The Impact of Digital Gamification on English Reading Competence and Motivation among Junior High School Students

This study aims to examine the impact of digital gamification on junior high school students' reading competency and intrinsic motivation to learn English. A quasi-experimental technique employing a non-equivalent control group design was utilised. A total of 287 eighth-grade students from SMP Negeri 1 Baturaden participated, divided into two groups: a control group (n = 143) and an experimental group (n = 144). The control group received instruction using conventional methods, but the experimental group was educated using digital gamification platforms such as Wordwall, Quizizz, Padlet, and Google Read Along. The research tools comprised a reading comprehension assessment to evaluate cognitive accomplishment and a 20-item Likert-scale questionnaire to gauge students' intrinsic motivation, grounded in the M.A.P.E.-II framework (Meaningfulness, Affect, Persistence, Engagement). The independent samples t-test was conducted on the data using SPSS version 25. The results indicated a statistically significant disparity in reading test scores between the experimental and control groups (t(156.880) = 15.883, p < 0.001), with the experimental group achieving superior scores. Additionally, students in the experimental group demonstrated elevated intrinsic drive, particularly perseverance. The findings suggest that digital gamification is an effective pedagogical approach for improving reading proficiency and motivation in secondary English language education.