CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background Study

English is the first foreign language in Indonesia. English is one of

compulsory subject in Junior High School to college level. In Elementary School

English is taught as local content.

In the elementary school curriculum, teaching English covers four skills,

namely reading, listening, speaking, and writing. The four skills are supported by

learning of language elements. They are structure, vocabulary, pronounciation,

and spelling. Therefore vocabulary is the important language element that the

students should master. Vocabulary includes collections of words. The words are

known not only as individual words, but also as a group of words that have

meaning. To develop students’ language skills in reading, listening, speaking, and

writing, the learners must have some degree of vocabulary.

Vocabulary according to Hornby (1995: 131) is a number of words in a

language. Vocabulary plays a very important role in language learning. It is

required in all kinds of language skills covering listening, speaking, reading, and

writing. It is also the basic step to learn English in written form as well as spoken

form. McCharty (1990: 1) states that the experience of most language teachers

shows the single biggest component of any language course is vocabulary.

Laufer (in Schmitt, 1997: 140) explains that vocabulary is no longer a

victims of discrimination in second language learning research, nor in a language

teaching. After decades of neglect, lexis is now recognized as central to any

language acquisition process, native, or non-native. What many languages

teachers might have intuitively known for a long time, that or vocabulary is

necessary in every stage of language learning, is now being openly stated by some

second language acquisition (SLA) researchers. The following quotations from

some experts (in Schmitt, 1997: 140) illustrate this:

No matter how well the students learn grammar, no matter how successful the sounds of L2 are mastered, without word to express a wide range of meanings, communication in an L2 just cannot happen in any meaningful way. (McCharty, 1990: viii)

Knowing that vocabulary is important in real life many researcher start to do

research in learning vocabulary, especially where English is considered as second

or foreign language. Chamot (in Schmitt, 1997: 201) says that high school ESL

learners reported more strategic use for vocabulary learning than for any other

language learning activity, including listening comprehension, oral presentation,

and social communication.

This might be due to the relatively discrete nature of vocabulary learning

compared to more integrated language activities, like giving oral presentation,

making it easier to apply strategies effectively. It may also be due to the fact

classrooms tend to emphasize discrete activities over integrated ones. On the other

hand, the higher strategic use may be a result of learners’ awareness of the

importance of vocabulary. Horwitz (in Schmitt, 1997: 201) adds that a subtantial

number of ESL students completing her questionnaire (ranging between 25 per

cent and 39 per cent) either agreed or strongly agreed that the most important part

of learning a foreign language is vocabulary.

Vocabulary mastery has important role in English. Vocabulary is the basis

to acquire other competence such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Therefore, vocabulary is the basic competence which need to be taught in

Elementary school. Knowing a lot of words is important because the more words

we know, the better chance to understand. For this reason, the major aim of

teaching English program in Elementary school is to help students gain large

vocabulary of useful words. In fact, in Indonesia, the teaching of vocabulary has

not been done optimally yet. There are English vocabulary mastery, such as: (1)

Students should know the meaning of word; (2) Students should pronounce the

words correcty; (3) Students can spell the word well; and (4) Students can use

words in sentences.

From the classroom condition point of view, the classroom itself actually

has a good atmosphere which can make the learning process run well. The

classroom also has good ventilation. There is no decoration in the classroom such

as paintings, small tree, teaching aids, etc. The teacher should bring the teaching

aids and find suitable method which makes interest and understand the material.

Based on pre-research, it is found that the students of third grade get some

difficulties in mastering vocabulary. The writer finds that the students have low

competence on mastering vocabulary. It is indicated through the following

indicators: (1) Students get difficulties in finding the meaning of the words.

Generally, students could identify the English names of things at the enviroment

quite well. There were found some students who could not identify the correct

English names of some words yet; (2) Students get difficulties in spelling the

words; (3) Students get difficulties in pronouncing the words. They made many

mistakes in pronouncing English words in the oral pre-test; and (4) Students get

difficulties in using of words on the simple sentence.

Dealing with the importance of vocabulary, the researcher finds out that the

students’ vocabulary mastery in SDN Kratonan 3 Surakarta is still low. This is

seen in the result of students’ pre-test which is conducted in preliminary

observation. The average of students’score is 55.45. This score is computed from

average score of each indicator and the descriptor of vocabulary mastery. From

the explanation above, the students of SDN Kratonan 3 get some problems in

grasping and interpreting meaning, pronouncing the words, spelling, and also

using words in appropriate context of situation.

Problems in classroom that appear during the lesson also happened: (1)

Students made noise. Most of students were busy talking with their friends when

the teacher explained the material. Therefore, the class became noisy; (2) Students

did improper activities (non-,academic) in the class like sleeping, chatting,

drawing, etc; (3) Students did homework of other lessons; (4) Students did not

respond to the teachers’ commands; and (5) Students did not pay attention to the

lesson.

The preliminary observation reveals the possible cause why the problems

above arise in the classroom. The causes are dealing with the teaching media. The

model of teaching was teacher-centered and lecturing. When introducing the new

material, the teacher wrote words related topic on the blackboard in English and

the students were asked to copy them on their note book. They are asked to find

their meaning from dictionary. Therefore, every student was required to have

dictionary. After finding the meaning of words from dictionary, the teacher drilled

the vocabulary by reading the words one by one followed by students either

together or individually. In the end of class, the teacher asked to do exercise

dealing with the topic on their worksheet (LKS) and gave homework. The

homework would be checked in the next meeting. It is necessary for teacher to

find a new variation of teaching model in order to make students pay attention to

the lesson. The new media should be able to make them get involved to teaching

learning process.

From the students, it can be seen that the students didn’t give their attention

in class. Some of the students didn’t bring English book and also they didn’t do

homework. And from teaching and learning process. The students had no

attention, they thought that English was difficult. Almost all of students kept silent

to the teacher when the teacher asked them.

To overcome the problem faced by the students, the researcher takes a

solution by using puzzle to improve the students’ vocabulary mastery. Puzzles are

kinds of games that can be used as teaching aids in the process of teaching

learning. According to Hornby (1986: 683), puzzles are defined as “question

problems difficult to understand or answer”. He also says that puzzles are problem

designed to test a person’s knowledge, skill, patience, or temper”. Using puzzle is

one of techniques to increase students’ interest in learning vocabulary.It can make

the students more interested in the lesson, because puzzle is the games that test

ingenuity and offer challenge to be done. Adenan (1984:9) states that puzzle is

obvious types of self-motivating material, it has a strong appeal. Puzzle is self-

motivating because it offers a challenge that can commonly be met succesfully.

Many puzzles are designed varying with the aim of making the young learner

interested. The young learnerscan be motivated to learn new words and they find

an enjoyable way to mastering vocabulary. The learners attitude can be more

positive and they will think that English is not a boring even frightening subject.

Based on description above, the writer in her thesis decides to make an

action research to improve the vocabulary mastery of the third grade students of

Sekolah Dasar Negeri Kratonan 3 by using one of media in teaching vocabulary.

In this case, the writer tries to use puzzle. The research is entitled: Improving

Students’ Vocabulary Mastery Using Puzzle (An Action Research in the Third

Grade Students of Sekolah Dasar Negeri Kratonan 3 in the Academic Year

2013/2014)

B. Problem Statement

1. Can teaching English vocabulary by using puzzle to the third year

students’ of Sekolah Dasar Negeri Kratonan 3 improve the students’

vocabulary mastery?

2. What happens when puzzle is implemented in the vocabulary class of

third grade of SDN Kratonan 3?

C. Benefits of the study

The result of the study can give some advantages for the students, teacher,

the school, and the other researcher. The following are some advantages of this

study:

1. For the students

It is expected that the result of this study can give some advantages to the

students at the third grade of Sekolah Dasar Negeri Kratonan 3. Through puzzles,

students are expected to have good improvement in vocabulary and learning

behaviour during the teaching and learning process.

2. For the teacher

The result of the study will help the teacher to know the students’

difficulties in learning vocabulary and enable to solve the problem by applying

appropriate media.

3. To the school

It is expected that the information can be useful input for teaching English

in Sekolah Dasar Negeri Kratonan 3. It is hoped that the school is able to improve

its quality of teaching and learning process.

4. For the Other Researcher

It is expected that the result of the research will be able to become a

reference for similar studies.

CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL REVIEW

A. Vocabulary Mastery

1. The Definition of Vocabulary Mastery

There are some definitions of vocabulary proposed by linguist experts,

Hatch and Brown (1995:1) state that vocabulary is list or set of words for

particular language or a list of words that individual speakers of language might

use. Since vocabulary is a list, the only system is alphabetical order in

dictionaries. The choice in vocabulary selection and methods used in teaching

vocabulary are important factors. It means that the choice of words is the essential

factor on vocabulary mastery.

Ur (1996:6) defines that vocabulary iswords that are taught in foreign

language. It means vocabulary is written or spoken unit of language as symbol of

idea in foreign language for the learners. For example, if someone learns new

words in foreign language, it means that someone learns vocabulary. The items in

vocabulary may be more than a single words, for example post office, mother in

law, which express a single idea.

Furthermore, McWhorter (1989:311) says that vocabulary mastery means

the ability to recognize individual words and to associate meaning with the

particular combination of letters that form a word. In other word, vocabulary is

the competence or skill in recognizing words and their meaning. Words are

symbol, group of letters that stand for, or represent, either a physical object or

anidea. Then recognizing words means knowing their meaning or idea and how

they are formed by combination of letters. For example, the words “chair” in our

minds a physical reality, on object with a flat surface, usually supported by four

legs, and used for sitting.

Based on Hatch and Brown (1995:1)vocabulary deals with a series of words

in particular language. Ur (1996:60) adds that vocabulary deals with word taught

in foreign language. Meanwhile, McWhorter (1989:311) states that vocabulary

deals with the competence in recognizing words and their meaning. Based on

three definitions above, vocabulary can be constructed as a series of words in

foreign language used to express maning. The words here are the symbols in form

of group of letter representing either a physical object or an idea. It can be formed

from a single or more than one word.

On the other hand, it is necessary for one to know what vocabulary is before

discussing about vocabulary mastery. Hornby (1995: 985) illustrates that

vocabulary is the total number of the words (with their meaning and with rules for

combining them) making up a language. Manser (1995:461) in the Oxford

Learners Dictionary states that vocabulary is the total number of words in

language, all words known to a person/ used in a particular book, subject or list of

words with their meaning. From the definition, it is concluded that vocabulary is

the total number of words in a particular language that a person knows or uses.

Hornby (1995:721) defines mastery as complete knowledge or complete

skill. It is supported by Swannel (1994:656) who states that mastery is

comprehensive knowledge. Based on definition above, it can be concluded that

vocabulary mastery is the ability of using knowledge of the total number of words

in a particular language.

2. Aspects of Vocabulary

According to Ur (1996: 60-62) there are some aspects of vocabulary that

should be mastered by students as follows:

a. Form: Pronunciation and spelling

The learner has to know what a word sounds like (its pronunciation) and

what it looks like (its spelling).

b. Grammar

The grammar of a new item will need to be taught of this is not obviously

covered by general garmmatical rules. An item may have an unpredictable

change of form in certain grammatical context or may have some

idiosycratic way of connecting with other words in sentences; it is important

to provide learners with this information at the sam time as we teach the

base form.

c. Collocation

The collocation typical of particular items are another factor that makes a

particular combination sound ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in a given context. So this is

another piece of information abput a new item which it may be worth

teaching.

d. Aspects of meaning (1): denotation, connotation, appropriateness

The meaning of word is primarily what it refers to in the real world, its

denotation; this is often the sort of denotation that is given in a dictionary. A

less obvious component of the meaning of an item is its connotation; the

associations or positive, or negative feelings it evokes, which may or may

not be indicated in a dictionary definition. A more subtle aspect of meaning

that often needs to be taught is whether a particular item is the appropriate

one to use in a certain context or not.

e. Aspects of meaning (2): meaning relationship

How the meaning of one item relates to the meaning of others can also be

useful in teaching. There are various such relationships; here are some of the

main ones.

1) Synonyms

2) Antonyms

3) Hyponyms

4) Co-hyponyms

5) Superordinates

6) Translation

f. Word formations

Vocabulary items, whether one-word or multi-word, can often be broken

down into their component ‘bits’. Exactly how these bits are put together is

another piece of useful information – perhaps mainly for more advanced

learners.

Harmer also (1991: 156-158) declares several aspects in knowing a word

that are needed to be taught by teacher:

a. Meaning

1) The first thing to realize about vocabulary items is that they frequently

have more than one meaning.

2) In deciphering meaning, it is needed to look at the context in which a

word is used (meaning in context).

3) Sometimes words have meanings in relation to other words (sense

relations).

b. Word use

1) Word meaning is frequently stretched through the use of metaphor and

idiom.

2) Word meaning is also governed by collocation; that is which words go

with each other.

3) The use of words is often governed by the style and register in which

they are used.

c. Word formation

Students need to know how words are written and spoken and can change

their forms.

d. Word grammar

The use of certain words can trigger the use of certain grammatical patterns.

There are many areas of grammatical behavior that students need to know:

what are phrasal verbs and how do they behave? How are adjectives

ordered? What position can adverbs be used in?

In this research, the researcher considers the needs of the elementary

students in learning English vocabulary in four aspects, such as meaning,

pronunciation, spelling and word use.

The meaning is focused on how the students interpret the words in the

simple context of tenses. The aspect of meaning for the elementary students is

limited into several kinds, such as denotation (real meaning of words or what

the dictionary said); appropriateness in using words in a certain context;

synonyms; antonyms; and translation to the students’ first language.

Another aspect being taught in this research are pronunciation (the

sounds of words) and spelling (the arrangement of the letters in a word). Those

kinds of form are needed to be taught as the basic introduction of foreign

language to the elementary students.

The last aspect is word use. Word use means the way of using the

vocabulary in some contexts of phrases or sentences. Furthermore, in this

research, the researcher limits the using of vocabulary in simple tenses.

3. Kinds of Vocabulary

Haycraft quoted by Hatch & Brown (1994) divides two kinds of vocabulary,

namely receptive vocabulary and productive vocabulary.

a. Receptive Vocabulary

Receptive vocabulary is words that the learners recognize and understand

when they occur in context, but which can not produce correctly. It is vocabulary

that the learners recognize when they see it in reading context but do not use it in

speaking and writing. The receptive vocabulary is also called a passive process

because the learner only receives thought from others. In language application the

receptive vocabulary is considered as the basic vocabulary. Receptive vocabulary

is much larger than productive vocabulary because there are many words

recognized when the learner hears or reads but do not use when he speaks or

writes. In this respects, Richards and Rogers (1987:308) give a profound

explanation that the listening vocabulary is larger than speaking vocabulary and

similarly to the reading vocabulary that is relatively larger than writing

vocabulary.

b. Productive Vocabulary

Productive vocabulary is the words, which the learners understand, can

pronounce correctly, and use constructively in speaking and writing. It involves

what is needed for receptive vocabulary plus the ability to speak or write.

Therefore, productive vocabulary can be addressed as an active process, because

the learners can produce the words to express their thought to others.

To cover the whole range of language skills, the learners require the

productive vovabulary and large receptive vocabulary. If the productive learning

and the quality development of the learning small vocabulary are important, an

intensive practice in using vocabulary in speaking and writing is useful activity. If

the receptive learning is important and the quality of vocabulary is the main goal,

the techniques that give familiarity to target words are required.

By considering all of the definitions above, it can be concluded that

vocabulary mastery is the ability of using knowledge of the total number of words

in a conducting communication. It is the complete mastery of some aspects of

vocabulary, such as:

1. Pronounciation

The students have to able to pronounce the words correctly. They have to

know how to speak and read them well. It is very important because the

mistakes in pronouncing a word can make its meaning different.

2. Spelling

The students have to be able to spell a word both in written and spoken

way. They have to be able to spell a word so that they can write word

correctly.

3. Understanding the meaning

The students also have to be able to understand the meaning of a word.

The meaning of a word can be more than one according to the context.

4. Using words in sentence

The students have to able to use words in a sentence. They have to be

able to remember a word then use in a sentence correctly.

Vocabulary mastery in the context of this research is the ability of the

students to have knowledge of words and word meaning to use it in a conducting

communication in each aspects of language fluently and properly . The researcher

takes the school enviroment as the material to develop the ability of the students’

vocabulary. The abilty that will be developed by the researcher in vocabulary is

about meaning, pronunciation, spelling and using in a context.

4. Techniques in Teaching Vocabulary

There are numerous ways of helping children to acquire knowledge of many

words and proficiency in their use. In general, there four main techniques of

teaching vocabulary proposed by some experts (Nation. 1990: 51; Ur.1998: 63,

Haycraft 1978: 47-51).

a. Ostensive means

Ostensive means is the way of teaching vocabulary by showing or holding

up things and pointing to objects. The kinds of ostensive means are as

follows:

1. Realia or real thing

Realia is the way of presenting vocabulary by bringing the things in

the classroom. The object (real things) can be in the classroom outside

of classroom, for example: a piece of bread, a broom, a stick, and so

on. Realia can create the students’ interest and imagination.

2. Picture

Objects are not easily carried or are unavailable. Teacher can use other

that represent objects in the form of picture. Teacher can collect them

from magazines, newspaper, wall pictures or drawing the things on the

blackboard. For presentation purposes, simple picture are better

because the focus is clear and the meaning is not ambigous. Teacher

can use blackboard to make rapid sketches of things. To draw more

complex items, teacher should prepare them first at home on flash

card.

3. Body

Both the teacher’s and the student’s body can be used to get the

meaning across. The techniques of using body in teaching vocabulary

are facial expression, to show feelings (e.g. happy, smilling, hot),

gestures, mime, and actions.

b. Audio Presentation

Audio presentation is the way of teaching vocabulary by giving signals via

audio, like tape recorder together with the teacher’s talk to get meaning of

words. The noises of an argument, a jet plan, a locomotive, a horse

galloping and so on. The teacher just tells the class to listen to the sound (for

example jet) and then the teacher creates agreat deal of the words related to

the sound (for example jet) and then the teacher creates a great deal of the

words related to the sound on the tape recorder.

c. Running context

Running context is the way of the teaching vocabulary by linking the new

words with the surrounding words that they already know, then asking the

students to deduce or guess the meaning of such words. Running context is

also called context clues.

d. Verbal definition

Verbal definition isthe way of teaching vocabulary by using teacher’s talk.

1. Word sets/enumeration

Word set/enumeration is the way of teaching by giving a group of

related words to introduce new words. The words must be related

from general word tos pecific word, for example: transportation is

a general word and a taxi, a bus, a car as the specific words.

2. Synonyms

Using is a way of teaching vocabulary by giving two or more

words with the same meanings. Though words may have similar

denotations, their connotations often differ.

3. Antonyms/opposites

Using antonyms is a way of teaching vocabulary by giving the

opposites of words. Here, the learners have to be aware that a word

may have different opposites in different contexts.

4. Cognates

Using cognates is a way of teaching vocabulary by giving words in

the students’ own language that have the same or very similar

forms as the English words.

5. Complements

Using complements is a way of teaching vocabulary by presenting

two groups of incompatible words in which each is defined as

being ‘not the others’.

6. Converses

Using converses is a way of teaching by pairing two words that

imply the other.

7. Building on general knowledge

Building on general knowledge is the way of teaching vocabulary

by capitalizing on what the learners know about the world.

8. Using scales or grades

Using scales or grades is way of teaching vocabulary by scaling or

grading the related words.

9. Definitions or Description

Using definition or description is a way of teaching vocabulary by

defining or describing objects.

10. Demonstration

Demonstration of teaching vocabulary is by doing physical

demonstrations together with the verbal explanation. The

demonstrationhelps to make the meaning cleare and to fix the

words in the student’s mind. Demonstration highlights a particular

word and helps associates it in the student’s mind both visual and

aural memories.

11. Word Games

Using word game is a way of teaching of vocabulary by presenting

word games like crossord puzzles, spelling bee, Simon says, etc.

The word games are useful for practicing vocabulary after it is

introduced.

From those various techniques, there are several ways in teaching

vocabulary which might suit young learner’s characteristics like object, pictures,

description, and definition.

As it has been stated above that denotes stock of words that it can be said

that teaching vocabulary means teaching words. The words themselves have some

aspects in which through the aspects, vocabulary can be taught appropriately by

language teachers. In another word, in teaching vocabulary, a teacher must take

into account aspects of words. Lado (1979: 76) believes that there are three

aspects of words, namely their form, their meaning, and their distribution. He

states, “In most language, the form of words consist of sound segment, stress, and

tone, and pitch.” By considering the statement above, the teacher is regarded to be

aware of the components of the word form so that the vocabulary he teaches can

be delivered appopriately to learners.

In term of meaning, he (1979: 79) says:

“As matter of fact the meaning into which classify our experience are culturally

determined or modified, and they vary considerable from culture to culture. Some

meanings found in one culture may not exist in another.”

From the statement teaching meaning is important since the meaning

differences are seldom as forcefully noticable as when one attempts to translate

accurately a text from one language to another.

B. Young Learners

1. The Nature of Young Learners

Students in elementary school can be called young learners. As to the

definition of young learners, Philips (1996: 5) says that young learners mean

children from the first year formal schooling (five or six years old) to eleven or

twelve year’s age. Scoot and Ytreberg (2000: 1-4) mention that there are two main

groups of children. They are five to seven years old and the eight to ten years old.

Both of them are assumed as the beginner stage.

Generally the way children learn foreign language or the way to teach it

obviously depends on their development stage. According to

Phillips(1996:7)young learners respond language depending on what they do or

what they can do with the language. This needs to be considered that teaching

language with the concrete thing is better than teaching something abstract to

them.

2. Characteristic of Young Learners

Young learners are basically different from adult learners. It is due to the

fact that children have some characteristic that vary greatly from adults. Those

characteristics should be known and understood by the teacher to give

contribution to improve the quality of teaching and learning process. In relation to

this, Halliwel(1998:3)mentions the following:

a) Children are already very good at interpreting meaning without

necessarily understanding the individual words.

b) Children already have a great skill in using limited language creatively.

c) Children frequently learn indirectly rather than directly.

d) Children take a great pleasure in finding and creating fun what they do.

e) Children have a ready imagination.

f) Above all take great delight in talking.

Scoot and Ytreberg (1998:3-4) give their opinion about general

characteristic of young learners as following:

a) Children of five years old are little children.

b) Their basic concepts are formed.

c) They can tell the difference between fact and fiction.

d).They ask question all the time.

e) They rely on spoken word as well as physical words to convey and

understanding meaning.

f) Children are able to make some decisions about their own learning.

g) Children have developed sense of fairness about what happens in the

classroom and begin to question the teachers decisions.

i) They are able to work, with others and learn from others.

Based on the opinion about characteristic of young learner above, it can be

concluded that the students at elementary school is defined as young learners that

have special characteristics. The students as young learners need more fun and

interesting atmosphere in their teaching and learning process.

3. How to Teach Young Learners

The characteristics of young learners described above leads to same

consideration on how to teach children. Ytreberg (1998:5-6) gives some

explanations as follows:

a. Words are not enough

Most activities for the young learners should include movement and involve

the senses. Teacher will need to have plenty objects and pictures.

b. Play with language

Teacher should let pupils talk to themselves. Teacher can make rhymes, sing a

song, and tell stories. Playing with language in this way is very common in first

language development and very natural stage in the first stage of foreign language

learning too.

c. Language as language

Becoming aware of language as something separate from events taking

place takes time. Most eight to ten years old children already have awareness in

their own language.

d. Variety in the classroom

Since concentration and attention spans are short, variety is a must. Kinds of

variety are variety of activity, variety of place, variety of organization, and

variiety of voice.

e. Routines

Children benefit from knowing the rules and being familiar with the situation.

Teacher should have system, have routines, organize and plan the lesson.

f. Cooperation not competition

Teacher avoids rewards and prize to the children. Other forms of

encouragement are much more effective. Although it can be great fun, it usually

leads to a great deal of involvement. There is always a winner and a looser,

winning team and loosing team. Language learning is situation where everyone

can win.

g. Grammar

Teacher should note the structure functions and grammar items which teachers

want the pupils to learn as well as those they already know, but their actual

teaching should only include the barest minimum of grammar taught as grammar.

This does not mean teaching grammar rules to the whole grammar. The best time

to introduce some sort of simple grammar is when a pupils gets benefit from

learning some grammar. This may be when the teacher is correcting written work,

or it may be in connection with oral exercise with practice.

4. The Objectives of Teaching to Young Learners.

Teaching English at elementary school will be the bases for the teaching

English in higher level, for instance junior and senior high school.

Brewster(1992:4) mentions that the general aims of early foreign language

learning are to prepare children linguistically, psychologically, and culturally for

language learning. Psychological preparation is one which helps monolingual

children make fundamental discovery that they notions they have learnt to master

in their mother tongue can be expressed equally well, albeit differently using other

language, where different forms serve the same communicative function as in

their mother tongue.m

Besides that Hueberner says that the general aim of language teaching is to

equipthe student with the knowledge and skill required for effective

communication in the foreign language (1960:4). He also adds some aims of

Teaching English to Young Learners as follows:

a) Only by an early start can language mastery be assured.

b) Preadolescent can learn a foreign language without self consciousness.

They are free of the inhibition of adult learner.

c) The early start instills respect for other people and foster tolerance.

d) Appreaciably more children can be eager to study a foreign language

later on.

e) The students who began early will be much further along in high school

and in college (1960: 198).

From the explanation above it can be concluded that teaching foreign

language for young learners is aimed to prepare the studentswith the readiness

linguistically, psychologically, and culturally in getting knowledge and skills of

English at higher level. Teaching English in early age also can make the students

remember for along term and eager to continue the study the foreign language.

C. Puzzle

1. Definition of Puzzle

Puzzles are kinds of games that can be used as teaching aids in the process

of teaching learning. Hornby (1986: 683) puzzles are defined as “question

problems difficult to understand or answer”. He also says that puzzles are problem

designed to test a person’s knowledge, skill, patience, or temper”. Using puzzle is

one of techniques to increase students’ interest in learning vocabulary.It can make

the students more interested with the lesson, because puzzle is the games that test

ingenuity and offer challenge to be done. Adenan (1984: 9) states that puzzle is

obvious types of self-motivating material, it has a strong appeal. Puzzle is self-

motivating because it offers a challenge that can commonly be met succesfully.

Many puzzle are designed varying with the aim of making the young learner

interested. The young learner can be motivated to learn new words and they find

an enjoyable ways to master vocabulary. The learner’s attitude can be more

positive and they will think that English is not a boring even frightening subject.

From definitions above, it can be concluded that puzzle is a subspecies of

game that is designed varying in various types or solutions; and test someone’s

knowledge by presenting difficulties to be solved by the students’ effort which is

appropriate with vocabulary. The children are not only playing a game but also

thinking in solving a problem, particularly in vocabulary mastery. That is why the

teacher should give the material in different way such as using puzzle. It is done

with the purpose of improving the students’ vocabulary mastery.

2. The Characteristics of Puzzle

Most of people enjoy puzzles. They feel a sense of some satisfaction at

solving puzzle. Lewis and Hill (2004: 86) describe that puzzles as problem

solving ischallenging, amusing, and frequently done as a social activity.

Then,Adenan (1994: 9-10) says that puzzles and games are obvious types of self-

motivating material because they offer a challenge that can commonly be met

successfully. They have a strong appeal. In language teaching, puzzles and games

need to meet some requirements, namely:

a. The vocabulary and sentence structure should be in a controlled

range so that the challenge they offer can be met by the learner.

b. The focus should be on the language. The learner should be able

to make a good use of the language.

c. The puzzles and games should offer the learner much

opportunity to practice and repeat the sentence pattern and

vocabulary. Puzzles and games that can be finished within a time

20 minutes and that meet the language requirements are certainly

suitable.

3. Types of Puzzle

There are some kinds of puzzles that can be played in language

learning.Adenan (1994: 4-6) states there are three general types of puzzles. First,

puzzles for the pre intermediate level. It is classified as the easy one. Second,

puzzles for the intermediate level, and the last is puzzles for the advanced level.

There are three kinds of puzzles that can be classified depending on the form,

crossword puzzles, riddles, and puzzles. Crossword puzzles are puzzles in which

the word written (from numbered clues) vertically (=clues down) and horizontally

(clues across) in spaces on a chequered square or oblong, such as a word diamond.

Then, riddles are puzzling questions, statements or description, intended to make a

person use his wits, an example is matching sentences to pictures. Puzzles are

question or problems difficult to understand or answer or problem designed to test

a person’s knowledge, skill, patience, or temper. (Hornby 1986: 683).

4. The Teaching Procedures of Puzzle

The teaching procedures of puzzle consist of three steps, they are as follows:

1. Pre activities

a. Give picture related to the topic.

b. Give brainstorming to the students to mention the vocabulary related to

the topic.

2. Main Activities

a. The teacher assign puzzle to the students.

b. The teacher explains and gives example about the meaning,

pronounciation, and spelling.

c. The teacher ask students to arranging and mention name of it.

d. The students read simple sentence and the teacher explain.

e. The teacher give worksheet to the students.

3. Post Activities

a. The students share their worksheet in front of the class.

b. Using a word. The teacher asks the students to complete some

sentences.

5. The Advantages of Puzzle in Learning

Case (1994) states that puzzle are uselful for language learners because the

enjoyment, satisfaction, reflection, and play can focus learners’ attention on the

language in concentrated but nonstressful way. Puzzles are thus a helpful

complement to exercises. Exercises are useful and necessary, of course. A puzzle

involves less stress. Solvers do not necessarily expect to find every single answer.

The solution may have to be consulted for one or two answers, but as long as the

puzzle is percieved as fair and interesting, it remains an enjoyable activity.

Also, contain exercise discrete items-separate sentences to be completed, for

example. In a puzzle, finding one answer often helps the solver to find other

answers, thus giving more scope for reasoning and deduction. And the learner’s

attitude towards encountering unknown words may be more positive in a puzzle

than in an exercise: a degree of mystery is a part of the puzzle context, and

unknown words may thus be less ‘threating”. Puzzles are often described as ‘light

relief’ from ‘serious’ learning. This rather undervalues their usefulness. It would

be better to describe them as enjoyable contribution to and reinforcement of

learning (Case,1994:5)

From those definition, it can be concluded that puzzle is useful medium in

language learning. Puzzles encourage the children more imaginative and make

them are motivated to guess it. The value of the puzzles is not only limited to

improving the main teaching skills, but also teach the child how to be patient and

persistent and other great life skills. When the child put each part of the puzzle

into its proper space as it has unique combination of form and shape, and it can

make skills of coordination are improved. 

6. The Disadvantages of Puzzle in Learning

Based on the reasearcher experince the disadvantages of puzzle in learning is

the students tended to make noise during the lesson. The researcher asked them

not to speak too loudly and monitored every activity they did.

D. Rationale

The writer wants to prove that puzzle can improve the vocabulary mastery

of the students here primary students. Vocabulary is important in everyday life

and language learning. In language learning, we must have a good vocabulary

mastery.

Based on the observation at the third grade students of SDN Kratonan 3.

There are many problems that should be solved in SDN Kratonan 3. First,

students get difficulties in finding the meaning the words. Generally, students

could identify the English names of things at the enviroment quite well. There

were found some students who could not identify the correct English names of

some words yet. Students get difficulties in spelling the words. Students get

difficulties in pronouncing the words. They made many mistakes in pronouncing

English words in the oral pre-test. Fourth, students get dificulties in spelling the

words. Students could not provide the missing letters to construct correctly spelled

words. They also could not arrange the jumbled letter into the correct spelling.

Fifth, students get difficulties in using of words on the simple sentence.

The preliminary observation reveals the possible cause why the problems

above arise in the classroom. The causes are dealing with the teaching media. The

model of teaching was teacher-centered and lecturing. When introducing the new

material, the teacher wrote words related topic on the blackboard in English and

the students were asked to copy them on their note book. They are asked to find

their meaning from dictionary. Therefore, every student was required to have

dictionary. After finding the meaning of words from dictionary, the teacher drilled

the vocabulary by reading the words one by one followed by students either

together or individually. In the end of class, the teacher asked to do exercise

dealing with the topic on their worksheet (LKS) and gave homework. The

homework would be checked in the next meeting. It is necessary for teacher to

find a new variation of teaching model in order to make students pay attention to

the lesson. The new media should be able to make them get involved to teaching

learning process.

From the students, it can be seen that the students didn’t give their attention

in class. Some of the students didn’t bring English book and also they didn’t do

homework. And from teaching and learning process. The students had no

attention, they thought that English was difficult. Almost students kept silent to

the teacher when the teacher asked them.

To solve the problem, the researcher tries to give solution, that is puzzle. It

gives a way to make teaching vocabulary to children easy and effective. The

reason are: (1) it does not make the children feel bored; (2) it will entertain the

students to be happy the class; (3) it can see desire to communicative; (4) and the

students become active in the classroom.

In teaching vocabulary to children , the teacher should consider about the

media to attract the children’s attention and involve them in whole activity. Most

activities for young learner should include movement and involve the senses.

Teacher needs to have plenty of objects and pictures. It means that the teacher not

only relies on the spoken word but also uses some objects to build their

understanding.

One of media in teaching vocabulary is using puzzle. Using puzzle is one of

media to increase students’ interest in learning vocabulary.It can make the

students more interested with the lesson, because puzzle is the games that test

ingenuity and offer challenge to be done. A puzzle involves less stress. Solvers do

not necessarily expect to find every single answer. Although they hope to do so.

The solution may have to be consulted for one or two answers, but as long as the

puzzle is percieved as fair and interesting, it remains an enjoyable activity. So, it

can make the students interested in the lesson. This media is applied in teaching

and learning process to young learner because of the characteristics of young

learners that they love to play and learn by doing something.

In understanding the meaning, the teacher begins using puzzle to give

understanding to the students first. In pronouncing the word, the teacher as a

model, gives example of how to pronounce the word then the students must repeat

after the teacher. In spelling, after they pronounce the word together, the teacher

tries to remind the students how to spell the alphabets. In using the words, the

teacher gives example use the word in sentence. Then ask students to make simple

sentence using the word.

Puzzle are considered a way to help students but also to enjoy and entertain

with the language they learn. It is suitable to aplly puzzle as media in teaching

vocabulary to elementary students because most of young learners of second

language have their own characteristic to learn language: they like playing, at that

period they still like moving their body to conduct any activities.

In conclusion teaching vocabulary in elementary students using puzzle is

suitable. The teacher assigns puzzle to the students. Next, the teacher asks the

students to arrange puzzle and mention name of it. After that, the students read

simple sentence and the teacher explains. Then, the teacher giving worksheet to

the students and the students should share their worksheet in front of the class.

Finally, using a word, the teacher asks the students to complete some sentences. It

is aprropriate media used to teach English especially vocabulary to children.

Besides that, by introducing new vocabulary using this media, the researcher

hopes the students can discover the strategy of defining and clarifying the

unknwon word so they will get many vocabulary items and their vocabulary

mastery will improve.

E. Action Hyphotesis

Based on the theories underlying the study dealing with the use of Puzzle in

teaching vocabulary, the hypothesis can be formulated as follows: teaching

English by using puzzle can improve students’ vocabulary mastery.

CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A. Context of the Research

This classroom action research will be carried out in SDN Kratonan 3 which

is located in Jln. Madukoro 22, Serengan. The research will be conducted for a

months from January to February. The subject of research is the students in the

third gradeof SDN Kratonan 3. The third grade consists of 17 boys and 15 girls.

The small number of the students is quite big.

B. Research Method

1. Action Research

In this research, the writer uses action research to solve the problem faced in

pre-research. There are several definitions of Action Research.

According to Burns (1999:30), “action research is the application of fact

finding to practical problem solving in social situation with view to improve the

quality of action within involving the collaboration and cooperation of

researchers, practitioners and laymen”.

Ur (1996:328) states that action research is primarily used to improve the

teacher-researcher’s own teaching. It is based on a cycle investigation, action, and

re-investigation, and usually done by two or more collaborating teachers.

Wallace (1998:1) defines action research as systematic collection and

analysis of data relating to the improvement of some aspect of professional

practice.

From definiton above, it can be concluded that action research is systematic

collection and analysis of data by teacher researcher, principals, or school

counselor in the teaching or learning enviroment, to gather information about the

ways that their particular schools operate, how they teach, and how well their

students learn. The goal of actions research is improving and evaluating the result

of strategies practiced.

2. The Model of Action Research

The model of action research used in this study is based on the model

developed by Kemmis and McTaggart (1998) in Burns (1999:33). They state that

action research occurs through a dynamic and complementary process, which

consist of four essential moments of planning, action, observation, and reflection.

These moments are fundamental steps in spiraling process in action research.

1. Planning:develop a plan of action to improve what is already happening.

2. Action: act to implement the plan

3. Observation: observing the effects of the action in the context in which it

occurs.

4. Reflection: reflecting on these effects as the basis for further planning,

subsequent action, and so on, through a succession of stages.

Burns (1999:30) suggest a number of common features which can be

considered to characterize action research:

Action research is contextual, small scale and localized. It identifies and

investigates problems within a specific situation.

It is evaluative and reflective as it aims to bring about change and

improvement in practice.

It is participatory as it provides for colllaborative investigation by teams

colleagues, practitioners and researchers.

Changes in practice are based on the collection of information or data

which provides the impetus for change.

C. The procedures of Research

In this classroom action research, the writer as a teacher researcher has the

roles to plan, implement, observe, reflect and revise the action. However,the

writer doing observation will helped by the teacher as the collaborator. The

procedure of the research takes six steps. Each step is described as follows:

1. Identifying the problems

The problems are identified first before planning the action. In this research,

the problem deal with the students’ vocabulary mastery: how the students’

vocabulary mastery is and why it could be.

In identifying the problem, the writer uses test, observation, questionaire,

and interviews.

a. Using test

The writer gives a vocabulary test to know the students’ competence in

vocabulary mastery.

b. Observation

The writer makes an observation to the teaching learning process to know

the students’ problems and causes.

c. Questionnaire

To get more comprehensive data, the researcher also gives the students

questionnaire to fill in. The researcher gave the students a statement and

try should give their opinion by thicking the Yes or No box.

d. Interview

The writer gives an interview to the teacher to know the problems that

the teacher faces during the teacher learning process.

2. Planning the Action

The researcher prepares everything needed in the research as follows:

- Preparing materials for the teaching

- Making lesson plan

- Preparing students work sheets

- Preparing draft for the interview

- Preparing teaching aids (puzzles)

- Preparing tests.

3. Implementing the Action

In implementing the action, the researcher does not planning has made. The

researcher applies puzzle in teaching and learning process in order to enhance

students’ vocabulary mastery.

4. Observing / Monitoring the Action

The teacher and the researcher make an evaluation on all they have observed

to find the weaknesses of the activities that have been carried out.

5. Reflecting the Result of the Observation

The teacher and the writer make an evaluation on all they have observed to

find the weaknesses of the activities that have been carried out.

6. Revising the Plan

Based on the evaluation, the writer revises the plan for the next cycle. The

classroom action research will take one or more cycles until the goal of the

research can be reached.

D. Techniques of Collecting Data

There are two kinds of data collected in this research: Qualitative and

Quantitative. Qualitative data are collected using observation, notes, photographs,

questionaire, interviews, document. Meanwhile, quantitative data are collected

using test (pre-test and post-test). Both of them must be valid and reliable.

Validity means testing what is supposed to test, and not something else (Wallace,

1998:36). Reliability means if the test is repeated, the findings or result will be the

same.

Some techniques of collecting data are mentioned as follows:

1. Observation

The researcher observes and notes all that happen before, during, and

after the implementation of Puzzle in the classroom.

2. Field Notes

Taking notes or field notes is another way of collecting information

about classroom events, the teaching process, or the students’

behaviour. They are used to record activities happening in the class.

3. Interview

In this research, researcher will be using informal interview where the

interviewer and interviewee within conversational process based on

the issues and topics of the resarch study. The aim of unstructured

interview is to give as full a scope as possible to the informations’

perceptions of themselves, the social situation and their experiences

within it (Burns, 1999: 121). Interview will be donetwice, before and

after research. The researcher interviewed the English teacher and the

students.

4. Photograph

In the process of the implementation of the action, the researcher take

photographs which over students’ behaviour and students’ learning

activities ti provide the more accurate data.

5. Test

The researcher tested the students by using pronounciation and written

test, that consist of pre-test, post-test 1 and post-test 2. The result of

the test was analyzed to know the students’ ability on vocabulary

mastery.

To know whether or not the instrumental used in pre-test and post-test

is valid and reliable, the teacher tries our test.

a. The validity of the Instrument

Validity is the degree to which a test measures what it claims to be

measuring. The formula is as follows:

Where:

rt=¿

r1 = The coefisien of correlation between X and Y

Xi = The average of each student

Pi = The total number of the right answer divided by n

Qi = The total number of wrong answer divided by n

N = number of students

b. The Realibility of the Instrument

Sunarno (2000: 130) states realibility is concerned with the

consistency of the test score. As in the validity, the writer uses the

following formula:

rkk = k ⌠1- ∑pq⌡

k – 1 S2

where:

rkk = the total realibility of instrument

k = the number of valid item

E. Techniques of Analyzing Data

There were two types of techniques analyzing data that were used by the

researcher. They are namely quantitative and qualitative data.

1. Quantitative

The researcher will get the data from written test namely pre-test and

post-test. The data from pre-test and post-test will be analyzed to prove

whether the students’ vocabulary mastery improves or not. The

formula is as follows:

X=∑ X

NY=

∑Y

N

In which :

X = mean of pre-test score

Y = mean of post-test score

∑ X = the sum of pre-test score

∑Y = the sum of post-test score

N = numbers of sample

2. Qualitative Data

There are five stages of analyzing qualitative data (McKemman in Burns,

1999: 157-160).

a. Assembling the data

Assembling data means assemble data that are collected over the period

of the research. The data that collected by the researcher in this research

were field notes, interview scripts, and photographs.

b. Coding the data

Coding is a process of attempting to reduce the large amount of data that

may be collected to more manageable categories of concepts, themes or

types. The data that coded in this research were field notes and interview

scripts. Here, the researcher coded the data by categorizing the

statements into: (1) students’ good response, (2) students’ negative

response and problems,(3) classroom situation, and (4)

teacher’s/researcher’s classroom management. By coding the data, the

researcher could know the information of the students’ attitude,

enthusiasm, and reaction in attending the English classes.

c. Comparing the data

Once the data are categorized, comparisons can be made to see whether

themes or patterns are repeated or developed across different data

gathering techniques.

d. Building interpretations

This stage demands a certain amount of creative thinking as it is

concerned with articulating underlying concepts and developing theories

about why particular patterns of behaviours, interactions or attitudes have

emerged.

e. Reporting the outcomes

The final stage involves presenting an account of the research for others.

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