J01423
THE TECHNIQUE OF TEACHING VOCABULARY TO
ELEMENTARY STUDENTS IN PABELAN
Adi Prasetyo
Faculty of Language and Literature
Satya Wacana Christian University
Salatiga
Maria Christina Eko Setyarini
Faculty of Language and Literature
Satya Wacana Christian University
Salatiga
Abstract
Teaching English in Pabelan is challenging since Pabelan is a rural area that has
fewer facilities to support the learning process. Meanwhile, in teaching vocabulary,
teachers usually need to use Audio Visual aids (AVAs) to help them. Considering the
importance of vocabulary in learning English, this research was conducted to describe
what techniques used by teachers to teach vocabulary in Pabelan Elementary Schools.
The participants in this study were three English teachers from three elementary schools
in Pabelan. The data were collected through classroom observation and a semi-structured
interview. The findings revealed that the teachers mostly used clues, hints, and realia.
The reason was that clues, hints, and realia make it easier for the teachers to introduce
vocabulary and to cope with the lack of teaching facilities.
Keywords: vocabulary, teaching techniques, rural area
INTRODUCTION
The most important thing that people need in learning English is vocabulary since many
experiments have proven that vocabulary is the key to success. Chall, Jacobs, and Baldwin
(1990) as cited in Biemiller (2003) said that vocabulary predicts success in learning to read, and
it is a central feature of intelligence. Ironically, there are many obstacles that teachers have to
face to teach vocabulary in a rural area. Teaching vocabulary in a rural area is not easy as
teaching in an urban area. The lack of the supporting material and facilities are the main
problems for the teachers there. The geographical settings may also cause a problem in teaching.
Students from rural settings usually have special characteristics related to background
knowledge, subject familiarity, previous experiences, and lifestyles. All of these conditions
contribute to the challenge faced by the teachers teaching in a rural area. In this case, the uses of
certain techniques that encourage the students’ willingness to learn English are needed to help
English teachers teaching in this area.
The study was conducted because there were many researches done in the area of
vocabulary as what had been done by Read (2004) and Shejbalova (2006), yet there are only a
few done in the context of rural areas. Perhaps it happens because rural areas are difficult to
access. This is confirmed by Arnold et. Al. (2005) as cited in Ortlieb (2007) who stated that rural
schools are located in isolated areas, therefore, researchers are not always willing to spend
sufficient time there.
This study aimed to describe what techniques used by teachers to teach vocabulary in Pabelan
Elementary Schools. It was guided by two research questions, “What are the techniques of teaching
vocabulary in rural area elementary school?” and “What are the teacher’s reason use those
techniques?”. This research is expected to be useful especially for teachers. It may help teachers
who are planning to teach in a rural area to see the techniques usually used in teaching
vocabulary to elementary school students in a rural area. It can also be input to researchers doing
research in rural areas.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Vocabulary
Hornby (1995) defines vocabulary as the total number of words in the language, all the
words know to a person or used in a particular book, subject, a list of words with their meanings,
especially one that accompanies a textbook in a foreign language. Similarly, Huyen and Nga
(2003) revealed that vocabulary is the collection of words that an individual knows. Meanwhile
Rafael (2008) sees vocabulary not only as a collection of words that a person knows but as
something that is more complex. He classifies vocabulary into two, receptive and expressive
vocabulary. He further mentions that one person’ receptive vocabulary is usually larger than his
expressive vocabulary. Receptive vocabulary is the words that a person recognizes and
understands whereas Expressive vocabulary includes the words that a person uses when speaking
or writing. Referring to the three definitions vocabulary can be seen a person’ property of words
comprises the ones used (expressive) and the ones not used only understood (receptive).
Vocabulary Teaching Techniques
There are many techniques that teachers can use in teaching vocabulary. There are at
least six that are generally used by teachers. They are Using Pictures, Reading Aloud,
Pronunciation Drilling, Using Clue and Hints, Using Realia, and Using Gestures Techniques.
In using pictures technique, the teacher shows pictures to help student understanding the
vocabulary. This is done to give student a visual help in learning as Wright (2007) also states that
pictures as visual representation of mind can better affect students in learning a language.
Further, Wright (2007) also mentions that there are three roles of pictures in speaking and
writing. First, pictures can motivate the students in learning vocabulary. Second, pictures
contribute to the context that the language is being used. The last is pictures can provide
information to be referred to in conversation, discussion, and storytelling.
Reading Aloud means the teachers mention the vocabulary and require the students to
read the vocabulary they learn aloud. Kailani (1998) reveals a good activity of reading aloud
have some characteristics. They are the clear articulation of words, flexibility in rate, volume,
and tone, adequate phrasing and effective use of pauses.
Pronunciation Drilling is one the popular techniques in teaching vocabulary. Drilling
usually means the teacher is saying a word or structure, and then he get the class to repeat it.
Drilling usually follows on from the process, known as eliciting, of encouraging students to bring
up a previously studied word, phrase or structures (Kelly, 2002).
Using Clues/Hints means the teacher helps students understanding vocabulary using
things related to the vocabulary. The most frequent used clue in teaching is context clue. Context
clues are clues given to guess the meaning of a word. It includes antonyms, synonyms, explanation and
examples (Joffe, 1994)
Using realia in teaching means the teacher brings real things to the classroom to help him
in teaching. Milone (2003) reveals that Realia includes objects, actions, concrete materials, also
real factors and activities of every category that can make a closer relation between the concept
of the idea and the word or word phrases. Milone (2003) also suggests that it is better to use real
things rather than rely on wordy explanations and discussions in teaching vocabulary.
Teaching using gestures means the teachers use his body movement in teaching.
According to Ekman & Friesen (1969), there are four types of gestures that are important for
effective communication. They are illustrators, regulators, emblems, and affect displays.
Illustrators are the natural hand and body gestures that accompany speech, such as gesturing,
smiling, frowning, or pointing to illustrate a point. Regulators are gestures that are used to
control turn-taking and other procedural aspects of communication. Emblems are gestures that
can be translated into words and that are used to transfer a message. Affect displays are gestures
that express emotions.
THE STUDY
This study was a descriptive qualitative research. It described the techniques of teaching
vocabulary in a rural area. It also described the reason the teachers of some school in Pabelan
chose certain strategies in teaching vocabulary.
Context of the Study
The setting of the study is three elementary schools in Pabelan. Those schools are SDN
Jembrak, SDN Glawan, and SDN Kadirejo. The focus of the study is in the third grade because
students begin to learn English vocabulary at this grade.
Participant of the Study
The participants in this study were three English teachers from three elementary schools
in Kecamatan Pabelan. The reason the participants were taken from three elementary schools
because in rural area elementary school, they only have one English teacher in each school.
Thus, I decided to use participants from three schools. The participants were selected based on
the purposive sampling or criterion-based selection (Blackledge, 2001 as cited in Zacharias,
2011).
Research Instrument
To gather the information, this study used observation protocol and interview questions.
The type of observation used was non-participant observation. I used an observation protocol to
help me in observing the classes.
A semi-structured interview was another technique to collect the data. The instrument of
this study was the interview questions itself that consisted of the teacher’s principle in teaching
vocabulary, the teacher’s techniques to teach vocabulary in reality, teacher’s reason for using the
techniques.
Table 1. Observation Protocol
School
Observatio
n
Pi: Pictures
Rd: Read aloud
Pr: Pronunciation
Cl: Clue and Hint
Additional
Information
Teaching Technique
Pi
Rd
Pr
Cl
Rl
Gs
Others
Ri: Realia
Gs: Gesture
Data Collection Procedure
The observation was held nine times in three classes. Each class was observed three
times. The activity or learning and teaching process between the teacher and the students were
recorded using a video recorder. The observation was held to see the real teaching learning
process. The observations are focused on what was happening in class.
After I have done with class observation, I did an interview with the same teachers that I
had observed before. The semi-structured interview was the techniques to collect the data. My
intention of using this kind of technique was to make greater flexibility like changing the order
of questions to provide an opportunity for follow-up questions. The interviews were conducted
to seek specific information on teachers’ technique in teaching vocabulary for young learners.
The interviews were conducted in informal situations where the interviewer and the interviewee
sat to create natural conversations to encourage the teachers to recount their experiences,
opinions, and free responses. The interview was held after the each observation, and I finished
doing the observation and interviews in one month.
Data Analysis
The data gathered from observation and interviews were transcribed using clean
transcription method. As stated by Zacharias (2011), a clean transcription of the interview
focuses on the content of the interview. Then, the transcriptions were coded as the main source
of this study. Some main points emerged from the interview were grouped. The quoted examples
from the data collected were given to support each point in the process of analyzing the data. The
data was analyzed descriptively, and some supporting theories were included to carry out the
analysis.
FINDING AND DISCUSSION
The study revealed that there were 8 techniques used by teachers in Pabelan in teaching
vocabulary. There are two techniques in addition to the six in the literature review found in the
study. They are Using Repetition and Using Song.
Using Pictures
The first technique that the teachers used to teach vocabulary was teaching using
pictures. The pictures were taken from the textbook. This technique was used by all of the
teachers. Mrs. A used pictures in explaining the material to the students. She started to use
pictures at the beginning of her explanation to encourage the students. She asked the students to
look at the pictures while she was explaining about parts of our body, as seen in extract 1 and
picture 1.
Extract 1
Mrs. A
: Hidung, siapa yang tau hidung? (The teacher asked the students
to look at the pictures in their book)
Students
: Nose
Mrs. A
: Nose (the teacher repeated the words while she wrote it in the
blackboard)
Picture 1: Part of our body, taken from LKS Bahasa Inggris Kelas 3 SD Tahun 2013-2014
The teacher used pictures to teach vocabulary because she knew that pictures could
engage students’ attention and imagination. Using pictures that could be seen by the teacher
made the students easier to memorize and master the vocabulary. During the interview about her
reason for using pictures in teaching vocabulary, Mrs. A said in statement 1.
Statement 1
Kalo menggunakan picture itu anak lebih tertarik, mereka suka melihat gambargambar yang seperti kartun. Jadi mereka menggunakn imajinasi mereka untuk
meningat vocab-vocab yang baru mereka pelajari.
In the same way, Mrs. B added in statement 2.
Statement 2
Kalo menggunakan gambar, itu memudahkan kita dalam mengajar. Kita ndak
perlu buang-buang waktu menulis dan menjelaskan dengan panjang lebar, tinggal
suruh anak melihat gambar dan membaca tulisan di samping gambar. Selain
memudahkan kita, juga memudahkan siswa untuk menghafal.
Based on the observation, those three teachers used pictures to teach vocabulary in order
to encourage the students. They used pictures in the beginning up to the end of their explanation
to make the students easier in understanding the words. This technique was supported by Wright
(2007) who said that picture as a visual representation of mind can better affect students in
learning a language. Similar to Wright’s (2007) statement, Rivers (1964) said that young learners
are very connected to their surroundings and are more attracted to the physical and visible things.
Using pictures is a good way to get student’s attention, young learners more interested in
learning a process that is using pictures. In using pictures, teachers do not need to talk too much
to explain about the words because pictures play their role as a visual representation of the
students mind. That is why using pictures is important in teaching vocabulary for young learners.
Reading Aloud
The second technique that teachers used to teach vocabulary was reading aloud. This
technique was used at the beginning of the class by Mrs. A when she was teaching vocabulary
about part of the body. She asked the students to read aloud with her after she wrote those words
on the blackboard. This strategy used by the teacher to give more practice to the students in
reading and speaking aspect. This technique was presented in the fourth observation by Mrs. A,
as seen in extract 2.
Extract 2
Mrs. A asked some students to read aloud part of the body on the blackboard. After that,
she asked all of the students to read aloud together with her.
Mrs. A
: Ayo dibaca yang keras bersama-sama. (Appointing to the
word in the blackboard “part of body”)
Mrs. A and Students : Eye (reading aloud together)
Mrs. A
: Ulangi, bersama-sama.
Mrs. A and Students : Eye (reading aloud together)
It showed that Mrs. A used to read aloud technique, she asked the students to read aloud
with her. The teacher asked the students to read aloud to give more practice in reading and
speaking aspect. Students got an opportunity to read what they want to talk. It is a good way to
introduce new vocabulary to the students. This strategy also used to cheer up the students when
they were feeling bored. During the interview after the class, Mrs. A said in statement 3.
Statement 3
Reading aloud itu ya gunanya biar siswa mau mengucapkan kata -kata, agar lidah
mereka juga terbiasa mengucapkan bahasa inggris. Karena mereka biasanya
diam saja kalau tidak di ajak membaca bersama-sama.
Based on the observation, Mrs. A used this kind of strategies at the beginning, half, and
the end of the class. It means that the teacher tried to give more practice to the students in
reading and speaking aspect. It is good for the children especially young learners to practice
more. Another advantage of this kind of strategy was the students got more spirit when they were
feeling bored in the class. They got back their spirit when they were reading aloud.
According to Zokaee (2012), vocabulary learning strategies that worked for Iranian
learners was using read aloud. The students are asked to read aloud while reading the material in
their handbook. Thus, the students can see what they read by themselves and practice reading
loudly.
Pronunciation Drilling
The third technique that the teacher used to teach vocabulary was pronunciation drill.
This technique was used when Mrs. B and Mrs. C were teaching about food and part of body.
They used this strategy while they read aloud the words together. Before Mrs. B and C explained
about the words, they asked the students to read it aloud together. Then, they correcting the
wrong pronunciation did by the students. This technique was presented by Mrs. B in the third
observation, as seen in extract 3.
Extract 3
Mrs. B
: Makanan ada banyak sekali jenisnya, di sini cuma ada beberapa
sample, kita baca dulu ya. Rice /rʌɪs/
Students
: Rice (clear) /rʌɪs/
Mrs. B
: Meatball /ˈmiːtbɔːl/
Students
: Meatball (not clear) /ˈmitbɔl/
Mrs. B
: Coba di ulangi lagi dari yang paling atas, rice. /rʌɪs/
Students
Mrs. B
Students
Mrs. B
: Rice (clear) /rʌɪs/
: Meatball /ˈmiːtbɔːl/
: Meatball (quite clear) /ˈmiːtbɔːl/
: Kalo tulisannya (all) di baca /ɔːl/. (Teacher explained while wrote
it in the blackboard) meatball. /ˈmiːtbɔːl/
: Meatball (clear) /ˈmiːtbɔːl/
Students
Based on the observation, Mrs. B drilled the students in learning vocabulary. Mrs. B
explained in the interview that pronunciation drill was an important technique to teach
vocabulary to elementary school’s students. It may be not an interesting way to teach them, but it
is really important to make them pronounce correctly. Mrs. B said in the statement 4.
Statement 4
Ya drilling itu penting, karena dengan cara itu siswa bisa mengucapkan vocabvocab yang baru mereka tau dengan benar. Ga asal bunyi aja, kayaknya bener,
tapi kalo di dengerin baik-baik ternyata salah pengucapannya. Jadi ya kalo mau
bisa berbicara bahasa Inggris harus bisa ngucapin yang bener dulu.
This technique also presented by Mrs. A in the seventh observation, as seen in extract 4.
Extract 4
Before Mrs. A asked one of her students who was Sulis to write down the meaning of the
word “mother” in the blackboard, she asked Sulis to read it.
Mrs. A : Number two, Sulis. Di baca dulu.
Sulis : Mother /ˈmoðēr/
Mrs. A : Mother /ˈmʌðə/
Sulis : Mother /ˈmʌðə/
It showed that Mrs. A used pronunciation drill to teach her students. According to Mrs.
A, drilled activity is really important in teaching vocabulary. She said in statement 5.
Statement 5
Drilling itu ya gunanya biar anak-anak ngucapinnya ga salah, kalo dia salah
ucap, sampai tua nanti ya taunya kata yang salah itu. Makanya dari kecil begini
harus di ajari pengucapan yang tepat.
Similarly, the first and the second technique used by the teacher aimed to teach how to
pronounce the words correctly. Before the teachers taught them about the meaning, they
introduced the vocabulary first. After introducing the vocabulary, the students practiced
speaking; they spoke up and pronounced the vocabulary correctly.
It was an appropriate way to master the students in pronounces words. Teachers gave an
opportunity to the students to read aloud and to correct the pronunciation. Furthermore, students
got an experience in reading and directly got a correction from the teachers. This thing will make
the students get longer memorize the words.
Using Clues
The fourth technique that the teacher used to teach vocabulary was using hint/clue. The
teacher used this technique in teaching vocabulary about colors and hobby. This strategy used by
Mrs. C when the students got confused about her explanation. Mrs. C tried to help the students to
understand easily by using a clue. This technique was presented in the fourth observation by
Mrs. C, as seen in extract 5:
Extract 5
Mrs. C
: Green artinya apa?
Students
: (silent)
Mrs. C
Students
Mrs. C
Students
: Warna daun apa? Apa warnanya?
: Hijau.
: iya hijau, green. Apa?
: Green.
Based on the observation, Mrs. C used the clue to teach vocabulary. She used it to help
the students in understanding the meaning of the words. Besides, it also helps the teacher in
explaining the new words. She does not need to explain too much about the meaning of the
words. During the interview after the class, Mrs. C said in statement 6.
Statement 6
Kalo pake clue itu siswa jadi lebih mudah menebak, karena mereka lebih familiar
dengan benda-benda di sekitar. Lagipula nanti mereka juga akan lebih mudah
ingat jika bertemu vocab itu lagi, karena mereka juga ingat dengan clue yang
pernah di berikan di sekolah.
Based on the interview, Mrs. C used clues to teach vocabulary because the teacher knew
that clues could make the students memorize the vocabulary longer. She thought that this
technique was effective enough to convey students to stimulate vocabulary knowledge of the
students. Thus, the teacher preferred to give clues rather than explain the word to teach the
vocabulary.
Another advantage of using this kind of strategy is saving more time in explanation case.
The teacher could explain a lot of new words in the short time using clues. It also made the
students got better memorization about new words they learn because they tend to memorize
what the teacher used as a clue.
Using Realia
The fifth technique that the teacher used to teach vocabulary was realia . This technique
was used when Mrs. A and Mrs. C were teaching about part of the body. Mrs. A and C used this
kind of strategy when their students got confused about what they were explained about. The
teacher used a real example to make the students easier to understand what they mean. This
technique was presented by Mrs. A in the first observation, as seen in extract 6.
Extract 6
Mrs. A
: Ini apa? (Teacher showed and appointed to her teeth).
Students
: Teeth
Mrs. A
: Iya apa? Teeth
Students
: Teeth
In the seventh observation, Mrs. A presented another example of realia , as seen in extract 7.
Extract 7
Mrs. A
Students
Mrs. A
: Son
: Son
: Son itu anak laki-laki, seperti mas Adi. (Appointing to a man in the class)
Based on the observation, it showed that Mrs. A used a real example to make her
students easy to understand and remember the word. The students tend to memorize longer when
the teacher gave them a real example. Relia is not similar as clue and hints. The teacher who
used realia tend to show real things as an example; it is totally different with the teacher who
used clue and hint strategy. In the case of using clues and hints, the teacher tended to give some
clue to help the students in understanding the meaning but did not give real things as an example.
According to Mrs. A, using real example is a better way to make the students remember
the words than using a textbook. As seen in statement 7.
Statement 7
Anak-anak itu akan lebih ingat kalo kita kasih contoh yang benar-benar nyata,
jadi mereka bisa lihat langsung, dan cenderung lebih ingat dari pada contohcontoh yang mereka lihat di buku.
In teaching vocabulary, it is better to use real things rather than rely on wordy
explanations and discussions. Furthermore, concrete items can create the teaching-learning
activity more enjoyable and lively.
Although this kind of strategy is good for the students, using realia as the strategy in
teaching vocabulary is not always helps the teachers. They need to prepare many things every
lesson and bring those real things to the class as an example of the teaching-learning process. It
is good if the lesson is about something around the class, so the teachers do not need to bring
many things to the class.
Using Gestures
The sixth technique that teacher used to teach vocabulary was using gesture. This
technique was used by Mrs. C when she was teaching vocabulary about hobby. Mrs. C used
gesture when they were explaining the meaning of the new words. She also used this technique
when her students got confused about her explanation. This technique was presented by Mrs. C
in the sixth observation, as seen in extract 8.
Extract 8
Mrs. C
: Tennis (reading aloud)
Students
: Tennis (repeating)
Mrs. C
: Tennis yang di maksud di sini adalah tennis lapangan, bukan
tennis yang pake meja. Tennis yang menngunakan raket besar dan
bola seperti bola kasti, kalau tennis meja itu yang pake raket kecil
dan bola kecil, itu namanya tennis meja, (Act like she was played
tennis and table tennis, use her hands like she was hit the ball in
the pitch and then in the table) paham?
Students
: Ya
Based on the observation, the teacher used gesture to help her in explaining the meaning
and differences between Tennis and table tennis. Using gesture, students could easily imagine
what their teacher did. They could easily found what the meaning of the words because of the
teacher’s gesture.
According to Mrs. C, using gestures can encourage the students to think first before they
get clear explanation and understanding. It will make them get longer memorize, as seen in
statement 8.
Statement 8
Ya saya sering juga menggunakan gestur dan mimik kalau siswanya terlihat tidak
antusias dan bingung. Jadi saya kasih gesture agar mereka mau berfikir sebelum
saya jelaskan. Dengan begitu kan mereka jadi tau dan ingat dengan sendirinya,
karena mereka yang menebak gesture saya.
In line with the teacher, Gordon (2007) said that comprehensible input can be delivered
using nonverbal communication strategies, for example using gestures and pantomime. Gestures
were helpful for the students to convey the meanings. The gesture helped the students to
understand the meaning of new vocabulary.
The use of gesture in vocabulary learning process was helpful both for the teacher and
students. Using gesture could help the teacher in explaining new words, gesture encourage the
students to imagine what the teacher’s did. They can look at the teacher and realize by
themselves what the meaning of their teacher’s gestures. It was also make the students easier to
understand what their teacher’s talking about. That is why the teacher tends to use gesture in
teaching vocabulary.
Using Repetition
The seventh technique that teacher used to teach vocabulary was using repetition. This
technique was used by all of the teachers. This technique was used when they were teaching
vocabulary about part of body, food, color, hobby, and days. They used this technique while they
were explaining the material. They asked their students to read the words several times with
them. They used it to give more practice to the students in speaking aspect. This technique was
presented by Mrs. B when she was teaching about days in the eighth observation, as seen in
extract 9.
Extract 9
Mrs. B read the sentence several times and asked the students to read after her.
Mrs. B
: Sekarang di baca dulu ya biar bisa. There are
Students
: There are
Mrs. B
: Seven days
Students
: Seven days
Mrs. B
: In a week
Students
: In a week
Mrs. B
: There are seven days in a week.
Students
: There are seven days in a week.
Mrs. B
: There are seven days in a week.
Students: There are seven days in a week.
Based on the observation, the teacher asked the students to read together with her in
several times. The teacher tried to introduce those words to the students by repetition. Using
repetition, students tend to be usual to speak in English although they are not correct yet in
pronunciation.
Mrs. B explained in the interview that repeating is an important technique to teach
vocabulary to elementary school’s students because the students could practice speaking. It not
only introduces new words but could make them speak English fluently, as seen in statement 9.
Statement 9
Repeating words itu gunanya biar anak-anak terbiasa berbicara bahasa Inggris, karena
lidah mereka akan kaku dan kaget kalau tidak di latih dari kecil. Kita tidak hanya
mengenalkan vocab-vocab baru, tapi juga mengajari untuk mengucapkannya agar
terbiasa.
This technique was not as deep as pronunciation drill technique. In repetition case, the
teacher focuses on introducing the new words to the students. They also gave more practice to
the students to speak, but it did not focus yet in the pronunciation. That was the differences
between repetition and pronunciation drill.
Using Songs
The eighth technique that the teacher used to teach vocabulary was using song. Mrs. A
used song in teaching vocabulary about family. She used this technique in the middle of the class
after she explained about the material. This technique was presented by Mrs. A in the seventh
observation, as seen in extract 10.
Extract 10
One and one I love my mother
Two and two I love my father
Three and three I love brother sister
One two three I love my family
Based on the observation, Mrs. A used the simple song to make the students easy to
memorize it. This melody also familiar for the students because it seems like Indonesian song
that is “satu-satu aku sayang ibu”. This technique also cheer up the students, they got back their
spirit and sang together with the teacher.
According to Mrs. A, using songs aimed to make the vocabulary more memorable and
create a relaxed atmosphere in class. The uses of songs were really appropriate materials for
children, as seen in statement 10.
Statement 10
Pakai lagu itu lebih menyenangkan, karena semua siswa ikut bernyanyi. Jadi
otomatis mereka belajar pronunciation juga. Selain itu kan kalau pake lagu
mereka tidak jenuh, mereka menjadi lebih bersemangat dan materi mudah untuk di
hafal.
Furthermore, Abbott, (2002) cited in Gordon, (2007) said that using TPR, song and games
are suggested in the second language classroom. Using songs helped to create a relaxed
atmosphere during the learning process. Also, using songs made the learning process memorable.
This technique is really good to handle the students who are getting bored, especially after
thirty minutes learning process. In that condition, students tend to be passive and reluctant to
study. With using the song, the teacher can cheer the students up and got back their spirit by the
song. Another advantage is students can easily memorize many vocabularies w using songs. That
is the main reason the teacher used the song as the technique in teaching vocabulary.
CONCLUSION
This research was conducted to find out what the techniques of teaching vocabulary in
the rural elementary school are. The research also held to describe what the teacher’s reason are
in using those techniques in teaching vocabulary for rural elementary school. The research found
that there were eight techniques that were used by the teacher to teach vocabulary in rural area
elementary school: pictures, read aloud, pronunciation drill, clues / hints, realia, gestures,
repeating, and song.
It will be better if English teachers use AVA (such as pictures, video, songs, puzzle, etc.)
which is supported by some interactive teaching strategies in their teaching. The teachers have to
create interesting activity to encourage students in learning process. Also, teachers have to
prepare their material well before they teach. Thus, the teaching and learning process will be
well-managed.
There were several limitations in this research. The first one was the time constraint in
doing this research. To make it practical, the research was done in Pabelan, a rural area around
Salatiga. The other limitation was this research involved a small number of participants. The
limitation happened because of the lack participants in a rural area.
Further research may involve a large number of participants to cover more issues in
teaching vocabulary. A further research also need to be conducted in others context of teaching
English in a rural are so that there will be many researches about teaching English in rural areas.
It will increase the quality of English teaching especially in teaching vocabulary in rural areas.
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ELEMENTARY STUDENTS IN PABELAN
Adi Prasetyo
Faculty of Language and Literature
Satya Wacana Christian University
Salatiga
Maria Christina Eko Setyarini
Faculty of Language and Literature
Satya Wacana Christian University
Salatiga
Abstract
Teaching English in Pabelan is challenging since Pabelan is a rural area that has
fewer facilities to support the learning process. Meanwhile, in teaching vocabulary,
teachers usually need to use Audio Visual aids (AVAs) to help them. Considering the
importance of vocabulary in learning English, this research was conducted to describe
what techniques used by teachers to teach vocabulary in Pabelan Elementary Schools.
The participants in this study were three English teachers from three elementary schools
in Pabelan. The data were collected through classroom observation and a semi-structured
interview. The findings revealed that the teachers mostly used clues, hints, and realia.
The reason was that clues, hints, and realia make it easier for the teachers to introduce
vocabulary and to cope with the lack of teaching facilities.
Keywords: vocabulary, teaching techniques, rural area
INTRODUCTION
The most important thing that people need in learning English is vocabulary since many
experiments have proven that vocabulary is the key to success. Chall, Jacobs, and Baldwin
(1990) as cited in Biemiller (2003) said that vocabulary predicts success in learning to read, and
it is a central feature of intelligence. Ironically, there are many obstacles that teachers have to
face to teach vocabulary in a rural area. Teaching vocabulary in a rural area is not easy as
teaching in an urban area. The lack of the supporting material and facilities are the main
problems for the teachers there. The geographical settings may also cause a problem in teaching.
Students from rural settings usually have special characteristics related to background
knowledge, subject familiarity, previous experiences, and lifestyles. All of these conditions
contribute to the challenge faced by the teachers teaching in a rural area. In this case, the uses of
certain techniques that encourage the students’ willingness to learn English are needed to help
English teachers teaching in this area.
The study was conducted because there were many researches done in the area of
vocabulary as what had been done by Read (2004) and Shejbalova (2006), yet there are only a
few done in the context of rural areas. Perhaps it happens because rural areas are difficult to
access. This is confirmed by Arnold et. Al. (2005) as cited in Ortlieb (2007) who stated that rural
schools are located in isolated areas, therefore, researchers are not always willing to spend
sufficient time there.
This study aimed to describe what techniques used by teachers to teach vocabulary in Pabelan
Elementary Schools. It was guided by two research questions, “What are the techniques of teaching
vocabulary in rural area elementary school?” and “What are the teacher’s reason use those
techniques?”. This research is expected to be useful especially for teachers. It may help teachers
who are planning to teach in a rural area to see the techniques usually used in teaching
vocabulary to elementary school students in a rural area. It can also be input to researchers doing
research in rural areas.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Vocabulary
Hornby (1995) defines vocabulary as the total number of words in the language, all the
words know to a person or used in a particular book, subject, a list of words with their meanings,
especially one that accompanies a textbook in a foreign language. Similarly, Huyen and Nga
(2003) revealed that vocabulary is the collection of words that an individual knows. Meanwhile
Rafael (2008) sees vocabulary not only as a collection of words that a person knows but as
something that is more complex. He classifies vocabulary into two, receptive and expressive
vocabulary. He further mentions that one person’ receptive vocabulary is usually larger than his
expressive vocabulary. Receptive vocabulary is the words that a person recognizes and
understands whereas Expressive vocabulary includes the words that a person uses when speaking
or writing. Referring to the three definitions vocabulary can be seen a person’ property of words
comprises the ones used (expressive) and the ones not used only understood (receptive).
Vocabulary Teaching Techniques
There are many techniques that teachers can use in teaching vocabulary. There are at
least six that are generally used by teachers. They are Using Pictures, Reading Aloud,
Pronunciation Drilling, Using Clue and Hints, Using Realia, and Using Gestures Techniques.
In using pictures technique, the teacher shows pictures to help student understanding the
vocabulary. This is done to give student a visual help in learning as Wright (2007) also states that
pictures as visual representation of mind can better affect students in learning a language.
Further, Wright (2007) also mentions that there are three roles of pictures in speaking and
writing. First, pictures can motivate the students in learning vocabulary. Second, pictures
contribute to the context that the language is being used. The last is pictures can provide
information to be referred to in conversation, discussion, and storytelling.
Reading Aloud means the teachers mention the vocabulary and require the students to
read the vocabulary they learn aloud. Kailani (1998) reveals a good activity of reading aloud
have some characteristics. They are the clear articulation of words, flexibility in rate, volume,
and tone, adequate phrasing and effective use of pauses.
Pronunciation Drilling is one the popular techniques in teaching vocabulary. Drilling
usually means the teacher is saying a word or structure, and then he get the class to repeat it.
Drilling usually follows on from the process, known as eliciting, of encouraging students to bring
up a previously studied word, phrase or structures (Kelly, 2002).
Using Clues/Hints means the teacher helps students understanding vocabulary using
things related to the vocabulary. The most frequent used clue in teaching is context clue. Context
clues are clues given to guess the meaning of a word. It includes antonyms, synonyms, explanation and
examples (Joffe, 1994)
Using realia in teaching means the teacher brings real things to the classroom to help him
in teaching. Milone (2003) reveals that Realia includes objects, actions, concrete materials, also
real factors and activities of every category that can make a closer relation between the concept
of the idea and the word or word phrases. Milone (2003) also suggests that it is better to use real
things rather than rely on wordy explanations and discussions in teaching vocabulary.
Teaching using gestures means the teachers use his body movement in teaching.
According to Ekman & Friesen (1969), there are four types of gestures that are important for
effective communication. They are illustrators, regulators, emblems, and affect displays.
Illustrators are the natural hand and body gestures that accompany speech, such as gesturing,
smiling, frowning, or pointing to illustrate a point. Regulators are gestures that are used to
control turn-taking and other procedural aspects of communication. Emblems are gestures that
can be translated into words and that are used to transfer a message. Affect displays are gestures
that express emotions.
THE STUDY
This study was a descriptive qualitative research. It described the techniques of teaching
vocabulary in a rural area. It also described the reason the teachers of some school in Pabelan
chose certain strategies in teaching vocabulary.
Context of the Study
The setting of the study is three elementary schools in Pabelan. Those schools are SDN
Jembrak, SDN Glawan, and SDN Kadirejo. The focus of the study is in the third grade because
students begin to learn English vocabulary at this grade.
Participant of the Study
The participants in this study were three English teachers from three elementary schools
in Kecamatan Pabelan. The reason the participants were taken from three elementary schools
because in rural area elementary school, they only have one English teacher in each school.
Thus, I decided to use participants from three schools. The participants were selected based on
the purposive sampling or criterion-based selection (Blackledge, 2001 as cited in Zacharias,
2011).
Research Instrument
To gather the information, this study used observation protocol and interview questions.
The type of observation used was non-participant observation. I used an observation protocol to
help me in observing the classes.
A semi-structured interview was another technique to collect the data. The instrument of
this study was the interview questions itself that consisted of the teacher’s principle in teaching
vocabulary, the teacher’s techniques to teach vocabulary in reality, teacher’s reason for using the
techniques.
Table 1. Observation Protocol
School
Observatio
n
Pi: Pictures
Rd: Read aloud
Pr: Pronunciation
Cl: Clue and Hint
Additional
Information
Teaching Technique
Pi
Rd
Pr
Cl
Rl
Gs
Others
Ri: Realia
Gs: Gesture
Data Collection Procedure
The observation was held nine times in three classes. Each class was observed three
times. The activity or learning and teaching process between the teacher and the students were
recorded using a video recorder. The observation was held to see the real teaching learning
process. The observations are focused on what was happening in class.
After I have done with class observation, I did an interview with the same teachers that I
had observed before. The semi-structured interview was the techniques to collect the data. My
intention of using this kind of technique was to make greater flexibility like changing the order
of questions to provide an opportunity for follow-up questions. The interviews were conducted
to seek specific information on teachers’ technique in teaching vocabulary for young learners.
The interviews were conducted in informal situations where the interviewer and the interviewee
sat to create natural conversations to encourage the teachers to recount their experiences,
opinions, and free responses. The interview was held after the each observation, and I finished
doing the observation and interviews in one month.
Data Analysis
The data gathered from observation and interviews were transcribed using clean
transcription method. As stated by Zacharias (2011), a clean transcription of the interview
focuses on the content of the interview. Then, the transcriptions were coded as the main source
of this study. Some main points emerged from the interview were grouped. The quoted examples
from the data collected were given to support each point in the process of analyzing the data. The
data was analyzed descriptively, and some supporting theories were included to carry out the
analysis.
FINDING AND DISCUSSION
The study revealed that there were 8 techniques used by teachers in Pabelan in teaching
vocabulary. There are two techniques in addition to the six in the literature review found in the
study. They are Using Repetition and Using Song.
Using Pictures
The first technique that the teachers used to teach vocabulary was teaching using
pictures. The pictures were taken from the textbook. This technique was used by all of the
teachers. Mrs. A used pictures in explaining the material to the students. She started to use
pictures at the beginning of her explanation to encourage the students. She asked the students to
look at the pictures while she was explaining about parts of our body, as seen in extract 1 and
picture 1.
Extract 1
Mrs. A
: Hidung, siapa yang tau hidung? (The teacher asked the students
to look at the pictures in their book)
Students
: Nose
Mrs. A
: Nose (the teacher repeated the words while she wrote it in the
blackboard)
Picture 1: Part of our body, taken from LKS Bahasa Inggris Kelas 3 SD Tahun 2013-2014
The teacher used pictures to teach vocabulary because she knew that pictures could
engage students’ attention and imagination. Using pictures that could be seen by the teacher
made the students easier to memorize and master the vocabulary. During the interview about her
reason for using pictures in teaching vocabulary, Mrs. A said in statement 1.
Statement 1
Kalo menggunakan picture itu anak lebih tertarik, mereka suka melihat gambargambar yang seperti kartun. Jadi mereka menggunakn imajinasi mereka untuk
meningat vocab-vocab yang baru mereka pelajari.
In the same way, Mrs. B added in statement 2.
Statement 2
Kalo menggunakan gambar, itu memudahkan kita dalam mengajar. Kita ndak
perlu buang-buang waktu menulis dan menjelaskan dengan panjang lebar, tinggal
suruh anak melihat gambar dan membaca tulisan di samping gambar. Selain
memudahkan kita, juga memudahkan siswa untuk menghafal.
Based on the observation, those three teachers used pictures to teach vocabulary in order
to encourage the students. They used pictures in the beginning up to the end of their explanation
to make the students easier in understanding the words. This technique was supported by Wright
(2007) who said that picture as a visual representation of mind can better affect students in
learning a language. Similar to Wright’s (2007) statement, Rivers (1964) said that young learners
are very connected to their surroundings and are more attracted to the physical and visible things.
Using pictures is a good way to get student’s attention, young learners more interested in
learning a process that is using pictures. In using pictures, teachers do not need to talk too much
to explain about the words because pictures play their role as a visual representation of the
students mind. That is why using pictures is important in teaching vocabulary for young learners.
Reading Aloud
The second technique that teachers used to teach vocabulary was reading aloud. This
technique was used at the beginning of the class by Mrs. A when she was teaching vocabulary
about part of the body. She asked the students to read aloud with her after she wrote those words
on the blackboard. This strategy used by the teacher to give more practice to the students in
reading and speaking aspect. This technique was presented in the fourth observation by Mrs. A,
as seen in extract 2.
Extract 2
Mrs. A asked some students to read aloud part of the body on the blackboard. After that,
she asked all of the students to read aloud together with her.
Mrs. A
: Ayo dibaca yang keras bersama-sama. (Appointing to the
word in the blackboard “part of body”)
Mrs. A and Students : Eye (reading aloud together)
Mrs. A
: Ulangi, bersama-sama.
Mrs. A and Students : Eye (reading aloud together)
It showed that Mrs. A used to read aloud technique, she asked the students to read aloud
with her. The teacher asked the students to read aloud to give more practice in reading and
speaking aspect. Students got an opportunity to read what they want to talk. It is a good way to
introduce new vocabulary to the students. This strategy also used to cheer up the students when
they were feeling bored. During the interview after the class, Mrs. A said in statement 3.
Statement 3
Reading aloud itu ya gunanya biar siswa mau mengucapkan kata -kata, agar lidah
mereka juga terbiasa mengucapkan bahasa inggris. Karena mereka biasanya
diam saja kalau tidak di ajak membaca bersama-sama.
Based on the observation, Mrs. A used this kind of strategies at the beginning, half, and
the end of the class. It means that the teacher tried to give more practice to the students in
reading and speaking aspect. It is good for the children especially young learners to practice
more. Another advantage of this kind of strategy was the students got more spirit when they were
feeling bored in the class. They got back their spirit when they were reading aloud.
According to Zokaee (2012), vocabulary learning strategies that worked for Iranian
learners was using read aloud. The students are asked to read aloud while reading the material in
their handbook. Thus, the students can see what they read by themselves and practice reading
loudly.
Pronunciation Drilling
The third technique that the teacher used to teach vocabulary was pronunciation drill.
This technique was used when Mrs. B and Mrs. C were teaching about food and part of body.
They used this strategy while they read aloud the words together. Before Mrs. B and C explained
about the words, they asked the students to read it aloud together. Then, they correcting the
wrong pronunciation did by the students. This technique was presented by Mrs. B in the third
observation, as seen in extract 3.
Extract 3
Mrs. B
: Makanan ada banyak sekali jenisnya, di sini cuma ada beberapa
sample, kita baca dulu ya. Rice /rʌɪs/
Students
: Rice (clear) /rʌɪs/
Mrs. B
: Meatball /ˈmiːtbɔːl/
Students
: Meatball (not clear) /ˈmitbɔl/
Mrs. B
: Coba di ulangi lagi dari yang paling atas, rice. /rʌɪs/
Students
Mrs. B
Students
Mrs. B
: Rice (clear) /rʌɪs/
: Meatball /ˈmiːtbɔːl/
: Meatball (quite clear) /ˈmiːtbɔːl/
: Kalo tulisannya (all) di baca /ɔːl/. (Teacher explained while wrote
it in the blackboard) meatball. /ˈmiːtbɔːl/
: Meatball (clear) /ˈmiːtbɔːl/
Students
Based on the observation, Mrs. B drilled the students in learning vocabulary. Mrs. B
explained in the interview that pronunciation drill was an important technique to teach
vocabulary to elementary school’s students. It may be not an interesting way to teach them, but it
is really important to make them pronounce correctly. Mrs. B said in the statement 4.
Statement 4
Ya drilling itu penting, karena dengan cara itu siswa bisa mengucapkan vocabvocab yang baru mereka tau dengan benar. Ga asal bunyi aja, kayaknya bener,
tapi kalo di dengerin baik-baik ternyata salah pengucapannya. Jadi ya kalo mau
bisa berbicara bahasa Inggris harus bisa ngucapin yang bener dulu.
This technique also presented by Mrs. A in the seventh observation, as seen in extract 4.
Extract 4
Before Mrs. A asked one of her students who was Sulis to write down the meaning of the
word “mother” in the blackboard, she asked Sulis to read it.
Mrs. A : Number two, Sulis. Di baca dulu.
Sulis : Mother /ˈmoðēr/
Mrs. A : Mother /ˈmʌðə/
Sulis : Mother /ˈmʌðə/
It showed that Mrs. A used pronunciation drill to teach her students. According to Mrs.
A, drilled activity is really important in teaching vocabulary. She said in statement 5.
Statement 5
Drilling itu ya gunanya biar anak-anak ngucapinnya ga salah, kalo dia salah
ucap, sampai tua nanti ya taunya kata yang salah itu. Makanya dari kecil begini
harus di ajari pengucapan yang tepat.
Similarly, the first and the second technique used by the teacher aimed to teach how to
pronounce the words correctly. Before the teachers taught them about the meaning, they
introduced the vocabulary first. After introducing the vocabulary, the students practiced
speaking; they spoke up and pronounced the vocabulary correctly.
It was an appropriate way to master the students in pronounces words. Teachers gave an
opportunity to the students to read aloud and to correct the pronunciation. Furthermore, students
got an experience in reading and directly got a correction from the teachers. This thing will make
the students get longer memorize the words.
Using Clues
The fourth technique that the teacher used to teach vocabulary was using hint/clue. The
teacher used this technique in teaching vocabulary about colors and hobby. This strategy used by
Mrs. C when the students got confused about her explanation. Mrs. C tried to help the students to
understand easily by using a clue. This technique was presented in the fourth observation by
Mrs. C, as seen in extract 5:
Extract 5
Mrs. C
: Green artinya apa?
Students
: (silent)
Mrs. C
Students
Mrs. C
Students
: Warna daun apa? Apa warnanya?
: Hijau.
: iya hijau, green. Apa?
: Green.
Based on the observation, Mrs. C used the clue to teach vocabulary. She used it to help
the students in understanding the meaning of the words. Besides, it also helps the teacher in
explaining the new words. She does not need to explain too much about the meaning of the
words. During the interview after the class, Mrs. C said in statement 6.
Statement 6
Kalo pake clue itu siswa jadi lebih mudah menebak, karena mereka lebih familiar
dengan benda-benda di sekitar. Lagipula nanti mereka juga akan lebih mudah
ingat jika bertemu vocab itu lagi, karena mereka juga ingat dengan clue yang
pernah di berikan di sekolah.
Based on the interview, Mrs. C used clues to teach vocabulary because the teacher knew
that clues could make the students memorize the vocabulary longer. She thought that this
technique was effective enough to convey students to stimulate vocabulary knowledge of the
students. Thus, the teacher preferred to give clues rather than explain the word to teach the
vocabulary.
Another advantage of using this kind of strategy is saving more time in explanation case.
The teacher could explain a lot of new words in the short time using clues. It also made the
students got better memorization about new words they learn because they tend to memorize
what the teacher used as a clue.
Using Realia
The fifth technique that the teacher used to teach vocabulary was realia . This technique
was used when Mrs. A and Mrs. C were teaching about part of the body. Mrs. A and C used this
kind of strategy when their students got confused about what they were explained about. The
teacher used a real example to make the students easier to understand what they mean. This
technique was presented by Mrs. A in the first observation, as seen in extract 6.
Extract 6
Mrs. A
: Ini apa? (Teacher showed and appointed to her teeth).
Students
: Teeth
Mrs. A
: Iya apa? Teeth
Students
: Teeth
In the seventh observation, Mrs. A presented another example of realia , as seen in extract 7.
Extract 7
Mrs. A
Students
Mrs. A
: Son
: Son
: Son itu anak laki-laki, seperti mas Adi. (Appointing to a man in the class)
Based on the observation, it showed that Mrs. A used a real example to make her
students easy to understand and remember the word. The students tend to memorize longer when
the teacher gave them a real example. Relia is not similar as clue and hints. The teacher who
used realia tend to show real things as an example; it is totally different with the teacher who
used clue and hint strategy. In the case of using clues and hints, the teacher tended to give some
clue to help the students in understanding the meaning but did not give real things as an example.
According to Mrs. A, using real example is a better way to make the students remember
the words than using a textbook. As seen in statement 7.
Statement 7
Anak-anak itu akan lebih ingat kalo kita kasih contoh yang benar-benar nyata,
jadi mereka bisa lihat langsung, dan cenderung lebih ingat dari pada contohcontoh yang mereka lihat di buku.
In teaching vocabulary, it is better to use real things rather than rely on wordy
explanations and discussions. Furthermore, concrete items can create the teaching-learning
activity more enjoyable and lively.
Although this kind of strategy is good for the students, using realia as the strategy in
teaching vocabulary is not always helps the teachers. They need to prepare many things every
lesson and bring those real things to the class as an example of the teaching-learning process. It
is good if the lesson is about something around the class, so the teachers do not need to bring
many things to the class.
Using Gestures
The sixth technique that teacher used to teach vocabulary was using gesture. This
technique was used by Mrs. C when she was teaching vocabulary about hobby. Mrs. C used
gesture when they were explaining the meaning of the new words. She also used this technique
when her students got confused about her explanation. This technique was presented by Mrs. C
in the sixth observation, as seen in extract 8.
Extract 8
Mrs. C
: Tennis (reading aloud)
Students
: Tennis (repeating)
Mrs. C
: Tennis yang di maksud di sini adalah tennis lapangan, bukan
tennis yang pake meja. Tennis yang menngunakan raket besar dan
bola seperti bola kasti, kalau tennis meja itu yang pake raket kecil
dan bola kecil, itu namanya tennis meja, (Act like she was played
tennis and table tennis, use her hands like she was hit the ball in
the pitch and then in the table) paham?
Students
: Ya
Based on the observation, the teacher used gesture to help her in explaining the meaning
and differences between Tennis and table tennis. Using gesture, students could easily imagine
what their teacher did. They could easily found what the meaning of the words because of the
teacher’s gesture.
According to Mrs. C, using gestures can encourage the students to think first before they
get clear explanation and understanding. It will make them get longer memorize, as seen in
statement 8.
Statement 8
Ya saya sering juga menggunakan gestur dan mimik kalau siswanya terlihat tidak
antusias dan bingung. Jadi saya kasih gesture agar mereka mau berfikir sebelum
saya jelaskan. Dengan begitu kan mereka jadi tau dan ingat dengan sendirinya,
karena mereka yang menebak gesture saya.
In line with the teacher, Gordon (2007) said that comprehensible input can be delivered
using nonverbal communication strategies, for example using gestures and pantomime. Gestures
were helpful for the students to convey the meanings. The gesture helped the students to
understand the meaning of new vocabulary.
The use of gesture in vocabulary learning process was helpful both for the teacher and
students. Using gesture could help the teacher in explaining new words, gesture encourage the
students to imagine what the teacher’s did. They can look at the teacher and realize by
themselves what the meaning of their teacher’s gestures. It was also make the students easier to
understand what their teacher’s talking about. That is why the teacher tends to use gesture in
teaching vocabulary.
Using Repetition
The seventh technique that teacher used to teach vocabulary was using repetition. This
technique was used by all of the teachers. This technique was used when they were teaching
vocabulary about part of body, food, color, hobby, and days. They used this technique while they
were explaining the material. They asked their students to read the words several times with
them. They used it to give more practice to the students in speaking aspect. This technique was
presented by Mrs. B when she was teaching about days in the eighth observation, as seen in
extract 9.
Extract 9
Mrs. B read the sentence several times and asked the students to read after her.
Mrs. B
: Sekarang di baca dulu ya biar bisa. There are
Students
: There are
Mrs. B
: Seven days
Students
: Seven days
Mrs. B
: In a week
Students
: In a week
Mrs. B
: There are seven days in a week.
Students
: There are seven days in a week.
Mrs. B
: There are seven days in a week.
Students: There are seven days in a week.
Based on the observation, the teacher asked the students to read together with her in
several times. The teacher tried to introduce those words to the students by repetition. Using
repetition, students tend to be usual to speak in English although they are not correct yet in
pronunciation.
Mrs. B explained in the interview that repeating is an important technique to teach
vocabulary to elementary school’s students because the students could practice speaking. It not
only introduces new words but could make them speak English fluently, as seen in statement 9.
Statement 9
Repeating words itu gunanya biar anak-anak terbiasa berbicara bahasa Inggris, karena
lidah mereka akan kaku dan kaget kalau tidak di latih dari kecil. Kita tidak hanya
mengenalkan vocab-vocab baru, tapi juga mengajari untuk mengucapkannya agar
terbiasa.
This technique was not as deep as pronunciation drill technique. In repetition case, the
teacher focuses on introducing the new words to the students. They also gave more practice to
the students to speak, but it did not focus yet in the pronunciation. That was the differences
between repetition and pronunciation drill.
Using Songs
The eighth technique that the teacher used to teach vocabulary was using song. Mrs. A
used song in teaching vocabulary about family. She used this technique in the middle of the class
after she explained about the material. This technique was presented by Mrs. A in the seventh
observation, as seen in extract 10.
Extract 10
One and one I love my mother
Two and two I love my father
Three and three I love brother sister
One two three I love my family
Based on the observation, Mrs. A used the simple song to make the students easy to
memorize it. This melody also familiar for the students because it seems like Indonesian song
that is “satu-satu aku sayang ibu”. This technique also cheer up the students, they got back their
spirit and sang together with the teacher.
According to Mrs. A, using songs aimed to make the vocabulary more memorable and
create a relaxed atmosphere in class. The uses of songs were really appropriate materials for
children, as seen in statement 10.
Statement 10
Pakai lagu itu lebih menyenangkan, karena semua siswa ikut bernyanyi. Jadi
otomatis mereka belajar pronunciation juga. Selain itu kan kalau pake lagu
mereka tidak jenuh, mereka menjadi lebih bersemangat dan materi mudah untuk di
hafal.
Furthermore, Abbott, (2002) cited in Gordon, (2007) said that using TPR, song and games
are suggested in the second language classroom. Using songs helped to create a relaxed
atmosphere during the learning process. Also, using songs made the learning process memorable.
This technique is really good to handle the students who are getting bored, especially after
thirty minutes learning process. In that condition, students tend to be passive and reluctant to
study. With using the song, the teacher can cheer the students up and got back their spirit by the
song. Another advantage is students can easily memorize many vocabularies w using songs. That
is the main reason the teacher used the song as the technique in teaching vocabulary.
CONCLUSION
This research was conducted to find out what the techniques of teaching vocabulary in
the rural elementary school are. The research also held to describe what the teacher’s reason are
in using those techniques in teaching vocabulary for rural elementary school. The research found
that there were eight techniques that were used by the teacher to teach vocabulary in rural area
elementary school: pictures, read aloud, pronunciation drill, clues / hints, realia, gestures,
repeating, and song.
It will be better if English teachers use AVA (such as pictures, video, songs, puzzle, etc.)
which is supported by some interactive teaching strategies in their teaching. The teachers have to
create interesting activity to encourage students in learning process. Also, teachers have to
prepare their material well before they teach. Thus, the teaching and learning process will be
well-managed.
There were several limitations in this research. The first one was the time constraint in
doing this research. To make it practical, the research was done in Pabelan, a rural area around
Salatiga. The other limitation was this research involved a small number of participants. The
limitation happened because of the lack participants in a rural area.
Further research may involve a large number of participants to cover more issues in
teaching vocabulary. A further research also need to be conducted in others context of teaching
English in a rural are so that there will be many researches about teaching English in rural areas.
It will increase the quality of English teaching especially in teaching vocabulary in rural areas.
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