Improving VIII a Students’ Active Participation and Their Vocabulary Achievement by Using Crossword Puzzles at SMP Negeri 5 Lumajang

Abstract

This research was a classroom action research focusing on the use of Crossword Puzzles to improve the eighth grade students’ vocabulary achievement. The subjects of this research were the students of class VIII-A at SMPN 5 Lumajang in the 2014/2015 academic year. Based on the preliminary study with the English teacher, the eighth grade students of that school had experienced in difficulties to memorizing and understanding the vocabulary, especially at VIII-A class. This class was chosen because the students in that class had difficulties in learning vocabulary. They also had the lowest mean score of vocabulary achievement compared with the other eighth grade classes. The score was 67.45. In this research, the researcher used Crossword Puzzles in teaching vocabulary to the students to improve the eighth grade students’ active participation and their vocabulary achievement. Crossword puzzles by using clues in the form of phrases and sentences were given to the students in this research. It was intended to help the students to enrich their vocabulary both from the words asked in the clues of Crossword Puzzles and the words used in the clues of crossword puzzles. This research was conducted on November 13th - November 29th, 2014 in 2 Cycles. Each Cycle consisted of two meetings and a vocabulary achievement test. This Classroom Action Research was done collaboratively with the English teacher. From the observation of the students’ active participation done during the teaching learning process of vocabulary by using Crossword Puzzles in Cycle 1, the average result of the students’ active participation was 79.73%. It means that the target percentage of the students’ active participation had been achieved. To know the consistency of the result, the observations were continued to Cycle 2. The average result of the students’ active participation increased from 79.73% in Cycle 1 75 to 82.43% in Cycle 2. The results of the students’ active participation in this research proved that the use of Crossword Puzzles in teaching vocabulary could improve the students’ active participation during the teaching learning process of vocabulary. Meanwhile, based on the product evaluation, it was found that average of the achievement test in Cycle I was 77.02%. There were 78.38 % of the students could achieve the target score. Those data showed that this research fullfilled the criteria of succes of the action. However, the actions were still continued to Cycle 2 in order to see the consistency of the success achieved in Cycle 1. In cycle 2, it was found that the mean score of the students’ vocabulary achievement test by using Crossword Puzzles, improved from (77.02%) in Cycle 1 to (79.59%) in Cycle 2. It means that the targeted students’ vocabulary score requirement in this research has been achieved. Based on the results above, Crossword Puzzles could improve the students’ active participation and their vocabulary achievement at VIII A class of SMPN 5 Lumajang .