INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
of the Research
English
is a foreign language that is usually taught at school from elementary up to
University levels. Learning English vocabulary is one of the components which
supports other skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. English
learners should know some words as a basis in learning a language. In learning a
language, vocabulary is one of the language aspects that seem very important.
The
importance of learning vocabulary is also expressed by some linguists.
Alkhufaishi (1996:42), for example, states that: “Vocabulary is one of the
major problems in confronting the students of English foreign language program.
They cannot actively communicate their ideas as clear they would like to and
cannot read also grasp their ideas if they do not master sufficient levels of
vocabulary.
Vocabulary as one of the language
aspects have to be learned when people are learning a language. Good mastery of
vocabulary is important for anyone who learns the language used in listening,
speaking, writing, and reading besides grammar. A learner of the foreign
language will speak fluently and accurately, write easily, or understand what
he or she reads or hears if he or she has enough vocabulary and has a
capability of using it accurately. Burton (1982: 98) says “without a large
vocabulary, it is impossible to use English language precisely and vividly”.
According to Collier (1971:1), “when a student has mastered the fundamental
grammatical patterns of language, his next task is to master its vocabulary, or
at least that of its vocabulary that he needs“.
Mastering English is not easy. It
takes years to refine, extend and develop linguistic habits either in the
mother tongue or in the second language proficiency. It is never achieved in
the six years of elementary school. Therefore, teaching English to elementary
students has been considered important in recent years. Teaching English in
elementary school is not the same as teaching English to adult students. They are
very much different. The teachers who are involved in teaching learning process
in to elementary student’s classes have to adapt appropriate techniques and methods
to accommodate the need and motivations of the elementary students.
Young
students get bored very easily in learning process as it is said by
Gnoinska:
Many students
consider learning vocabulary a tedious job. They try studying lists of words,
with their spelling, pronunciation, meaning, synonyms, etc. only to realize a
few hours later that their results are hardly satisfactory. They start blaming
their poor memories. They say they are discouraged by the number of words in
English and their complex usage. They come to rely on incidental learning,
finding intentional studying boring and inefficient. Some authors writing about
human motivation seem to support such students’ opinions (Spaulding 1992). They
say that learning words is a task which cannot possibly be intrinsically
motivating. Teachers, however, keep looking for ways to substitute rote
repetition with more effective techniques and to make learning vocabulary
easier and more pleasant. They develop various mnemonic strategies employing
action, music, drawing and fantasy. With this idea in mind, I also set out to
conduct classroom research looking not so much for scientifically significant
data but for practical ways to make classes more lively and help students
acquire English vocabulary.
In
relevance with the problems described above, the writer also found the same problems
at the first year students of MTsS Nisam where the students in the school were
very less motivated in English learning and they were very easily got bored and
even some of them fell asleep during English class which made them lack of
vocabulary. These problems are presented based on the writer’s preliminary
study before writing this proposal.
Basically,
learning is one of the primary activities of students in the classroom.
Successful learning is only on the right way to lead the process. Good learning
atmosphere and method can guide the students to learn more and meaningfully. To
deal with such the conditions, English teachers must create varitype and
attractive methods for the class about what they should do if their students
get bored easily in learning process.
There are many ways of making
learning process attractive. One of them is through games. Using varitype games
can be an alternative solution to handle many problems. Games, as a matter of
fact, can help and encourage students to sustain their interest and work (Dynne, 2001:77).
One
of the game
Finally, the writer concludes that teaching-learning
English vocabulary is a hard task, but there is always way out to any kind of
problem. In this case that teaching vocabulary by using games has an importance
role for elementary teachers and students. The first, as students, they have
strong and good motivation to deepen English language. The second, they are
easy to accept the English language because they learn by playing games that
nowadays has been grown and developed in Indonesia. The third, teaching English
vocabulary using games can help teacher in teaching learning process.
1.2 The
Problem of the Research
The
problems of this research are in the following:
1. Can “Animal Quiz’ game improve
the students’ vocabulary?
2.
Can the “Animal Quiz” game motivate the
students in learning English?
3.
What are the advantages of using “Animal
Quiz’ game in teaching and learning English vocabulary?
1.3 The
Purpose of the Research
The
purposes of the research are bellow:
1. To find out if “Animal Quiz’ game
can improve the students’ vocabulary.
2. What are the advantages of using
“Animal Quiz’ game in teaching and learning English vocabulary
3. To research if “Animal Quiz’ game
can motivate the students in learning English.
1.4 The
Significance of the Research
Hopefully
the research will be useful in many ways. First, practically, this research can
improve the students’ vocabulary. Second, practically it can be used as a model
to improve the students’ vocabulary and it may guide, help and encourage the students
during English class. Third, theoritically the finding of the research will be
a good educational contribution to the school in teaching and learning English.
And last, theorically, the result of this research is useful either for the
writer or others.
1.5
The Scope of the Research
Since
the range of vocabulary is very broad including all part of speech, the research
will be focused on Verb to be like is am are and etc because verb to be is the
most common words used by people speaking English.
1.6 The Definition
of key terms
1. “Improving is changing thing to
be better or perfect by effort”. (Winston Churchill, http://www.answers.com/improve&r=67),
in this case, it means that the writer want to research if using “the Jakarta
post “ newspaper in teaching and learning can improve the students’ ability in
mastering English vocabulary.
2. Vocabulary is a list of words and
sometime phrase usually arranged in alphabetical other and define, etc (Noah
Webster, 1997:2046).According to oxford leaner’s pocket dictionary (2003:482),
vocabulary is all the words that a person knows or uses; all the words in
language; and all the words with their meanings, especial in a book for
learning a foreign language.
3. “Animal Quiz” is the name of game
which is widely used in teaching English to Elementary students (Granger
1998:43).
4.
Classroom Action Research is a form of
reflective research that is conducted by teacher which its result can be used
as a tool to improve the teaching and learning (Asrori, 2008:4).
1.7
The Review of the Related Literature
In this part of the thesis proposal,
the writer explains some of the variables that lie in this thesis proposal as the
theorical consideration of the research.
1.71
The Definition of Vocabulary
Vocabulary,
as one of important language aspect, needs to be mastered by language learner
in order to enable to communicate or to express their ideas, feeling, and
thoughts fluently in oral form lack or insufficiency of one’s vocabulary may
cause miscommunication.
Definition of vocabulary can be
found from many references Webster states (1977:2046) “Vocabulary is all the
words recognized and understood by a particular person, although not
necessarily used by him. It is a list of words and sometime phrases usually
arranged in alphabetical order”. Collins and Brash (1983:1315) defines
“Vocabulary as a listing, either selective or exhaustive, containing the words
and phrases of a language with meaning or translation into another language”.
Those definitions suggest that vocabulary is words and phrase of a language,
and in this case is English.
According
to Norbert Schmitt (1987:5) defines “Vocabulary is a basic of a language; it is
very important to be mastered first”. We cannot speak well and understand
written materials if we do not master it. Norbert Schmitt (1987:1177) states
that: no matter how successfully the sound of the foreign language is mastered,
without words to express the wider range of meanings. Communication in a
foreign language just cannot happen in any meaningful way.
According
to Collier (1971:1) when a student has mastered the fundamental grammatical
patterns of language, his next task is to master its vocabulary, or at least
that of its vocabulary that he need. It is obvious that vocabulary is very
important in learning a language, especially English, because the English
vocabulary is extremely large and varies as well. Therefore, it is highly
essential for English teachers to help their students in mastering vocabulary.
1.7.2
The Importance of Vocabulary
In mastering a language, vocabulary,
as one of language aspects, is very important to be built. The students will
faced a lot of problems and difficulties in developing the language skills if
they do not have enough vocabulary. Brown, James L (1956: 125) “If you are short
of word you may also be short on ideas. This will handicap you in school or
college, on the job, at home or elsewhere but if you now many words, you are
likely to have a wealth or ideas. You are better able to understand what you
read or hear. You are better able to express yourself when you talk or
write”. Conversely it would be
impossible for one who does not have enough vocabulary to communicate his ideas
as clearly as he would like to by using the language either in oral or written.
Concerning this Krashen
and Terrell (1983:136) say: “Vocabulary is also important for acquisition
process. We acquire morphology and syntax because we understand the meaning
utterances. Thus acquisition depends crucially on the input being
comprehension. Comprehensibility is dependent directly on the ability to
recognize the meaning of the key elements in utterance. Thus acquisition will
not take place without comprehension of vocabulary”.
1.7.3
The Characteristic of Children as
Learners
Slattery and Willis (2001:56)
describe the characteristic of children
as learners:
a. They
are developing quickly as individuals;
it means that they have difference in language acquisition.
b. Learn
in a variety of ways, for example; by watching, by listening, by imitating and
by doing things. It
means children learn their knowledge through what they see, heard in their
surrounding and then imitate it and imitating by doing things (children learn
by doing).
c.
Are not able to understand grammatical rules and
explanations about language.
Children are not understanding about the rule of language, they only imitate
what they are seeing and hearing.
d. Try to
make sense of situations by making use of non-verbal clues. Children will do imitate, it
means learning by doing.
e.
Talk in their mother tongue about they understand
and do this helps them learn.
It means they use their mother tongue to understand everything.
f.
Can generally imitate the sounds they hear quite accurately
and copy the way adults speak. It
means they do imitation, memorization, practice and over learning, what the
people are said.
g.
Are naturally curious. They have strong willingness to know what they see
and hear in their surroundings.
h.
Love to play and use their imagination. It means they are learning
while playing.
i.
Are comfortable with routines and enjoy repetition. It means they need habit to
learn.
j.
Have quite a short attention span and need variety. Because they are learning while
playing, it is needed many ways to make them understand what the teacher means
1.7.4
Teaching English Vocabulary-Using Games
Language learning is hard work.
Effort is required at every moment and must be maintained over a long period.
Games help and encourage many learners to sustain their interest and work.
Games also help the teacher to create contexts in which the language is useful
and meaningful. The learners want to take part and in order to do so must
understand what others are saying or have written, and they must speak or write
in order to express their own point of view or give information (Dynne, 2001:78).
The need for meaningfulness in
language learning has been accepted for some years. A useful interpretation of
meaningfulness is that the learners respond to the content in a definite way.
If they are amused, angered, intrigued or surprised the content is clearly meaningful
to them. Thus, the meaning of the language they listen to, read, speak and
write will be more vividly experienced and, therefore, better remembered (Dynne, 2001:78).
There are many kinds of games which
can be used in teaching English. Of course, as a technique games need help from
media. The media can be picture, flash cards, object, puppet, cassette,
projector and many others object surround them. It is better if the games are
familiar for children, because they learn in a variety of ways, for example; by
watching, by listening, by imitating and by doing things. It means children
learn their knowledge through what they see, heard in their surrounding and
then imitate it and imitating by doing things (children learn by doing) (Dynne, 2001:80).
1.8 The Research of the
Methodology.
The methodology of this research
will be undertaken based on the following details below.
1.8.1
The Design of the Research.
The design of the study is Collaborative Classroom Action
Research. As it explained by Asrory, (2008:45) that Collaborative Classroom
Action Research is kind of a Classroom Action Therefore, in this research the
writer together with the assistance of another related teacher and the
principal of the school will do the research in team work. The writer adds that
they will be very pleasant and supportive helping the writer in doing this
research.
1.8.2 The Setting and the Subject of the
Research
The research will be done one in SD
N 1 Peudada. The Subject of the research is the sixth year students of the
school. The number of the students in
the class is 25 students. The students are taken as the subject of the study
because the students are lack of vocabulary.
1.8.3 The Instrument in Collecting Data
In this research, the writer will
collect the data through the following instruments below:
-
Pretest,
it is used to identify the problem as the basic knowledge to do the research.
-
Posttest,
it is used to measure the development of the student achievement in mastering
grammar based on the criteria success made by the writer and the collaborators.
-
Observation
Checklist Forms, it is used to obtain information on how the practitioner
implement the prepared planning and procedures, especially to find information
whether the assessment instruments prepared could be used as well as possible.
It is also used to gather data about the students’ activity during the teaching
learning process.
1.8.4
The Procedure of the Research
Action research is done through many repeated cycles and
there are at least two cycles in action research. Each cycle consists of four
steps; planning, action, observation and reflection (Asrory, 2008:90). The
activities that will be done in each step of the cycles will be based on
Stephen Kemmis dan Robin Mc Taggert guidance in (Arikunto, 2005:54). The
activities are described in the following:
1.
Planning
In this
step the team will prepare everything for the completion of the action in the
class like completing modeling session, designing a lesson plan, verifying the
schedule, and etc.
2.
Action
In this
step, the team will choose a proper teacher to do the action which has been
prepared by the team the planning step.
3.
Observation
In this step, the writer will
observe students’ motivation and behavior, the classroom atmosphere, the
advantageous of applying the proposed technique in teaching vocabulary during
action process.
4. Reflection
In this step, the writer
together with the team will reflect on the effects of the above steps as a
basis for further planning, subsequent action and so on, through a succession
of cycles.
The writer also provides a
figure which explains the procedure of action research. It is as the following
below:
1.8.6
The Schedule of the Research.
The
research will be completed in four months and commenced immediately after this thesis
proposal approved by the head of English Department of Al Muslim University.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alkhufaishi, Adil. 1996. A Vocabulary Building
Program is Necessary not a Luxury. London: English Teaching Forum.
Asrori, Muhammad. 2008. Penelitian
Tindakan Kelas Bandung, CV Wacana Prima.
Brown, James L. 1956. “Efficient
Reading”, New York: Regent Publishing Company.
Collins. 1983. Nw Collins International Dictionary of the
English Language.
Collier,
1971. “The Key to English Vocabulary, London: Collier Macmillan Limited,
Cameron Dynne, 2001 “Teaching
Language to Young Learners” Berlin: Cambridge University Press
Gnoinska Anna Teaching vocabulary in color Vol 36 No
3, July - September 1998, p.12
Granger Colin & Plumb Jhon, 1993. “Play Game with English” Oxford: Atheneum
Press Ltd.
Norbert Schmitt. 1987. Longman, Dictionary of Contemporary English,
Second
Edition.
Oxford University Press. 2005. Oxford Learner’s
Pocket Dictionary, 3th edt. Oxford.
S.
H. Burton, 1982. “Mastering English Language,” London: The Macmillan
Press Ltd,
Stephen
D Krashen and Terral D.Tray. 1983. The
Natural Approach Language
Acquisition
Classroom. New York, Alamany Press.
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