The Effects Of Playing Online Games On Students’ Achievements In English Lesson

Technological developments make online games increasingly known throughout the community as a means of entertainment and even as a sport. Several studies showed advantages and disadvantages effects of playing online games towards students’ academic performance. This study aims to investigate the effects of playing online games on students’ achievements in English lesson. The researcher employed qualitative method. The participants of this research were 10 students of 2nd grade and 2 English teachers of SMPN 8 Banda Aceh. The students were chosen by using purposive sampling technique with the characteristic of having high intensity of playing online games. The data collections of this study were interview and documentation through the students’ report card. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The research indicated that playing online games has both positive and negative effects on students' school achievement in English lesson. Despite of having high intensity of playing online games, 6 out of 10 students managed to increase their English lesson score. Lastly, English teachers perceived that well managed activity perform by students resulted in positive or adverse effects towards the students’ achievements in English lesson.