IMPROVING THE CLASS VIII-E STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH PICTURES AT SMPN 2 PANTI JEMBER

Abstract

This Classroom Action Research was intended to improve the eight grade students‟ vocabulary achievement at SMPN 2 Panti Jember in the 2013-2014 academic year. Based on the preliminary study in the form of interview with the English teacher, eight grade students of that school experienced difficulties in learning vocabulary. The teacher said that most of students‟ difficulties was memorizing and understanding the vocabulary, especially in VIII-E class. Besides, the English teacher said that the students‟ active participation in the teaching learning process was low. Considering the problems above, this research was undertaken to overcome the student‟s problem by using individual and composite pictures as a media in teaching vocabulary. This Classroom Action Research was done collaboratively with the English teacher and it was carried out in two cycles, each cycle consisted of three meetings included the vocabulary test. In this research the actions were considered successful if 75% of the students were active in each indicator of the observation stated in the checklist and also if 65% of the students achieved at least 70 of the vocabulary test. In the first cycle, the result of observation in the form of the students‟ active performance was 68,4% students who were active in the first meeting and 76,3% in th second meeting. This shows that there were an improvement of the students‟ active participation in the first meeting to the second meeting but in average it did not achieve the target criteria. In addition, the result of vocabulary test in the first cycle was 73,6% of students who achieved at least 70. This shows that the result of the actions did not achieve the target. Therefore, the second cycle was necessary to overcome the problem in the first cycle. In the second cycle, the result of observation in the form of students‟ active participation in the first meeting was 73,6% who were catgorized active and 84,2% in the second meeting. The result of vocabulary test in the second meeting was 81,5% of students who achieved the standard score at last 70. It means that the actions in the second cycle achieved the success criteria of the research. Finally it could be concluded that pictures could improve the students‟ vocabulary achievement and the students‟ active participation in the teaching learning process at SMPN 2 Panti Jember.