Improving the Eighth Grade Students’ Vocabulary Achievement by Incorporating Flashcard Race and Chinese Whisper with Flashcards at SMP Negeri 5 Jember in the 2012/2013 Academic Year.

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 viii

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.