The Effect of Using Comic Strips on the Eighth Grade Students’ Vocabulary Achievement

Abstract

According to Alqahtani (2015), adequate vocabulary is essential for language use. It is because vocabulary is one of the basic components in a language. Having adequate vocabulary helps us to have a comprehensible communication although without seeing the structure and the functions. In contrast, lack of vocabulary gives hard experience in delivering and receiving information as vocabulary is important in a language. Since vocabulary is important, teaching vocabulary should not be done the same way as teaching language skills. Alqahtani (2015) suggests that the teacher needs to employ media in presenting the vocabulary items. This statement is also in line with vocabulary teaching principle stated by Thornbury (2002) who states that in increasing students’ motivation we used use interesting media. One of the media that can be used in teaching vocabulary is comic strips. According to Carry (2004), comic strips should be included used in the classroom. That is because comic strips is interesting and flexible for any level and easily obtained. In this research, comic strips where chosen as teaching media in vocabulary learning. The design of this research was quasi experimental design. The area of this was SMP Muhammadiyah 1 Probolinggo in the 2018/2019 academic year. The population of this research was all of the eighth grade students of SMP Muhammadiyah 1 Probolinggo in the 2018/2019 academic year. The participants of this research were determined by cluster random sampling through a lottery. VIII B was chosen as the experimental group and taught using comic strips. Whereas, VIII A was chosen as the control group and taught using printed texts.