THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TOKEN ECONOMY IN IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGE VOCABULARY MASTERY AMONG MA’HAD STUDENTS UIN MALANG

Abstrak

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui efektivitas teknik token economy dalam meningkatkan penguasaan kosakata bahasa asing pada mahasantri di lingkungan ma’had. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif eksperimen dengan desain one-group pretest-posttest. Subjek penelitian berjumlah 30 mahasantri yang dipilih menggunakan teknik purposive sampling berdasarkan kriteria mengikuti program hafalan kosakata bahasa asing dan menunjukkan inkonsistensi dalam penyetoran hafalan. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui tes penguasaan kosakata (pretest dan posttest) serta monitoring hafalan harian. Analisis data menggunakan paired sample t-test atau Wilcoxon signed-rank test sesuai hasil uji normalitas, disertai pengukuran effect size menggunakan Cohen’s d. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan adanya peningkatan signifikan pada penguasaan kosakata bahasa asing mahasantri setelah penerapan teknik token economy (p < 0,05). Skor posttest menunjukkan hasil yang lebih tinggi dibandingkan pretest, yang mengindikasikan bahwa sistem penguatan berbasis poin dan reward efektif dalam meningkatkan konsistensi hafalan kosakata. Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa teknik token economy dapat menjadi strategi pembelajaran berbasis behavioristik yang efektif untuk mendukung peningkatan penguasaan kosakata bahasa asing di lingkungan ma’had.

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the token economy technique in improving foreign language vocabulary mastery among mahasantri in a ma’had environment. The study employed a quantitative experimental approach using a one-group pretest-posttest design. The participants consisted of 30 mahasantri selected through purposive sampling based on the following criteria: participating in a foreign language vocabulary memorization program and demonstrating inconsistency in vocabulary submission. Data were collected through vocabulary mastery tests (pretest and posttest) and daily memorization monitoring. Data analysis was conducted using a paired sample t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test based on the results of the normality test, complemented by effect size measurement using Cohen’s d. The findings revealed a significant improvement in students’ foreign language vocabulary mastery after the implementation of the token economy technique (p < 0.05). Posttest scores were higher than pretest scores, indicating that a point-based reinforcement and reward system effectively improved the consistency of vocabulary memorization. These findings suggest that the token economy technique can serve as an effective behaviorist learning strategy to enhance foreign language vocabulary mastery in the ma’had environment.