Improving the Eighth Grade Students’ Vocabulary Achievement by Using Real Objects/Realia at Smpn 7 Jember

Abstract

The design of this research was the Classroom Action Research with the cycle model in which each cycle covered four stages of activities namely, the planning of the action, the implementation of the action, the observation and evaluation, and the data analysis and reflection. It was intended to improve the eighth grade students’ active participation and their vocabulary achievement by using realia at SMPN 7 Jember. There were 41 students as the subjects of this research. Based on the results interview with the English teacher of SMPN 7 Jember, it was known that the students of class VIII C faced some difficulties in learning English because they were lack vocabulary and they had the most problems in learning vocabulary and had the lowest mean score for the previous vocabulary test. Moreover, the teacher also never uses media in teaching vocabulary. For these reasons, the researcher wanted to overcome the students’ problem in learning vocabulary by using the media called realia/real objects. The data collection methods used in this research were observation in the form of checklist and the vocabulary test. The observation was conducted during the implementation of the action in each meeting of the cycle and the vocabulary achievement test was conducted at the end of the cycle (after implementing the action) to get the students’ vocabulary achievement. The criteria used to evaluate the success of the action were: 1) At least 75% of the students actively participated during the teaching and learning process of vocabulary by using realia, and 2) 75% of the students achieved the target requirement score ≥ 75 in the vocabulary test. This classroom action research was conducted in two cycles because the result of the first cycle had not achieved the research objectives. Based on the results of the observation in cycle 1, there was improvement as much as 4.86% from meeting 1 to meeting 2. Then, the percentage of the students who passively participated in the teaching and learning process decreased as much as 4.86% from meeting 1 to meeting 2. Moreover, the average percentage of the students’ active participation in cycle 2 was 73.16%. In cycle 2, there was improvement as much as 2.44% from meeting 1 to meeting 2. Then, the percentage of the students who passively participated in the teaching and learning process decreased as much as 2.44% from meeting 1 to meeting 2. Moreover, the average percentage of the students’ active participation in cycle 2 was 79.26 %. It can be concluded that the percentage of the students’ participation increased from 73.16% of 41 students in cycle 1 to 79.26 % of 41 students in cycle 2. There was improvement as much as 6.1% from cycle 1 to cycle 2 on the students’ active participation. It means that the result of the students’ active participation had already fulfilled the target success that was at least 75%. Meanwhile, the results of the vocabulary achievement test showed that there was improvement as much as 12.19% from cycle 1 to cycle 2 on the students’ vocabulary achievement test. Then, the percentage of the students who did not achieve the standard score ≥ 75 decreased 12.19% from cycle 1 to cycle 2.Moreover, the percentage of the students’ who got score ≥ 75 in vocabulary achievement test increased from 63.41% or 26 students in cycle 1 to 75.60% or 31 students in cycle 2. It means that the result of the students’ vocabulary achievement had already fulfilled the target success because the result in cycle 2 had achieved the target at least 75% of the students could achieve the standard score ≥ 75 in the vocabulary test. Therefore, the next cycle of the research was not necessary to be conducted. Based on the research results above, it could be concluded that the use of realia could improve the students’ active participation in the vocabulary teaching and learning process by using realia/real objects and their vocabulary achievement at SMPN 7 Jember.