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Developing Vocabulary Game through “Eclipse Crossword” 

 
 Hesty Puspita Sari1, Nanik Sri Rahayu2, Julia Ike Darmayanti3 

13Unversitas Islam Balitar 
2UIN Tulungagung 

Correspondent author: hestysari1403 @gmail.com 
 

Accepted: 

Feb 12th 2022 

Reviewed:  

March 17th 2022 

Published:  

May 30th 2022 

 

Abstract:  This research is aimed to develop a vocabulary game by utilizing an eclipse crossword 
web application. It is done to motivate the third-semester students of Baltar Islamic University in 
learning vocabulary. This research is Research and Development (R&D), which used the ADDIE’s 
model. It consists of analyzing, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating. This means, 
at the end of the research, a specific product is produced. It is a puzzle game through eclipse 
crossword which can be used in the learning process and overcome the students’ problems with 
vocabulary lack. The data was collected through interviews, questionnaires, documentation, and 
test. The result of the research showed that the result for all validation was 88%. The score was 
categorized as “very good” with intervals 80% < x ≤ 100%. So, the development of a vocabulary 
game through eclipse crossword for learning vocabulary was valid to be implemented for the third-
semester students of Islamic Balitar University. So, in another word the students absolutely agree 
with using an eclipse crossword in learning vocabulary. 

 

Keyword:  Teaching, Vocabulary, Crossword 

 

INTRODUCTION 

Education today is in the area of rapid technology development. The rapid technology 

requires rapid innovation in education through designing and developing learning strategies, 

methods, management, activity, and even learning media. For easy learning, students can start by 

learning vocabulary due to is the basic component of English. Having vocabulary media in the 

English classroom makes the teacher easy to teach and motivates the students happy to learn. 

Media in the teaching and learning process will not only lead the students to easy learning and 

create joyful learning but also prosecute the students to think creatively. 1 concludes that learning 

media can be understood as a tool to deliver the message and to create a conducive learning 

environment in which acceptance can carry out the learning process efficiently and effectively. 2 

Learning media can be developed through various media products, such as books, modules, based 

on android applications, web-based applications, etc. As a medium of learning in this modern era, 

researchers create innovation by making a puzzle through an eclipse crossword. The application 

of using media in the learning process is very important as a support for students’ activity to create 

creative thinking and do joyful learning. In the era of digital industry 4.0, applying technology is 

the most appropriate technique to be applied in learning vocabulary 3. Teachers and students can 

 
1 Triyadi (2015) 
2 Sari et al., (2018) 
3 Ruth Maharani and Hesty Sari, “Developing Mobile Application Based on Android for Learning Vocabulary 

for Grade Ten,” Advances in Educational Technology 1, no. 1 (2022): 23–30; Hesty Puspita Sari and Wahyu Dwi Lestari, 
“Designing Superlary Game to Learn Vocabulary of Tenth Grade Students,” EDUCATIO: Journal of Education 5, no. 



 
 
EDUCATIO : Journal Of Education 
Volume 7 , Number 1, May 2022 
 ISSN : 2579-8383 (Print) ISSN : 2579-8405 (Online)_____________________________________________________________ 
 

Volume 7, Number 1, May 2022 | 34  

  

create several activities with technology. 

Arsyad  4 state that the media if understood board is human, material, or events that build 

conditions, caused students to get knowledge, skill, and behaviors. Means, teachers, textbooks, and 

the school environment are media. Those are surrounding us and can be taken to get, process, and 

build verbal and visual information called by media. Bober & Dennen 5 emphasizes that learning 

media is an effective media to be applied in the teaching process with an arranged plan. For several 

reasons above can be concluded that media is a tool, a means, and a medium to deliver messages 

or information easily. Teachers or lecturers can conduct a learning process using media to help 

them easily deliver material to the students. Of course, the students will pay more attention and 

motivation to learn. Students who have less motivation will be motivated by having media in the 

learning process. In teaching vocabulary, media give benefits for students to memorize the words. 

Wahyuni 6 states that vocabulary is the total number of words that make up a language. 

How could we speak without several numbers of word? While Schmitt7 adds that 

vocabulary is one of the most recognized components of language. R o h m a t i l l a h  8views 

vocabulary items as a  boring list of words that must be defined and memorized by the student,  

lexical forms are  seen  in  their central  role in contextualized, meaningful language.  

According to Sari9,  vocabulary can be defined roughly as the words we teach in a foreign 

language. However, a new item of vocabulary may be more than a single word: “post office” 

which is made up of two words “post” which means place or station, and “office” which means 

agency or organization but expresses a single idea that is “Kantor pos”.  It means that every new 

word in t h e  foreign language taught by the teacher is used for the students’ daily conversation 

based on the level.  

Nation 10 says that there are some techniques in presenting vocabulary. Recognizing, 

hearing, pronouncing, grasping the meaning, practicing from meaning, reading the word, and 

writing the word. Grasping meaning can be applied in the teaching-learning process where the 

teacher doesn’t give the meaning of the word directly but he/she puts across the meaning 

definition, opposites, synonyms, dramatization, realia, and picture. From the definition above 

vocabulary means a word or more which expresses the meaning or idea to construct sentences 

for communication. 

One of the strategies that aim at improving the mastery of vocabulary in this digital era is 

by applying technology in the classroom. Having a crossword puzzle is one strategy that can be 

applied in the classroom where students are familiar with the gadget. The greatest influence on 

actual classroom practice has come from the lexical approach advocated where crossword puzzle 

usage can foster vocabulary acquisition and thereby make a significant contribution to language 

learning 11. 

Several ways to create a crossword puzzle. The crossword puzzle can be designed paper-

 
2 (2020): 159–168. 

4 Arsyad, (2011) 
5 Bober & Dennen (2001) 
6 Wahyuni, (2012) 
7 Schmitt & Schmitt (2020) 
8 Rohmatillah, (2014) 
9 Sari, (2008) 
10 Nation (1982) 
11 Jack Burston, “Theoretical Foundations of Crossword Puzzle Usage in Foreign Language Vocabulary 

Acquisition” (ResearchGate, 2005). 



 
 
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Volume 7 , Number 1, May 2022 
 ISSN : 2579-8383 (Print) ISSN : 2579-8405 (Online)_____________________________________________________________ 
 

Volume 7, Number 1, May 2022 | 35  

  

based or computer-based.  Some computer-based are crossword makers, crossword puzzle games, 

or eclipse crossword.  Eclipse crossword is an application for making a crossword. The teacher 

can design a class game of crossword puzzles by eclipse crossword.  

 Based on the results of observations on vocabulary learning conducted at Balitar Islamic 

University in the 3rd-semester students in April 2019, the third-semester students still did not 

master the vocabulary well. Having a lack of vocabulary makes it the students difficult to practice 

their English. Furthermore, the teacher has tried several techniques to overcome the silent class 

where the students do not active in learning English. With the emergence of these problems, 

researchers developed a puzzle material through an eclipse crossword" as a learning medium in 

the vocabulary class for third-semester students at Balitar Islamic University. For this reason, 

researchers developed media to help students memorize their vocabulary quickly and easily. 

 

METHOD  

        In this research, the researcher made a vocabulary game in a form of a puzzle by eclipse 

crossword to improve students’ vocabulary mastery. Therefore, the researcher used Research and 

Development (R&D) as a research design. While the approach used by the researcher is the 

qualitative descriptive approach 12. The result of learning information technology by the ADDIE 

model can enrich the teacher pedagogy in the learning process and o41vercome the problems of 

interaction in the teaching-learning process. 

The researcher adopted this framework and research procedure from ADDIE’S model. 

This model is very simple to conduct. It consists of analyzing, designing, developing, 

implementing, and evaluating 13. This means, at the end of the research, a specific product is 

produced. It is a puzzle game through eclipse crossword which can be used in the learning process 

and overcome the students’ problems with vocabulary lack. 

This model is used by the researcher because this stage was appropriate for developing the 

media. The stages can be shown below : 

 
Diagram 1: ADDIE’s model 

 

 

This model has 5 steps to produce a product. Each step has a different goal to be targeted. They 

 
12 Sophie Laws et al., Research for Development: A Practical Guide (Sage, 2013). 
13 Rifqa Gusmida and Nur Islami, “The Development of Learning Media for the Kinetic Theory of Gases 

Using the ADDIE Model with Augmented Reality,” Journal of Educational Sciences 1, no. 1 (2017): 1–10. 



 
 
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Volume 7 , Number 1, May 2022 
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are: 

1. Analyzing 

Analyzing the need of developing a learning model. Developing the new learning model is 

begun with the problems of the old model. After analysis, the problems need to develop a 

new learning model. The process of analysis may answer the questions of whether the new 

model can overcome the learning problem or not, whether the new model can be applicated 

in the learning activity, and whether the lecturer can applicate the new model or not.  

2. Designing 

The steps in designing a learning model are almost similar to designing a learning activity. It 

is a systematic process that begins with stating the goal, planning the activity, and designing 

the material. The design in this step is k 

Conceptual design is a basis for developing the product.  

3. Developing 

Development in ADDIE’s model is product design realization based on a product plan suited 

to the model structure. This step is also creating the instrument to measure the use of the 

product. 

4. Implementing 

The product is applied in this step in the learning process. After applying it, the interaction 

among the students and the evaluation process is done to do product reflection. 

5. Evaluating 

In the evaluation, the researcher looks at the impact of learning, measures product 

development, measures the learner’s achievement, and finds the information to make the 

students get a good achievement. 

        In this research, the researcher used validators. They were validators of material and 

validators of media. The validation aims to make the product become better in quality.  

The analysis used in this research is descriptive analysis with the steps below: 

1. Collecting the data from the expert, media, lecturers, and students 

2. The tabulation used is the Likert scale. 

Table 1:  Likert scale 
 

Skor Predicate 

1 Sangat Kurang 

2 Kurang 

3 Cukup 

4 Baik  

5 Sangat baik 

 

The structure is 

X = average score of each component 

∑x= the sum of the gotten score 

N= the sum of aspect  

Eko P.Widoyoko (2013: 238) states that: 

 



 
 
EDUCATIO : Journal Of Education 
Volume 7 , Number 1, May 2022 
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Table  2: the formula of quantitative data to qualitative data 

 

 
RESULT AND DISCUSSION  

 

The first step was taken by the researcher to know the student’spotentialn is by giving 

unstructured observation and interview. The researcher developed the design and the product in 

5 steps. They are analyzing, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating. The research 

final is producing a specific product that is a crossword puzzle to help the teacher run the class 

and to overcome students’ difficulties in mastering vocabulary. 

Here is the flowchart for developing a vocabulary game through eclipse crossword. 

 

 
Flowchart of product design development 



 
 
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Volume 7 , Number 1, May 2022 
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The researchers develop the design and the product in 5 steps. It is based on ADDIE’s 

model. They are analyzing, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating.  

Analyzing 

The researcher analyzes the need for learning. The analysis is done by doing class observation, 

whether the students are motivated or not in learning English, especially in vocabulary class. 

After doing observation, the researcher listed the problems and try to develop a new learning 

model. In this step, the students were given a questionnaire to get the point of the problem.  

Designing 

The researcher designed the learning model. She started by planning, revising, and evaluating. 

She listed the noun, verb, adverb, and adjective. Students will be asked to fill the crossword 

based on the question. Finally, she got a new conceptual learning model.  

Developing 

The researcher developed a product. The product is a crossword game. She developed it using 

ADDIE’s model. The development is based on product planning. The researcher developed 

the crossword puzzle in the following steps: 

1. Opening the eclipse crossword creation wizard 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Create a word list 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 
 
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3. Modify a word list 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Name your crossword 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Define your crossword size 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Your crossword puzzle is ready 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 
 
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7. You can either print or save your crossword puzzle on the web 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Implementing 

The researcher implemented the product in a learning process. She tried applying crossword 

puzzles in vocabulary class. The implementation is ended by giving a reflection on the class 

situation and the use of the crossword puzzle. 

Evaluating 

The researcher evaluated to get the impact of learning. The evaluation is done by doing the 

test. It is done not only to know the student’s achievement but also the effectiveness of using 

crosswords. The percentage score of the crossword puzzle for teaching vocabulary by 

validators consists of the validation media and material. Listed in the table below: 

 

 

No Validator Component Percentage Criteria 

1 Validation of media 

“crossword puzzle” 

The media presentation 

of a crossword puzzle 

89,00% Very good 

2 Validations of material Content of material  87,00% Very good 

               Average   88,00% Very good 

 

 

CONCLUSION 

The students’ questionnaire shows that the use of the puzzle game eclipse crossword as a 

learning media in vocabulary class was very interesting. They can enjoy learning by game. The 

researcher also found a significant difference between before and after implementing crossword 

puzzles in vocabulary class. 

Based on the result of development, it can be concluded that developing a crossword 

puzzle trought the eclipse crossword is effective in improving students’ competence in vocabulary. 

Moreover, the researcher suggests implementing a game, especially crossword puzzles as 

a learning medium in vocabulary class. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Result of the Recapitulation Validation  



 
 
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