xxvii that to be a good teacher, shehe needs to know in what direction a student’s learning
are taking him. Hock and Hill also define that teaching must be personalized to the highest degree attainable within the realistic restriction under which we operate, such
as teachers’ load, class size, heterogeneity of groups, and limited finances 1960:23.
C. Teaching English to Young Learners
Teaching English as a second language to young learners in the early age is very important, because as it is known that English is an international language. Moreover,
teaching English to young learners at the early age is easier than teaching English to adult because young learners or children have a great motivation to learn. Kerstin and
Klein define that teaching young learners is different from teaching adults. Young learners tend to change their mood every other minute. On the other hand, they show
a greater motivation than adults to do thing that appeal to them. According to Philips, young learners are children from the first year of formal
schooling five or six years old to eleven or twelve years of age 2996:5. Besides, Suyanto states that the learners who attain the age of 8-10 years old are ready enough
to learn language. The language that they have will help them in the learning English Suyanto, 2007:19. Based on the statement above it can be concluded that young
learners who attain the age of 5-12 years old are ready to learn language.
xxviii
D. The Importance Of Vocabulary In Second Language Acquisition
Vocabulary is central to language and critical importance to the typical language learners. Vocabulary is one of the important things in teaching language especially
English as a second language. Vocabulary can not be separated from learning language because it is considered as a part of language. The first thing that is taught
when studying language especially English is vocabulary. Nevertheless, the teaching and learning of vocabulary have been undervalued in the field of Second Language
Acquisition SLA throughout its varying stages and up to the present day. Hockett states that one of the most influential structural linguistic of the day went so far as to
argue that vocabulary was the easiest aspect of a second language to learn and that it hardly required formal attention in the classroom. In James Coday and Thomas
Huckin, 1997:1 According to Wilkins, without grammar very little can be conveyed, without
vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.” His view is echoed in this advice to students from a recent course book Dellar H and Hocking D, Innovations, LTP: “If you
spend most of your time studying grammar, your English will not improve very much. You will see most improvement if you learn more words and expressions. You
can say very little with grammar, but you can say almost anything with words”In Scott Thornbury, 2002:13. Shortly, it can be concluded that in learning language, we
should have a lot of vocabulary because without vocabulary it is difficult to express and to understand something.
xxix Since then, however, the status of vocabulary has been considerably enhanced.
This has come about partly as a result of the development of communicative approaches to language teaching, and partly through the stimulus of comprehension
based methods such as the Natural Approach Krashen and Terrell. Proponents of these methods point out that in the early stages of learning and using a second
language one is better served by vocabulary than grammar, and that one can, in effect, ‘bypass’ grammar in going for meaning if one has reasonable vocabulary base.In
Theodore Rodgers, 1984: 117 Moreover, Rivers argues that the acquisition of an adequate vocabulary is
essential for successful second language use because, without and extensive vocabulary, we will be unable to use the structures and functions we may have
learned for comprehensible communication. In Theodore Rodgers, 1984: 117 According to the definitions above, it can be concluded that learning language is
always related to vocabulary. If English learners have a rich vocabulary acquisition,
they will be easier to master English and to improve their achievement in English.
E. The Implication of Vocabulary Acquisition for Students’ Achievement in
