THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DISCORD ON ENGLISH VOCABULARY MASTERY: QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Abstract

NABIL IMAN AKBARI. The Effectiveness of Discord on English Vocabulary Mastery: Quasi-Experimental Study at SMAN 6 Pontianak. Tadris English Study Program. Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training. State Institute for Islamic Studies Pontianak (IAIN Pontianak). This research explored the effect of using Discord as a digital learning platform on vocabulary mastery among eleventh-grade students at SMAN 6 Pontianak. Discord was selected as the learning tool due to its interactive features and popularity among students, offering real-time communication, file sharing, and asynchronous collaboration. The study was guided by three main research questions: First, what is the students’ vocabulary mastery before using Discord? Second, what is the students’ vocabulary mastery after using Discord? Third, how significant is the vocabulary mastery after using Discord as a learning tool? A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 60 students divided into two groups: an experimental group that used Discord, and a control group that received traditional instruction. Data were collected using vocabulary tests (pre-test and post-test) and a questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to measure students’ perceptions of the platform. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test, and effect size measurements due to the non-normal distribution of the data. Findings indicated that mean scores of the control group were 79.17 and the experimental group were 83.13 before the treatment took its place. Findings also indicated that mean scores of the control group were 88.75, and the experimental group were 83.96 after the treatment. The Mann-Whitney U test revealed no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.573 > 0.05), and the effect size was 0.074, categorized as small. Despite this, the TAM-based questionnaire showed high student acceptance of Discord, with mean scores above 3.00 in all constructs: Perceived Usefulness, Ease of Use, Attitude, and Behavioral Intention. In conclusion, Inspite of the insignificance of Discord as the learning tool, Discord showed positive potential as a supportive vocabulary learning tool. Students demonstrated high levels of acceptance, indicating that with improved instructional design and infrastructure, Discord can enhance engagement and facilitate effective language learning in secondary education.