Students’ Experiences in Using Interactive Games in Speaking Activities: Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies
Keywords:
Interactive Games, speaking skill, students experienceAbstract
Speaking is one of the most important skills in learning English, yet many learners experience difficulties due to psychological barriers, limited vocabulary, and lack of confidence. To address these issues, interactive games are often used to create a more engaging and supportive learning environment. This study aims to explore students’ experiences in using interactive games to support their speaking skills at Mr. Bob Kampung Inggris, Pare. This research employed a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews involving university students from various academic backgrounds who joined speaking classes at Mr. Bob. The data were analyzed through coding, categorizing, and thematic analysis based on the components of speaking skills proposed by Haris (as cited in Juhana, 2012) including comprehension, fluency, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. The findings reveal that interactive games provide several benefits, such as increasing students’ confidence, motivation, and active participation. However, students also faced challenges related to nervousness, vocabulary limitations, and fluency. To overcome these challenges, students applied various coping strategies, including pausing, asking for clarification, rephrasing ideas, and spontaneous speaking. Overall, interactive games were perceived as an effective medium that supports positive speaking experiences and encourages students to practice English more confidently.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Reanita Saskia, Reny Heryanti, Hidayati
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