Sihombing, Tirsa Tesalonika Aurora. 2026. The Effect of Zep on the Tenth Grade Students’ Reading Achievement. SARJANA’S THESIS, English Language Education Program. Faculty of Teachers’ Training and Education, Lambung Mangkurat University. The first advisor: Raisa Fadilla, M.Pd., the second advisor: Inayati Fitriyah Asrimawati, M.Pd.

Keywords: Zep, reading achievement, teaching reading, Blooket

Reading is a crucial receptive skill that supports knowledge acquisition and overall language development. Even so, tenth-grade students at SMKN 2 Banjarmasin still experience difficulties in reading comprehension, which is reflected in low reading achievement. Gamification is a tool that has potential to address this problem. Therefore, this study aims to determine whether there is a difference in reading achievement between students using Zep and those using Blooket in tenth-grade students at SMKN 2 Banjarmasin.

This research used a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design. The research was conducted at SMKN 2 Banjarmasin, involving 68 students from class X DKV-A (experimental) and X BCF-B (control). The experimental class used Zep while the control class used Blooket. Data were obtained through objective pre-tests and post-tests to measure students' reading achievement before and after treatment. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, with the Mann-Whitney U test to determine differences between the two groups.

The finding reveals that there is a difference effect between the two classes, where students in the experimental class (Zep) achieved a greater post-test score with a mean of 89.41 than the control class (Blooket) with a mean of 84.29. These results were then concluded through the Mann-Whitney U test, with p < 0.05 (p = 0.039), which means the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted. This means that Zep has a greater positive effect on students' reading achievement than Blooket. From this result, it is recommended for teacher and students to use Zep as a tool for reading within classroom activity.