INCREASING THE EIGHT GRADE STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY MASTERY AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION BY USING ROUNDTABLE MODEL OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING AT SMPN 2 BANYUWANGI

Abstract

Generally in English, when we are going to learn the four language skills, we need to know the vocabularies then we can understand what is being listened, spoken, read, and written. Vocabulary cannot be separated with four language skills namely listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary itself is as if pillars to maintain the four language skills. Usually English learners still have some difficulties to learn or memorize vocabularies, because they still bound with their mother tongue in daily communication. This condition has been the main problem in English language learning. The English teacher should use variety of techniques or media that will attract students’ interest to learn English. This classroom action research was intended to increase the eighth grade students’ vocabulary mastery and active participation by using roundtable model of cooperative learning at SMPN 2 Banyuwangi in February 2014/2015 academic year. Based on the preliminary study, the researcher got the information from the English teacher that the students of class VIII B had difficulty in memorizing vocabulary, the average score of the students’ vocabulary score was 70, while the standard passing grade of the school was 75. Furthermore, the students were not active in the classroom during the teaching learning process. It was also very seldom for the teacher to ask the students working in group. As a result, students felt depressed as they were unable to ask or share their difficulties during the teaching learning process. From the result of preliminary study, class VIII B that consists of 40 students was chosen as the research subjects. Roundtable model of cooperative learning is a type of cooperative learning strategy in which students work in small group consist of 4-6 students. In doing roundtable, all students sit around the table with their own group so that they can interact directly with other members. Each group is suggested to be heterogeneous and formatted by the teacher from different gender and level of ability. The group consists of high achiever, middle achiever, and low achiever in order that each member can help each other’s learning. Low achiever students can gain understanding from high achievers and middle achievers. Each group is given a pen and a piece of paper to answer teacher’s questions. The members of the group take turn writing the answers on the paper, passing the paper around. This research was done collaboratively with the English teacher. This research was done in one cycle. The cycle covered four activities they were, planning of the action, implementing of the action, class observation and evaluation, and reflection of the action. The cycle is conducted in two meetings. The supporting data were from interview with the English teacher and documentation. The mean score of the students’ vocabulary test was 79.65. Then, the percentage of students’ active participation was 77.5%. It means that the students’ vocabulary mastery and active participation pass the minimum target that is 75 as minimum target for average students’ vocabulary achievement and active participation In summary, it could be concluded that the use of roundtable model of cooperative learning was able to help the students to improve their active participation as well as their vocabulary mastery in the vocabulary teaching and learning process.