| dc.description.abstract | This research is a classroom action research that was intended to improve
class VIII F students’ vocabulary achievement by incorporating flashcard Race and
Chinese whisper with flashcards at SMP Negeri 5 Jember. This research began by
conducting a preliminary study by interviewing the English teacher of the eighth
grade students of SMP Negeri 5 Jember. It was found that the class VIII F students of
SMP Negeri 5 Jember experienced difficulties in vocabulary achievement. The
English teacher said that the students who reached the minimum score requirement
that is 75 were only 20 students or 55.56% of total students in the class. It was
because they lacked of vocabulary. Moreover the students were also less motivated.
This finding was also supported with the result of the diagnostic test showed that the
eighth grade students had a problem in mastering vocabulary. Because of the reasons
this research was conducted.
To overcome such problem above, flashcards were used as media to attract, to
motivate them, and to contribute to the context in which the language is being used.
Flashcards was used because it was an effective and interesting media to improve the
students’ vocabulary achievement as well as their participation during the teaching
learning process. It is supported by Arsyad (2006:119) that flashcards are small cards
that consist of picture, a text or a symbol that can help the students memorize the
picture related to the card. Flashcards were also used in many activities, such as
flashcard race and Chinese whisper. This is in line with Simon and Raymon
(2007:12) that flashcards are wonderfully flexible resource in that they can be used
across a range of age and levels in a wide variety of activitiess with a range of aims.
The research design was Classroom Action Research (CAR) with cycle
model. This classroom action research was conducted collaboratively with the
English teacher. Each cycle consisted of four stages included the planning of the
action, implementation of the action, classroom observation and evaluation, and data
analysis and reflection of the action. This research was conducted at SMP Negeri 5
Jember. Class VIII F students of SMP Negeri 5 Jember were the research subjects of
this research. The data in this research were obtained by administering the vocabulary
achievement test and by doing observation during the teaching learning process in
each meeting of each cycle.
In Cycle 1, the results of the vocabulary achievement test showed that the
students who achieved the minimum score requirement were only 23 students or
63.89% of total students in the class. Meanwhile, the research would be successful if
there was at least 75% of the total students who achieved the minimum score
requirement. It means that the vocabulary achievement test result was not achieved
the target yet. Then, based on the classroom observation it was found that the
percentage of students’ active participation in Cycle 1 was 69.44% in first meeting
and 72.22% in second meeting. The result of the observation was laso not achieved
the target because there must be at least 75% of the students did at least three
indicators from four indicators being observed.
In Cycle 2, the results of the vocabulary achievement test showed significant
improvement. The students who got standard score requirement that is 75 were
improved from 63.89% in Cycle 1 to 83.33% in Cycle 2 of the total students in the
class. Then, based on the classroom observation it was found that the percentage of
students’ active participation in Cycle 2 was 77.78% in first meeting and 83.33% in
second meeting. It means that the result of the observation had achieved the
requirement of the research. These results indicated that this research had fulfilled the
criteria of the success of this action research.
Finally, it can be concluded from the findings in Cycle 2 that the use of
incorporating flashcard race and Chinese whisper with flashcards in the teaching
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vocabulary could improve the students’ vocabulary achievement and their active
participation. Therefore, the English teacher is suggested to use incorporating
flashcard race and Chinese whisper with flashcards as teaching media in teaching
vocabulary to improve the students’ vocabulary achievement. | en_US |
