapes enables
player‘s discovery, examination, and incidental vocabulary learning of the
students in the learning process. Most importantly, this game ushers in the real
world context in students' learning. Thus, it could enrich students‘ number of
vocabulary banks to be used in real communication.

CONCLUSION
The present study attempted to find out how Gardenscapes game
facilitated junior high school students in learning vocabulary. The Gardenscapes
Game is the kind of game which required the player to play with English words to
find the right objects in the game. The findings of this study revealed that the total

participants in this study (10 participants) responded positively toward the use of
the game for vocabulary learning.
From the findings of this study, it can be concluded that most of the
participants showed a positive progress toward the use of the Gardenscapes game
for vocabulary learning (See Chart 1 & Chart 2). It was then indicated that the use
of such game could bring a positive effect to the students‘ vocabulary learning
process. 8 of 10 participants showed an apparent progress from the test scores and
only 2 participants showed a lower score in the Test 2 compared to the Test 1 and
Test 3.

Nevertheless, the participants also made some common mistakes in

answering the correct meaning of the vocabulary items in the tests; they were
candle stick, lantern, and wooden dummy.

Another results also showed that the Gardenscapes Game facilitated the
vocabulary learning through game by providing its visual objects to help the
participants understand the vocabulary items on the game by incidental learning.
Moreover, there were several underlying reasons of the participants why they
found the game is pleasurable to play which is divided into some sections. First,
the Gardenscapes Game offered assistance for the learners to learn through
pictures. Pictures do not only give a chance for learners to see the real reference of
a word, but also help learners in gaining understanding of new words. Next, the
game also provided the chance for the learners to enrich their vocabulary bank
as they find new words they have never knew while playing the game. The use
of such game was effective for vocabulary learning instead of memorizing the
words only when learning new words. Moreover, the game also could be an

alternative tool which offers a chance for learners to learn vocabulary in a
different way, not in a traditional way in which doing assignment and reading
textbooks are the main activity.
In addition, Gardenscapes game could create a fun atmosphere since it
offers attractive features. It gave the learners an enjoyable experience of learning
activity. A final thought is that vocabulary learning can be done outside the
classroom hand in hand with the technology to maximize its finest utility. The
results also reinforce the idea that learning vocabulary through hidden-object
computer game, Gardenscapes, was done incidentally. The use of guessing
strategy to solve the difficult words while playing the game also supported the fact
that the participants experience incidental vocabulary learning through game. The
use of hint was seemed to be the last option for the participants to help them in
solving the difficult words. The participants‘ responses also enhanced the fact of
incidental learning when most of them shared the same thought of having increase
vocabulary from the game. This is a positive outcome and proves that the
application of language games in teaching and learning vocabulary is feasible.
However, the findings of this study cannot be generalized into all contexts.
It has its own limitation due to the time limit, subject, and setting. Therefore, other
related studies may have a different result compared to the result of this study. It
is also recommended for those who want to conduct any further research toward
the use of game for vocabulary learning to broaden the scope of the research. For
instance, it could be done by taking a different subject from a junior high school
field. Finally, it is hoped that this study can enrich our knowledge about the use of

game for learning vocabulary and be an inspiration for any researcher to dig
deeper toward this issue.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all, I would like to show my special appreciation to my Lord, Jesus
Christ who always stands beside me, gives me strength, inspiration and everything
in my life. This thesis also would not have been finished without the valuable
guidance from my supervisor, Ibu Rindang Widiningrum M, Hum. and my thesis
examiner, Prof. Dr. Gusti Astika, M.A. My big gratitude also goes to my whole
family; my Mom, my Dad and my beloved brother for their worthy advice,
concern and encouragement. Thank you so much also to my friends; Bayu, Putra,
Brevet and Darwin, who have given their help and support. My big gratitude also
comes for Ms. Maria Rosalia Ulina SHBB, S.Pd as the English teacher in Stella
Matutina Junior High School who helped to manage the students for the data
collecting and my gratitude also goes to the participants in Stella Matutina Junior
High School grade VIII who took part in this study. Without them, I surely cannot
finish this thesis. Last, but not least, many thanks to Dea for the motivation, care,
and support. Thank you for supporting me all the time.

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APPENDIX A
Test:
Saya a