IMPROVING STUDENTS’ ENGLISH VOCABULARY BY USING TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (A Classroom Action Research in the Sixth Year of MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus in the Academic Year of 2009 2010)

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IMPROVING STUDENTS’ ENGLISH VOCABULARY

BY USING TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

(A Classroom Action Research in the Sixth Year of MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus in the Academic Year of 2009-2010)

A Thesis By Nining Pujiningsih

S890908124

Submitted to Fulfill One of the Requirements for Getting Graduate Degree in English Education

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

GRADUATE SCHOOL

SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY

SURAKARTA

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ii

APPROVAL

This thesis entitled “Improving Students’ English Vocabulary by Using Total Physical Response ( A Classroom Action Research in the Sixth Year of MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus in the Academic Year of 2009-2010)” has been approved by the consultants.

Surakarta, June 2010

Consultant I Consultant II

Dr. Ngadiso, M.Pd. Dr. Abdul Asib, M.Pd.

NIP.19621231 198803 1 009 NIP. 19520307 198003 1 005

The Head of English Education Department Graduate School

Sebelas Maret University

Dr. Ngadiso, M.Pd. .

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LEGITIMATION FROM THE BOARD OF EXAMINERS

IMPROVING STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY BY USING TOTAL PHYSICAL

RESPONSE (A Classroom Action Research in the Sixth Year of MI NU Manafiul

Ulum Kudus in the Academic Year of 2009-2010)

By

Nining Pujiningsih

S890908124

This thesis has been examined by the board of thesis examiners of the English

Department, Graduate School of Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta on

………2010

Board of the examiners: Signature

Chairman : Prof. Dr. Joko Nurkamto, M.Pd. (………)

NIP. 19610124 198702 1 001

Secretary : Dr. Sujoko, MA. (………)

NIP. 19510912 198003 1 002

Members : 1. Dr. Ngadiso, M.Pd. (……….)

2. Dr. Abdul Asib, M.Pd.. (……….)

The Director of Graduate School The Head of English Education Department

Prof. Drs. Suranto, M.Sc., Ph.D. Dr. Ngadiso, M.Pd.

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iv

PRONOUNCEMENT

The following student:

Name : Nining Pujiningsih

Number of Student Registration : S890908124

Truly pronounced that, all aspects of this thesis entitled IMPROVING

STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY BY USING TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (A

Classroom Action Research in the Sixth Year of MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus in

the Academic Year of 2009-2010) are my own original work. All statements in

this thesis which do not belong to the writer have been written between quotation

marks and can be shown, explained, and also proved in the list of bibliography.

If my pronouncement proves wrong on the other day, I will accept all

consequences or any academic punishment.

Surakarta, June 2010

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ABSTRACT

Nining Pujiningsih, S 890908124: Improving Students’ Vocabulary By Using Total Physical Response (A Classroom Action Research in the Sixth Year of MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus in the Academic Year of 2009-2010) Surakarta: English Education Department Graduate School of Sebelas Maret University. 2010.

The objective of the research is to know whether Total Physical Response can improve students’ English vocabulary and the most significant improvement of it, and also to identify the advantages of TPR in improving students’ English vocabulary in MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus.

The research was conducted in MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus for about seven months from October 2009 to April 2010. The method of the research is classroom action research. The procedure of the research consists of identifying the problem, planning the action, implementing the action, observing the action, and reflecting the result of the research. The subject of research was the students of the sixth grade. In collecting the data the researcher used observation notes, diaries, video recording, interview, and tests. To analyze the qualitative data, the researcher analyzed the improvement of vocabulary mastery by applying the five steps of the data interpretation technique, they are 1) extending the analysis by raising questions, 2) Connecting the findings with the personal experience, 3) Seeking the advice of critical friends, 4) Contextualizing findings in the literature, and 5) Turning to the theory. To analyze the quantitative data, the researcher applied descriptive analysis and t-test.

The research findings show that Total Physical Response can improve the students’ English vocabulary including the meaning, spelling, pronunciation, and using of words. The most significant improvement was the aspect of meaning and spelling. TPR could increase the students’ motivation and confidence in learning vocabulary. TPR could change the students to be active learners as they involved in the activity and they automatically learned by doing. Somehow, there were some weaknesses of applying TPR; the students still got difficulty in aspect of using word in sentence and they were sometimes confused to cover the four aspects of vocabulary at the same time. That’s why the improvement of the pronunciation aspect and using of words were not significant.

Based on the research findings, the research suggests: first, to the teacher to teach English by using TPR, the activities actually can be modified based on the students’ interest as long as it covers the four aspects of vocabulary mastery. Second, the students should be totally in getting involved in the teaching learning process. Making mistakes is part of learning process and they need not to be afraid of. Third, the other researchers should prepare the planning of the research well and develop some dimensions that have been observed deeply.

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MOTTO

Verily, Allah will not change (good) condition of people as long as they do not

change their state (of goodness) themselves (by committing sins and by being

ungrateful and disobedient of Allah) (Q.S. Ar-Ra’ad: 11)

Never give up till we get what we want.

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vii DEDICATION

This thesis is dedicated to:

Her parents, Mamah Eutik Mintarsih and Bapak H. Edom Suryadi, for their

unconditional love, support and prayers along her life. They give her the true love.

Her beloved husband. Raden Mas Hendy Hendro Hadi Srijono, M.Si. For his

love, affection and never ending support in facing this life

Her beloved children, Raden Mas Afriezal Rizki Hadi Perdana, Raden Ajeng

Nindy Dyah Kusuma Proborini, Raden Mas Irwanda Restu Hadi Perbawa, for

their love and wish, they remind her to finish this thesis

Her beloved brothers and sisters, for their love and supports

Her beloved friends, for their love, cares and never ending support in finishing

this thesis

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AKNOWLEDGEMENT

Alhamdulillahirobbil‘alamiin. Praise be to Allah SWT as the writer is able to finish this thesis entitled “Improving Students’ English vocabulary by Using Total Physical Response (A Classroom Action Research in the Sixth Year of MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus in the Academic Year of 2009-2010)” as one of the requirements for achieving the Graduate Degree of the English Education of Sebelas Maret University.

This work could not be completed without a great deal of help. In this occasion the writer would like to express her sincere gratitude to Dr. Ngadiso, M.Pd. and

Dr. Abdul Asib, M.Pd., as the consultants who had given their valuable advices and guidance to arrange this thesis. This gratitude is also given to:

1. The Director of Graduate School who gives permission to the writer to write this thesis.

2. The Head of the English Education Department who gives permission to the writer to write this thesis.

3. Syaikhul Mukmin, S.Pd.I., the Headmaster of MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus, for giving his permission to the writer to conduct the research in MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus.

4. Tashliyati, S.Pd., the class teacher and research collaborator.

5. Her beloved family, Mamah Eutik and Bapak Haji Edom, sisters and brothers, her husband, Raden Mas Hendy HH Sridjono, M.Si., her children Afriezal, Nindy, and Irwanda, for their love, cares, and never ending supports.

6. Her beloved friends, Runtung, Rusiana, and Siti Fatimah, for their love, care, motivation and help.

7. Her beloved students in MI NU Manafiul Ulum, especially for Ridho who was her best student and Didin who gave her some impression, for always giving her good times to do research.

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8. Her big family of the English Department of the Graduate Program 2008. For their friendship and support.

Finally, the writer realizes that this thesis is far from being perfect. Therefore it is really a pleasure for her to receive criticism, comment, and suggestion.

Surakarta, June 2010

The writer,

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE ... i

APPROVAL ... ii

LEGIMITATION ... iii

PRONOUNCEMENT ... iv

ABSTRACT ... v

MOTTO ... vi

DEDICATION ... vii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... ix

LIST OF APPENDICIES ... xii

LIST OF TABLES ... xiii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of The Study ... 1

B. Formulation of the Problem ... 8

C. Objective of the Study ... 8

D. Benefit of the Study ... 8

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. The Nature of Vocabulary and Mastery 1. The Definition of Vocabulary Mastery ... 10

2. Types of vocabulary ... 11

3. Learning and Teaching Vocabulary ... 13

4. Teaching Vocabulary and Its Purpose for Students of MI Manafiul Ulum Kudus ... 14

5. Teaching Process of English Vocabulary ... 18

6. Vocabulary Learning Strategies ... 20

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xi

1. Definition of Total Physical Response ... 25

2. History of Total Physical Response ... 26

3. Total Physical Response in Teaching Vocabulary ... 27

C. The Nature of Teaching English to Young Learners and Development of Young Learner 1. Teaching English to Young Learners ... 30

2. Techniques and Resources ... 37

3. Young Learner’s Development ... 41

4. The Language Development of Children ... 43

D. Rationale ... 45

E. Hypothesis ... 47

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY A. Setting of the Research ... 48

B. The Subject of the Research ... 49

C. The Method of the Research ... 49

D. The Procedures of the Study ... 50

E. Data and Sources of Data ... 53

F. Technique of Collecting Data ... 54

G. Technique of Analyzing Data ... 54

CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FINDING AND DISCUSSION A. Introduction ... 58

B. Report of Cycle 1 1. Planning ... 60

2. Action of Cycle 1 ... 62

3. Observing ... 71

4. Reflecting of Cycle 1 ... 74

5. Revising the Plan ... 75

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1. Revised the Plan ... 76

2. Action of Cycle 2 ... 78

3. Observing ... 86

4. Reflecting of Cycle 2 ... 89

5. Revising the Plan ... 91

D. Research Findings ... 92

E, Discussion ... 92

CHAPTER V CONCLUSION, IMPLICATION, SUGGESTION A. Conclusion ... 98

B. Implication ... 99

C. Suggestion ... 99

BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 101 APPENDICIES

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xiii

LIST OF APPENDICIES

Page

1. Appendix 1 : The field Note Observation ... 104

2. Appendix 2: Tape Script of English Teacher’s Interview ... 106

3. Appendix 3 : Interview to the Students ... 108

4. Appendix 4: The result of pre-test 1 ... 121

5. Appendix 5: The result of post-test 1 ... 122

6. Appendix 6: The result of pre-test 2 ... 123

7. Appendix 7: The result of post-test 2 ... 124

8. Appendix 8: The result of post-test 1 and post-test 2 ... 125

9. Appendix 9: The result of t-test of pre-test and post-test 1 ... 126

10.Appendix 10: The result of t-test of pre-test and post-test 2 ... 127

11.Appendix 11: The result of t-test of post-test 1 and 2 ... 128

12.Appendix 12: Lesson Plan ... 129

13.Appendix 13: Photograph of teaching and learning process ... 166

14.Appendix 14: Sample of Instrument of the pre-test andf post-test of cycle 1... 169

15.Appendix 15: Sample of Instrument of the pre-test andf post-test of cycle 1... 172

16.Appendix 16: Sample of Collaborator Journal... 175

17.Appendix 17: Copy of Letter Permission ... 181

18.Appendix 18: Copy of The Profil of MI Nu Manafiul Ulum ... 182

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xiv

LIST OF TABLES

Page

1. Table 1: Types of vocabulary, their features and implication for teaching and

Learning process ... 11

2. Table 2: Knowing about a word ... 19

3. Table 3: The schedule of research ... 48

4. Table 4: Time allotment of meetings in cycle 1 ... 61

5. Table 5: The material of cycle 1 ... 61

6. Table 6: The implication of cycle 1 ... 75

7. Table 7: Time allotment of cycle 2 ... 77

8. Table 8: The material of cycle 2 ... 77

9. Table 9: The implementation of cycle 2 ... 89

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1 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

English plays an important role in globalization era. It is widely used as a means of communication among people around the world. For example: the use of English as a means of communications among the nations of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Indonesia is one of nine ASEAN members, the Indonesian government has taken step to introduce English as a subject in the school curriculum in the primary years. And, the final goal of teaching English at the elementary school based on the 1989 Constitution on the System of National Education is to enable the students to be functionally proficient in English (Rachmajanti, 2008).

Actually, English has been included and decided as the first foreign language since 1945. Further, since the issue of the Decree of the Minister of Education and Culture No. 096/1967, English has been incorporated into secondary-school curriculum as compulsory subject. Prior to the launching of the 1999 Curriculum, English was only introduced at the secondary schools (Rachmajanti, 2008: 161). However, because of its importance, in Indonesia, English has been introduced for Elementary School. In Elementary School, government has already run a policy and regulation to include English subject as a local content.

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Several arguments supporting the importance of English for Elementary School students are: (1) speaking English in Indonesia is required for the demands of tourism industries; (2) nowadays, the result of final examinations in many schools is unsatisfactory; (3) some educators believe that the earlier the children learn a foreign language, the more opportunity the will acquire a high proficiency in the target language; and (4) the Indonesian government has automatically prepared the human resources for the future.

In line with those arguments, nowadays almost all of Elementary Schools especially in Kudus either state or private school, includes English in their curriculum. Although it is only a local content, many parents are willing to give more experience and material of English by sending their children to English private courses. It proves that not only the government but also the parents in this case, have realized the importance of introducing English earlier to their children.

Then, as students of Elementary School are young learners, teaching English sometimes becomes difficult to be done. They perhaps think that English is a strange language as it is extremely different from their first and second languages. It will be much more difficult if they do not realize the importance of learning English. That’s why, the teacher should introduce the importance of learning English to them in the first meeting of English class. Next, the way of teaching English should be considered as the important thing because the success of learning teaching process depends much on it. An appropriate method and approach in teaching English will enable the early age students to comprehend English holistically.

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For the beginners, vocabulary is more appropriate to enhance them to the next material in different skills. Vocabulary is the first thing should be taught because without having enough vocabulary someone will learn nothing. The students’ mastery of English vocabulary can be measured through the students’ capability in using them in written or spoken. They truly know about English vocabulary when they are capable to write and use them correctly. Immediately they can jot down the words they listen; they know the meaning of them-indicated by correct using of them in written.

They are able to use the vocabulary if they know the meaning, how to pronounce, how to spell, and how to use them in a sentence. Knowing the meaning of some words does not merely know its translation in different language. Knowing means understanding how the words are put in different contexts and used differently. For example: good morning. The students not only know that good morning is selamat pagi but they can greet someone in the morning using good morning.

How to pronounce can be understood from pronouncing the words correctly. Students can distinguish the slightly different words such as, tree and three. English has more complex pronunciation than Bahasa Indonesia, and it often becomes a problem. For example: a student says thank you the same as they say tank you. For us, Indonesian people it does not a big deal because we do understand each other. Yet, for the native speaker it is irritable thing as the meaning of the word will be far away or it means nothing.

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How to spell means that the students are able to spell the words. It will be difficult thing when the words are similar to the others. For example: sea and see. Usually, it is tightly connected with knowing of words. When students understand the word, they will be able to indicate whether to spell sea or see.

How to use words is an ability to use or to apply the words either in spoken or written. For example: a student says, “jump to the left” when the teacher says “jump”. In another occasion, the student says: “jump to the chair ”. In this case, of course, the student has already understood how to use the word jump in different contexts.

In line with the conditions of mastering vocabulary, in a fact, the method of teaching vocabulary in many schools seems to be inappropriate yet. Nearly all of teachers give the vocabularies directly when the students ask the meaning of English words and do not give them an understanding in a context so that the students really know how to use those words. Sometimes, vocabularies are given in the form of list of vocabularies to be memorized. In this case, vocabularies will be like words saving in students’ mind. Unfortunately, they cannot use the words when needed as they only know the translation of those. Actually, learning vocabularies will be much easier if they are given in a context. For example, if we tell our students that the English of buku is book. It is better if we also tell them words read, take, open, close, etc. Surely, the students will understand when there is a sentence; read a book, open the book, and so forth. In different occasion, probably they will be able to say open the window, close the door, etc. That‘s

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why, the meaning, the spelling, the pronunciation and the example of using the words also important to give.

Related to vocabulary mastery, it is found that students of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah NU Manafi’ul Ulum are poor in vocabulary mastery. It is caused by some factors including pronunciation, lack of language input, lack of language practice. English pronunciation often makes students feel stressful since the letter and the pronunciation is different depends on the words. Then, to be said that students lack of language input because students have English class only once a week for about an hour and they do not have other sources to study about English. Unfortunately, no one takes an English private course. They depend only on the teacher. Certainly, they have limited material and get little experience of English. Further, limited time of English class will cause the students’ lack of practice. As English is seldom met in their real life experience, the frequency of practicing English is less.

The teacher might give contribution to this problem. It is almost always that the teacher teaches vocabularies by giving list of words and let the students memorize them. Obviously, the way cannot be said as teaching. The students, of course are not willing to do so as memorizing the words in such way is difficult. They would not know how to pronounce, how to spell, and how to use the words. They might know the meaning, but actually they only know the translation of particular words.

Generally, vocabularies for elementary students are those related to their environment. It will help much since the objects are available and they have

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already known those in their native language or national language. For example: things in the classroom. All of students have understood the thing, the name, and the function of those in the classroom. So, it is a challenge for the teacher to find a proper method to improve the students’ ability in mastering the vocabularies.

There are many methods in teaching vocabularies and one of them is Total Physical Response (TPR). To be fitted with the students’ age, this method seems to be appropriate to teach vocabulary since children seem like playing and moving all the time. As they are interested in body movement, vocabulary actually can be taught through action. Basically, first vocabularies for children are easy to be conveyed in action. Take it for granted, all of students are willing to do some actions in the classroom together with their friends.

Therefore, the researcher would apply Total Physical Response as a method in teaching vocabulary in Madrasah Ibtidaiyah NU Manafi’ul Ulum Kudus. Total Physical Response is a language teaching method built around the coordination of speech and action. It attempts to teach language through physical (motor) activity. TPR makes learning become enjoyable and less stressful.

Here, some of they key features of Total Physical Response method: (1) The teacher directs and students act in response-the instructor is the director of the stage play in which the students are the actors (Asher, 1977: 43); (2) Listening and physical response skills are emphasized over oral production; (3) The imperative mood is the most common language function employed, even well into advanced level. Interrogatives are also heavily used; (4) Whenever possible, humor is injected into the lesson to make learning be enjoyable for learners; (5)

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Students are not required to speak until they feel naturally ready or confident enough to do so; grammar and vocabulary are emphasized over other language areas; (6) and spoken language is emphasized over written language (Larsen-Freeman, 1986: 118-120).

The key features of TPR are suitable with the students’ interest and condition. That is why certainly the writer would like to apply TPR as a method to solve the problem of vocabulary mastery in the sixth year students of MI NU Manafi’ul Ulum Kudus. Hopefully, the using of this method in English teaching and learning can improve the students’ English vocabulary mastery because it tends to be a lot of fun and the techniques involved are relatively simple. It is also hoped that this method can be one of the joys of learning as well. From the explanation above the writer is interested to know more the effect of using TPR method in improving English vocabulary of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah NU Manafiul Ulum students.

The target after applying Total Physical Response to the students of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah NU Manafi’ul Ulum Kudus is the students’ vocabulary mastery will improve significantly and they get an easy understanding how to master English vocabulary through this method. They can find their own way in creating physical (motor) activity to new words they know and are able to use them either in spoken or written. So, this method enhanced the students to improve their English vocabulary mastery independently-they can learn new words by themselves after guided for the first.

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B. Formulation of the Problem

Based on the background of the study, the writer formulates the problem as follows:

1. Can Total Physical Response improve the students’ English vocabulary? 2. What is the most significant improvement of the components of vocabulary

by using Total Physical Response?

3. What are the advantages of the implementation of Total Physical Response in improving the students’ English vocabulary?

C. Objectives of the Study

This study attempts to solve the problems which need positive solutions, they are:

1. To know whether Total Physical Response can improve students’ English vocabulary in MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus.

2. To know the most significant improvement of students’ English vocabulary by using total physical response.

3. To identify the advantages of total physical response in improving students, English vocabulary in MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus.

D. Benefit of the Study

The research is expected to give some benefits for the students, the teachers, and other researchers.

1. For the students.

Through Total Physical Response, the students will get an enjoyable situation and get the clear words and their meanings, pronunciation, spelling and the

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use of them. The result of this study, hopefully, will improve their vocabulary mastery.

2. For the teachers

For the teachers, by understanding the result of this study, they can be careful in selecting teaching techniques and methods in their class. It is hoped that the result of this study helps the teachers to teach vocabulary properly by using Total Physical Response for Elementary School students.

3. For other researchers

For other researchers, the result of the study helps them in teaching vocabulary. In conducting research process, the data offer the literature for the researchers. It is hoped that the data can open their mind in completing vocabulary field research.

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10 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

In this chapter, the researcher would review some literature related to vocabulary mastery by using Total Physical Response (TPR).

A. The Nature of Vocabulary and Mastery

The following will presents the nature of vocabulary and mastery from different point of view:

1. The Definition of Vocabulary Mastery.

Whute (1986: 337) states, “Vocabulary is the word that is used in language. They are elements that are combined to make sentences or discourse. The more vocabulary will be needed in order to intake accurate word choice, so it will effectively convey thought and ideas. Hornby (174: 252) states that vocabulary is total number of words which make up language with rules for combining them. Vocabulary of language consists of lexical forms (words) that refer to part of our experience. In English, these words consist of consonants and vowels (Nasr, 1985: 36). Julian Edge (1993: 27) states that knowing many words in a foreign language is important as it enables us to have more chance in understanding the language.

Mastery means natural or acquired facility in specific activity: ability, adeptness, art, command, craft, expertise, expertness, knack, proficiency, skill, technique (http://www.answers.com/topic/mastery). It can be said that mastery is possession of skill, ability, and technique in conducting a certain activity.

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Mastering vocabulary deals with learning words at the first. Learning words is a cyclical process of meeting new words and initial learning, followed by meeting those words again and again, each time extending knowledge of what the words mean and how they are used in the foreign language (Cameron, 2001: 74).

In short, vocabulary is words that are combined to express idea through sentence or discourse. It is a starting point in learning English. It plays an important role in learning; as a basic knowledge. Without knowing about vocabulary, one will not be able to communicate with others. Mastering vocabulary means knowing the form and the meaning of words and having ability to use them communicatively either written or spoken. The aspects in vocabulary mastery include pronunciation, spelling, meaning, and the use of the words. Therefore, the indicators are:

a. Students know the meaning of words

b. Students are able to pronounce word correctly. c. Students are able to spell or write words. d. Students are able to use words in a sentence. 2. Types of vocabulary

Thorndike and Lorke in (Nation, 1990: 19) define types of vocabulary as follows:

Table 1: Types of Vocabulary, their Features, and the Implications for Teaching and Learning.

Types of Vocabulary

Number of

Words Frequency

Coverage

of Text Origins

Implications for teaching and learning High-frequency words

2,000 Occur

frequently

About 87% of the running

words in a

About half are from Latin,

French, or

Spend a lot of time on these words. Make sure

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Academic vocabulary Technical vocabulary Low-frequency words 800 About 1,000 to 2,000 for each subject About 123,000 Occur frequently in most kinds of academic texts Occur, sometimes frequently, in specialized texts. Do not occur very frequently. text. About 8% of the running words in academic text. About 3% of the running

words in a specialized text.

About 2% or more of the words in any text.

Greek. About two-thirds are from Latin, French, or Greek. About two-thirds are from Latin, French, or Greek. About two-thirds are from Latin, French, or Greek. they are learned. If learners are in upper-secondary school or in tertiary education, spend a lot of time on these words. Make sure they are learned. Learning the subject involves learning the vocabulary. Subject teachers can deal with the vocabulary, but the English teacher can help with learning strategies. Teaching strategies for dealing with these words. The words themselves do not deserve teaching time.

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3. Learning and Teaching Vocabulary

Nation (in Cameron, 2001: 85) listed basic techniques by which teachers can explain the meanings of new words, all of which can be used in the young learner classroom:

a. by demonstration or pictures: (1) Using an object

(2) Using a cut-out figure (3) Using gesture

(4) Performing an action (5) Photographs

(6) Drawing or diagrams on the board. (7) Pictures from books.

(To these we might and moving images, from TV, video or computer) b. by verbal explanation

(8) Analytical definition

(9) Putting the new word in a defining context (10) Translating into another language

Verbal explanation (8) and (9) require pre-existing knowledge of the language, definitions and explanations might help students to activate networks to construct a meaning of a particular word. Notice that all except (10) require the learner to do some mental work in constructing a meaning for the new foreign language word. Sometimes, a new word is explained in the foreign language by using picture, but soon it is translated in the first language. It make the students do not need to concentrate on working out the meaning.

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Still, Nation (in Cameron, 2001) suggests that an explanation should be followed by a check of understanding, using different technique. So, having explained car through defining context, and their understanding can be check using a picture. If it has not been understood, a further explanation can be given.

4. Teaching Vocabulary and Its Purpose for Students of MI Manafiul Ulum Kudus

Brown (2001: 15) says that teaching is showing or helping someone to learn how to do something, giving instruction, guiding in the study of something, providing with knowledge, causing to know or to understand. Hornby (1987: 86) states that teaching is giving instruction of knowledge, skill, lesson, living and others.

Teaching English to school-age children therefore is not merely a matter of setting them loose on a plethora of authentic language tasks in the classroom. To successfully teach children a language requires specific skills and intuitions that differ from those appropriate for adult teaching (Brown, 2001: 87).

From definition above it can be concluded that teaching English vocabulary means facilitating students in learning vocabulary with the appropriate method based on their age in order to enhance them with sufficient vocabulary.

Vocabulary has been taught in every level study from elementary to advance. For Elementary School, teaching vocabulary is intended to make the students master the vocabularies given which are based on the curriculum. As foreign language, English sometimes make them get upset because of their limited

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vocabularies. Therefore, teaching vocabulary for Elementary students is a must in order to give them a basic knowledge.

In general, teachers of Elementary School do simple way in teaching vocabulary, giving the meaning of new words immediately to be memorized. Usually they use a textbook with some new vocabularies and automatically translate them for students. Even, they just give students some words in a piece of paper and ask them to memorize. In a fact, those are not appropriate way to teach vocabulary. Students will be passive and actually it is hard for them to memorize words without any context.

The English teacher in MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus seems do the same way as other teachers of Elementary School in common. The consequence, the students, especially the sixth students of MI NU Manafiul Ulum Kudus, is poor in vocabulary mastery. They have told the truth that they had not been taught enough vocabulary. On the other hand, too much time is spent for structure and reading comprehension. Actually intensity in teaching vocabulary is not a big deal. The most important is the use of appropriate technique in teaching vocabulary so that they have sufficient words as a starting point to learn English.

Here, an English teacher plays an important role because she/he is the most influential person in the classroom. She/he has to create a desirable classroom climate to plan a variety of learning activities so that the students will enjoy the learning and easily absorb the material.

She/he has to be able to apply various techniques in teaching English because the students at Elementary School like to learn something by doing. In

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this case, using appropriate and interesting instructional media and new techniques of teaching vocabulary is required.

Teaching vocabulary is really important as it is the foundation for students to know more about English vocabulary. When the students do not have enough words in their minds, it will be hard to go forward. They probably feel strange with the pronunciation and spelling at once. Therefore, teacher should give them an understanding about the purpose of learning English vocabulary.

It is obvious that the purpose of teaching English vocabulary is introducing students with words that are used in high frequency. It begins from the simple words that students are interested in. Besides to attract their attention and interest, it will make the process of learning English vocabulary run smoothly. The students are willing to memorize words that are often used in language class. That’s why teacher must notice about learning vocabulary in and out of class (Virginia, 1983: 8).

As Elementary school students are young learners, teaching English vocabulary becomes a need. The aim is certainly to enhance the students in order to be able to learn English holistically in the next level. They should be enhanced with not only simple vocabulary but also the complex one. Traditionally, teachers give only simple words such as pen, table, door, etc. In a fact, such new words should not be presented in isolation. The teacher should provide the context. Of course, students will have more chance in understanding the new words and it will stimulate their brain to think over about the new words they have known.

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Many researchers claimed that learners should initially be taught at least two thousand high frequency words. Later it seems to be the goal for second language learners. Meara in Celce-Murcia (2001) states that students who start to acquire language should learn large vocabularies because of two reasons:

a. The language has a small number of words that occur many times in most of material we see and a large number of words that occur only once o twice. b. Most learners expect to learn as much as possible a number of vocabularies,

and it would be a mistake not to fulfill on the expectations.

West in Celce-Murcia (2001) states that the famous list of high frequency words is the General Service List of English Words. It is claimed that knowing these words will enable someone to access about 80 percent of the words in any written text and thus stimulates motivation since the words acquired can be seen by learners to have a demonstrably quick return. However, it is based on old word counts and recently is being revised.

Dealing with that case, it should be taken into account that learners have different need relates to vocabulary because of context. Learners in Indonesia perhaps need to know more about vocabularies related to rainy season than spring. In linked with curriculum of English as a foreign language that is taught in Elementary School, nowadays it is widely accepted that vocabulary teaching should be a part of the syllabus and taught in a well planned. The material for the sixth year students are cleaning the classroom, daily routine, parts of the body, objects in the classroom, etc. It can bee seen that students at that age still learn about things in their surrounding.

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5. Teaching Process of English Vocabulary

Vocabulary teaching as a “social” process with comprehensible input is a must when expecting comprehensible output. The most important, teachers must provide students with adequate teaching methodology and time, as well as appropriate vocabulary and learning activities that will develop verbal skills.

Hatch and Brown (1995): 372) describe five “essential steps” in vocabulary learning based on research into learner’s strategies:

a. Having sources for encountering new words.

b. Getting a clear image, whether visual or auditory or both, for the forms of the new words.

c. Learning the meaning of the words.

d. Making a strong memory connection between the forms and meanings of the words.

e. Using the words.

Vocabulary needs to be met and recycled at intervals, in different activities, with new knowledge and new connections developed each time. The same words are met again. Looking at the five steps, we can see that each ‘step’ is in fact something that needs to happen over and over again, so that each time something new is learnt or remembered.

Thornbury (2002: 15) states that knowing the meaning of a word does not just know its dictionary meaning (or meanings) – it also means knowing the words commonly associated with it (its collocations) as well as its connotations, including its register and its cultural accretions.

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According to Cameron (2001), different aspects of word knowledge are summarized in the following table, which combines similar lists from Ellis and Sinclair (1990: 99) and Schmitt and Meara (1997: 18). These in turn draw on work by Richards (1976) and Nation (1990).

Table 2 Knowing about a word

Type of Knowledge What is involved Example

Receptive knowledge: aural/decoding

To understand it when it is spoken/written

Memory To recall it when needed

Conceptual knowledge To use it with the correct meaning

Not confusing protractor with compasses

Knowledge of the spoken form: phonological knowledge

To hear the word and to pronounce it acceptably, on its own, and in phrases and sentences

To hear and produce the endings of verb forms, such as the /n/ sound at the end of undertaken

Grammatical knowledge To use it in a

grammatically accurate way; to know grammatical connections with other words.

She sang very well not * she sang very good; to know that is and be are parts of the same verb

Collocational knowledge To know which other

words can be used with it.

A beautiful view not *a good-looking view.

Orthographic knowledge To spell it correctly Protractor not*

protractor Pragmatic knowledge,

knowledge of style and register

To use it in the right situation

Would you like a drink? Is more appropriate in a formal or semi-formal situation than what can I get you?

Connotational knowledge To know its positive and negative associations, to know its associations with related words

To know that slim has positive connotations, when used about a person, whereas skinny is negative.

Metalinguistic knowledge To know explicitly about the word, e.g. its grammatical properties

To know that protractor is a noun; to know that pro is a prefix.

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In summary, knowing word involves knowing about its form, (the sounds, the spelling, the grammatical change that can be made to it), its meaning (its conceptual content and how it relates to other concepts and words), its use (its pattern of occurrence with other words, and in particular types of language use).

Based on the theories of vocabulary that have been previously discussed, mastering vocabulary means knowing the form and the meaning of words and having an ability to use them communicatively either written or spoken. The aspects in vocabulary mastery include pronunciation, spelling, meaning, and the use of the words. Therefore, the indicators are: (1) students know the meaning of words; (2) students are able to pronounce words correctly; (3) students are able to spell or write words; and (4) students are able to use words in a sentence.

6. Vocabulary Learning Strategies

Vocabulary learning strategies is needed to discover the meaning of a new word and to consolidate the new word found.

a. Guessing meaning from context

One of strategies mostly known is guessing word meaning from context. The success of this strategy depends on the context. When the context is rich enough, this strategy can be successful. On the contrary, if the context is not sufficient in giving clues, this strategy can be hard for the learners. Steps to guess a new word from the context is by looking at the unknown word, then looking at the context, then finding relations among other clauses, sentences, or paragraphs.

The basic step of this system are: (1) decide the part of speech of the unknown word (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc); (2) examine the clause or sentence in which the unknown word states; (3) Look at the relationship between

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the clause or sentence to other sentences or paragraphs; and (4) Use knowledge gained from such clues to guess the meaning of the word. Some signals that might lead to successful guessing are conjunctions, punctuations, rhetorical relationships, and reference words.

b. Mnemonic devices

This strategy which requires a manipulation and deep processing is the Keyword Method, an aid to memory, or a ‘mnemonic device’. There are three steps. First, the learner chooses an L1 or L2 word based on phonological or orthographic similarity with the L2 target word. Then a strong association between the target word and the keyword must be constructed to that, when seeing or hearing the target language. Finally, a visual image is constructed to combine the referents of the keyword and the target word. The important point is concentrate on remembering the image of the interaction between the keyword and the foreign word. For example: the target word is sapu (broom), and the keyword is sweep. The association between the target word and the keyword is to think of the image a mother sweeps the floor using a broom.

c. Vocabulary notebooks

A further strategy of learning vocabulary is setting up vocabulary notebooks. It is done by writing down new words that the learners hear or see within a certain period and noting its frequency, learning roots and derivatives in the word’s family, or writing a sentence using the new words.

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d. Other learner strategies

Various strategies can help discovering meaning and consolidating it in memory. Teachers can encourage students to use L1 cognate, peer groups, link a word to a personal experience, say a new word aloud, use a verbal or written repetition, and review new material immediately.

According to Cameron (2001), the using of appropriate strategy will influence the success of learning vocabulary. Some available strategies are not to be adopted automatically, and some training might be helpful. The general principles of helping children to learn apply to strategies are:

a. Teachers can model how to use strategies and draw children’s attention explicitly to aspects of strategy use. For example, teachers can show how to find clues to the meaning of a new word in a picture or in other words in the same sentence.

b. Teachers can teach the sub-skills needed to make use of strategies. For example, to use a dictionary efficiently requires knowledge of alphabetical order and lots of practice.

c. Classroom tasks can include structured opportunities for using strategies. For example, when reading a story, teachers can explicitly encourage prediction of the meanings of new words.

d. Independent strategy use can be rehearsed in classrooms. For example, children can be helped to prepare lists of words that they want to learn from a lesson, can be shown ways of learning from lists and later can be put in pairs to test each other.

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e. Young learners can be helped to reflect on the learning process though evaluating their achievements. For example, at the end f a lesson they can be asked how many new words they have learnt, and which words they need to learn more about. Through regular self-evaluation, children can come to understand more about what they are learning and how.

In a short, students should decide a particular strategy based on their ability, and the teacher should give an explicit training to cope with various strategies needed so that students are able to use different strategies to understand new words properly.

B. Total Physical Response.

Total Physical Response is developed by Dr. James J. Asher, a professor of psychology at San José State University, to aid learning second languages. The method relies on the assumption that when learning a second or additional language, language is internalized through a process of code breaking similar to first language development and that the process allows for a long period of listening and developing comprehension prior to production. Students respond to commands that require physical movement. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_-Physical - Response)

TPR has important elements in common: (1) It is based on the way children learn their native language, that is, by acquiring listening comprehension before speaking, reading, and writing skills; (2) It shares the premise that learning a second language should be a "natural" experience with emphasis on communicative competence and realistic utterances; (3) It perceives language

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globally, with attention to detail emphasized later in the learning process; and (4) It emphasizes on the use of the brain's right hemisphere, for implicit learning.

TPR has a number of advantages: (1) Students will enjoy getting up out of their chairs and moving around; (2) Simple TPR activities do not require a great deal of preparation on the part of the teacher; (3) TPR is aptitude-free, working well with a mixed ability class, and with students having various disabilities; (4) It is good for kinesthetic learners who need to be active in the class; (5) Class size need not be a problem, and it works effectively for children and adults; (6) It is good tool for building vocabulary; and (7) It is memorable, actions help strengthen the connections in the brain; (8) It can be a challenge for shy students.

On the other hand, like other method, TPR has also some disadvantages: (1) whilst it can be used at higher levels, TPR is most useful for beginners. It is also at the higher levels where preparation becomes an issue for the teacher; (2) Students are not generally given the opportunity to express their own thoughts in a creative way; (3) It is easy to overuse TPR. "Any novelty, if carried on too long, will trigger adaptation." Asher writes, "No matter how exciting and productive the innovation, people will tire of it”; and (5) the teacher may find that it is limited in terms of language scope. Certain target languages may not be suited to this method.

In short, Total Physical Response is a method that is used to teach a second or foreign language that concerns with listening comprehension in order to get students’ understanding in learning the language naturally and easily. Here, the role of teachers is as an instructor and the students as imitator.

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1. Definition of Total Physical Response.

TPR is a hands-on approach to second language learning in which the teacher infuses language through commands and by which the student responds with kinesthetic (body) movement to show total comprehension.

The TPR (Total Physical Response) teaching style was developed in response to the observation that "Adults...in first language acquisition manipulate children's physical behavior by a massive number of commands. The infant becomes ready to talk only after many months of moving in response to gentle directions from adults. At first, probably the infant listens to the instruction without giving any responses. After the instruction has been repeated for several times in weeks or months, the infant will be able to imitate or respond depending on the stage of producing words.

In other words, learning foreign language seems to be similar with that case. The students who do not know about the language will be given some instructions based on the need. They need not to utter, just listen and do the instruction from the teacher. Later, they will be capable in saying the same utterances when they are ready to speak.

To determine whether students understand about the material, teacher can pay attention to the student’s response. There are three types of test item responses existing for listening: action response, evaluation response, and communication response. All are intended to create a response that can be used to evaluate listening (comprehension) skill without resorting to the other language skills or with only minimal use of simple utterances that make little or no demand

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on the speaking skill. In an action response one hears a command and physically carries out the command.

The complexity of the teacher's utterance and the degree of familiarity of the utterance could become factors in the determination of scores. An evaluation response calls for the learners to give some indication of whether an utterance accurately portrays reality, or which of a set of possible responses is the correct one. Action response and evaluation response items call for little or no use of speaking, while communication response calls for oral response. The students' utterance involves not only their perception of the teacher's message, but also its intent and the formulation of an appropriate response with well-chosen linguistic structures.

It can be concluded that TPR is a method of teaching foreign language through some commands to give oral experiences to students in acquiring language with kinesthetic movement.

2. History of Total Physical Response

According to Asher, TPR is based on the premise that the human brain has a biological program for acquiring any natural language on earth - including the sign language of the deaf. The process is visible when we observe how infants internalize their first language. It looks to the way that children learn their native language. Communication between parents and their children combines both verbal and physical aspects. The child responds physically to the speech of their parent. The responses of the child are in turn positively reinforced by the speech of the parents.

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For many months the child absorbs the language without being able to speak. It is during this period that the internalization and code breaking occurs. After this stage the child is able to reproduce the language spontaneously. With TPR the language teacher tries to mimic this process in class.

In conclusion, TPR has been developed based on the process of acquiring language of children. They start to acquire language by listening and are going to be able to respond physically, uttering the words or sentences that are often repeated. Further, they perhaps will be able to read or even write a particular words or sentences that are always shown to them through picture or modeling.

3. Total Physical Response in Teaching Vocabulary

In the classroom the teacher and students take on roles similar to that of the parent and child respectively. Students must respond physically to the words of the teacher. The activity may be a simple game such as Simon Says or may involve more complex grammar and more detailed scenarios. TPR can be used to practice and teach various things. It is well suited to teaching classroom language and other vocabulary connected with actions. It can be used to teach imperatives and various tenses and aspects. It is also useful for story-telling. Because of its participatory approach, TPR may also be useful alternative teaching strategy for students with dyslexia or related learning disabilities, who typically experience difficulty in learning foreign languages with traditional classroom instruction (http://www.positivepractices.com/BilingualEducation/TotalPhysicalResponse%5 BTPR.html).

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Total Physical Response is largely about movement. By physically moving to learn verbs and even nouns, learning increases and stress decreases.. However, it is recognized that TPR is most useful for beginners, though it can be used at higher levels where preparation becomes an issue for the teacher. It does not give students the opportunity to express their own thoughts in a creative way. The following are the steps in using TPR for teaching:

a. Aspect of meaning

1) Teacher explains in native language about the rule of TPR, that is the students just listen and need not to speak at first. They have to act out the commands from the teacher.

2) Teacher asks some volunteers to come to the front of the room and sit with her/him in chairs that are lined up facing the other students. Other students listen and watch.

3) Teacher gives various commands beginning with verbs while doing them together with the volunteers, for example: "swim" (use both hands and do something general like a butterfly free stroke in the air).

4) Teacher allows the volunteers to do the instructions and she/he remains seated.

5) Then, teacher asks one of the volunteers to perform the instructions alone. 6) Teacher approaches the other students who have been sitting observing

her/him and the volunteers and gives the same commands. 7) The students follow the teacher’s action.

8) After the students master the instructions, the teacher gives the new ones as the steps above.

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9) Teacher turns to the rest of the class and gives the commands randomly to the students.

10) The last step, teacher writes the new commands on the blackboard. Each time she/he writes a command, she acts it out.

11) The students copy the sentences from the blackboard into the notebooks. Using TPR in teaching vocabulary can be fitted to the real situation in the classroom. Sequence steps above are intended to make the students understand the new vocabularies given. To be said knowing vocabulary, students have to know the meaning, the spelling, the pronunciation, and the use of the words. In order to equip the students in those four aspects, teacher might add more steps after students understand the meaning. The following are additional steps, to teach aspect of spelling, aspect of pronunciation, and aspect of using the words, that are actually elaboration of previous steps to teach vocabulary holistically.

b. Aspect of spelling

1) The teacher asks the students to write the instructions on the board. 2) The teacher asks volunteers to spell the words along with her. 3) The teacher asks the students randomly to spell the words alone. c. Aspect of pronunciation

1) The teacher asks a student to be an instructor.

2) Then, the first student who becomes instructor gives instructions to the second student.

3) From the first student, teacher can check the pronunciation, and from the second student, teacher can check whether the meaning is correct.

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d. Aspect of using word

1) The teacher asks the students to make new imperative sentences spoken or written using the same words on the board.

2) The teacher asks the students to practice using their sentences.

C. The Nature of Teaching English to Young Learners and Development of Young Learners.

Teaching English to young learners should consider the development of young learners in order to do a successful teaching. The following is theoretical review related to teaching English to young learners.

1. Teaching English to Young Learners

The number of teachers of young learners is increasing as children start to learn English at younger age around the world. The term young learners can be used to describe:

a. Pre-school learners

b. Primary school learners and

c. Secondary school or teenage learners.

In teaching adult, the materials are papers, books, the blackboard, etc. For children, all sorts of material are used-magnets, hamster, costumes, and so on. Activities need to be child-centered and communication should be authentic. Children learn because they want, not for the sake of teacher. They are willing to learn if they enjoy the English material. On the other hand, they will immediately show unwillingness if the material cannot attract them. Many authors advise

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teachers to teach children holistically and to focus on the whole children. Several themes repeatedly come up:

a. Focus on meaning, not correctness.

Children speak, write, listen, or draw something based on their capability in groups. The teacher does not correct errors.

b. Focus on the value of the activity, not the value of the language.

Children prepare an oral introduction of their pet (e.g. it is my rabbit. Its name is Ruby), make a poster with an image of the rabbit that could be used if the rabbit were to get lost.

c. Focus on collaboration and social development.

The children work in group then make a report. Each student has a role in the group.

d. Provide a rich context, including movement, the senses, objects and pictures,

and variety of activities.

The students learn terms for community occupations such as teacher, doctor, and postman. They wear appropriate costume and act out brief scene by following the teacher’s direction.

e. Teach ESL holistically, integrating the four skills.

The students listen to a story then repeat a refrain in the story and supply some missing words. If possible, they help the teacher to tell story, discuss about the characters, etc.

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f. Treat learners appropriately in light of their age and interests.

At the end of a unit, students play bingo using vocabulary and pictures from the unit.

g. Treat language as a tool for children to use for their own social and academic

ends.

In a group, students sing and chant the same pieces. They enjoy activities that allow them to work with friends.

Use language for authentic communication, not as an object of analysis.

The whole students in a class do not know term of present continuous tense, but enjoy making up role plays.

Those principles are important to be understood and applied for teaching children. Further, the principles should be adjusted to the children’s development. The activity has to be matched to their age or class level.

In line with the principles, for helping young learners to learn, Read (2003) proposes some of the optimal conditions:

a. learning is natural

b. learning is contextualized and part of a real event c. learning is interesting and enjoyable

d. learning is relevant e. learning is social

f. learning belongs to the child

g. learning has a purpose for the child h. learning builds on things the child knows

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i. learning makes sense to the child

j. the child is challenged appropriately k. learning is supported appropriately l. learning is part of a coherent whole m. learning is multi-sensory

n. the child wants to learn

o. learning is active and experiential p. learning is memorable

q. learning allows for personal, divergent responses r. learning takes account of multiple intelligences s. the learning atmosphere is relaxed and warm t. The child has a sense of achievement.

(Read in (http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/3-5.htm) also suggests the seven Rs which provide an integrated framework for managing children positively and creating a happy working environment:

Relationships - creating and maintaining a positive relationship with learners

is at the heart of establishing a happy learning environment.

Rules - establish a limited number of rules and make sure they are clear, as

well as the reasons for having them.

Routines - classroom routines make it clear to everyone what is expected of

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Rights and Responsibilities-although these may not be stated explicitly with

very young learners, teachers can model through their own actions which of these they value.

Respect - students who are treated respectfully by the teacher will respond in

a similar way to the teacher. If the children feel that the teacher treats them as individuals, they will also respond to the teacher as an individual and not with a collective group mentality.

Rewards - reward systems can be an effective way of reinforcing appropriate

behavior e.g. using stars, stickers, points, smiley faces, raffle tickets or marbles in a jar (http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/3-5.htm).

On her website, Vernon presents some of the problems many preschool teachers face. Preschool learners:

• have very short attention spans

• forget things quickly

• may not be fully confident in their first language

• may not be motivated to learn

• may be fearful

• develop at very different rates which leads to mixed ability groups

• can be easily overwhelmed

• Need to be taught with effective language learning techniques and not just with time fillers to keep them busy.(http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/3-5.htm)

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The solutions she proposes include:

• Change your games and activities every 5-10 minutes.

• Vary the pace during the lesson, mixing up energetic games with quiet ones.

• Repeat, review and revise. Use short games to review vocabulary and phrases you have already taught.

• Make lessons playful and full of physical movement. Children will find them more enjoyable, be more motivated and remember the language better.

• Teach in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with plenty of encouragement.

• Avoid competition with preschool learners. It can be stressful and overwhelm them. Play games where everyone wins, or where you do not single out a winner.

• Encourage and support young learners.

• Use chants, rhymes and songs. These are great for movement and frequent repetition of vocabulary and phrases.

Do not focus on reading and writing - leave those for when children are older.

• Focus on listening and understanding, building vocabulary and the acquisition of short phrases.

• Concentrate also on speaking practice, starting with single words and short phrases, and gradually moving onto longer sentences and questions.

• Avoid abstract concepts and focus on concrete items that children understand and relate to. For example, start with familiar topics such as colors, numbers, greetings, animals, fruit, food and drink, families, body parts, shapes, clothing, the weather, days of the week and everyday sentences and phrases.

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• Use please and thank you and be positive. Focus on positive behavior rather than telling children what not to do.

• Be prepared - practice telling stories before you go into class and have your picture flashcards and materials ready.

Mix up active participation and listening. If the children become restless do something active.

• Be flexible. If something is not working then change the game or activity.

• Involve shy children - help them to express themselves.

• Bring in real objects whenever possible, such as clothes to dress up in, or props for acting out little plays or stories. When you cannot bring in realia use whatever objects are available in your class, and use colorful pictures of real items.

• Use stories. Stories are a great resource for preschool learners, who will want to hear the same tales told repeatedly.

Cameron (2003:73) argues that the continuing growth of teaching English to young learners brings a number of challenges. Starting to learn English at an earlier age may not bring automatic improvements to proficiency levels, unless teacher education and secondary language teaching both adapt to meet the challenges of the new situation. According to Cameron, amongst other knowledge and skills, teachers of young learners need:

• an awareness of how children think and learn

• skills and knowledge in spoken English to conduct whole lessons orally

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• to be equipped to teach initial literacy in English. Other current issues in teaching young learners include:

• the use of learners' first language in the language classroom

• teaching other subjects through the medium of English e.g. CLIL

• developing appropriate assessment of young learners

• Young learner teacher education.

From the previous theory, it can be said that teaching English for young learners is different from adults. Teacher has to give appropriate material and various activities based on the principles and conditions in teaching children so that the teaching and learning process will be successful. Therefore, TPR is required to teach English for young learners as it is suitable with the students’ interest at such age. By acting and moving they can learn new words easily and this way might be interesting for them. If the students are interested in the way they learn, they would master the new words well.

2. Techniques and Resources

Using the right technique and resource in conveying the material for young learners is a must. Wrong technique can be a terrible thing as students cannot pretend that they enjoy the material and listen to the teacher as if they understand what is being taught. They would spontaneously express what they think, even to say that they do not like English. Surely, it will be hard for the teacher to hear that. Therefore, the following techniques and resources are important as consideration:

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a. Using songs, poems, and chants.

To play with language, teachers need to use songs, poems, and chants to teach children. They seem not tired of practicing the same songs, poems, or chants many days of week. Often, they incorporate gestures and movements into their songs and chants. The following example is a song usually used:

If you’re happy clap your hands If you’re happy clap your hands

If you’re happy and you know it then you’re surely want to show it If you’re happy clap your hands.

If you’re happy step your feet. If you’re happy step your feet.

If you’re happy and you know it then you’re surely want to show it If you’re happy step your feet.

If you’re happy say amen. If you’re happy say amen

If you’re happy and you know it then you’re surely want to show it If you’re happy say amen

These techniques build vocabulary. Learners hear pronunciation modeled and then they practice the same sounds repeatedly. A five or ten minute session of singing or chanting can be fun and effective.

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b. Dramatic activities.

Dramatic activities can be helpful whether the students have a big or small in the production. Even if a child has a non speaking role, he or she might listen intently. All of children would take a part in drama activities than adults.

c. Storytelling

Stories are a powerful means of language teaching. It can be used to develop listening, speaking, and writing. Children usually enjoy the same stories many times. Teacher can vary the presentation by using picture, flannel board, or moving characters. You can tell or read a story while the students move puppets or doll. Others, they listen to a tape-recorded story together or individually.

Teacher should be creative in varying the way of presenting the story. It can be done through games. For example: a brief story that can be covered by number of students in the class. One student memorizes one sentence, and the next student memorizes the next sentence, and so forth. After all of students are able to recite, then the teacher ask them to tell the whole story from the first student till the last one.

d. Gesture and Movement

Children need to move around than adults do. As mentioned above, you can combine movement and gesture with songs, poems, and chants, with drama, and with stories. Or, you can ask them to raise their hand in answering question, or shake their head when say no, etc. Make a habit of using gesture and movement with children because they need it.

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e. Total Physical Response (TPR)

It is well-known as TPR, an approach created by James Asher. In TPR, teacher gives command and models them. Soon, the students are asked to do the same and the other commands based on the teacher’s various command. Through TPR, grammar is not overtly taught, the focus is on comprehension, and the input is supposed to be comprehensible.

f. Total Physical Response (TPR) Storytelling

TPR storytelling (Ray and Seely 1998; Seely and Romjin 1998) is a metod of second or foreign language teaching that includes actions, pantomime, and other techniques. Much is taught through stories. The words of a story are taught through associated gestures. Each vocabulary has each gesture. Students then practice the vocabulary in pairs: one speaks and the other makes the gesture. After vocabularies are covered, the teacher tells a mini story. Later, the students will be able to tell the story themselves because they have learned all of the movement and gestures in the previous.

g. Teaching grammar

Younger children are less likely focus on the vocabulary or pronunciation errors of others, or to correct them. As they grow older, teacher needs to teach them grammar. When the children have errors in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, teacher can choose a range of strategies: ignore the error, make a mental note, rephrase the sentence, rephrase the expand, or present a lesson to a group or the whole class later on.

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Based on the previous explanation, it can be concluded that teaching young learners can be done through various techniques and resources based on the age and the students’ need to explore a particular skill of students including vocabulary.

3. Young Learner’s Development

Considering the development of children, to take a right step in teaching them is needed. The following will discuss the development of young learners: a. Cognitive Development

Piaget (in Woolfolk, 1995: 33) states that a child has four stages of cognitive development as follows:

1) Sensorimotor (0-2 years)

This stage has some characteristics such as it begins to make use of imitation, memory, and thought. It also begins to recognize that objects do not cease to exist when they are hidden. It moves from reflex actions to goal-directed activity.

2) Preoperational (2-7 years)

It gradually develops use of language and ability to think in symbolic form, able to think operations through logically in one direction; it also has difficulties seeing another person’s point of view.

3) Concrete Operational. (7-11 years)

Most of children are able to solve concrete (hands-on) problems in logical fashion, understand laws of conservation and are able to classify and seriate. They also understand revisibility.

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4) Formal Operational (11-adult)

In this stage, they are able to solve abstract problems in logical fashion. They become more specific in thinking and develop concerns about social issues. Before they learn to speak, children communicate through crying, smiling, and body movement. By the end of the first year, more or less, most children have their first word. They have entered what psychologist call the one word stage.

From the explanation above, it can be concluded that children pass some stages in developing their cognitive based on their age.

b. Affective

According to Brown (2000: 143) affect refers to emotion or feeling. The affective domain is the emotional side of human behavior, and it may be juxtaposed to the cognitive side. The development of affective stages or feelings involves a variety of personality factors, feeling both about themselves with whom they come into contact.

The affective domain includes many factors: self-esteem, extroversion, inhibition, risk-taking imitation, anxiety attitudes, empathy (Brown, 2000: 145). c. Psychomotor

Bloom also (http://www.kidsdevelopment.co.uk/Typesoflearning.html.) classifies psychomotor categories as follows:

1) Imitation: watch and copy the actions of another.

2) Manipulation: perform a task from written or verbal instructions.

3) Precision: adeptly perform a task without outside help or instruction, show ability to demonstrate skill to others.

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4) Articulation: combine skills to meet new, unforeseen demands.

5) Naturalization: use internalized knowledge to perform tasks in a “second way. 4. The Language Development of Children

a. Pronunciation

The majority of first graders have mastered most of the sound of mother tongue, but a few of sounds may be unconquered. The v, th, and zh sounds are the last to develop. About 10 percent of 8 year-olds still have some trouble with s, z, v, and zh (Rathus in Woolfolk, 1995: 55). Young children may understand and be able to use many words but prefer using words they can pronounce easily.

Intonation or word emphasis may also cause problems for young children. If the meaning of a sentence is ambiguous and intonations makes the difference, then the children as old as 8 or 9 may misunderstand (Moshman, et al., in Woolfolk 1995: 55) give this example. Consider the sentence, “George gave the book to David, and David gave another book to Bill.” With a different intonation, emphasizing the and, for example, the meaning is changed to “George gave the book to David, and George also gave one to Bill.”

Don’t expect early elementary-school students to pick up subtle meaning in intonation.

b. Syntax

Children must master the basic word orders, or syntax, in their native language early. By early elementary school, many children can understand the meaning of passive sentences, yet they do not use such constructions in their formal conversations. Other accomplishment during elementary school include

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first understanding and then using complex grammatical structures such as extra clauses, qualifiers, and conjunctions.

c. Vocabulary and Meaning

Between the age of 2 and 6, the average child learns between six and ten words a day. This means the average 6-year-old has a vocabulary of 8,000 to 14,000 words. From ages 9 to 11, about 5,000 new words are added to this repertoire. It seems that the time before puberty, especially the preschoolers, is a sensitive period for the language growth. Research has shown that learners can learn much about language after puberty, but that very positive or very negative conditions during the sensitive period puberty can greatly help or hinder language development (Berger, Johnson & Newport in Woolfolk, 1995: 57).

In the early elementary years, some children may have trouble with abstract word such as justice or economy. They may also take statements literally and thus misunderstand sarcasm or metaphor. Many children are in their preadolescent years before they are able to distinguish being kidded from being taunted or before they know that a sarcastic remark is not meant to be taken literally (Gardner in Woolfolk, 1995: 57).

d. Pragmatics

Pragmatics involves the appropriate use of language to communicate. Children show an understanding of pragmatics when they talk in simpler sentences to younger children or command their pets to “come here!” in louder, deeper voices (Rice in Woolfolk, 1995: 57). But there is much more to successful communicating, for instance, children must learn of turn-taking in conversation.

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other words they have learnt before. In this aspect it can be seen that less students could use new words they have learnt. For those who could, they created a simple sentence that was slightly different from the sentences they have learnt, for example: wash your hand. Diaz (2005: 1-3) claims that when we use TPR strategies to teach, our goal is truly to be able to understand, speak, read, and write the language, not "about" the language. It is obvious that the students probably have not been ready yet to produce a sentence.

The most significant improvement of vocabulary mastery achieved by the students of MI Manafiul Ulum Kudus was in the aspect of meaning and spelling. For the aspect of meaning, the students would be easily reminded by the movements. It helped them much in recalling the meaning of particular words they had learnt. For aspect of spelling, they might have learnt before about spelling since it was not a new thing for them. Although they sometimes get difficulty to differentiate the spelling of some words, the aspect of spelling improved.

Based on the computation of “t-test non-independent formula between the pre test and post test, “to” is 7.3665, with the level of significance ά= 0.05. Because

“to” (7.3665) is bigger than “tt” (1.71) (“t0” >“t1”) in cycle 1, to (8.5830) in cycle 2 is

higher than “tt” (1.71) and “to” (5.5916) from t- test between post test 1 and post test 2 is higher than “tt” (1.71), (see appendix 9-11, PP. 129-131), it means that there is significant difference between the pre-test and post-test of cycle 1, cycle 2, and between post test 1 and pos test 2. It can also prove that conducting TPR improve the students’ English vocabulary mastery.

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2. The improvement of confidence, motivation, and involvement in English class.

Total Physical Response motivates students to learn English especially vocabulary. This method enables them to learn vocabulary by acting and moving. Because TPR was enjoyable, the students were free to act and move without being ashamed. Acting and moving made them more confident to learn English. The use of various media also motivates them to be involved during the lesson. Surely, TPR helped them much in recalling the words they have learnt previously. Almost all of students expressed the following opinion:

“Saya senang belajar dengan mempraktekkan karena mudah diingat. Belajar dengan cara ini juga menyenangkan karena ada alat peraganya.”

Some students who seemed not interested in English initially, had improved significantly by getting involved either to be volunteers or instructor. One of them stated that learning English by acting and moving is enjoyable.

The high involvement and enthusiasm in the activities of TPR causes the noisy. Most of students enjoyed the class and subconsciously laughed even shouted when they acted or moved incorrectly.

Based on the students’ comments, they expressed their enthusiasm in learning vocabulary using TPR. During the implementation of TPR, students learnt freely without being afraid of making mistakes. They are concerned with giving the right response to the instructions given.

The illustration above indicated that the students’ confidence and motivation significantly increased. It is in line with what Stevick states that there are four major sources of motivation to reinforce the students’ original desire to

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learn language. They are joy of discovery, the satisfaction of control, the joy of remembrance, and the elation of use (Lubis; 1988:19).

3. The improvement of class management

Total Physical Response could be applied by modifying the activities and setting the class or students adjusted to the time and situation. Often, as the students are deeply involved, they subconsciously laughed and shouted when their friend made a mistake. Of course, the class will be noisy. To avoid much noise, changing seat position might be a good idea. In a big circle without table available, it is easier to control them. According to Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis (in Sebelius: 2002:11) the less stress the student feels related to the process of acquisition, the more s/he can acquire and the better will be the retention. The fact that students enjoy learning language through TPR is evidenced by studies showing attrition rates in foreign language programs dropping after schools switch from traditional to TPR-based methods.

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98

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS

A. Conclusions

All stages in the action research were completely done from October 2009 to April 2010. Based on the findings of the research chapter IV, it can be concluded that:

1. TPR can improve the students’ English vocabulary mastery in four aspects: meaning, spelling, pronunciation, and using the words. The most significant improvement was aspect of meaning and spelling.

2. TPR can improve the students’ motivation, achievement, and confidence. During the implementation of the actions, the students were more active and enjoyed the learning activities than the previous condition. The students were actively involved in the teaching learning activities. Before the actions were conducted, the students seemed to be not interested in English and of course unmotivated to learn English. It caused them to have a chat with their friends and often did any other activities. Surely, they neglected the teacher’s explanation. They seemed to listen, but actually they did not. In addition, they were afraid of making mistakes. They were shy to do exercises on the board. Related to vocabulary, most of them only knew the meaning of words. By applying TPR and the using of media such as VCD, they were more enthusiastic to learn. They got more experience and knowledge in learning new vocabulary that is not only aspect of meaning, but also spelling, pronunciation, and using the words.

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3. TPR can improve class management and teaching and learning process

During the implementation of the actions, the English teacher stated that she got more knowledge about teaching English particularly in using TPR. Also, she was inspired to use various kinds of media in teaching learning process. She realized that actually students could learn much if they were taught by using an appropriate method and media. Moreover, the teacher planned to be more creative in teaching English by paying attention to the students’ need and interest.

B. Implications

The common way of teaching vocabulary in Elementary level is by giving a list of new words. The purpose is enhancing the students with sufficient words to cope with the material. Unfortunately, there is no exposure for aspects of meaning, spelling, pronunciation, and using word. That way seems not effective as it will be easy to forget. This research found that using TPR was very effective to improve the students’ vocabulary mastery including the four aspects. Hopefully, it will give a new perspective to the way of teaching vocabulary for Elementary level in order to improve the vocabulary mastery optimally.

C. Suggestions

Based on the facts of how effective is TPR to improve the students’ vocabulary mastery, the researcher gives some suggestions to the teachers, the students, and the other researchers as the following:

1. For the English Teachers

Mastering vocabulary for Elementary students are very important as it is a basic knowledge of learning language. Therefore, the appropriate way of teaching

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vocabulary is required. Based on the result of the research, the researcher would like to suggest:

a. The teacher uses TPR to teach vocabulary. The activities can be modified based on the students’ interest as long as it covers the four aspects of vocabulary mastery.

b. The teacher gives the right model to the students for all aspects. The teacher should master the four aspects well.

2. For the Students

a. The students should be involved in the teaching learning process. If they are passive, the result will not be maximal. Being active is required as it is one factor that supports the successful teaching and learning process. b. The students have to be brave to be volunteers and to participate during the

class. Making mistake is part of learning process and they need not to be afraid of that.

3. For the Other Researchers

a. The researcher hopes the other researchers prepare the planning of the research well and develop some dimensions that have been observed deeply. It is necessary for understanding the situation in which the researcher will conduct a research in order to consider the right technique to be applied to solve the problem.

b. The other researcher should have enough knowledge related to her/his research in order that the research will be well-conducted and useful.