Game-Based Pedagogy and Vocabulary Development Skills of Pupils' with Reading Difficulties in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract: Reading difficulties remain a major challenge affecting primary school pupils’ academic performance. The study investigated the effect of Game-based pedagogy on Vocabulary Development Skills of pupils with reading difficulties in Calabar Municipality. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design with pre-test-post-test non-randomized control group design. The population of the study comprised 94 primary one pupils identified with reading difficulties randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. A sample size of 37 RD pupils in three intact classes were used in the study. Two public primary schools in Calabar Municipality were randomly sampled using Cap and Draw method and all the RD pupils in the two schools participated in the study. The experimental group was taught using game-based instructional strategies such as Word-Matching game for 2 weeks, while the control group received conventional instruction. Adapted Reading Difficulty (RD) diagnostic checklist, Pupils performance test on Vocabulary Development Activity Test (VDAT) and Instructional (treatment) package on Word-Matching Game were the instruments used for data collection. Data were collected and analyzed using Mean and standard deviation for answering research questions while Analysis of Co-Variance (ANCOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at .05 level of significance. The results of the analysis revealed significant difference in academic performance of RD pupils taught context clues, word analogy and structural analysis with the help of Word-Matching Game. The reading game was found to be more effective in improving the vocabulary development skills of pupils with reading difficulties. Some recommendations were made to include that teachers should embrace the 21st century skills by effectively using diverse instructional strategy for enhancing vocabulary development outcomes among pupils with reading difficulties. Keywords: Games, Vocabulary Development Skills, Reading Difficulties. Title: Game-Based Pedagogy and Vocabulary Development Skills of Pupils’ with Reading Difficulties in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, Nigeria Author: Beatrice Erema Upula, Adonokpem Ina Ogban, Stella Ogechi Onuba International Journal of Novel Research in Education and Learning ISSN 2394-9686 Vol. 13, Issue 4, July 2026 - August 2026 Page No: 29-39 Novelty Journals Website: www.noveltyjournals.com Published Date: 03-August-2026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21769731 Paper Download Link (Source) https://www.noveltyjournals.com/upload/paper/Game-Based%20Pedagogy%20and%20Vocabulary%20Development-03082026-1.pdf