The Effect of Educational Games on Generation Z Students’ Interest in Fiqih Learning

Abstract

Educational games offer an interactive approach to Fiqh instruction that may enhance students’ engagement and interest in learning; however, comparative empirical evidence remains limited. This study examined the effect of educational game-based instruction on seventh-grade students’ interest in learning Fiqh at MTs Negeri 2 Banyuwangi. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design was employed with 60 students from two classes selected through cluster random sampling, comprising 30 students in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. The experimental group received educational game-based Fiqh instruction for eight sessions, while the control group received conventional instruction. Learning interest was measured using a validated Likert-scale questionnaire with satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .822). The experimental group’s mean score increased from 46.06 to 67.23 (gain = 21.17), compared with an increase from 44.06 to 46.76 (gain = 2.70) in the control group. The posttest difference between groups was statistically significant (t = 15.117, p < .001). These findings indicate that educational game-based instruction was associated with substantially greater learning interest than conventional instruction within the study context. Nevertheless, the findings should be interpreted cautiously because the study involved only two intact classes from a single school and did not fully account for potential class-level and learning-environment differences.