Enhancing ESL Learners' Reading Comprehension through the "Main Mystery: Read Between the Lines" Board Game

Many ESL learners face challenges in reading comprehension, particularly in identifying main ideas and making inferences. Traditional instructional methods often rely on repetitive exercises and lack interactivity, leading to low engagement and limited development of critical reading strategies. This study explores the implementation of the ‘Main Mystery: Read Between the Lines’ board game as a solution to make reading lessons more interactive, student-centered, and effective. The game was designed to help ESL students improve their reading comprehension skills in a fun, collaborative environment. A structured questionnaire using Likert-scale items was administered to evaluate students’ perceptions of the game’s impact. Descriptive statistical analysis revealed that most learners found the game enjoyable, motivating, and helpful in understanding how to identify main ideas and make inferences. Students also reported increased confidence and enthusiasm for participating in reading activities. The findings suggest that the Main Mystery board game can serve as a practical tool for improving reading engagement and strategy use in ESL classrooms. The study supports the integration of gamified learning materials to create a more meaningful and motivating reading experience for language learners.