Improving Vocabulary Mastery through Japanese Anime Subtitles: An Experimental Study of A Silent Voice

MENINGKATKAN PENGUASAAN KOSAKATA MELALUI SUBTITLE ANIME JEPANG: STUDI EKSPERIMEN PADA A SILENT VOICE

Abstract

Vocabulary mastery plays a central role in language learning as it directly supports the development of other language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. However, many EFL learners continue to face difficulties in mastering vocabulary due to limited exposure to authentic language input. This study aimed to investigate the impact of Japanese anime subtitles on students’ vocabulary mastery. The research employed a quantitative approach using a one-group pretest posttest design. The participants were tenth-grade students at SMA Ahmad Yani 2 Baureno, who were given a pretest to measure their initial vocabulary mastery, followed by treatment through the use of Japanese anime subtitles, and finally a posttest to measure the outcome of the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a paired-samples t-test. The findings indicated that students’ vocabulary mastery improved significantly after the treatment, with the mean score increasing from 9.45 in the pretest to 12.41 in the posttest. The results also showed greater consistency in students’ performance, as reflected by the narrowing gap between the lowest and highest scores. The t-test confirmed that the improvement was statistically significant, suggesting that the use of subtitled anime had a strong and meaningful effect on vocabulary mastery. In conclusion, the study highlights the potential of integrating Japanese anime subtitles into EFL teaching as an engaging and effective strategy to improve vocabulary mastery, while also recommending future research with larger samples and control groups