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the preliminary study and two cycles. The test score was very useful to help the researcher make a reflection for what should be improved in the next cycle.
Through test score, the researcher coul d know the individual’s ability, so he could
give more practice during implementing the flash cards.
B. Research setting and participants
The research aims to describe how the process of the activities in the class using the flash cards can increase the stu
dents’ irregular verb mastery. For the reason, the subject who was observed in this study was the eighth grade of SMP N
3 Klaten. The researcher chose the students of VIIIB which consisted of 16 girls and 22 boys. The research was conducted from February until March 2013. When
conducting the research, the researcher taught the students once a week. The researcher began to conduct an observation to know the real condition which
happened in the class. When conducting the observation or preliminary study, the researcher discovered that most of the students in VIIIB class faced difficulties in
doing an exercise and a test related to the use of the past forms of irregular verbs in filling in the blanks. It could also be seen from their responses when the
researcher asked them about the meaning of verbs in their reading passage, such as spend, put, swear, and find. Furthermore, the researcher found out that most of
the students did not know the past forms of irregular verbs. They faced difficulties in filling the past forms of irregular verbs in the blanks in a recount text. As a
result, most of the students only added the verbs with –edd in the end of the
verbs.
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C. Research instruments
The instruments of this research were field notes, test, and interview.
1. Field Notes
Field notes enable the researcher to record and reflect systematically upon classroom interactions and events. According to Burns 1999, field notes as a
description and account of events in the research context in a written form. The field notes were used to know
the students’ behavior and teacher’s performance in the teaching and learning process. Besides, the field notes showed some notes
taken in each action of the teacher and the students. By employing field notes, the researcher would be helped in reporting the information objectively. It is because
the field notes provided the best way of describing every event which was happening in the class. The research provided ten questions as a field note guide
consisted of the teacher’s performance, students’ behavior, and students’
responses toward learning process. In this research, the field notes were used to record the responses and
participation of the eighth grade students of SMP N 3 Klaten toward the action which happened in the classroom before and during using the flash cards. The
researcher would observe the learning process twice before implementing the flash cards and during implementing the flash cards.
2. Test
The action research was carried out into the preliminary study and two cycles. The tests
aimed to measure the students’ progress and result in understanding the past forms of irregular verbs in the teaching and learning
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process. In this research, the researcher used the test which was only about filling in the blanks in some sentences related to the use of the past forms of irregular
verbs. The researcher took the test score in the preliminary study, cycle 1, and cycle 2. Test score was helpful
as a research tool to compare the students’ achievement in learning irregular verbs before and after implementing the flash
cards. The test had been done three times by the students in the preliminary
study, first cycle and second cycle. In the preliminary study, there were 10 sentences. Meanwhile, in cycle 1 and cycle 2, there were 20 sentences. In the
preliminary study, the researcher used the verbs which had been taught by the teacher in the observation time. In the cycle one and cycle two, the researcher
used more verbs was compared than the previous meeting. However, the researcher applied those verbs in the flash cards, so the students could know easier
the past forms of verbs before doing a test. Finally, the researcher used a table to make it
easier in analyzing the result of the students’ test score in each cycle. The example of table in analyzing the stu
dents’ test score is presented below.
Table 3.1 The Result of Students’ Test Score
No Name of the students
Total Score Score X 10
1 2
3
3. Interview
In this research, an interview was also applied. According to Wallace 1998, interview can be utilized to obtain many different kinds of data, such as
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the personal perceptions, experiences, opinions, and ideas. In other words, the data from the interview exactly based on the
interviewee’s perception, experiences, opinions, and ideas. The researcher conducted the individual
interview in this research. Burns 1999 states that individual interview could enable the researcher to follow up in more detail specific cases which have been
identified. The interview was addressed to three students who gained the highest score, medium score, and lowest score in the preliminary study and two cycles. In
conducting the interview session for those students, the researcher divided the interview into two sections before and after using the flash cards. There were 10
main questions to get the students’ opinion about their irregular verb mastery
improvement before applying the flash cards in the end of the preliminary study. Then, there were 7 main questions which were different from the previous one. It
was used to know the students’ opinion about their improvement after applying
the flash cards in the end of the cycle one and two. The objectives of the interview were to find out the stude
nts’ interest and opinion in learning the past forms of irregular verbs.
D. Data Gathering Technique
In gathering data for the research, the researcher provided the six steps before and after the research implemented. Firstly, before conducting the research,
the researcher conducted the observation to know the materials which were delivered by the researcher and the
students’ responses in the teaching and learning process. The researcher identified the process from the beginning until
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the end of the class. As the result, the researcher found that most of the students did not know the meaning and the past forms of irregular verbs in doing an
exercise or a test. From those, the researcher concluded that the students did not master simple past tense especially filling the past forms of irregular verbs in the
blanks in a recount text. The researcher also used less attractive media in the teaching process, so that students were bored when the researcher explained the
lesson although the researcher had delivered the lesson well. Secondly, the researcher gave a test to the students. It was aimed to know
the previous students’ knowledge of irregular verbs. The test score which was
obtained from the test could be helpful to compare the results of the test before and after implementing the flash cards. Thirdly, the researcher made a lesson plan
to solve the major problem which was raised in class. Fourthly, the researcher implemented the lesson plan in the teaching and learning process. During the
teaching and learning process, the researcher also noted the data through field notes to gather the data. It consisted of the
students’ participation, students’ improvement, and students’ interest during the flash cards implemented. Besides,
the researcher also used the test after implementing the flash cards. The test was done in whilst activity which was included in a lesson plan.
Fifthly, at the end of the teaching and learning process, the researcher conducted the interview. The interview was addressed to three students who
gained the highest score, medium score, and lowest score. The interview aimed to know the
students’ opinion after learning the past forms of irregular verbs by using the flash cards. Lastly, the researcher reflected what was going on during
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the learning process. At this step, the researcher could make the reflection based on the data which was obtained from the field notes, tests, and interviews. In
addition, the researcher also shared with the teacher to know the teacher’s view in
the teaching and learning process. Those could be helpful for the researcher in making a reflection. From all the data which was reflected on by the researcher,
the researcher could make the next planning of the action for the next cycle which was better than the previous one.
E. Data Analysis Technique
