IMPROVING VIII C GRADE STUDENTS’ ACTIVE PARTICIPATION AND ACHIEVEMENT ON REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS IN RECOUNT TEXT BY USING A PICTURE FILE AT MTS N 1 JEMBER

Abstract

Vocabulary is the basic need in language learning either receptive or productive skills of the language. Concerning with many topics taught to develop the skills in the classroom, vocabulary is provided in the text book or from the teacher. Mastering sufficient vocabulary can ease the students to comprehend the texts or to express their idea or feeling using the language. In other words, vocabuary is the basic need that can support the students’ language ability. Based on the the information from the English teacher of the eighth grade students at MTs N 1 Jember, the students’ difficulty in learning English was that they were lack of vocabulary. She used to teaching vocabulary integratedly with teaching the language skills. The teacher almost never used media in teaching vocabulary. Furthermore, the teacher said that she had never administered vocabulary test, so the researcher conducted diagnostic test to know the students’ weaknesses in English. The test was conducted in VIII C grade because the class was the lowest achievement in English. The result of the test was that there were 48.38 % of the students who got score more than the standard score (75). Further finding was the students made mistakes in aspect of regular and irregular verbs. This condition encouraged the researcher to do a classroom action research with the condition to collaborate with the English teacher. Conducting the classroom action research was intended to improve students’ active participation and their achievement on regular and irregular verbs. In this research, the researcher used a picture file as medium of teaching vocabulary. The advantages of using a picture file are firstly, A picture file is interesting medium because it has interesting view, color, and impression. Secondly, it can relate the real life and the material. Thirdly, it makes the material taught easy to remember. Moreover, it was economical medium. This research had been conducted in two cycles. The success criteria were at least 70% the students were active during the teaching and learning process, and at least 70% the students achieve the standard score (75). The result of students’ active participation of cycle 1 was that 58.06 % , while the result of students’ achievement was 58.62%. It could be concluded that the results of cycle 1 did not achieve the research targets. The causes of unsuccessful results in cycle 1 were that the size of the pictures were small to be implemeted in the classroom, the total number of the group members was not appropriate to implement the medium, and the teacher didnot go around the classroom conveying material. Based on the shortcoming outcome, the researcher continued the cycle to cycle 2 by revising the problems above. The solutions were that the researcher implemented the pictures with larger size by using LCD, decreased the total number of the group member form group of four became in pair, and went around the classroom to motivate the students. The results of cycle 2 were 80.65% of the total number of the students who were active during the teaching and learning process and 77.42% of the total number of the students who achieved the standard score. In conclusion, the results in cycle 2 reached the minimum standard criteria of the research. The use of a picture file could improve the eighth C grade students’ active participation and achievement on regular and irregular verbs at MTs N 1 Jember. Thus, the teacher was suggested to use a picture file as an alternative medium in teaching. Moreover, the students were suggested to be active in teaching and learning process since a picture file was able to help them to their achievement on regular and irregular verbs. Furthermore, the future researchers are suggested to conduct a further research dealing with the use of a picture file because a picture file is such a worth medium for learning English.