Educational Communication Through Snake Ladder Gamification Media in Increasing Learning Motivation at Madrasah Ibtidaiyah

This study addresses the persistent challenge of low learning motivation in Akidah Akhlak (Moral Beliefs) education at Madrasah Ibtidaiyah, where traditional teacher-centered approaches create passive learning environments. The research examines the effectiveness of educational communication through snake and ladder gamification media in enhancing student motivation at MIN 8 Ciamis. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design, 60 fourth-grade students were divided into experimental (n=30) and control (n=30) groups. Data were collected through ARCS Model-based motivation questionnaires, systematic classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and achievement tests. Results demonstrate significant transformation from one-way to multi-directional communication patterns, encompassing vertical dialogic, horizontal collaborative, learning mediation, and intrapersonal reflective communication. The experimental group showed substantial motivation improvement (78.45%) with N-Gain score of 0.76 (high category), compared to 20.78% in the control group (p