THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE GAMIFICATION-BASED JOYFUL LEARNING APPROACH IN IMPROVING ASMAUL HUSNA'S UNDERSTANDING AT DELI SERDANG JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Abstract

Islamic Religious Education (PAI) in secondary school plays an important role in shaping the spiritual character of students. One of the main materials is Asmaul Husna which is still taught by memorization and lecture methods, so that students' understanding and motivation are low. Gamification has been widely applied in general learning, but its application to religious education is still rarely researched. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of gamification-based Joyful Learning in improving the understanding of Asmaul Husna. This study uses a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design of the non-equivalent control group type. The subjects of the study were 62 grade VII students at one of the Deli Serdang State Junior High Schools which were divided into experimental and control classes. Data were obtained through comprehension tests (pre-test and post-test), motivation questionnaires, and observations. The results showed that the average post-test score of the experimental class (82.3; SD = 6.4) is higher than the control class (74.1; SD = 7.1). The motivation score of students in the experimental class (M = 46.3) was also higher than that of the control class (M = 42.2). Independent t-tests showed significant differences (p < 0.05). These findings prove that gamification-based Joyful Learning is effective in increasing students' understanding and learning motivation. Although limited in the number of samples and time, this study opens up opportunities for the development of gamification in PAI learning.