THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CROSSWORD PUZZLES WITH VARIED CLUE TYPES ON VOCABULARY MASTERY AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN JEMBER

This study examines the effectiveness of crossword puzzles that integrate various type of clues inimproving vocabulary mastery among secondary school students in an EFL learning environment.Vocabulary learning in the classroom can be challenging, as students have limited opportunities tointeract with English. On the other hand, empirical research focusing on teaching strategies withstructured instructional support is also limited. Therefore, this study aims to examine whether using ofcrossword puzzles that integrate varied clue types can support vocabulary learning. This studyemployed a pre-experimental one group pretest-posttest design, supported by qualitative data collectedthrough questionnaires. Because the distribution of vocabulary test scores was not normal, non-parametric analysis was performed. Qualitative findings indicate that clues integrated into crosswordpuzzles support students, including definitions, synonyms, antonyms, fill-in-the-blanks, and pictureswith letter clues in each grid, which help students recall the target vocabulary they have learned , inturn increase their confidence during the activity. The results of the study indicate that crosswordpuzzles with varied clue types improved students’ vocabulary development and engagement in a ruralEFL classroom. In practice, the findings suggest that teachers may adapt crossword puzzles with variedclue types as a low-cost accessible strategy to support vocabulary learning in contexts where exposureto English and instructional resources are limited.