EXPLORING ROBLOX GAMES AS A TOOL VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT IN EFL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

This research paper aims to examine how the Roblox platform can be used as an online platform to improve the English vocabulary of college-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. Although there is a wealth of literature on the use of digital games in language learning, research on Roblox specifically regarding thematic vocabulary and its acquisition process is still limited. This study is a descriptive qualitative study with a phenomenological touch. The study population consisted of students of the English Language Education Study Program at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, and a sample of 15-20 students who actively use Roblox. The snowball sampling method was used for sample collection. The research instruments included semi-structured interviews, open-ended questionnaires, observations of gameplay activities, and documentation in the form of screenshots of in-game interactions. Thematic analysis method was used to analyze the data to determine patterns of students' experiences, strategies, and perceptions in learning vocabulary using Roblox. The findings indicate that students learned new vocabulary naturally due to in-game instructions, mission objectives, item descriptions, and interactions with other players. In addition, students used a number of strategies including contextual inference, peer support, and online translators to interpret unfamiliar words. This study concludes that Roblox can be another contextual, interactive, and self-paced vocabulary learning tool that can be used in English language learning in higher education.