A STUDY ON THE ENGLISH TEACHERÂ’S STRATEGY IN TEACHING VOCABULARY FOR SLOW LEARNERS AT SMPLB BONDOWOSO
A STUDY ON THE ENGLISH TEACHER’S STRATEGY IN TEACHING
VOCABULARY FOR SLOW LEARNERS
AT SMPLB BONDOWOSO
THESIS
By
Lingga Mirlani Yonita Pratiwi
08360096
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG
JULY 2013
A STUDY ON THE ENGLISH TEACHER’S STRATEGY IN TEACHING
VOCABULARY FOR SLOW LEARNERS
AT SMPLB BONDOWOSO
By
Lingga Mirlani Yonita Pratiwi
08360096
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG
JULY 2013
A STUDY ON THE ENGLISH TEACHER’S STRATEGY IN TEACHING
VOCABULARY FOR SLOW LEARNERS
AT SMPLB BONDOWOSO
This thesis is submitted to meet one of the requirements to achieve Sarjana
Degree in English Education.
By:
Lingga Mirlani Yonita Pratiwi
08360096
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG
JULY 2013
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My sincere gratitude goes to my thesis supervisor, Mr. Bayu Hendro
Wicaksono,S.Pd, M.Ed, Ph.D who encouraged me to learn about being a researcher
and doing research. I owe him for his time reading the drafts. His kind support,
explanation, sense of humor, and spirit of discovery have encouraged me to complete
this project. It would have been impossible to finish this thesis without his kind
feedback and suggestions. I would also like to express my thanks to
Mrs Rina Wahyu S, M.Ed for her guidance.
I also thank my dear friends, A’yunil Fadhilah, Sisilia Agatha, Muhammad
Husein, Fais, Fetty, Ika, Budy, and Erthin for their support and help during the
process of writing this thesis as well as during my study at the University of
Muhammadiyah Malang. My gratitude is also owed to the teacher in SMPLB
Bondowoso for their encouragement. Finally, I dedicate this manuscript for my
mother and father as my thankfulness for their faithful love and support.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
APPROVEL
...........................................i
MOTTO AND DEDICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
ABSTRACT
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
1.2 Statement of Problem
.......................................... 3
1.3 Purpose of Study
.......................................... 4
1.4 Significance of Study
...........................................4
1.5 Scope and Limitation
...........................................4
1.6 Definition of Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Type of Learner
...........................................6
2.2. Learning Disabilities
...........................................8
2.2.1 Learning Disorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2.2 Underachiever
...........................................8
2.2.3 Learning Disfunction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2.4 Learning Disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2.5 Slow Learner
.......................................... 9
2.2.5.1Definition of Slow Learner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.2.5.2 Type of Slow Learner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
2.2.5. 3 Characteristics of Slow Learner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.3 Teaching English as Foreign Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.3.1 Reading
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.3.2 Writing
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.3.3 Listening
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.3.4 Speaking
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.3.5 Vocabulary
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.3.5.1 Various type of Mastery Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.4 Principle of Teaching Vocabulary. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.5 Strategy of Teaching Vocabulary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.6 Teaching Vocabulary Strategy for Slow Learner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3.2 Research Subject
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.3. Data Collection
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.3.1. Observation
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.3.2. Interview
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.4. Data Analysis
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. Findings
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.2 Description of Data
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.1.1 Observation
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.1.2 Interview
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4.2 Discussion
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1. Conclusions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5.2. Suggestions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
REFERENCES
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
APPENDIXES
............................................
REFERENCES
Reid and Robert. (2006). Strategy instruction for students with learning disabilities.
The Guildford Press. New York
Chauhan..(2011). Journal of Multidisciplinary Research .Vol.1 Issue 8, December
2011, ISSN 2231 5780 ( retrievet online)
www.zenithresearch.org.in 283
Westmins. (2005). Westminster Institute of Education, Oxford Brookes University
Institute of Education, Oxford Brookes University
Mukoroli,J. (2011). Effective Vocabulary Teaching Strategies For The English For
Academic Purposes Esl Classroom. Digital Collection@SIT
Reid and Robert . (2006). Strategy instruction for students with learning disabilities.
The Guildford Press. New York
Douglash and Christense. (1996). Teaching Strategies for Students with Diverse
Learning Needs. Nebraska Department of Education. London
Griffin Diane. (2005). Slow learners ”A break in the Circle”, A practical Guide for
teacher. Taylor and Francis e Library
Willis J. (2008). Teaching The Brain to Read, Strategies for Improving Fluency,
Vocabulary, and Comprehension. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development (ASCD). Alexandria, Virginia
Klingner K Janette, Vaughn S, and Boardman A. (2007). Teaching Reading
Comprehensionto Students with Learning Difficulties. The Guildford Press. New
York
Gebhard G Jerry. (2000). Teaching English as a Foreign or Second language. The
University Of Michigan Press
Jack R Fraenkel. (2011). How to design and evaluate research in education . McGraw. New
York
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Chapter I of this thesis presents topics, namely background of study,
statements of problem, purposes of the study, significance of the study, scope and
limitation, and definition of key terms. Following the previous section, below is the
details:
1.1. Background of Study
According to National Joint Council on Learning Disabilities (in Reid 2006),
learning disabilities is a general term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders
manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking,
reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities. In line with the previous
statement, Brno (2007) stated that learning disability is a general term that describes
specific kinds of learning problems. A learning disability can cause a person to have
trouble learning and using certain skills.
Previous researchers think that learning disabilities are caused by differences
in how a person's brain works and how it processes information. Based on article by
Texas Council (2008), learning disabilities can also be defined as a disorder in one or
more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using spoken
or written language.
In line with the previous ideas, Alim (2010) states that learning disability is
divided into five, they are: learning disfunction, learning disorder, learning disability,
1
under achiever and slow learners. So, the students who get learning disabilities show
some obstructions in their study achievement in the school
One of learning disabilities mostly faced by students is slow learner.
According to Griffin (2005), slow learner is no different in appearance and can
function normally in most situations. Bulman (2005) states that slow learners is
students who are doing poorly in school. Slow learners are students that have lower
process learning, so they need more times to study. In most cases the slow learner
fail to learn at the same rate as the majority of other students. Most of teachers have
had experience with slow learners in classroom. Turnbull (in Brno, 2006:9) states “if
you were to observe twenty students with learning disabilities, you would find twenty
different ways the condition manifests itself“. So, the teachers usually have many
special strategies to face some of slow learners’ student because the slow learners are
individuals who need even greater care and understanding than most.
In accordance with slow learner’s handicaps, it is hoped that these student
might still have similar opportunities to learn English in the school. In the special
school called “Sekolah Menengah Pertama Luar Biasa” (SMPLB) they study English
as a bilingual student. In recent year, English as a foreign language has been learned
by Indonesian learners. The importance of English as the key to the international
communication and commerce makes it compulsory subject for students with special
need in Junior High School.
The importance skill that must be learned by slow learners is vocabulary
mastery. English vocabulary is one of the elements in teaching English at SMPLB.
Vocabulary is the basic competence that must be reached by students in order to get
2
other competencies like reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Miller (in
Zimmerman, 2007) states that vocabulary is a set of words that are the basic building
blocks used in the generation and understanding of sentences. Without learning
vocabulary, they cannot understand the meaning of things. It is difficult to master the
other competences without mastering and understanding the vocabulary.
The slow learners need teachers to help them in understanding of vocabulary
mastery. Teacher is the most important influence in solving the problem of slow
learners in studying of vocabulary mastery. Slow learners can improve their ability if
they get special education from their teachers. So, the teachers have many special
strategies in teaching vocabulary mastery to help the slow learners in mastering
vocabulary.
Based on the reason above, the researcher is interested to investigate what
strategy used by the English teacher of the Seven (VII) grade at SMPLB Bondowoso.
This present study aims at knowing the teacher’s strategy of teaching vocabulary
especially for the slow learners.
1.2. Statements of Problem
Based on the background of study, this study deals with the following
problems:
1. What were strategies used by the English teachers in teaching vocabulary for slow
learners at SMPLB Bondowoso?
2. How did the strategies work in teaching the slow learners vocabulary?
3
1.3. Purposes of The Study
Based on the statement of problems, the purposes of study are:
1. To know the strategies used by English teachers in teaching vocabulary for slow
learners at SMPLB Bondowoso.
2. To know how the strategies work in teaching process for the slow learners.
1.4. Significance of Study
The finding of the research may provide some ideas, concepts or information
to English teachers in junior high school and the next researchers in English
department students about teacher English strategy in teaching the slow learners’
vocabulary mastery. It is also expected that this study can be used as feedback of
success and failure of teaching English and to help the school to improve the quality
of teaching English.
Theoretically, this study may fulfill some information in relation with learning
vocabulary mastery strategy for slow learners.
1.5. Scope and Limitation
The researcher realizes that it is necessary to limit the scope of this study. It is
limited on the teacher’s strategy in teaching slow learner’s vocabulary mastery at
SMPLB Bondowoso. The subject of this research is the English teacher of Seven
(VII) grade at SMPLB Bondowoso. The researcher started to take the data
observation on Monday, 3rd Sept, 2012 to Friday, 22nd Sept, 2012.
4
1.6. Definition of Key terms
Strategy
: Strategy is general patterns of teacher-students in
the realization of teaching and learning activities
to achieve objectives that have been studied
(Suminta, 2010).
Teaching strategy
: Teaching strategy is all of the activities and
resources that a teacher plans in order to enable
the student to learn and would add “ for
achievement of particular purpose”(Tohey in
Fulla, 2011).
Vocabulary
: Vocabulary is concern with a list of words with
their meaning either in native or in target
language which can be learned by students in
order to master it (Masduki in Septiana, 2009)
Slow learner
: Slow learner is children who are doing poorly in
school, yet are not eligible for special education
(Grime, 2005).
In accordance to the discussion of the points stated in chapter I, the next
chapter will discuss about review of the related literature.
5
VOCABULARY FOR SLOW LEARNERS
AT SMPLB BONDOWOSO
THESIS
By
Lingga Mirlani Yonita Pratiwi
08360096
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG
JULY 2013
A STUDY ON THE ENGLISH TEACHER’S STRATEGY IN TEACHING
VOCABULARY FOR SLOW LEARNERS
AT SMPLB BONDOWOSO
By
Lingga Mirlani Yonita Pratiwi
08360096
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG
JULY 2013
A STUDY ON THE ENGLISH TEACHER’S STRATEGY IN TEACHING
VOCABULARY FOR SLOW LEARNERS
AT SMPLB BONDOWOSO
This thesis is submitted to meet one of the requirements to achieve Sarjana
Degree in English Education.
By:
Lingga Mirlani Yonita Pratiwi
08360096
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG
JULY 2013
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My sincere gratitude goes to my thesis supervisor, Mr. Bayu Hendro
Wicaksono,S.Pd, M.Ed, Ph.D who encouraged me to learn about being a researcher
and doing research. I owe him for his time reading the drafts. His kind support,
explanation, sense of humor, and spirit of discovery have encouraged me to complete
this project. It would have been impossible to finish this thesis without his kind
feedback and suggestions. I would also like to express my thanks to
Mrs Rina Wahyu S, M.Ed for her guidance.
I also thank my dear friends, A’yunil Fadhilah, Sisilia Agatha, Muhammad
Husein, Fais, Fetty, Ika, Budy, and Erthin for their support and help during the
process of writing this thesis as well as during my study at the University of
Muhammadiyah Malang. My gratitude is also owed to the teacher in SMPLB
Bondowoso for their encouragement. Finally, I dedicate this manuscript for my
mother and father as my thankfulness for their faithful love and support.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
APPROVEL
...........................................i
MOTTO AND DEDICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
ABSTRACT
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
1.2 Statement of Problem
.......................................... 3
1.3 Purpose of Study
.......................................... 4
1.4 Significance of Study
...........................................4
1.5 Scope and Limitation
...........................................4
1.6 Definition of Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Type of Learner
...........................................6
2.2. Learning Disabilities
...........................................8
2.2.1 Learning Disorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2.2 Underachiever
...........................................8
2.2.3 Learning Disfunction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2.4 Learning Disability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2.5 Slow Learner
.......................................... 9
2.2.5.1Definition of Slow Learner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.2.5.2 Type of Slow Learner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
2.2.5. 3 Characteristics of Slow Learner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.3 Teaching English as Foreign Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.3.1 Reading
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.3.2 Writing
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.3.3 Listening
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.3.4 Speaking
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.3.5 Vocabulary
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.3.5.1 Various type of Mastery Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.4 Principle of Teaching Vocabulary. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.5 Strategy of Teaching Vocabulary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.6 Teaching Vocabulary Strategy for Slow Learner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3.2 Research Subject
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.3. Data Collection
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.3.1. Observation
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.3.2. Interview
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.4. Data Analysis
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. Findings
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.2 Description of Data
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.1.1 Observation
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.1.2 Interview
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4.2 Discussion
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1. Conclusions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5.2. Suggestions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
REFERENCES
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
APPENDIXES
............................................
REFERENCES
Reid and Robert. (2006). Strategy instruction for students with learning disabilities.
The Guildford Press. New York
Chauhan..(2011). Journal of Multidisciplinary Research .Vol.1 Issue 8, December
2011, ISSN 2231 5780 ( retrievet online)
www.zenithresearch.org.in 283
Westmins. (2005). Westminster Institute of Education, Oxford Brookes University
Institute of Education, Oxford Brookes University
Mukoroli,J. (2011). Effective Vocabulary Teaching Strategies For The English For
Academic Purposes Esl Classroom. Digital Collection@SIT
Reid and Robert . (2006). Strategy instruction for students with learning disabilities.
The Guildford Press. New York
Douglash and Christense. (1996). Teaching Strategies for Students with Diverse
Learning Needs. Nebraska Department of Education. London
Griffin Diane. (2005). Slow learners ”A break in the Circle”, A practical Guide for
teacher. Taylor and Francis e Library
Willis J. (2008). Teaching The Brain to Read, Strategies for Improving Fluency,
Vocabulary, and Comprehension. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development (ASCD). Alexandria, Virginia
Klingner K Janette, Vaughn S, and Boardman A. (2007). Teaching Reading
Comprehensionto Students with Learning Difficulties. The Guildford Press. New
York
Gebhard G Jerry. (2000). Teaching English as a Foreign or Second language. The
University Of Michigan Press
Jack R Fraenkel. (2011). How to design and evaluate research in education . McGraw. New
York
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Chapter I of this thesis presents topics, namely background of study,
statements of problem, purposes of the study, significance of the study, scope and
limitation, and definition of key terms. Following the previous section, below is the
details:
1.1. Background of Study
According to National Joint Council on Learning Disabilities (in Reid 2006),
learning disabilities is a general term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders
manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking,
reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities. In line with the previous
statement, Brno (2007) stated that learning disability is a general term that describes
specific kinds of learning problems. A learning disability can cause a person to have
trouble learning and using certain skills.
Previous researchers think that learning disabilities are caused by differences
in how a person's brain works and how it processes information. Based on article by
Texas Council (2008), learning disabilities can also be defined as a disorder in one or
more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using spoken
or written language.
In line with the previous ideas, Alim (2010) states that learning disability is
divided into five, they are: learning disfunction, learning disorder, learning disability,
1
under achiever and slow learners. So, the students who get learning disabilities show
some obstructions in their study achievement in the school
One of learning disabilities mostly faced by students is slow learner.
According to Griffin (2005), slow learner is no different in appearance and can
function normally in most situations. Bulman (2005) states that slow learners is
students who are doing poorly in school. Slow learners are students that have lower
process learning, so they need more times to study. In most cases the slow learner
fail to learn at the same rate as the majority of other students. Most of teachers have
had experience with slow learners in classroom. Turnbull (in Brno, 2006:9) states “if
you were to observe twenty students with learning disabilities, you would find twenty
different ways the condition manifests itself“. So, the teachers usually have many
special strategies to face some of slow learners’ student because the slow learners are
individuals who need even greater care and understanding than most.
In accordance with slow learner’s handicaps, it is hoped that these student
might still have similar opportunities to learn English in the school. In the special
school called “Sekolah Menengah Pertama Luar Biasa” (SMPLB) they study English
as a bilingual student. In recent year, English as a foreign language has been learned
by Indonesian learners. The importance of English as the key to the international
communication and commerce makes it compulsory subject for students with special
need in Junior High School.
The importance skill that must be learned by slow learners is vocabulary
mastery. English vocabulary is one of the elements in teaching English at SMPLB.
Vocabulary is the basic competence that must be reached by students in order to get
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other competencies like reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Miller (in
Zimmerman, 2007) states that vocabulary is a set of words that are the basic building
blocks used in the generation and understanding of sentences. Without learning
vocabulary, they cannot understand the meaning of things. It is difficult to master the
other competences without mastering and understanding the vocabulary.
The slow learners need teachers to help them in understanding of vocabulary
mastery. Teacher is the most important influence in solving the problem of slow
learners in studying of vocabulary mastery. Slow learners can improve their ability if
they get special education from their teachers. So, the teachers have many special
strategies in teaching vocabulary mastery to help the slow learners in mastering
vocabulary.
Based on the reason above, the researcher is interested to investigate what
strategy used by the English teacher of the Seven (VII) grade at SMPLB Bondowoso.
This present study aims at knowing the teacher’s strategy of teaching vocabulary
especially for the slow learners.
1.2. Statements of Problem
Based on the background of study, this study deals with the following
problems:
1. What were strategies used by the English teachers in teaching vocabulary for slow
learners at SMPLB Bondowoso?
2. How did the strategies work in teaching the slow learners vocabulary?
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1.3. Purposes of The Study
Based on the statement of problems, the purposes of study are:
1. To know the strategies used by English teachers in teaching vocabulary for slow
learners at SMPLB Bondowoso.
2. To know how the strategies work in teaching process for the slow learners.
1.4. Significance of Study
The finding of the research may provide some ideas, concepts or information
to English teachers in junior high school and the next researchers in English
department students about teacher English strategy in teaching the slow learners’
vocabulary mastery. It is also expected that this study can be used as feedback of
success and failure of teaching English and to help the school to improve the quality
of teaching English.
Theoretically, this study may fulfill some information in relation with learning
vocabulary mastery strategy for slow learners.
1.5. Scope and Limitation
The researcher realizes that it is necessary to limit the scope of this study. It is
limited on the teacher’s strategy in teaching slow learner’s vocabulary mastery at
SMPLB Bondowoso. The subject of this research is the English teacher of Seven
(VII) grade at SMPLB Bondowoso. The researcher started to take the data
observation on Monday, 3rd Sept, 2012 to Friday, 22nd Sept, 2012.
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1.6. Definition of Key terms
Strategy
: Strategy is general patterns of teacher-students in
the realization of teaching and learning activities
to achieve objectives that have been studied
(Suminta, 2010).
Teaching strategy
: Teaching strategy is all of the activities and
resources that a teacher plans in order to enable
the student to learn and would add “ for
achievement of particular purpose”(Tohey in
Fulla, 2011).
Vocabulary
: Vocabulary is concern with a list of words with
their meaning either in native or in target
language which can be learned by students in
order to master it (Masduki in Septiana, 2009)
Slow learner
: Slow learner is children who are doing poorly in
school, yet are not eligible for special education
(Grime, 2005).
In accordance to the discussion of the points stated in chapter I, the next
chapter will discuss about review of the related literature.
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