Professional Documents
Culture Documents
en Improving English Vocabulary Mastery by
en Improving English Vocabulary Mastery by
en Improving English Vocabulary Mastery by
Abstract
This research is aimed to find out: (1) The improvement of the students’
vocabulary mastery through crossword puzzles and (2) The effect of teaching
learning process when teaching vocabulary by using crossword puzzle is
implemented. The method used in this research is classroom action research. It
was carried out in two cycles. The techniques for collecting data are observation,
interview, questionnare, field notes, photograph and test. The data were analyzed
by using qualitative technique and quantitative technique. The researcher
conducted the tests before (pre-test) and after (post-test). The research result
shows the improvements in students’ vocabulary mastery and gives good effect in
teaching learning process. The mean score of pre-test was 50, the post-test 1 was
69, and the post-test 2 was 80. Beside that, there were good effects in the teaching
learning process such as the students were more active in following the lesson; the
students became less noisy; the students were not ashamed to answer the question;
and the students could focus more on the lesson.
Keyword: crossword puzzle, students’ vocabulary mastery, the effect of using
crossword puzzle in teaching learning process
Abstrak
the action. Then, acting is the section and gave the pre-test to the students.
which the teacher conducts the From the observation and interview
teaching and learning activity. and pre-test results, the researcher
Observing is step where teacher found a fact that the students’ score
observes the teaching and learning for English was low. About 75%
process in the classroom. Then the students get the bad score (less than
teacher can create the better way of six). The students’ mean score was
teaching. Then, reflecting is step 50 in the scale of 0-100. The
where the teacher makes an researcher concluded that the
investigation of what she has done to students’ vocabulary mastery was
find the strength and weakness of still low. In addition, the classroom
teaching learning process. situation were inefficient. The
In this research, the students were not active. They kept
researcher uses five instruments to silent when theacher asked them
collect the data. They are some questions because they did not
observation, interview, field notes, know the answer. The method and
photograph and test. In analyzing the the materials made them bored and
data, the researcher uses qualitative do not focus on teaching learning
technique and quantitative technique. process.
In analyzing qualitative data, the Based on the fact happened in
researcher uses Burns method. Burns pre-research, the researcher found
(1999:157) gives several steps in these problems: 1) the students’
analyzing qualitative data. The steps vocabulary mastery was still low; 2)
are given as follows: assembling the the effect of teaching English was
data, coding the data, comparing the not good. The causes of these
data, building interpretation, and problems are: 1) The teacher used
reporting the outcome. Meanwhile, the same technique every time she
quantitative data are analyzed by taught vocabulary. It made the
using descriptive statistics. They are students feel so bored. 2) The
analyzed by comparing the result of technique that teacher used could not
pre-test and post-test. It is used to motivate the student to learn English.
know whether there is improvement 3) The source that teacher used was
of students’ vocabulary mastery. limited, only from a textbook.
Cycle 1
RESEARCH RESULT AND
DISCUSSION Planning
Before starting the action, the
Pre-Research
Before conducting the action researcher made lesson plans, the
research, the researcher did teaching materials, worksheet and
observation, interviewed the teacher test item for the first cycle. It was
259
planned to have three meetings in the imitated what the teachers said and
first cycle. tried to focus on teaching learning
activity. They paid attention in
Acting teaching learning activity because
In this activity, the they took part in this activity. It was
students are divided into ten groups. simple and easy for students. So, the
The teacher distributes folded paper ( students could enjoy the activity. The
written a letter ). The students write use of crossword puzzles warmed up
the blank box with the letter. After the students’ motivation to learn
the letter could form an English English. They were enthusiastic to
word, the teacher spelled it followed struggle to come forward to the class.
by students. There was a distinction They were confident to write the
between English language and letters on the blackboard and speak
Indonesian language. In English up the English word. They could
language, the written was different answer the question although their
from the pronunciation. So, the answer was often false.
teacher taught how to pronunce the The results of post-test
word correctly. The students imitated showed an improvement comparing
after the teacher till they could with the pre-test. They could do the
pronunce the word correctly. To task and answer the question. The
introduce an English word, the main score of the pre-test was 50,
teacher mentioned the meaning of while the post-test one score was 69
this word into Indonesian language. from the level 0-100.
She asked the student to memorize There were several
the word so that they could use this problems coming from students. For
word in a sentence. one thing, the students were noisy.
Observing When the teacher divided the
When the researcher students into some pairs, they fell
was implementing the action, the into chaos and confusion. For
collaborator observed the classroom another thing, some of the students
situation and teaching learning had difficulty in pronuncing the
process by using crossword puzzles. words and remembering the English
The effect of teaching learning words and their meaning.
process by using crossword puzzles Furthermore, some students were
was better for students than before. It still afraid to answer the questions
can be seen from the students’ because some of students blamed the
progression in teaching learning other students who made mistakes in
process. The students were more answering the question.
active; the students actively followed
teacher’s instruction. They actively Reflecting
260
the words, such as: eye, cheek, ear, Based on the problem found
hair, head, knee, neck, face, hand, in the first cycle, teacher and
nose, elbow, lip, legs, mouth, tooth, researcher planned to improve the
finger, arm, eyebrow, tongue, and teaching learning activity in cycle
toe. They practiced to pronunce the two.
word although they made mistakes in In cycle two, the use of
pronuncing the words. The result crossword puzzles of parts of the
was not good enough. The mean score body could show the improvement of
of pre-test was 50. The mean score of students’ vocabulary mastery and the
post-test 1 was 69. Some of the effectiveness of teaching learning
students had difficulty in pronuncing process; the improvement of
the words and remembering the students’ vocabulary mastery
English word and its meaning. included: 1) The mean score of post-
Based on the classroom test 2 increased to 80; 2) The students
situation, the effect of teaching could memorize the words and its
learning process was better than meaning; 3) The students could
before. It could be seen through their pronounce the words correctly. The
paticipating in teaching learning effects of the teaching learning
process. The students were more process could be indicated by: 1)
active although there were some The students were more active in
students who made noisy. It was seen following the lesson; 2) Most of the
when the teacher divided the students students were not ashamed to answer
into some group. They fell into chaos the question; 3) The students became
and confusion. The students actively less noisy; 4) They could focus
followed the teacher’s instruction. more on the lesson and could be
They actively imitated what the actively follow teacher’s instruction.
teachers said and tried to pay The students could pronunce the
attention in teaching learning activity word correctly and more fluently
because they took part in this than before. So, the students’
activity. They were enthusiastic to pronunciations increased. The
struggle to come forward to the class. students could memorize the
Some students bravely wrote letters vocabularies taught and their
on the blackboard and spook up the meaning.
English word. They could answer the
question although their answer was CONCLUSION
false. But some students were still The result of this action
afraid to answer the question because research shows that the improvement
there were some of students who of students’ vocabulary mastery and
blamed the other student who made the effect of teaching learning
mistake in answering the question. process; the improvement of
students’ vocabulary mastery could
264
be seen in the increasing of mean score Case, Doug. 1994. English Puzzles 2.
of pre-test 50, post-test 1: 69 and post- Oxford: Heinemann
test 2: 80, the students could memorize Publishers
the vocabularies taught and their
meaning and pronounce the words Coady, James, and Thomas Huckin.
correctly. So, the students’ 1997. Second Language
pronunciations improved. The effects Vocabulary Acquisition: A
of the teaching learning process Rationale Pedagogy.
could be indicated by: the students Melbourne: Cambridge
were more active in following the University Press
lesson, most of the students were not Elliott, John. 1991. Action Research
ashamed to answer the question, for Educational Change.
students became less noisy so, they Philadelpia: Open
could focus more on the lesson and University Press
could be actively follow teacher’s
instruction. Jones, Peter Watcyn. 1992. It’s
From the statements, it can be Crossword Time.
concluded that crossword puzzle is Middlesex: Penguin Group
able to improve the students’
Mills, Geoffrey E. 2000. Action
vocabulary mastery and the teaching
Research: A Guide for the
learning process of using cossword
Teacher Researcher. New
puzzzles give good effect to students.
Jersey: Prentice Hall inc
BIBLIOGRAPHY Nation, ISP. 1986. Language
Burns, Anne. 1999. Collaborative Teaching Puzzles.
Action Research for English Wellington: Victoria
Language Teacher. University
Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press. Taylor, Linda. 1990. Teaching and
Learning Vocabulary. New
Burns, C Paul and Broman, L Betty. York: Prentice Hall
1975. The Language Art in
Childhood. Chicago: Rand
Mcnally