We have all had the experience of being able to recognize and understand a word when we see it in a text or hear it in a conversation, but not being able to use
it ourselves. This common situation shows that there are different degrees of knowing a word. Being able to understand a word is known as receptive
knowledge
and is normally connected with listening and reading. If we are able to produce a word of our own accord when speaking or writing, then that is
considered productive knowledge passiveactive are alternative terms.
The experience shows that vocabulary learning takes time. It develops gradually and it sometimes begins with receptive knowledge. As it goes on, learners’
productive skills also develop that they are finally able to use it to communicate meaning both in spoken or written form.
b. Types of Vocabulary Learning
There are ways of learning vocabulary. The ones commonly known are incidental, intentional, direct, and indirect vocabulary learning. Hunt and Beglar
1998 as quoted Richards and Renandya 2002: p.259 mention, “In the long run, most words in both first and second languages are probably learned incidentally,
through extensive reading and listening.” It refers to vocabulary learning in which new words are found in the reading text or listening passage. As unfamiliar words
appear, students may want to know what those words mean. When they try to find the meaning, it is when they learn vocabulary incidentally. Incidental vocabulary
learning, in other words, is when students do not plan to learn new vocabulary, yet they do it because it appears in the texts that they read or listen to. Hunt and
Beglar 1998 as quoted Richards and Renandya 2002: p.261 further mention that “…intentional learning through instruction also significantly contributes to
vocabulary development.” Here, students learn vocabulary on purpose. They do exercises which have been selected specifically to help them learn and retain new
vocabulary. Hulstijn 2006 as quoted in Alemi and Tayebi 2011 states,
“Intentional learning refers to the learning mode in which participants are informed, prior to their engagement in a learning task, that they will be tested
afterward on their retention of a particular type of information.” Further Hulstijn 2006 mentions, “incidental learning refers to the mode
in which participants are not forewarned of an upcoming retention test for a particular type of information.” Intentional learning is when students are told that
they have to learn vocabulary as it is an important of learning process and which will later be assessed. Meanwhile, Ahmad 2012 argues that “… intentional
vocabulary learning based on synonyms, antonyms, word substitution, multiple choice, scrambled words and crossword puzzles, regardless of context, is not so
effective, because learners are more prone to rote learning.” It is sometimes necessary to give such exercises. It is because it is “...essential for beginning
students whose lack vocabulary limit their reading ability.” Cahyono Widiati: 2008. Yet, students have to be made accustomed to more than rote learning; that
they need to know more than just vocabulary itself. Knowing vocabulary only will not help them much in understanding how those are used in sentences or contexts.
Harmer 2007 proposes the importance of learning vocabulary very well. He states,
But whether language users are texting, emailing, speaking, or letter- writing, they are making choices about the language they use based on what they
want to say, what medium they are operating in…what grammar they can use and what words and expressions they can find to express their meaning. Harmer:
2007, p.25
There are also other types of vocabulary learning, those are direct and indirect vocabulary learning. Those learning types are almost similar to the idea
proposed by Hunt and Beglar 1998 as quoted in Richards and Renandya 2002. The idea is proposed by Nation 1990 who states the reason why indirect
vocabulary learning needs to be emphasized and why it is more important than the other type of vocabulary learning.
Opportunities for indirect vocabulary learning should occupy much more time in a language learning course than direct vocabulary learning activities. This
is just in fact another way of saying that contact with language in use should be given more time than decontextualized activities. Nation: 1990, p.3.
It is good to have direct vocabulary learning as students have a chance to recall the meaning of the vocabulary. They may also relate it with the word
meaning in their language. It will also be more helpful when pictures are provided during the game. Yet, it is discouraged to learn through this way all the time.
When vocabulary is not put in context, students will never learn how to use the words. Thus, indirect vocabulary learning should also be facilitated. It gives
students a chance to learn to use the vocabulary in real context. It is important as vocabulary learning should not be isolated from context in which the words are
usually used. Further, Nation 1990: p.31 states, “…This includes being able to distinguish it from words with a similar form and being able to judge if the word
form sounds right or looks right.” So, it is also about students’ understanding that this word and that word look similar, yet those are different words and those have
different meaning. Their receptive knowledge of vocabulary allows them to be
able to know that a word is written correctly or incorrectly. It is about how the word looks like and also about how the word is like when it is pronounced.
Still according to Nation 1990, it is also the knowledge about whether a word is a singular noun or plural noun. It is related to knowing about the word
forms. Yet, sometimes they do not know that it is the plural form of ‘child’ that they tend to add –s so that it becomes ‘childrens’. If they do this, it means their
receptive knowledge has not been fully developed yet. Further, according Nation as quoted in Richards Renandya 2002: p. 271 also suggests that guessing from
context should be encouraged. It is because students are likely to remember the usage of certain words longer than when they only rely on a single definition of
those words. For instance, students know what the word ‘children’ mean. Carter and Nunan 2001 also highlights similar thing that it is not enough only to
memorize. There is now a general measure of agreement that ‘knowing’ a word
involves knowing: its spoken and written context of use; its patterns with word of related meaning as well as with its collocational partners; its syntactic, pragmatic
and discoursal patterns Carter Nunan: 2001: p.43.
Vocabulary in this study is not a separated part of English learning. It is not like the era when the vocabulary is isolated from the real context. The ones
given in IPALL exercises are based on the themes that students learn. It is meant to enrich their vocabulary and help them to be able to communicate properly. In a
research reported written by Larrotta 2011 entitled Second Language Vocabulary Learning and Teaching, one participant mentioned, “I don’t feel
