Overcoming The Difficulty of Teaching English Vocabulary To Kindergarten Children At TK Tunas Cemara.

ABSTRACT
Selama saya dalam masa magang, saya menghadapi kesulitan dalam
mengajar kosakata dalam bahasa Inggris kepada anak-anak di TK Tunas
Cemara. Penyebabnya adalah karena saya tidak tahu bagaimana cara
mengajar kosakata kepada anak-anak, kosakata yang diberikan terlalu
banyak untuk diajarkan kepada anak-anak, dan juga karena anak-anak
memiliki konsentrasi yang singkat. Akibatnya anak-anak tidak memperhatikan
saya ketika saya mengajar, saya kehilangan kontrol atas anak-anak di kelas,
dan juga saya harus belajar bagaimana cara mengajar kosakata kepada
anak-anak dengan berkonsultasi pada guru yang lebih berpengalaman.
Setelah melakukan penelitian, saya mempunyai tiga solusi untuk
mengatasi masalah saya. Pertama, saya menggunakan alat peraga visual
dengan tepat. Kedua, saya mengkategorikan kosakata yang akan diajarkan.
Ketiga, saya sering menggunakan kosakata baru di kelas. Tiga solusi
tersebut sangat efektif bagi saya karena solusi-solusi tersebut dapat
membantu saya dalam mengajar. Namun ada satu solusi yang saya pilih dan
menurut saya itu adalah solusi yang terbaik yaitu menggunakan alat peraga
visual dengan tepat. Solusi ini bisa membuat saya lebih percaya diri serta
dapat membuat anak-anak memperhatikan saya saat saya mengajar
sehingga saya bisa menjalankan tugas saya dengan baik untuk mengajar
kosakata dalam bahasa Inggris kepada anak-anak TK selama masa magang

berlangsung.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT........................................................................................................i
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY...................................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................iv
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION......................................................................1-6
A. Background of the Study
B. Identification of the Problem
C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
D. Description of the Institution
E. Method of the Study
F. Limitation of the Study
G. Organization of the Term Paper

CHAPTER II. PROBLEM ANALYSIS..........................................................7-10
CHAPTER III. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS.................................................11-16
CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION...................................................................17-18
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX:
FLOWCHART

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FLOWCHART

Cause 1: I do not know how
to teach vocabulary
Cause 2: There are too
many new words to teach in
each lesson
Cause 3: Children have
short concentration span


Problem:
I have difficulty in teaching
English vocabulary to
kindergarten children at TK
Tunas Cemara

Effect 1: The children do not
pay attention to me during
the lesson
Effect 2: I lose control of the
children

Potential Negative Effects:
1. It is time consuming
2. Children become passive

Potential Solution I:
I use visual aids wisely


Potential Positive Effects:
1. It is easy to explain
2. Children pay attention to
me

Potential Negative Effects:
1. Children will only be able
to learn vocabulary
according to one system
2. Children will be confused
if there is vocabulary
outside of the categories
already learnt

Potential Solution II:
I categorize the vocabulary

Potential Positive Effects:
1. It is easy to explain
2. It is easier for children to

learn the meaning of the
words

Potential Negative Effects:
1. Children get bored
2. The vocabulary that I use
is restricted

Potential Solution III:
I use the new words often in
the class

Potential Positive Effects:
1. It is easier for children to
remember the new words
2. Children can understand
the meaning of the words

Chosen Solution:
I use visual aids wisely


CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study
In this globalization era, English becomes very important because English
is the international language. English has been used in most of the countries
in the world for the business and education sectors. Therefore, it is necessary
for almosteverybody to learn English language. In the article “Why Do People
Learn Languages Especially English”, it is said that “People especially learn
English because it's the most common language spoken in the world” (par. 1).
In Indonesianow, English begins to be learned from an early age.
Therefore, many formal and informal institutions for education give English
lessons. In many parts of Indonesia, people learn English from kindergarten
until college. However, for the teachers of English, there are often problems
to overcome. For example, I have a problem in teaching English vocabulary in
an effective way so that the children can learn and remember new words well.
I had to teach English vocabulary to kindergarten children. The process of
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teaching kindergarten children is related to my study, because it is based on
my learning about teaching. At the university, I took subjects that are related
to teaching, like TEFL and Psychological Approach to Teaching.
When teaching young children, it is difficult to teach new vocabulary to them.
This is a common problem that teachers face when they are teaching English
as a foreign language. As stated in the article “Difficulties and Challenges in
Teaching English as The Second Language”, it is stated that “Teachers often
face various difficulties and challenges while teaching English as a foreign
language” (par. 1).At TK Tunas Cemara, I had aproblem as a teacher
assistant when teaching vocabulary to twenty two children. Some of the
children did not remember the new words that I taught them. This can happen
because of two factors. The first factor is because of the children. Some of
the children do not want to pay attention to the lesson or do their activities.
The second factor is the teacher. Sometimes the teacher neither knows how
to teach vocabulary to the children nor finds an appropiate way to get their
attention. Therefore, in this term paper I would like to analyze this problem
and find the best solution for it.


B. Identification of the Problem
Based on my experience as a teacher assistant at TK Tunas Cemara, I
would like to analyze :

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1. Why do the children at TK Tunas Cemara find it difficultto remember the
English vocabulary?
2. How should the teacher introduce new English vocabulary effectively so
that the children at Tunas Cemara can remember it?

C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
The objectives of this study are to cope with the problem of the childrenat TK
Tunas Cemara who can not remember the new words in English, and also to
findpossible solutions and choose the best solution for the teacher of
Englishto help the children remember the new words.
By writing this term paper, there are some benefits for the institution, the

reader of this term paper, and for me as the writer. For the institution, I hope
that my term paper can help the English teachers at Tunas Cemarato know
how to teach vocabulary to the children, so that the children can know the
meaning of the words and remember the vocabulary. For the readers who are
interested in education, I expect this study can give information on how to
teach vocabulary to young children to make them understand and remember
the meaning of the words. Then, the benefit for me is I can share my
experience in teaching vocabulary to young children with others who
understand about teaching English and by writing this term paper I can know
more effective ways to teach vocabulary. Thus, if I work in the educational
sector again, I will know a better way to deal with this problem.

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D. Description of the Institution
Tunas Cemara is an educational institution that was established by Yayasan
Citra Cemara on April 17, 2000. Tunas Cemara was initially located in a size
of approximately 5000m2at Jl.SumberHurip 31, Sumber Sari. In July 2004,

Tunas Cemara moved to Jl. Situ Aksan 41. In 2009, Tunas Cemara received
accreditation of an A from The National Accreditation Institution. TK Tunas
Cemaraplans to have a new buildingin Jl. SoekarnoHatta 22 in the year 2011.
TK Tunas Cemara’s development progressively increases. At first there were
only 40 children, with three teachers, while now there are 100 more children,
with eight teachers and an administration staff.
The school has a vision and a mission. Tunas Cemara School’s vision is to
become a qualified educational institution that prepares the kindergarten
children to be knowledgeable, qualified and responsible. The school’s mission
is to educate students by optimizing the potential of children in their
emotional, intellectual, physical, and linguistic development by close
cooperation between the school and the parents. The mission states having
children who :




are physically and mentally healthy
are balanced in aquiringboth knowledge and skills
have a healthy personality


“Play Group, TK & SD Tunas Cemara” (2).

E. Method of the Study

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Forthe process of collecting data about kindergarten children at TK Tunas
Cemara, Iuse several ways. First, I get data from the observation of twenty
two children during my internship. Next, I read my internship journal, because
in my internship journal there are real life storiesof people and experiences
atthe school, what I did during my internship and other information. Then, I
read some books from Maranatha Christian University’s library that are
related to my problem in this term paper. Lastly, I also browsed on the
Internet for the theories and solutions to my problem.

F. Limitation of the Study
My term paper focuses on how to teach English vocabulary to
kindergarten children to help them remember the new words. There were
twenty two children in the class. The age level of the children isfour years old.
The observation was done from July to September 2010 at TK Tunas
Cemara, Bandung.

G. Organization of the Term Paper
This term paper starts with Abstract, a summary of the whole term paper.
Then, there is Declaration of Originality, which contains a statement from the
writer of this term paper about the authenticity of the paper. Next is
Acknowledgements, which contains the list of people who supported me
during the writing of this study. After that is Table of Contents. Then, there are

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four chapters which follow : Chapter I is Introduction, Chapter II is Problem
Analysis, Chapter III is Potential Solutions, and Chapter IV is Conclusion. In
the last part of my term paper there is Bibliography, containing the list of
references, and Appendix (Flowchart).

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CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

When teaching vocabulary to kindergarten children, it is normal for a
teacher to have problems. The problems can affect the performance of the
teacher negatively when teaching in the classroom. During my internship, I
faced a problem, namely, a difficulty in teaching English vocabulary to
kindergarten children at TK Tunas Cemara. The reasons for this problem are I
did not know how to teach vocabulary, there were too many new words to
teach each lesson, and children have a short concentration span. This
problem also has bad effects for the learning process. The effects are the
children do not pay attention to me and I lose control of the children. To
handle my problem, I have three solutions. The first solution is I use visual
aids wisely. Second, I categorize the vocabulary. Third, I use the new words
often in the class.
After having discussed the previous chapter, I would like to present the best
solution to solve the problem. This solution is I use visual aids wisely.

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To introduce the new vocabulary to children, I usually use visual aids like
puppets, flash cards or handmade aids that are suitable for the lesson. For
example I used flash cards to teach transportation, I used a doll to teach
about parts of the body, and I used real things by touching furniture in the
classroom to teach about furniture.
Using visual aids wisely is the best solution for me. This solution is better
than the other solutions to solve the problem in teaching vocabulary to
kindergarten children because using visual aids help to get children’s
attention, as children cannot focus on something for a long time. Therefore, I
use something that can make the children be attracted to the lesson. In this
way, the children can understand and remember the lessonbetter because
they are interested. It also make it easier for me to teach and give me
confidence because children pay more attention and I cancontrol the class
better. It is more effective for the learning process of the children, since the
children showed more interest with their bright eyes when I used visual aids.
I believe that the solution that I choose can be applied by kindergarten
teachers at TK Tunas Cemara in the process of teaching, by combinating it in
a creative way. Therefore, the teacher can improve their skills in teaching
kindergarten children and also the children can enjoy learning English with
better concentration. I suggest that teachers of kindergarten children have a
wide variety of visual aids to teach various topics of basic English vocabulary.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Printed Sources
Slaterry, Mary, and Jane Willis. English for Primary Teachers. New York:
Oxford University Press, 2005.

Electronic Sources
Brick, Beverlee. “Advantages & Disadvantages of Visual Aids.” ehow.co.uk. 2
April 2010. 8 November 2010
.
Caldwell, Andi. “Student Teachers: What to Do When You’ve Lost Control of
Your Classroom.” helium.com. 15 April 2010. 15 October 2010
.
“Children and Concentration.” essortment.com. 31 January 2009. 15 October
2010 .

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“Difficulties and ChallengesIn Teaching English as The SecondLanguage.”
Articlesbase.com. 27 April 2009. 15 October 2010
.
Heller, Rafael, Ph.D. “Vocabulary.” adlit.org. July 2009. 15 October 2010
.
“How to Remember Vocabulary Words.” squidoo.com. November 2008. 15
October 2010 .
Nikky. “Teaching Aids, Their Characteristics, Advantages, and How and
Where to Use Teaching Aids.” indiastudychannel.com. 23 Mei 2009. 1
November 2010.
Nikky. “Teaching Aids, Their Needs, Types and Importance of Teaching Aids
In Teaching Learning Process.” indiastudychannel.com. 20 Mei 2009. 1
November 2010.
Pappano, Laura. “Small Kids, Big Words.” hepg.org. June 2008. 10 October
2010.
“Some Benefits of Teaching and Learning Aids.” kauaibbqgrill.com. 22 April
2008. 10 October 2010 .

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“Teacher.” bls.gov. 19 March 2010. 17 October 2010
.
“Teacher Experience and Credentials.” greatschools.org. August 2008. 17
October 2010 .
Thorne, Glenda, Ph.D, and Alice Thomas, M.Ed. “What is Attention?” cdl.org.
23 June 2009. 17 October 2010 .
“What is Categorizing?” olc.spsd.sk.ca. 5 March 2008. 15 October 2010
.
“Why Do PeopleLearn LanguagesEspecially English?” wiki.answers.com.
March 2008. 25 September 2010
.

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