(Mahasiswa Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris FKIP Unisma). Abstract: This
article aims at ..... Panduan Penulisan Skripsi (edisi keempat). Malang: FKIP ...
ISSN 2337-6384
JP3, Volume 1, No. 13, Agustus
2013
IMPROVING STUDENTS’ ENGLISH SKILL BY USING LANGUAGE GAMES Fitriyah (Mahasiswa Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris FKIP Unisma)
Abstract: This article aims at knowing some problems were found by the researcher on the teaching English skill of the fourth grade students’ of SDN Gading Kembar 01 Kec. Jabung Kab.Malang. The students have difficulty in memorize vocabulary. In view of the fact, to improve the students’ English skill, the researcher used language games to solve their problem. This research used CAR and the subjects were the students of fourth grade At SDN Gading Kembar Kec. Jabung Kab. Malang which consisted of 20 students. The researcher used observation sheet, field note, and test. In planning the researcher designed the lesson plan, the material, the media, the instrument and the criteria of success. In the implementation to implement what had been designed in the lesson plan. In the observation to recorded and collected data. And reflection, decided or not the technique to solve students’ problem in English skill. The result of the test the students’ lowest score was 53, and the highest score was 100, and mean of students’ score was 73.70. It means the Standard (SKBM) before the research was 50. The criteria of success more than 70% of 20 students score. For 16 student of 20 students successes that 80% of the students got score ≥ 60 as the standard from the school and students were active. In short, the researcher didn’t need to continue to the next cycle. This research concluded that language games can improve the student’s English skill. the results of this study, it is suggested that English teachers apply the language games strategy to improve the students’ English skill. The researchers apply more than one cycle since the implementation of language games technique needs many activities in teaching English. Key words: Improve, English skill, language game
INTRODUCTION English is officially stated as the first foreign language in Indonesia. It is taught as compulsory subject in junior and senior high schools. It is also taught in some elementary schools and pre - schools as a local content subject. Learning English as a foreign language is very important, since “English is the key to the international currencies of technology and commerce” (Hutchinson and waters, 1989:6). The teaching of English in elementary school is mainly intended to arise the students’ interest in learning a foreign
language with the mastery of simple English. It is just about to introduce the English .The students of elementary school usually like the picture and something real to study. Now days, they like to learn English as a second language in their subject of school. Suyanto (2007: 14) stated that EYL (English for Young Learners) students are the elementary school students who learn English as a local content subject at their school. One of the characteristics of children is getting bored easily. Krashen (as cited in Lightbown & Spade, 1999:39) claimed that a 133
ISSN 2337-6384
JP3, Volume 1, No. 1, Pebruari
2013
learner who is tensed, angry, anxious, or bored may filter out input, making it unavailable for acquisition. Motivated students are usually those who participate actively in class, express interest in the subject matter, and study a great deal. In other words, classroom atmosphere is important since it can help the students in language learning. In the process of learning, both of students and teacher should have a good interaction. Wright and Bailey (as cited in Susanti, 2004: 3) said that learning takes place through the joint management of interaction, which needs participation, by the teacher and learners. In teaching English process in the classroom was probably facing some problems. Based on the interview with the English teacher, interview the students and took the students’ score, it was found a problem in the class of fourth class of SDN GADING KEMBAR 01 kec. Jabung. The students faced some difficulties to memorize English vocabulary given by the teacher. Based on a preliminary study in SDN GADING KEMBAR 01 kec. Jabung, the English still faced a serious problem of a lack of students’ participation in the classroom during English classes. The lack of students’ participation happened in SDN GADING KEMBAR 01 kec. Jabung especially in the fourth grade. Students did not actively participate during their English class. When the teacher gave the students some questions, only three or four students were brave to answer while the others were cheating, or just kept silent. This happened quite often during the teaching and learning process. Based on that situation, it influences students English score were under the school basic of minimum mastery learning standard (SKBM). The SKBM that was decided by the school was 6.0, while their mean English score was 5.0. It shows that students English score of the fourth grade academic year 2012/2013 in SDN GADING KEMBAR 01 Kec. Jabung, were low. In other words, the teaching technique that was applied by the teacher was teacher-centered and it was not effective to make students memorize the
vocabulary easily. In this case, the researcher uses games to improve the students’ English skill. In teaching English, she used the same techniques, memorizing words, translation, and question and answer. She admitted that she never used any songs, games, or even stories to attract her students’ attention. School environment is the sole source for the researcher in teaching learning English. She was hopeless since the students were always noisy and reluctant to participate during the English classes. Therefore, the researcher chose game to facilitate language learning. METHOD This research was a Classroom Action Research aiming at developing a certain instructional strategy to solve practical instructional problem in English classroom. According to Elliot (1991:49),” a class action research is a study of social condition”. In this case, education which aims at improving the quality of an action of a particular condition. Therefore, an action research is carried out by identifying the problem. After that, CAR is an effort to solve the problem with the method or technique that suitable. This research was conducted at SDN GADING KEMBAR 01 Kec. Jabung Kab. Malang which is located on Jl. Sriwijaya No.03 Gading Kembar Kec. Jabung. This school has 6 classes consist of first grade until sixth grade. The fourth grade students were chosen since based on the following reasons: 1) Most of them were having difficulties in English skill, 2) Students were passive in class. Considering the students’ problem above, the subjects of this research were one class of fourth grade students in the second semester of academic year 2012/2013 that consist of 20 students. The researcher concerned with teaching students by using games as a technique in teaching English. The researcher conducted this research to solve the problem in the class. To evaluate the result of the implementation of the action, the researcher together with the teacher established the 134
ISSN 2337-6384
JP3, Volume 1, No. 1, Pebruari
criteria of success. The process referred to students’ involvement during the teaching and learning process obtained from observation sheets and field notes. On the other hand, the product referred to the students’ English skill which was presented in the form of students’ score on the test at the end of the first cycle. In this study, the researcher expected more than 70% of 20 students scored equal to or above 60 (SKBM that decided from the school) and actively participated in teaching and learning process.
learning process was successfull. Moreover, the students could understand what they had learned from the lesson. This could be seen from the result of the students’ test. The use of game was also promoting understanding the material. The students felt enthusiasm and fun in learning English process. Therefore, the students could improve their achievement and this techniques appropriate with the students’ characteristics. It was supported by Halliwel (1992), young learners have the following characteristics: 1) children’s ability to grasp meaning, 2) children’s creative use of limited language resources, 3) children’s capacity for indirect learning, 4) children’s instinct to play fun, 5) the role of imagination. This technique helped them to be more enthusiastic and serious to the study. The result, the techniques of using language games improve English skill because it had reached the criteria of success. It can be proved that the students became more active in the classroom, the students’ average score improved, the researcher had lesson plan to teach based on the material, the students self have confidence when they perform their role games, and the students was fun when learning using English language games.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS In the first meeting she planned to introduce the English games as a technique the teaching learning process. She used the textbook “Let’s Talk in English” with the topic is “animal” and prepared the English games related the animal. She used Flash Card game and prepare some of media with the picture of animals, the second meeting the material was about “characteristic of animal”. The used of English games was also technique in learning English for this meeting. She prepared the puzzle game. Then she made the puzzle game related with the charachteristic of animal. For the third meeting, the researcher choosed material about “tame animal and wild animal” that was taken from book “Let’s Talk in English”. And also prepared the English games related the material. She planned to use jumbled sentences game to know their English skill. The students always did the work in group, and in every meeting they have different group. In the last meeting, the researcher planned to give the test to know the students achievement in learning English after using English games in teaching learning process. The test just about “Animal”. The test was about the material that given in the test included the 20 numbers of subjective test and 5 numbers of objective test. Based on the result of this classroom action research of students achievement showed that using games in teaching English could improve the fourth grade students’ English skill significantly, it showed the result of test. It indicated that teaching and
2013
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS The implementation of the English language games has improved the students’ English skill of fourth grade students of SDN Gading Kembar 01 Kec. Jabung Kab. Malang. Based on the observation sheet and field note that was fullfilled the collaborator, English language games can’t improve the students’ English skill. The result shows that the students has high enthusiasm, happy and fun during the games in each meeting. Based on the computation of the English test, the students score was 73.70. It was proved from the improvement score in the cycle one, and that score was higher than the minimum mastery learning standard at that school which was 60. It means that the implementations of English language games showed positive result and improved the 135
ISSN 2337-6384
JP3, Volume 1, No. 1, Pebruari
2013
students’ achievement. The research has successfully to improved students’ English skill by using language games. These supports by some activities in implementing the technique. Those techniques are the researcher explained about: for the first the material “kinds of animal”. The activities in the action research were she greeted the students and called them one by one, then they introduced themselves, the researcher gave material consisting vocabulary of animal by showing a picture. Then she asked every students to guess what was the animal on the picture. When the teaching process finished, the researcher gave an appropriate English game. The students were divided into 4 groups that consisted of 5 students in each group. They should touch the picture of animal in front of the class using flash card the groups that touch the picture quickly, they got the point.The second step the topic was about “characteristic of animal”.the researcher used Puzzle game. The students were divided into 4 groups They were actively participated when she gave 3 kinds of animal. They should mention the charachteristic of animal and they should guess it. After that, they took the envelope in front of the class that consisted of picture of animal in Puzzle. They arranged the picture into good pictures. They worked with their group together.The third the topic was about “tame animal and wild animal”, the researcher gave the English games the students were divided into 4 groups. Then she gave three envelopes for each group that consisted of sentences that they should re-arrange into good sentences. After that, each groups should mention the wild and tame animal in group. For the last meeting gave the test to know the students’ vocabulary achievement in learning English after using English games in teaching learning process. The question was about the material had been given in three meetings. The test just about “Animal”. The test about the material that given in the test included the 20 numbers of subjective test and 5 numbers of objective test the duration of answering the test was 60 minutes. Based on the result of study, the
teachers are recommended to use games technique to improve the students’ English skill in learning English. The teachers are suggested to prepare more creative games that were more suitable with the students and the topic. And also the teacher should prepare the media that interest the students. The future researcher may conduct the same procedure of the use of games in this research. However the future researchers can make some improvement in order to conduct the better research. For example, make used of different teaching media, instrument, bigger sample and different games. REFERENCES Cameron, Lynne. 2001. Teaching language to young learners. New York Cambridge University Press. Cameron. 2011. Teaching vocabulary for English for Young learners. New York Cambridge University Press. Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan. 2013. Panduan Penulisan Skripsi (edisi keempat). Malang: FKIP Universitas Islam Malang. Halliwell, Susan. 1992. Teaching English as in the Primary Classroom. New York: Longman Publishing. Halliwell. 1992. Characteristic for young learners. New York: Longman Publishing. Hutchinson, Water 1989. English for specific purpose. New York. Harmer, Jeremy. 1988. The Practice of English Language teaching (4th edition). England: Pearson: Educational Limited. Lado,Robert. 1961.Testing vocabulary. Logma group Limited London Lightbown,Spade 1999. Second language aquisiation. London McCarten.2007. Teaching Vocabulary for Teaching Young Learners of English. Paper presented on TESOL.San Diego. Georgia State University. McClosky .M, Lou.2002. Seven Instructional Principles for Teaching Young Learners of English. Paper presented on 136
ISSN 2337-6384
JP3, Volume 1, No. 1, Pebruari
2013
TESOL.San Diego. Georgia State University. Nafiah. 2007. Improving Vocabulary Mastery by Using Flash Card as Media in Teaching Learning English of Fifth Grade Students of SDN Wandapuro IV Bululawang Malang. Unpublished Sarjana Thesis: English Department: Unisma. Scoot, Wendi A. and Lisbeth H. Ytreberg, 1990. Teaching English to young
learners.New York: Longman. Suyanto, Kasihani. KE. 2007. English for Young Learners. Jakarta: Bumi Aksara. Suyanto, Kasihani K.E. 2010. English for Young Learners (EYL). Unpublished Course Material. Malang: English Department at State University of Malang.
137
