EFFECTIVENESS OF USING GAMIFICATION-BASED WORDWALLS TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF FOOD CHAIN CONCEPTS IN SCIENCE LEARNING

Abstract

The use of technology-based learning media is increasingly needed to improve the quality of science learning in elementary schools, especially to help students understand abstract concepts such as the food chain. Initial observations indicate that fifth-grade students still have difficulty identifying the role of organisms, understanding energy flow, and are less active during conventional learning. This condition emphasizes the need for more interactive and engaging media to encourage student engagement. Gamification-based wordwalls are an effective alternative because they present educational games that provide direct feedback and help visualize concepts. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of gamification wordwalls in improving understanding of the food chain concept in fifth-grade students of UPT SD Negeri 74 Bontorita II. The method used was an experiment with a One-Group Pretest–Posttest design involving 20 students. The instruments used included a pretest–posttest, observation of student activities, and learning documentation. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics, the Shapiro–Wilk normality test, and a paired sample t-test. The results showed a significant increase from the average pretest score of 51.57 to 89.86 in the posttest. A significance value of 0.000 (p < 0.05) proves that Wordwall effectively improves understanding of the food chain concept. This finding confirms that gamification can increase motivation, engagement, and provide a more meaningful learning experience. The study recommends Wordwall as an alternative medium for science learning that requires visualization and interaction.