Enhancing Junior High School Students’ Vocabulary Achievement through Online Dictionary

Abstract

This research aimed to enhance the eighth grade junior high school students’ vocabulary achievement by using online dictionary at MTsN 5 Ngawi. According to the preliminary study by interviewing with the English teacher at MTsN Ngawi, it was found that the eighth grade students of class J at MTsN 5 Ngawi were not very enthusiastic to study English because it was hard to know the meaning of word and got bored with the vocabulary teaching learning process. It was proven with the percentage of the students’ active participation of 34 students was 75% students, and the students’ previous vocabulary scores which only 67.64% students who achieved 71, as the minimum requirement score of English subject in MTsN Ngawi. Therefore, the researcher conducted this research to overcome the student’s problem in learning vocabulary by using the online dictionary. This research was conducted by using Classroom Action Research (CAR) design consisting of four steps in each cycle. They were the planning of the action, the implementation of the action, the observation and evaluation, and data analysis and reflection of the action. In this research, the researcher collected the data from the results of the students’ vocabulary post-test and the observation in the vocabulary teaching and learning process. The criteria of success in this research were 80% of the students were active in the vocabulary teaching and learning process and the students who got score ≥ 71 in vocabulary achievement test were 75%. The results of observation showed that the average of percentage of the students’ active participation in meeting 1 and meeting 2 was 83.7% which increased from 75% students in pre-cycle. It means that the students’ participation in Cycle 1 achieved the criteria of success of this research. Meanwhile, the result of vocabulary achievement test showed that the students who got the score ≥71 in the vocabulary test in Cycle 1 increased from 67.64% in the previous vocabulary score to 82.35% in the vocabulary post-test score in Cycle 1. These results howed that the target of this research achieved in Cycle 1, so it did not continue to Cycle 2. Based on the teaching and learning process by using online dictionary, it could be concluded that the use of online dictionary enhanced the eighth grade students’ vocabulary achievement and active participation in the teaching and learning process of vocabulary in MTsN 5 Ngawi.