APLIKATIF
Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities DOI: https://doi.
org/10.
59110/aplikatif.
Vol.
5 No.
June 2026, pp.
Implementing Wordwall to Promote Student Participation in Junior High School EFL Listening Activities Alya Nurul Fadillah1*.
Saskia Fitriana1.
Evatul Azizah1.
Dinda Khumayra1.
Ismail Rifqi Ubaidillah1.
Kenny Shania Lestari R.
1Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim.
Malang.
Indonesia 2Universitas Negeri Malang.
Malang.
Indonesia *alyanurulfadillah.
id@gmail.
ABSTRACT
Listening is an essential skill in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning.
however, many students still face difficulties in understanding spoken English.
Although Wordwall has been widely used in English learning, studies examining its implementation in EFL listening activities at the junior high school level remain limited.
This study aimed to investigate how Wordwall was implemented in EFL listening activities and how students participated during the learning process.
Employing a descriptive qualitative design, this study involved 32 seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 13 Malang.
Data were collected through classroom observation, semi-structured group interviews, and documentation, and were analyzed using Miles and HubermanAos qualitative data analysis procedures.
The findings showed that Wordwall supported interactive listening activities by encouraging students to answer questions actively, collaborate in group discussions, maintain attention to audio materials, and respond positively during the lesson.
Students also perceived Wordwall as enjoyable and helpful in supporting their focus and listening comprehension.
These findings suggest that Wordwall may support a more interactive and student-centered listening environment in junior high school EFL classrooms.
Practically, this study provides English teachers with an alternative digital learning medium to foster studentsAo participation and classroom interaction in listening instruction.
Keywords: Digital Learning Media.
EFL Listening.
Junior High School.
Student Participation.
Wordwall.
Copyright A 2026 The Author.
: This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.
0 International (CC BY-SA 4.
INTRODUCTION
Listening is a foundational skill in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning, particularly at the junior high school level where students are expected to develop basic communicative competence.
As one of the core language skills in secondary school curricula, listening exposes students to authentic spoken input, enabling them to APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Volume 5 No 2, 2026 recognize pronunciation patterns, acquire vocabulary, and interpret meaning in context (Daulay, 2.
Ramadani and Samsi .
argue that listening plays a central role in second and foreign language acquisition (SLA), as it provides the primary basis for comprehension and communication.
Moreover, sustained exposure to spoken English supports the natural development of pronunciation and strengthens students' overall language use.
Well-developed listening skills ultimately enhance communicative ability and increase learners' confidence in both classroom and real-life contexts.
Despite its importance.
EFL learners frequently encounter difficulties in developing listening comprehension.
Unlike productive skills, listening requires simultaneous recognition of linguistic input and interpretation of meaning, with limited opportunities for revision or clarification (Oktaviani, 2.
Students commonly struggle due to unfamiliar vocabulary, rapid speech, varying accents, and complex sentence structures (Andika & Indah, 2.
Additional challenges arise from idiomatic expressions, cultural references, and the high cognitive load imposed by real-time processing, all of which can hinder comprehension (Ennebati, 2.
These difficulties indicate that many students continue to face obstacles in developing accurate and confident listening comprehension in EFL classrooms.
To address these challenges, engaging and interactive learning media are needed to support active student participation.
One digital platform that shows promise for listening instruction is Wordwall.
The platform offers various activity templates, including quizzes, matching tasks, true-or-false exercises, fill-in-the-blank activities, and random cards, which can be adapted for listening purposes (Swari, 2.
Through these features.
Wordwall can help students recognize vocabulary, process spoken information, and respond actively to listening tasks (Ningtyas et al.
, 2.
Its gamebased design, visual display, and audio-supported activities may also create a more engaging learning environment that encourages studentsAo motivation and participation during listening activities (Widadi & Anggoro, 2025.
Yuswandari & Novitaningrum.
The potential use of Wordwall in listening instruction is also supported by relevant theoretical and empirical perspectives.
From a constructivist perspective, interactive learning media can encourage students to become actively involved in constructing knowledge through classroom participation and peer interaction (Putri et al.
, 2.
Empirically.
Widadi and Anggoro .
found that Wordwall interactive media increased studentsAo enthusiasm and classroom participation, while Made et al.
reported that Wordwall helped improve studentsAo vocabulary understanding through continuous interactive practice.
Similarly.
Aulia et al.
emphasized that interactive learning activities can enhance studentsAo participation and comprehension.
These studies suggest that Wordwall has potential as a digital medium to support more active and meaningful English learning.
Although previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of Wordwall as a learning tool, several gaps remain.
Merita and Syahroni .
investigated its use among early childhood Islamic education students and found positive effects on motivation and English comprehension.
Febriansah and Afrianto .
examined Wordwall alongside Quizizz in elementary school English learning and reported improvements in student engagement and learning outcomes.
However, these studies were conducted in different educational contexts, namely higher education and primary school, and focused mainly on general learning outcomes and media implementation APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Volume 5 No 2, 2026 rather than on listening instruction specifically.
Therefore, research on how Wordwall is implemented in EFL listening activities at the junior high school level and how students participate during these activities remains limited.
To fill this gap, the present study aims to describe the implementation of Wordwall in EFL listening activities at SMP Negeri 13 Malang.
Specifically, this study examines the way Wordwall is integrated into listening instruction and explores studentsAo participation during Wordwall-based listening activities.
By focusing on both the implementation process and studentsAo classroom participation, this study is expected to provide practical insights into the use of Wordwall as an interactive digital medium for junior high school EFL listening instruction.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Teaching Listening Skills Listening occupies a central yet often underserved role in EFL instruction.
Although it is regarded as one of the most demanding language skills to acquire, listening activities in many classrooms are still commonly limited to answering comprehension questions from audio recordings, with limited attention given to the process of listening itself (Anneliza et al.
, 2022.
Daulay, 2.
This condition indicates the need for more intentional instructional approaches that do not only assess studentsAo listening comprehension but also support them in preparing for, processing, and responding to spoken input.
In this regard, interactive learning media such as Wordwall may serve as a useful tool to make listening instruction more engaging and participatory.
Theoretically, listening is not a passive act of receiving sound but an active cognitive process that requires learners to interpret spoken input and construct meaning.
Rost .
explains that listening involves several micro-skills, including identifying key information, recognizing discourse markers, and interpreting meaning from context.
Brown .
further argues that listening comprehension involves stages of memory processing, which influence how learners encode, retain, and understand spoken These theoretical perspectives suggest that listening instruction should provide learners with meaningful support before, during, and after listening.
In classroom practice, listening instruction can be strengthened through the integration of bottom-up, top-down, and interactive approaches.
Bottom-up processing helps learners recognize linguistic elements such as sounds, words, and grammatical structures, while top-down processing enables them to use background knowledge and context to interpret meaning.
Nunan .
identifies the combination of these processes as an interactive approach that can support more effective listening comprehension.
This approach is also reflected in the three stages of listening instruction: pre-listening, whilelistening, and post-listening.
Richards .
emphasizes that these stages help students prepare for the listening task, engage with spoken input, and reflect on their understanding after the activity.
These theoretical foundations are relevant to the use of Wordwall in EFL listening By combining audio input, visual prompts, and interactive tasks.
Wordwall can support students in recognizing linguistic information, activating prior knowledge, and responding actively to listening materials.
Therefore.
Wordwall may be positioned APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Volume 5 No 2, 2026 not merely as a game-based learning tool but also as an instructional medium that can support the listening process across different stages of classroom activity.
Challenges in Developing Listening Comprehension EFL learners often encounter multiple and overlapping difficulties in developing listening comprehension.
Daulay .
categorizes these difficulties into linguistic, cognitive, and contextual dimensions.
From the linguistic perspective, limited vocabulary is one of the most persistent barriers.
When students are unable to recognize key words in spoken input, their comprehension can break down quickly (Flowerdew & Miller, 2.
Fast speech and accent variation may further complicate comprehension because connected speech can obscure word boundaries and pronunciation patterns that learners may recognize more easily in written or isolated forms (Nunan, 1.
addition, complex sentence structures can make listening more difficult because realtime listening does not allow students to reread or pause the input, making syntactically dense speech harder to process (Richards, 2.
Idiomatic expressions and culturally specific references also create challenges, as their meanings often cannot be understood through literal interpretation alone (Rost, 2.
At the cognitive level, these linguistic demands can place a heavy burden on learnersAo working memory.
Sweller .
argues that when the demands placed on working memory exceed learnersAo processing capacity, learning efficiency may decline.
In listening contexts, this cognitive load becomes particularly important because students must decode sounds, access vocabulary, process grammatical structures, and construct meaning, all in real time.
As a result, students may lose focus or fail to understand the message when the listening input is too fast, unfamiliar, or cognitively Understanding these challenges is important for examining the role of Wordwall as a pedagogical tool in EFL listening instruction.
If used appropriately.
Wordwall may help teachers scaffold listening activities by introducing vocabulary, providing visual prompts, structuring listening tasks, and encouraging students to respond actively to spoken input.
Although Wordwall cannot eliminate linguistic and cognitive challenges in listening, its interactive features may help reduce studentsAo learning burden and support their engagement during listening activities.
Wordwall as a Tool for EFL Listening Instruction Wordwall is a web-based learning platform that enables teachers to design interactive classroom activities in various formats, such as quizzes, matching games, word puzzles, true-or-false tasks, and random wheel activities.
Its accessibility through computers, tablets, and smartphones makes it flexible for different classroom settings (Febriansah & Afrianto, 2.
In EFL instruction, these features allow Wordwall to be used not only as a supplementary game-based tool but also as a medium for organizing structured learning tasks and formative assessment.
In listening activities.
Wordwall can help teachers present tasks that require students to listen, process spoken input, and respond actively through interactive formats.
Previous studies have shown that Wordwall can support English language learning in several ways.
Ulya et al.
found that Wordwall-based gamified learning supported studentsAo vocabulary recall and engagement, while Widadi and Anggoro .
reported that Wordwall interactive media increased studentsAo enthusiasm and APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Volume 5 No 2, 2026 classroom participation.
These findings indicate that Wordwall has the potential to increase studentsAo involvement in language learning activities.
From a constructivist perspective, such interactive tasks are relevant because they encourage learners to construct knowledge through active engagement, classroom interaction, and meaningful participation (Putri et al.
, 2.
In the context of listening instruction.
Wordwall can be used to scaffold studentsAo comprehension through vocabulary-focused activities, visual prompts, and immediate response tasks.
For example, matching activities and quizzes can support vocabulary recognition before or during listening, while true-or-false tasks can guide students to identify key information from spoken input.
These functions are relevant to listening comprehension because vocabulary recognition and spoken language processing are among the common challenges faced by EFL learners.
In addition, gamified listening activities may help reduce affective barriers by making listening lessons less tense, more engaging, and more motivating for students (Susiawati et al.
, 2024.
Yuswandari & Novitaningrum, 2.
Although previous studies have documented the benefits of Wordwall for vocabulary learning, motivation, and general classroom engagement, studies that specifically examine its use in EFL listening instruction at the junior high school level remain limited.
Merita and Syahroni .
, for instance, examined Wordwall in an early childhood Islamic education context and found improvements in motivation and English comprehension.
However, their study focused more on general English learning outcomes rather than listening instruction.
Therefore, the present study addresses this gap by focusing on how Wordwall is implemented in junior high school EFL listening activities and how students participate during the learning process.
Conceptual Framework The present study is guided by a conceptual framework that connects three main elements: Wordwall as an interactive digital learning platform, the three-stage structure of listening instruction, and student engagement as the expected learning process observed in the classroom.
Wordwall is positioned as both an instructional medium and a formative assessment tool that can support listening activities across the pre-listening, while-listening, and post-listening stages proposed by Richards .
In the pre-listening stage.
Wordwall activities such as vocabulary matching, word puzzles, or introductory quizzes can be used to activate studentsAo prior knowledge and prepare them for the listening material.
In the while-listening stage, interactive tasks such as quizzes and true-or-false questions can guide students to process spoken input more actively.
These activities encourage students to listen for specific information, connect audio input with visual prompts, and respond to questions during the listening In the post-listening stage.
Wordwall can be used for review and reflection activities that help students consolidate their understanding of the listening material.
Across these stages, the game-based and interactive features of Wordwall are expected to support student engagement in behavioral, cognitive, and affective Behavioral engagement can be seen through studentsAo active participation in answering questions, following instructions, and interacting with peers.
Cognitive engagement is reflected in studentsAo efforts to understand the listening material, process information, and make decisions during the activity.
Affective engagement can be observed through studentsAo enthusiasm, motivation, confidence, and reduced anxiety APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Volume 5 No 2, 2026 during the learning process (Fredricks et al.
, 2.
Therefore, this conceptual framework provides the analytical basis for examining how Wordwall is implemented in EFL listening activities and how students participate throughout the learning process.
METHOD
Research Design This study employed a descriptive qualitative design to investigate the implementation of Wordwall in EFL listening activities and students' participation during those activities.
Descriptive qualitative research aims to provide a systematic and detailed account of a phenomenon as it occurs in its natural context and is particularly suited to studies that seek to understand lived experiences and classroom processes rather than to measure outcomes numerically (Sandelowski, 2.
This design was therefore considered appropriate given the study's aim to examine how Wordwall was implemented in a real classroom setting and how students engaged with listening tasks during that process.
Through this approach, the researcher was able to collect rich, contextually grounded data that captured both observable behaviors and students' own perspectives on their learning experiences.
Participants and Setting This study was conducted at SMP Negeri 13 Malang, a state junior high school in East Java.
Indonesia.
The participants were 32 seventh-grade students from class VII-C.
Participants were selected through purposive sampling, a technique commonly used in qualitative research to identify information-rich cases relevant to the research questions.
Class VII-C was selected based on two criteria: first, preliminary observations and teacher consultation confirmed that students in this class experienced recurring difficulties in listening comprehension.
second, the English teacher had already integrated Wordwall into the class's listening lessons, making it a contextually appropriate site for the study.
The research focused on exploring students' perceptions, behaviors, and engagement during Wordwall-based listening activities in their natural classroom environment.
Research Instruments Three instruments were used to collect data: observation, semi-structured group interviews, and documentation.
Observation served as the primary instrument and was guided by a semi-structured observation checklist developed based on the research The checklist covered two main aspects: .
the teacher's implementation of Wordwall across the three stages of listening instruction .
re-listening, while-listening, and post-listenin.
, and .
students' participation and responses during the activities.
Each observable indicator was assessed using a rating scale of 1 to 5, where 1 indicated minimal or no observable behavior and 5 indicated consistent and active engagement.
is important to note that these ratings were used descriptively rather than statistically:
they served as a systematic documentation tool to record the degree to which specific participatory behaviors were observed, and their patterns were interpreted qualitatively in relation to field notes and interview data rather than aggregated into numerical scores.
Field notes were taken concurrently to capture classroom interactions, student responses, and contextual details not captured by the checklist.
The observation checklist was reviewed by the supervising lecturer and the English teacher before being used in the main data collection.
This review was conducted APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Volume 5 No 2, 2026 to ensure that the indicators in the checklist were relevant to the research questions, particularly in capturing the implementation of Wordwall across listening activities and studentsAo participation during the learning process.
Feedback from the reviewers was used to refine the wording and clarity of the observation indicators.
Nevertheless, since the main classroom observation was conducted in a single session, the findings should be understood as context-specific and may not be generalized to other classes, schools, or broader EFL learning contexts.
Semi-structured group interviews were conducted to obtain more in-depth information about students' experiences with Wordwall during listening activities.
interview guide consisting of four open-ended questions was developed based on the research questions and reviewed by the supervising lecturer prior to use.
All interviews were conducted in Bahasa Indonesia to allow participants to express their responses freely and without language barriers.
Responses were documented through audio recording and note-taking.
Documentation served as a supplementary instrument and included classroom photographs, screenshots of Wordwall activity displays.
PowerPoint presentation slides used during the lesson, and the researcher's field notes.
These materials were collected systematically throughout the research process to support data triangulation.
Data Collection Data collection was conducted on May 12, 2026, in class VII-C at SMP Negeri 13 Malang.
Prior to data collection, formal permission was obtained from the school principal and the English teacher.
As all participants were under 18 years of age, informed consent was obtained from both studentsAo guardians and the school in accordance with ethical research guidelines.
Before the main data collection, the researcher conducted two preliminary observations to familiarize herself with the classroom context, the teacherAos instructional style, and studentsAo interaction patterns.
These observations also informed the refinement of the observation checklist.
During the main observation, the researcher acted as a non-participant observer, recording classroom activities using an observation checklist and field notes while minimizing disruption to the learning process.
Following the lesson, semi-structured group interviews were conducted with eight purposively selected students representing high, moderate, and low levels of classroom Each interview lasted approximately seven to ten minutes.
Documentation was also collected throughout the observation and interview sessions.
Data Analysis Data were analyzed using Miles and HubermanAos .
qualitative data analysis framework, which consists of three iterative stages: data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification.
During the data reduction stage, observation checklists, field notes, interview transcripts, and documentation were reviewed, and information relevant to the research questions was selected.
Interview responses were transcribed verbatim and coded thematically, while observation data were analyzed to identify recurring patterns of student participation.
The numerical ratings from the observation checklist were not treated as quantitative data but were used to indicate the frequency and consistency of participatory behaviors and were interpreted alongside the qualitative field notes.
APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Volume 5 No 2, 2026 In the data display stage, the selected and coded data were organized into descriptive narratives and thematic categories to facilitate systematic interpretation.
Patterns related to the implementation of Wordwall and forms of student participation were presented in a structured format to support transparency in reporting.
Finally, conclusions were drawn from the displayed data and continuously verified against the original data sources to ensure consistency and credibility.
To enhance the trustworthiness of the findings, several strategies were employed throughout the analysis process.
Data triangulation was conducted by comparing evidence from classroom observations, interviews, and documentation.
Member checking was carried out by returning interview summaries to the participating students to confirm that the interpretations accurately reflected their intended meanings.
Peer review was undertaken by discussing coded data and emerging themes with a fellow researcher in the same field, while a reflexivity journal was maintained throughout the study to document analytical decisions, assumptions, and potential biases.
These strategies enhanced the credibility and confirmability of the findings.
RESULT
Observation Findings The classroom observation was conducted during an EFL listening lesson in Class VII-C at SMP Negeri 13 Malang, where Wordwall was used as an interactive medium to support listening activities.
The observation focused on studentsAo participation, classroom interaction, attentiveness, and responses during the learning process.
Data were collected using a structured observation checklist and supported by field notes taken during the lesson.
Each indicator was assessed using a five-point scale: 1 (Very Poo.
, 2 (Poo.
, 3 (Fai.
, 4 (Goo.
, and 5 (Very Goo.
The ratings were assigned based on the frequency and consistency of the observed behaviors during the activity.
The results of the observation are presented in Table 1.
Table 1.
Observation Checklist Results No.
Observation Aspects Score Category Brief Interpretation Students showed Students generally showed enthusiasm during the Good enthusiasm during the Wordwall activity Students participated Very Students actively actively in answering Good responded to the questions.
questions on Wordwall Students followed the Very Students followed the instructions during the Good teacherAos instructions well.
Wordwall game properly Students interacted actively Very Students actively discussed with their group members Good answers with peers.
during the activity Students answered the Most students answered questions confidently Good with confidence.
during the game Volume 5 No 2, 2026 APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Students paid attention to the Wordwall questions displayed on the screen Students were motivated to participate in the activity Students competed enthusiastically during the Wordwall game Students were able to understand the material through the Wordwall Students responded quickly to the questions provided in Wordwall Good Fair Very Good Good Fair Students generally focused on the displayed questions.
Motivation was visible but uneven among students.
Students showed strong enthusiasm in the competitive activity.
Students generally understood the lesson Some students responded quickly, while others needed more time.
Enjoyment was present but not equally shown by all Students showed good cooperation during group Only a few students experienced technical Students enjoyed the gamebased learning atmosphere Fair Students cooperated well with their teammates Good Poor Good Most students became more active during the activity.
Very Poor Boredom was rarely observed during the Students experienced difficulties in operating Wordwall Students became more active during the learning Students looked bored during the Wordwall As shown in Table 1, the observation results indicated that students generally demonstrated positive participation during the Wordwall-based listening activity.
the 15 observed indicators, four indicators received a score of 5 (Very Goo.
, six indicators received a score of 4 (Goo.
, three indicators received a score of 3 (Fai.
, one indicator received a score of 2 (Poo.
, and one indicator received a score of 1 (Very Poo.
These results suggest that most aspects of studentsAo participation were observed within the Good to Very Good range.
The indicators that received the highest score were studentsAo active participation in answering questions, their ability to follow the game instructions properly, their interaction with group members, and their enthusiasm during the competitive activity.
These behaviors were consistently observed throughout the lesson.
Field notes showed that several students responded actively to the questions displayed on the screen, discussed possible answers with their group members, and showed visible interest in the activity.
For example, some students in the back rows stood up to see the screen more clearly, while several groups were observed debating answer choices before submitting their responses.
APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Volume 5 No 2, 2026 Several indicators received a score of 4, including studentsAo enthusiasm, confidence in answering questions, attention to the questions displayed on the screen, understanding of the material, cooperation with teammates, and overall activeness during the learning process.
These findings indicate that most students were able to engage with the Wordwall activity in a consistent manner, although some students participated less actively than others.
Field notes also showed that student engagement was not evenly distributed across the class, as a small number of students tended to wait for their peersAo responses before contributing.
Three indicators received a score of 3, namely studentsAo motivation to participate, speed in responding to questions, and enjoyment of the game-based learning These results suggest that although the majority of students responded positively to the activity, some students still showed moderate levels of motivation and Field notes indicated that approximately five to seven students, particularly those seated at the back of the classroom, showed lower response rates during the game segments and were less active in initiating answers.
The indicator related to studentsAo difficulties in operating Wordwall received a score of 2, indicating that technical difficulties were limited.
Only a few students required brief assistance from the teacher during the initial stage of the activity.
Meanwhile, the indicator Austudents looked bored during the Wordwall activityAy received a score of 1, suggesting that boredom or disengagement was rarely observed during the lesson.
Overall, the observation findings show that Wordwall was associated with active participation, peer interaction, attention, and positive classroom responses during the observed listening activity, although participation levels varied among Interview Findings Following the classroom observation, semi-structured group interviews were conducted with eight students who were purposively selected to represent high, moderate, and low levels of classroom participation.
The interviews aimed to explore studentsAo perceptions, experiences, and challenges in using Wordwall during EFL listening activities.
The interview data were analyzed thematically, and four main themes emerged: studentsAo positive perceptions of Wordwall, support for listening focus and comprehension, challenges during the activity, and studentsAo emotional responses.
The summary of interview findings is presented in Table 2.
Table 2.
Summary of Interview Findings Theme Main Finding Supporting Evidence AuLearning listening Students found Wordwall Positive perception of became less boring enjoyable, interactive, and less Wordwall because there was a Ay Students became more focused AuWhen listening to the Support for focus and because they had to listen and audio, we had to answer immediately.
answer immediately.
Ay Students still struggled with Challenges during AuSometimes the words unfamiliar vocabulary, audio were difficult.
Ay speed, and initial platform use.
APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Emotional response Students felt more enthusiastic, confident, and less anxious.
Volume 5 No 2, 2026 AuI was not afraid of getting the answer Ay The first theme concerns studentsAo positive perceptions of Wordwall.
Most students stated that Wordwall made the listening lesson more enjoyable, interactive, and less monotonous compared to conventional listening activities.
One student stated.
AuLearning listening became less boring because there was a game, so we were enthusiastic to join.
Ay Another student added.
AuIt was more exciting than usual because we could answer directly on our phones.
Ay These responses indicate that the game-based format of Wordwall created a more engaging classroom atmosphere and encouraged students to participate more actively.
The second theme relates to how Wordwall supported studentsAo focus and comprehension during listening activities.
Students explained that the interactive format helped them pay closer attention to the audio because they needed to answer the questions immediately through the platform.
One student explained.
AuWhen listening to the audio, we had to answer immediately on Wordwall, so we focused more.
Ay Another student stated.
AuWhen the text is shown on the screen, it is easier to understand what is being heard.
Ay These responses suggest that the combination of audio input and visual question display helped students follow the listening material more effectively.
The third theme concerns the challenges experienced by students during the Although students generally responded positively to Wordwall, some still experienced difficulties in understanding unfamiliar vocabulary and following the speed of the audio.
One student remarked.
AuSometimes the words were difficult.
I did not know the meaning, so I was confused about what to answer.
Ay Another student noted.
AuThe audio was a bit fast, so we had to concentrate fully.
Ay A few students also mentioned that they were initially unfamiliar with the platform, but this difficulty was resolved after receiving brief guidance from the teacher.
The fourth theme refers to studentsAo emotional responses during the Wordwallbased listening activity.
Students generally reported feeling more enthusiastic, confident, and less anxious during the lesson.
One student said.
AuIt felt enjoyable, not as tense as listening lessons usually are.
Ay Another student commented.
AuBecause it was in game form.
I was not afraid of getting the answer wrong.
Ay These responses show that the use of Wordwall helped create a more relaxed and supportive learning atmosphere, which encouraged students to participate without excessive fear of making mistakes.
The interview findings indicate that students perceived Wordwall positively as an engaging medium for listening activities.
The platform helped students focus on the audio, supported their understanding through visual prompts, and encouraged active However, students still faced listening-related challenges, particularly unfamiliar vocabulary and audio speed.
Therefore, the findings suggest that while Wordwall can support studentsAo participation and classroom engagement, it should be accompanied by appropriate teacher guidance, vocabulary preparation, and suitable audio pacing.
Documentation Findings Documentation was used to support and verify the findings obtained from classroom observation and student interviews.
The documentation consisted of APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Volume 5 No 2, 2026 classroom photographs, screenshots of the Wordwall activity.
PowerPoint presentation slides, and field notes collected during the teaching and learning process.
These materials provided visual evidence of how Wordwall was implemented in the EFL listening activity and how students participated during the lesson.
Figure 1.
Classroom learning activity Figure 2.
Wordwall quiz Figure 3.
PowerPoint presentation slide Figure 2 shows the classroom situation during the implementation of Wordwall in Class VII-C.
The photograph indicates that students paid attention to the learning activity and responded to the teacherAos instructions during the lesson.
Several students were observed looking at the screen, raising their hands, and participating in the classroom interaction.
Figure 3 presents the Wordwall quiz activity used during the listening lesson.
The activity consisted of true-or-false questions related to the topic AuMy Class Schedule.
Ay This documentation supports the observation finding that Wordwall was used as an interactive task during the while-listening stage, requiring students to listen to the audio and respond to the questions displayed on the screen.
Figure 4 shows the PowerPoint presentation slide used by the teacher before the Wordwall activity.
The slide introduced the topic and provided contextual support for the listening material.
This documentation supports the finding that the teacher prepared students through a pre-listening activity before moving to the Wordwall-based listening task.
The documentation findings confirmed that Wordwall was implemented as part of a structured listening activity supported by visual materials and classroom The photographs, screenshots, and slides strengthened the observation and interview findings by showing that students were involved in the learning process and that the activity was carried out through a combination of teacher explanation, audiobased listening, and interactive Wordwall tasks.
DISCUSSION
The findings show that Wordwall was implemented through a structured sequence that reflected the three stages of listening instruction: pre-listening, whilelistening, and post-listening.
This structure is consistent with RichardsAo .
view that effective listening instruction should help students prepare before listening, engage with spoken input during listening, and reflect on their understanding after listening.
This structured sequence is also in line with Vandergrift and GohAos .
view that effective APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Volume 5 No 2, 2026 second language listening instruction should guide learners before, during, and after listening so that they can prepare for input, monitor comprehension, and reflect on In the pre-listening stage, the teacher used PowerPoint slides to introduce vocabulary and contextual information related to the topic AuMy Class Schedule.
Ay This activity helped activate studentsAo prior knowledge before they listened to the audio.
the while-listening stage, students completed true-or-false tasks through Wordwall while listening to the audio, which required them to process spoken information and respond actively.
In the post-listening stage, the teacher reviewed the answers and discussed the results with the students, allowing them to confirm and consolidate their This staged implementation is important because listening comprehension requires students to process spoken language in real time.
As Brown .
explains, listening involves several stages of memory processing, and students may experience difficulty when unfamiliar input exceeds their processing capacity.
The use of vocabulary introduction and contextual support in the pre-listening stage helped reduce studentsAo linguistic uncertainty before they encountered the audio.
This finding is also consistent with SwellerAos .
Cognitive Load Theory, which emphasizes the importance of reducing unnecessary cognitive demands so that learners can focus on essential information during learning.
During the while-listening stage.
Wordwall provided visual support through questions displayed on the screen while students listened to the audio.
This combination of auditory and visual input is in line with MayerAos .
Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, which suggests that students can learn more effectively when information is presented through both verbal and visual channels.
In this study, the visual display of questions helped students focus on the listening task and provided additional support when they encountered unfamiliar words in the audio.
This is supported by studentsAo interview responses, which indicated that the displayed questions made the listening material easier to follow and understand.
The implementation of Wordwall also reflected constructivist learning principles because students were not only listening individually but also discussing, interpreting, and deciding answers with their peers.
Through group interaction, students were able to share ideas and support one another in completing the listening task.
This collaborative process created opportunities for students to construct understanding through social interaction and classroom experience.
Field notes also showed that several students stood up to see the screen more clearly, discussed answer choices with their groups, and responded actively during the game.
These findings suggest that Wordwall functioned not merely as a digital game, but as an interactive instructional medium that supported studentsAo engagement, collaboration, and active participation in EFL listening activities.
Students' Participation During Listening Activities Using Wordwall The findings indicate that Wordwall encouraged studentsAo participation during the EFL listening activity.
Observation results showed that most students were actively involved in answering questions, following game instructions, interacting with group members, and paying attention to the questions displayed on the screen.
These forms of participation reflect behavioral and affective engagement, as students were not only physically involved in answering questions and interacting with peers but also showed APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Volume 5 No 2, 2026 positive emotional responses during the activity (Fredricks et al.
, 2.
The low score for boredom and the limited technical difficulties also suggest that students were generally able to engage with the activity without major obstacles.
These observation findings were supported by interview data, in which students described the Wordwallbased listening activity as more enjoyable, interactive, and motivating than conventional listening tasks.
StudentsAo participation can be understood not only from their visible classroom behaviors but also from their affective responses during the activity.
Several students reported that the game-based format made the listening lesson feel less tense and reduced their fear of making mistakes.
This finding is relevant to KrashenAos .
affective filter theory, which suggests that lower anxiety can support language learning by making learners more open to language input.
In this study, the enjoyable and competitive features of Wordwall appeared to create a more relaxed classroom atmosphere, allowing students to focus more on the listening task and participate with greater confidence.
The findings also show that studentsAo participation was not completely uniform.
Although most indicators were rated in the Good to Very Good range, three indicators received moderate scores, namely studentsAo motivation to participate, speed in responding to questions, and enjoyment of the game-based learning atmosphere.
Field notes also indicated that approximately five to seven students, particularly those seated at the back of the classroom, participated less actively and sometimes waited for their peers to answer.
This suggests that although Wordwall can support classroom engagement, its use does not automatically ensure equal participation among all Therefore, teacher guidance remains important to encourage quieter or less responsive students to become more involved in the activity.
These findings are consistent with previous studies showing that Wordwall can promote student engagement and motivation in English learning.
Ulya et al.
found that Wordwall-based gamified learning supported studentsAo vocabulary recall and engagement, while Widadi and Anggoro .
reported that Wordwall interactive media increased studentsAo enthusiasm and classroom participation.
The present study extends these findings by showing how Wordwall supported participation specifically in junior high school EFL listening activities.
Unlike previous studies that focused mainly on vocabulary mastery or general learning outcomes, this study highlights studentsAo behavioral and affective participation during a listening task.
However, the findings also reveal that Wordwall did not completely remove studentsAo listening difficulties.
Some students still struggled with unfamiliar vocabulary and the speed of the audio, which are common challenges in EFL listening This is in line with Flowerdew and Miller .
and Nunan .
, who note that vocabulary limitations, fast speech, and processing demands often hinder learnersAo listening comprehension.
Nevertheless, the use of Wordwall appeared to help students manage these challenges by providing visual prompts, immediate tasks, and opportunities for peer discussion.
In this sense.
Wordwall did not eliminate the linguistic challenges of listening, but it helped create a supportive learning environment that encouraged students to remain engaged despite those difficulties.
CONCLUSION
APLIKATIF: Journal of Research Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Volume 5 No 2, 2026 This study investigated the implementation of Wordwall in EFL listening activities and studentsAo participation during those activities among seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 13 Malang.
The findings indicate that Wordwall was implemented through a structured sequence of pre-listening, while-listening, and post-listening activities.
Through this sequence, students were encouraged to answer questions, follow instructions, interact with peers, maintain attention, and participate more actively during the listening lesson.
Interview findings also showed that students perceived Wordwall as enjoyable and helpful in supporting their focus, confidence, and motivation during listening activities.
These findings suggest that Wordwall has the potential to support a more engaging and student-centered listening environment in junior high school EFL The combination of auditory input, visual prompts, and interactive tasks appeared to help students engage with listening materials more actively.
Practically, the findings imply that English teachers can use Wordwall as an alternative digital medium to support listening instruction, particularly when it is combined with vocabulary preparation, clear task instructions, peer interaction, and post-listening review.
However, this study has several limitations.
The data were collected from one class in a single school and during one main observation session, which limits the transferability of the findings to broader EFL contexts.
In addition, because this study employed a descriptive qualitative design, it did not measure studentsAo listening achievement quantitatively or examine the long-term effects of Wordwall use.
Future studies are therefore encouraged to involve more classes, extend the observation period, and employ mixed-methods or quasi-experimental designs to examine both studentsAo participation and their listening achievement more comprehensively.
REFERENCES