Muhammad Adi Kurniawan.
Rangga Adriyanto.
Diah Kurniati EXPLORING STUDENTSAo PERSPECTIVES ON USING DISCORD FOR VOCABULARY LEARNING Muhammad Adi Kurniawan1.
Rangga Adrianto2.
Diah Kurniati3 Universitas Muria Kudus.
Indonesia 202332022@std.
id1, 202332021@std.
id2, diah.
kurniati@umk.
Abstract: Originally designed as a voice and text chat for gamers.
Discord has evolved into a massive communication platform, yet its potential in formal language education remains largely unexplored.
This study shifts the focus to its practical application in English learning, specifically zeroing in on a core question: how do third-semester students at the English Education Department (EED) of UMK perceive Discord as a viable medium for vocabulary acquisition? Rather than simply assuming the platform's utility, this research investigates the students' direct perspectives to understand if a casual social tool can function effectively in an academic context.
To achieve this, the study employs a quantitative approach, utilizing a Google Form survey to gather concrete data.
The assessment focuses on two main areas: the students' overall rating of their learning experience on the platform and their specific evaluation of Discord as a tool for mastering new vocabulary.
The findings show that most students had positive perception of the use of Discord as a learning media that helped them in remember vocabulary better, improve vocabulary mastery, and support collaborative learning.
In conclusion.
Discord can be considered a suitable alternative learning medium for vocabulary learning because it has interactive elements, encourages student participation and collaboration, and is well-liked by students.
Keywords: discord, vocabulary, media INTRODUCTION Mastering English as a Foreign Language (EFL) requires a strong command of various linguistic elements, with vocabulary being arguably the most critical for academic and professional growth.
Without a sufficient number of words, a learnerAos ability to listen, speak, read, and write is severely limited.
However, building this competence is rarely a smooth Many educators have noticed that traditional teaching strategiesAisuch as rote memorization and teacher-centered drillsAiare struggling to keep students engaged.
A clear gap has emerged between the dynamic, digital world students live in and the often static methods used in classrooms.
Because today's learners are accustomed to interactive and fast-paced environments, relying on passive learning techniques often leads to boredom and a lack of Consequently, the main task for modern teachers is to move beyond simply delivering lessons and instead find innovative tools that can bridge this gap, making learning more relevant to the digital habits of the current generation.
In learning English.
Vocabulary is one of the most important things to learn.
We need to know vocabulary to understand English well.
Vocabulary has already been taught since elementary school in the Indonesian curriculum.
Vocabulary is always taught until the students step into the senior high school era.
However, despite this long duration of study, many students currently struggle with low motivation due to monotonous teaching methods.
They often perceive the traditional memorization of word lists as a tedious and boring task, which leads to a lack of engagement in the classroom.
Consequently, this boredom hinders their ability to effectively retain and apply new vocabulary in real-life situations.
Moreover.
Kurniati .
found that students also have low memories in remembering previous vocabulary studied and can get demotivated easily.
Today, the globalization era is running fast.
There are so many Prominent: Journal of English Studies Vol.
09 No.
01 January 2026 p-ISSN: 2621-024x.
e-ISSN: 2621-0258 Website: https://jurnal.
id/index.
php/Pro social media applications to communicate with others around the world.
We know TikTok.
Instagram.
WhatsApp.
X, and Facebook as our daily applications to communicate.
And thereAos an underrated application, it's named Discord.
As the educational paradigm shifts towards Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL), there is a growing recognition that effective learning tools must facilitate not just content consumption, but active social construction of knowledge.
While standard social media platforms allow for broad communication, they often lack the specific architectural environment required for sustained educational interaction and community building.
Educators are increasingly seeking platforms that offer a balance between informal socialization and structured interactionAispaces where learners can feel comfortable making mistakes while practicing the target language.
This search for viable alternatives has led to the exploration of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) tools that prioritize real-time community engagement over passive scrolling.
The ideal platform for this purpose is one that fosters a sense of belonging and allows for multimodal interactionAitext, voice, and visual aidsAi It is within this niche of "affinity spaces," or places where people gather around shared interests, that certain communication applications have begun to show immense promise for educational purposes, offering a dynamic alternative to the static learning management systems of the past.
Discord is a relatively new social media if we compare it with other social media.
Discord was born in 2015, but it boomed when the COVID-19 pandemic happened.
When the pandemic, people couldnAot go anywhere and decided to play games, chat, and talk with their friends via Discord.
It makes Discord a trending application during the COVID-19 pandemic era.
Now.
Discord isnAot a trending application again.
The number of users has slightly dropped.
Many users have already left Discord, and some still use it.
They stayed because Discord sometimes added new features.
Today, we not only use Discord to chat and play games.
We can also utilize the features to study.
One of them is vocabulary learning.
We can use features like chatting, voice channels, and AI interaction to make our learning process easier.
Studies related to digital literacy and flipped learning using Discord, such as those by (Sari et al.
, 2025.
Delfianza et al.
, 2023.
Handri et al.
, 2023 and Amanda et al.
, 2.
further demonstrate that Discord supports inquiry-based learning, collaboration, and independent These studies highlight DiscordAos potential as a learning platform that encourages active participation and self-directed learning.
Several studies have highlighted the potential of Discord as an educational platform.
Wahyuningsih and Baidi .
examined the potential use of Discord during emergency remote learning and found that Discord supported communication, collaboration, and flexibility in online learning environments.
Their findings indicate that Discord can function not only as a communication tool but also as a learning platform, especially in situations requiring online Similarly.
Heinrich et al.
explored communication spaces in Discord compared to other learning platforms and concluded that Discord fosters informal yet effective interaction among students, which supports engagement and participation.
Previous research generally supports the use of Discord as a beneficial learning platform that enhances engagement, interaction, and learning experiences.
However, this research focused on how the perspective of using Discord as a vocabulary learning media.
Therefore, further investigation is needed to understand studentsAo perceptions of its role in vocabulary This study contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence from Indonesian EFL students at the tertiary level.
Muhammad Adi Kurniawan.
Rangga Adriyanto.
Diah Kurniati RESEARCH METHOD This study employed a quantitative methodology to investigate how the 3 rd semester EED UMK students use Discord for vocabulary learning.
This research was conducted in December 2025 at Muria Kudus University.
The participants of this research were 21 students of the 3rd-semester EED UMK students.
The instrument of this research is a closed-ended The researcher gave a Google Forms questionnaire to all the participants.
The data analysis in this study was conducted using SPSS version 27.
The collected data from the questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively to describe studentsAo perceptions of using Discord as a vocabulary learning medium.
The analysis focused on descriptive statistics, particularly mean scores, to determine the level of studentsAo perceptions across each indicator.
To ensure the quality of the research instrument, validity and reliability tests were also conducted before interpreting the descriptive results.
The list of questionnaire items is as follows.
Table 1 The List of Questionnaire No.
Indicators Questions Familiarity 1.
Do you know the Discord application? Have you ever used Discord? Experience 3.
I have used Discord before for communication purposes.
with Discord 4.
I access Discord as my daily communication application.
I feel comfortable of using Discord.
Comfort and I access Discord as my daily communication application.
Ease of Use I feel confident to ask vocabulary questions on Discord.
I have use Discord for vocabulary learning purposes.
Discord provides helpful features for learning vocabulary.
Vocabulary 10.
Discord helps me review vocabulary more effectively.
Learning Discord helps me remember new vocabulary better.
Effectiveness 12.
Vocabulary learning on Discord is faster and more Using Discord improve my vocabulary mastery.
I actively participate in discussions about vocabulary on the Discord server.
I feel excited when I see a new vocabulary quiz or challenge posted on Discord.
Engagement I put extra effort into understanding the new words shared by others on Discord.
Motivation I frequently check the Discord server for new vocabulary updates even without being asked.
I feel a sense of belonging to the learning community on Discord.
I receive useful vocabulary feedback from others on Interaction Discord.
Discord improves my interaction during vocabulary Collaboratio Discord promotes collaborative vocabulary learning.
Attitude and 22.
I prefer learning vocabulary through Discord rather than Preference using a text book.
Prominent: Journal of English Studies Vol.
09 No.
01 January 2026 p-ISSN: 2621-024x.
e-ISSN: 2621-0258 Website: https://jurnal.
id/index.
php/Pro Discord is an effective media for learning vocabulary.
I want Discord to be officially use for vocabulary learning in English classes.
Would you like to use Discord again for learning English Descriptive Statistics Analysis Descriptive statistics analysis was used to summarize and interpret the questionnaire The analysis included the calculation of the minimum score, maximum score, mean, and standard deviation for each item and indicator.
The mean score was used as the primary basis for interpreting studentsAo perceptions.
Validity Test The validity test was conducted to determine whether each questionnaire item was able to measure what it was intended to measure.
The validity of the instrument was tested using Pearson Product Moment correlation in SPSS.
An item was considered valid if the r-count .
-hitun.
value was greater than the r-table .
-tabe.
In this study, the r-table value was determined based on the number of respondents (N = .
with a significance level of 0.
05, resulting in an r-table value of 0.
If:
C r-count > r-table .
Ie the item is valid C r-count O r-table .
Ie the item is invalid The results of the validity test are presented and discussed in the results and discussion, showing that all questionnaire items met the validity criteria.
Reliability Test The reliability test was conducted to measure the consistency of the questionnaire.
Reliability was tested using CronbachAos Alpha coefficient in SPSS.
A questionnaire was considered reliable if the CronbachAos Alpha value was greater than 0.
The interpretation criteria are as follows:
- CronbachAos Alpha > 0.
60 Ie reliable - CronbachAos Alpha O 0.
60 Ie unreliable The reliability test results presented in the results and discussion indicate that the questionnaire had a CronbachAos Alpha value exceeding the minimum requirement, meaning that the instrument was reliable and consistent for measuring studentsAo perceptions of using Discord as a vocabulary learning medium.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Validity and Reliability Result Before conducting the descriptive statistical analysis, the questionnaire used in this study was examined through validity and reliability testing to ensure that the instrument was appropriate and consistent in measuring studentsAo perceptions of using Discord as a vocabulary learning medium.
Muhammad Adi Kurniawan.
Rangga Adriyanto.
Diah Kurniati Table 2 r product moment The Level of Significance The Level of Significance Based on Table 2, the r-table value was 0.
433, which was obtained from the Pearson correlation table with N = 21 respondents and a significance level of 0.
Prominent: Journal of English Studies Vol.
09 No.
01 January 2026 p-ISSN: 2621-024x.
e-ISSN: 2621-0258 Website: https://jurnal.
id/index.
php/Pro Table 3
Result of Validity Test
Items Q10
Q11
Q12
Q13
Q14
Q15
Q16
Q17
Q18
Q19
Q20
Q21
Q22
Q23
Q24
Q25
Minimum Value Limit
0,433
Value/Result Note
0,442
0,670
0,855
0,818
0,604
0,780
0,678
0,799
0,763
0,866
0,883
0,891
0,836
0,909
0,853
0,830
0,874
0,814
0,748
0,835
0,876
0,850
0,925
0,702
0,435
Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Valid Based on the results of the validity test shown in Table 3, it can be concluded that all questionnaire items are valid.
The analysis shows that all items have r-count values higher than the r-table value .
> 0.
This indicates that each statement item is able to measure what it is intended to measure and is therefore considered valid.
Thus, all questionnaire items were suitable to be used for collecting data on studentsAo perceptions of using Discord as a vocabulary learning media.
Table 4 Result of Reliability Test No.
Cronbach's Alpha
0,973
0,973
0,970
Standard Note Reliable Reliable Reliable Muhammad Adi Kurniawan.
Rangga Adriyanto.
Diah Kurniati Q10
Q11
Q12
Q13
Q14
Q15
Q16
Q17
Q18
Q19
Q20
Q21
Q22
Q23
Q24
Q25
0,971
0,972
0,971
0,972
0,971
0,971
0,970
0,970
0,970
0,971
0,970
0,970
0,971
0,970
0,971
0,971
0,971
0,970
0,971
0,970
0,972
0,974
Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable Reliable The reliability test was conducted to examine the internal consistency of the questionnaire The reliability analysis results are presented in Table 4.
The findings show that the questionnaire obtained a CronbachAos Alpha value greater than 0.
60, which meets the reliability criterion proposed by Sugiyono .
This indicates that the instrument has good internal consistency and that respondents answered the items consistently.
Therefore, the questionnaire used in this study is considered reliable and appropriate for measuring studentsAo perceptions of using Discord as a vocabulary learning media.
The 3rd Semester StudentsAo EED UMK Perception on the Use of Discord as Vocabulary Learning Media Before presenting the results, the following table is used to interpret the mean scores obtained from the questionnaire responses.
This interpretation is applied to analyze studentsAo perceptions toward the use of Discord as a vocabulary learning medium.
Table 5 Mean Indicator Mean Range 00 Ae 1.
81 Ae 2.
61 Ae 3.
41 Ae 4.
21 Ae 5.
Interpretation Very Low Low Moderate High Very High To identify the studentsAo perceptions of using Discord as a vocabulary learning medium, the researcher distributed a closed-ended questionnaire to the 3rd-semester students of the Prominent: Journal of English Studies Vol.
09 No.
01 January 2026 p-ISSN: 2621-024x.
e-ISSN: 2621-0258 Website: https://jurnal.
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php/Pro English Education Department (PBI) at Universitas Muria Kudus.
The questionnaire consisted of 25 statements organized into six indicators: Familiarity and Experience with Discord.
Comfort and Ease of Use.
Vocabulary Learning Effectiveness.
Engagement and Motivation.
Interaction and Collaboration, and Attitude and Preference.
The responses were measured using a five-point Likert scale ranging from Strongly Disagree .
to Strongly Agree .
The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis with the help of SPSS version 27.
The analysis aimed to describe the overall tendency of studentsAo perceptions toward the use of Discord as a vocabulary learning medium.
Table 6 presents the descriptive statistics of studentsAo perceptions based on each indicator.
Table 6 Descriptive statistics per indicators Indicator Mean Familiarity and Experience with Discord Comfort and Ease of Use Vocabulary Effectiveness Engagement and Motivation Interaction and Collaboration Attitude and Preference Valid N .
Based on Table 6, the overall results show that studentsAo perceptions of using Discord for vocabulary learning were at a moderate to high level.
Among the six indicators.
Familiarity and Experience with Discord obtained the highest mean score (M = 3.
, followed by Attitude and Preference (M = 3.
and Interaction and Collaboration (M = 3.
, which fall into the high perception category.
Meanwhile.
Vocabulary Effectiveness (M = 3.
and Engagement and Motivation (M = 3.
were categorized as moderate to high, indicating generally positive The lowest mean score was found in Comfort and Ease of Use (M = 2.
, which is still categorized as moderate.
These findings indicate that the 3rd-semester EED UMK students generally have a positive perception of Discord as a vocabulary learning medium, although some aspects, particularly related to daily usage and comfort, may require further support or guidance.
Overall, the results suggest that Discord is perceived as a feasible and acceptable learning medium for vocabulary instruction.
Meanwhile, the results of the questionnaire for each indicator and individual statement are displayed in Table 7.
This table provides a more detailed description of studentsAo responses to each questionnaire item, allowing deeper interpretation of studentsAo perceptions toward specific aspects of using Discord for vocabulary learning.
Muhammad Adi Kurniawan.
Rangga Adriyanto.
Diah Kurniati Table 7 Questionnaire items Items Mean Do you know Discord application? Ever you use Discord? I have use Discord before for communication purpose.
I feel comfortable of using Discord.
I access Discord as my daily communication application.
I have use Discord for vocabulary learning purpose.
Discord provides helpful features for learning vocabulary.
Learning vocabulary through Discord more interesting than traditional methods.
Discord helps me review vocabulary more effectively.
I prefer learning vocabulary through Discord rather than using a text book.
Using Discord increases my motivation to learn vocabulary.
I feel more engage when learning vocabulary through Discord.
I enjoy vocabulary quizzes or exercises on Discord.
Discord encourages me to learn vocabulary outside of class Discord helps me communicate easily with classmates.
I receive useful vocabulary feedback from others on Discord.
Discord improves my interaction during vocabulary learning.
I feel confident to ask vocabulary questions on Discord.
Discord promotes collaborative vocabulary learning.
Discord is an effective media for learning vocabulary.
Discord helps me remember new vocabulary better.
Vocabulary learning on Discord is faster and more practical.
Using Discord improve my vocabulary mastery.
I want Discord to be officially use for vocabulary learning in english classes.
Would you like to use Discord again for learning English Total Valid N .
Prominent: Journal of English Studies Vol.
09 No.
01 January 2026 p-ISSN: 2621-024x.
e-ISSN: 2621-0258 Website: https://jurnal.
id/index.
php/Pro The following subsections elaborate the results for each indicator in relation to the research question: How are the 3rd semester studentsAo perceptions of the use of Discord as a vocabulary learning media? StudentsAo Familiarity and Experience Learning Vocabulary by Using Discord as Their Learning Media The Familiarity and Experience with Discord indicator obtained a mean score of 3.
which falls into the high category.
This indicates that most respondents were already familiar with Discord prior to its use as a vocabulary learning media.
Specifically, the item AuDo you know the Discord application?Ay recorded a high mean score (M = 4.
, indicating strong awareness of the platform among students.
Additionally, students generally agreed that they had used Discord before, particularly for communication purposes (M = 3.
Although a small number of respondents reported neutral or negative experiences, the overall data show that students possessed sufficient prior exposure to Discord.
This finding supports previous studies by Wahyuningsih .
and Munibi et al.
which reported that studentsAo familiarity with Discord contributes positively to their acceptance of the platform in educational contexts.
Familiarity reduces technological barriers and allows students to focus more on learning content rather than platform navigation.
StudentsAo Comfort of Using Discord as Their Vocabulary Learning Media.
The Comfort and Ease of Use indicator achieved a mean score of 2.
95, categorized as This suggests that while students are relatively comfortable using Discord, it is not yet a primary communication platform for most of them.
Students tended to agree that they felt comfortable using Discord (M = 3.
, yet many responded neutrally to the statement regarding daily usage (M = 2.
This indicates that Discord is not commonly used for everyday communication among students, despite being considered user-friendly.
This result aligns with Heinrich et al.
, who found that students may perceive Discord as comfortable for academic purposes even if it is not their main social communication Thus, comfort in learning contexts does not necessarily depend on daily usage frequency.
Vocabulary effectiveness after using Discord as a learning media The Vocabulary Learning Effectiveness indicator obtained a mean score of 3.
25, which falls within the moderate to high category.
This result indicates that students perceive Discord as reasonably effective in supporting vocabulary learning.
Students showed neutral to positive responses toward statements related to DiscordAos helpful features (M = 3.
, vocabulary retention (M = 3.
, and vocabulary mastery improvement (M = 3.
Although the agreement level was not very strong, the data suggest that Discord provides meaningful learning support.
This finding supports Arifianto .
and Sartika et al.
, who reported that Discord facilitates vocabulary learning through interactive features such as text channels, feedback exchanges, and collaborative discussions.
Muhammad Adi Kurniawan.
Rangga Adriyanto.
Diah Kurniati StudentsAo motivation and engagement of using Discord as a vocabulary learning media.
The Engagement and Motivation indicator yielded a mean score of 3.
26, categorized as This indicates that Discord moderately enhances studentsAo motivation and engagement in vocabulary learning.
Students generally responded neutrally to positively regarding increased motivation (M = .
, engagement (M = 3.
, and enjoyment of vocabulary activities (M = 3.
Additionally, students tended to agree that Discord encouraged them to learn vocabulary outside classroom time (M = 3.
These findings are consistent with Munibi et al.
, who highlighted DiscordAos role in fostering engagement and motivation through interactive and community-based learning StudentsAo collaboration vocabulary through Discord.
The Interaction and Collaboration indicator achieved a mean score of 3.
40, which falls into the high category.
This suggests that Discord strongly supports collaborative vocabulary Students generally agreed that Discord facilitates communication with classmates (M = 3.
and promotes collaborative learning (M = 3.
Although some students remained neutral regarding receiving feedback and asking questions confidently, the overall perception indicates that Discord enhances peer interaction.
This result aligns with Sartika et al.
and Munibi et al.
, who emphasized DiscordAos effectiveness in creating interactive and collaborative learning environments.
StudentsAo attitudes and preferences for using Discord as a vocabulary learning media.
The Attitude and Preference indicator obtained a mean score of 3.
46, categorized as high.
This indicates that students hold a positive attitude toward using Discord as a vocabulary learning medium.
Students tended to agree that Discord is effective (M = 3.
, practical, and suitable for future use in English classes.
Furthermore, many students expressed willingness to continue using Discord for vocabulary learning (M = 3.
This positive attitude is consistent with findings from Arifianto .
and Setyanto et al.
, which reported strong student acceptance of alternative digital learning platforms.
CONCLUSION
Based on the results of data analysis and discussion, it can be concluded that generally, the use of Discord as a learning medium for vocabulary received positive responses from the 3rd-semester EED UMK students.
They perceived Discord as an effective and practical medium that helped them remember vocabulary better, improve vocabulary mastery, and support collaborative learning.
Additionally.
Discord has the potential to attract studentsAo interest, even among those who are not frequent users, especially when it is integrated into structured learning This leads to a significant pedagogical implication: Discord is a powerful tool, but it is not self-sustaining without structure.
It cannot simply be "assigned" with the expectation that students will naturally flock to it every day.
Instead, educators must actively design structured activitiesAisuch as scheduled quizzes, live voice discussions, or specific role-based tasksAito maintain engagement.
Ultimately, this research concludes that Discord is a highly effective medium for enhancing vocabulary mastery and student collaboration, provided that teachers act as active facilitators to bridge the gap between casual use and academic discipline.
Thus.
Prominent: Journal of English Studies Vol.
09 No.
01 January 2026 p-ISSN: 2621-024x.
e-ISSN: 2621-0258 Website: https://jurnal.
id/index.
php/Pro Discord can be considered a viable alternative learning medium for vocabulary instruction, as it provides interactive features, supports student engagement and collaboration, and is positively perceived by learners.
However, its effectiveness may increase further with proper guidance and consistent implementation in the learning process.
REFERENCES