STUDENTS’ STRATEGIES IN LEARNING VOCABULARY

AT ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

KHAIRUN UNIVERSITY

ARTICLE

ADE ONI UDIN

NPM: 03061411062

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

KHAIRUN UNIVERSITY

2020

1
 ABSTRACT

ADE ONI UDIN, 2020. Students’ strategies in learning vocabulary at English

Language Education Study Program of Khairun University. Thesis. Advisors. Dr.

Drs. Sutaryo, M. Ed., Tesol., M. Ed dan Roswita M. Aboe., S. Pd, M.A.

The purpose of this research is to know students strategies in learning

vocabulary at English Language Education Study Program of Khairun University.

This research used qualitative method. Resondent of this reserach are 18 participants

of the third semester of English Langugae Education Study Program of Khairun

University. The questionnaire consits of 48 items which are four categories. This

research was analyzsed by Likert scale The result of this research describe that

discovery strategy in high used (4.3) in learning vocabulary by the students, the

moderate used of learning vocabulary strategi is cognitive strategy (3.5) while the low

and very low are the social strategy (1.3) and memory strategy (0.3).

Keywords : Learning Vocabulary and Strategies.

2
 INTRODUCTION

In learning vocabulary, sometimes learners get problem in memorizing

vocabulary. They can memorize it but it is easy to forget it. To learn vocabulary, the

learners also need to know word classes or parts of speech used in each language such

as noun, verb, pronoun, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

Through mastering vocabulary students can convey their ideas easily. I will be

easy for them to learn four skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing) by

acquiring sufficient vocabulary. They can also have confidence and bravery to share

their knowledge with others. It is impossible for students to use a language without

mastering vocabulary.

3
 Proficiency in other aspects is not enough to guarantee that someone can master

English with limited vocabulary. For example, grammar can make sentences

grammatically correct. Even people can say that sentences are grammatically correct

and others wrong grammatically. However, when limited vocabulary are mastered,

students just make simple and limited sentences. In using language people use

thousands of words to communicate every day. Besides that limited sentences, less

vocabulary hamper comprehension in communication.

Learning vocabulary in foreign language seems easy, but some students feel

afraid of. Teachers of English should find out the solution by creating effective and

efficient strategies in teaching English vocabulary. Therefore, the teachers should

establish condition which makes teaching vocabulary possible.

LITERATUR REVIEW

Vocabulary is one of the most important aspects that should be mastered in

learning languages cause of to express our thoughts and feeling, either in spoken or

4
written. On the other hand Vocabulary is needed for expressing meaning and in using

the receptive (listening and reading) and the productive (speaking and writing) skills.

It should be considered as an internal part of learning a foreign language since it leads

the way to communication Without mastering it, it is difficult to understand the

language itself because language without vocabulary is nothing. In communicating

and speaking cannot be separated from vocabulary because it is essential component

of language. Vocabulary is one of the component is a language beside grammar.

According to Stahl and Nagy (2006), vocabulary learning is a difficult

process, because students need to be motivated in vocabulary learning, engage in

vocabulary instruction, meet vocabulary learning standards to pursue the required

accomplishment. According to Sarani and Kafipour (2008), although vocabulary

learning is important in foreign language learning, they found that EFL students have

insufficient skills and learning strategy in vocabulary.

Types of Vocabulary

As Good (2009) says that active vocabulary is the function words of a language

which are learned, and be able to understand in speaking, reading and writing. While

passive vocabulary refers to words which pupils will recognize when they meet them

in reading and listening, but the will probably not be able to produce them.

The Importance of Vocabulary Learning

5
 One of the most important factors that affect language learning is vocabulary

knowledge and it is agreed that vocabulary knowledge helps language learning

improvement (Martin-Chang & Gould, 2008). Therefore, if learners read more, they

will enhance their vocabulary knowledge. Vocabulary learning not only develops

learners‟ spelling but also their writing proficiency. According to Harmer (2007), in

vocabulary learning, learners will be constantly tested to find out their level of

improvement in vocabulary knowledge. If learners do not have sufficient vocabulary

knowledge, they will have difficulties in recognizing the content thereby failing the

vocabulary learning test and lose interest in reading.

Vocabulary Learning Strategy

Hornby (1995: 79) defines strategy as the process of planning something or

carrying a plan in skillful way. Furthermore, it explains that strategy is a plan

designed for a particular purpose. From the definition, strategy involves plans and

skillful ways to get a particular thing. Wenden (1992: 8) states that strategies are

referred to as techniques, tactics, potentially conscious plans, consciously employed

operation, problem solving procedure, and language learning behavior.

Classification of Vocabulary

Another expert, Fries, classifies word into four groups. They are:

6
1) Function words; those words which primarily or larger operate as means of

expression relation of grammatical structure.

2) Substitute words; that represent not individually things or specific action, but function

as substitutes for whole form-classes of words.

3) Words of affirmative and negative distribution; the words are distributed in use

according to such grammatical matters as the presence matters or absence of a

negative.

Content words; that contribute the large majority of vocabulary items. These are the

words that function as symbols for the fenomena which we react upon as the word of

reality about us, thus symbols for things, for action, and for quality (Fries, 1967: 44-

48).

RESEARCH METHOD

A.Technique of Data Collection

This section discusses two main ideas concerning instrument and data.

1. The Instrument

The instrument of this research is questionnaire which consist of 48 items.

The questionnaire use an adapted version of the vocabulary strategy questionnaire

proposed by Gu & Johnson (1996). The researcher distributed the questionnaires to

the 20 students where the participants are going to choose based on five types of the

instrument are always, often, usually, seldom and never. Ttherefore, the questionnaire

7
was in Bahasa Indonesia to minimize students misconception in filling the

questionnnaire based on students learning vocabulary. The instrumentcinsist of four

categories which are discovery strategy consist of 19 items, social strategy consist of

6 items, memory strategy cocnsist of 5 items and cognitive strategy consist of 18

items the questionnaire related to students.

1.Data

The data obtained from students’ questionnaire respon developed from the

vocabulary strategy.

2.Technique of Data Analysis

The data obtained was analyzed by the researcher, the first the questionnaire

will be collected from the students, the second the researcher will be analyzed by

using five categories which are always, often, usually, seldon and never which

questions belonged to determination, social, memory, cognitive or metacognitive

strategies. The collecting data will be put into a table and then will be calculated to

find the average. The result of the data analysis will show what the student’s

strategies and what the dominant strategies use students of English Language

Education Study Program Language and Arts Education Department of Khairun

University.

FINDINGS

8
 Cognitive Strategy
Always Often Usually Seldom
0.4%

1.7%

5.3%
2.6%

It can be concluded from discovery strategy above that the category always

obtained 5.3 %, while often category obtained 2.6 % and category usally 1.7% and

oseldom category obtained 0.4%.

Discovery Strategy
Always Often usually Seldom Never

0.7% 0.6%
2.8%

2.8%

3.1%

From the pie chart above can be concluded that discovery learning strategy

obtained (3.1% category often usage) , while (2.8% category always and usually )

and the lowest is ( 0.6% category never).

9
 Memory Startegy
Always Often Usually Seldom Never
0.6%
2.2% 2.1%

2.4%
2.7%

In memory usage of startegies in learning vocabulary by the students it can be

seen from the pie chart above that category usually obtained score (2.7%) while

category often obtained score (2.4%) and category seldscore ( 2.2%) therefore

category always obtained score ( 2.1%) the lowest one is category never ( 0.6%).

Social Strategy
Always Often Usually Seldom Never
1.5% 1.4%

2.0%
.28%

2.3%

The result from social strategy above it showed that students mostly often use

this steategy fo helping them in learning vocabulary strategies, while some students

also usually use it.

10
 Students Strategy in Learning English
Vocabulary
Social
Memory 1.3% Cognitive
0.9% 3.5%

Discovery
4.3%

In terms of four strategy categories, it can be concluded that students at English

Language Education Study program has high intention to use discovery startaegy for

helping them in learning English vocabulary, it showed form the pie chart above

which is (MR=4.3), the second range is cognitive strategy (MR=3.5) where students

learning English vocabulary to help them in developing their skill, while low

achievers used social strategy (MR=1.3) and very low achivers used memory

strategy (MR=0.9).

Conclussion

To conclude, the findings of the data show that the strategies mostly used by the

students in this study are discovery strategy (MR=4.3), (in terms of guessing), as

stated Schmit and McCharty (1997:54) that discovery is when learners do not know

the words, they must discovery their meaning by guessing from structure knowledge

of the language. the second is cognitive strategy which is (MR=3.5), the third is

social strategy which is (M= 1.3) and the last is memory strategy which is ( M= 0.3).

11
The implications of these findings suggest that in learning vocabulary need to engage

more strategies to enhance their learning and memory of the vocabulary. Although

the subjects in this study were discovered to have knowledge of certain strategies, yet

they failed to practice what they have learned. It is important to make students aware

that learning does not only involve having knowledge of a particular strategy

(competence), but rather it will become enhanced when we make use of that

knowledge (performance).

REFERENCES

Harmer, J. (1991).The Practice of EnglishTeaching (3rd edition).London:Longman

Hornby, A. S. (1987). Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English.

Oxford: Oxford University Press

Kafipour, Reza and Mohammad H. Naveh.(2008). Vocabulary Learning Strategies

and their Contribution to Reading Comprehension of EFL Undergraduate

Students in Kerman Province.Shiraz : Islamic Azad University. European

Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 23, Number 4 (2011) 626

Nagy, (1988). Words as tools: Learning academic vocabulary as language acquisition.

Reading Research Quarterly 47(1), 91–108

McCarthy, M. (1980), VOCABULARY, Oxford University Press, Oxford

12