IMPROVING CLASS VIIB STUDENTS’ MASTERY OF PREPOSITIONS THROUGH PICTURES AT SMPN 3 JENGGAWAH IN THE 2011/2012 ACADEMIC YEAR

Abstract

This Classrom Action Research was intended to improve the seventh grade students’ mastery of prepositions by using Individual and Composite Pictures at SMPN 3 Jenggawah in the 2011/2012 academic year. This reseasrch subjects were the students of class 7B that was determined purposively, because they had problem in mastering the use of prepositions. This was known from the result of the preliminary study that the students of class 7B had problem in mastering of prepositions. The students had low motivation and were not interested in learning prepositions since the use of prepositions is confusing. Besides, they have never been taught prepositions by using individual and composite pictures as media in teaching prepositions. To overcome these problems the researcher used individual and composite pictures to improve the students’ mastery of prepositions. This research was carried out in two cycles, in which each cycle had four stages of activities, they were The average percentage of students’ active participation in Cycle 1 was 79.4%. There were 79.4% of 37 students who were actively participated in the teaching learning process of prepositions of position and time in Cycle 1. The result of the observation in Cycle 1 fulfilled the target criteria that was 75%. Then, the result of the students’ mastery of prepositions in Cycle 1 showed that the percentage of the students who got score 70 or more was 70.2%. Meanwhile, the target evaluation criterion, in this research was 75% of the students could achieve the target score requirement that was 70 or more. It means that the results of the students’ preposition test in Cycle 1 had not achieved the target score yet. It was found that there were some factors that influenced the results of the students’ preposition test in Cycle 1. They were The result of the students’ prepositions test in Cycle 2 showed that 89% of 37 students got score 70 or more. It improved from 70.2% in Cycle 1 to 89% in Cycle 2. The improvement was 18.8%. Besides, there was also an improvement on the percentage of the students’ active participation in the teaching and learning process of prepositions of position and time by using individual and composite pictures in Cycle 2. It improved from 79.4% in Cycle 1 to 81.1% in Cycle 2. The improvement was 1.7%. It means that both the students’ mastery of prepositions and the students’ active participation in the teaching learning process of prepositions of position and time by using individual and composite pictures improved in the second cycle and fulfilled the success criteria in this research. Thus, the action research was stopped. Based on the above results, it showed that the use of individual and composite pictures in the teaching and learning process of prepositions of position and time could improve the students’ mastery of prepositions and the students’ active participation in two cycles. Then, it is suggested to the English teacher and the students to apply individual and composite pictures as alternative media in teaching and learning process of prepositions of position and time. It is due to the fact that individual and composite pictures could improve the students’ mastery of prepositions.