Abstract :
The aims of the research is to improve the Eight graders? vocabulary
achievement at the SMP PGRI 2 Bekasi through Word Puzzles.
The subjects of this research consisted of 38 students of class VIII.2 at the
SMP PGRI 2 Bekasi. The data of this research was collected through a pre-test, posttest, two kinds of observation sheets for teacher and students and a questionnaire.
The questionnaire measures the students? interest in learning vocabulary, the
advantage of the Word Puzzles usage, students? motivation, the relevancy and
sustainability of using Word Puzzles to the students. Two observation sheets were
used to observe the situation of the class during each cycle. There were three cycles
in this research. Before conducting the three cycles, a pre-test was given. Each cycle
consisted of a teaching learning process and a post test. Word Puzzles were used as
an aid in teaching vocabulary.
The descriptive of the qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis were used
to analize the data. The mean of students? vocabulary scores in the pre-test was
55.92%. In the vocabulary post test the scores in Cycle 1 was 66.31%, in Cycle 2
was 78.81% and in Cycle 3 was 93,81 %. The scores of the three cycles were higher
than the pre-test. It was 18.58% higher in Cycle 1, 18.85% in Cycle 2, and 19.03%
in Cycle 3. Based on the data above, it could be seen that there was a significant
improvement of the students? vocabulary scores.
The questionnaire reflected that the students? interest in the word puzzles
given is high, the word puzzles have some advantages. they can help the students in
mastering English vocabulary and they can use the puzzles as daily games, the
students? motivation in learning English after having activity by using word puzzles
is very high. The relation between the vocabularies offered in this action research
and the vocabularies that the students often used and needed in their daily lives are
relevant, and the students think that the program is necessary for them.The students
observation sheets reflected that throughrough the teaching and learning procces the
teacher can control and monitor the class well. Word card as a main teaching aid also
used by the teacher to teach vocabulary.
It was suggested for the researchers to carry out similar action research on the
students at Junior High School and to improve other types of teaching process.
Penelitian yang diberi judul ?Improving Eighth Graders? Vocabulary
Achievement Using Word Puzzles at SMP PGRI 2 Bekasi ( An action Research) ini
memiliki tujuan untuk meningkatkan prestasi anak terhadap kosakata bahasa Inggris
melalui media Word Puzzles.
Penelitian ini dilakukan dalam tiga siklus. Di tiap siklus, penulis mengadakan
post-tes untuk mengetahui dan mengukur kemampuan dan perkembangan siswa selama
pembelajaran kosakata bahasa Inggris melalui media Word Puzzles. Subjek dalam
penelitian ini adalah 38 murid di kelas 8.2 SMP PGRI 2 Bekasi.
Data dalam penelitian ini didapat dari hasil tes dan non tes. Hasil tes didapat dari
pre-tes atau tes pra siklus dan pos-test. Hasil non tes didapat dari dua macam lembar
observasi dan kuesioner. Kuesioner dirancang dan dibuat untuk mengukur minat dan
ketertarikan siswa pada Word Puzzles,mengukur motivasi siswa, untuk mengetahui
manfaat dari penggunaan media Word Puzzles pada siswa, tingkat relevansi dan untuk
mengukur seberapa penting penggunaan Word Puzzles pada siswa.
Adapun dua lembar observasi, lembar observasi untuk guru dan lembar observasi
untuk murid. Lembar observasi ini bertujuan untuk mengobservasi situasi dan kondisi
didalam lingkungan belajar selama proses belajar dan mengajar tiga siklus berlangsung.
Ada tiga siklus dalam penelitian ini, sebelum peneliti memulai proses belajar dan
mengajar, tes pra-siklus diberikan kepada murid. Hal ini bertujuan untk mengetahui
pemahaman dan pengetahuan siswa terhadap kosakata dalam bahasa Inggris.
Untuk mengolah data-data yang telah terkumpul, terdapat dua teknik yang
digunakan didalam penelitian ini yaitu analisis kualitatif dan analisis kuantitatif. Nilai
rata-rata murid dalam belajar kosakata bahasa Inggris di dalam penelitian ini
menunjukan peningkatan. Nilai rata-rata murid di tes pra siklus menunjukan terdapat
55.92% kemudian meningkat pada nilai di pos test di siklus pertama yaitu 66.31% dan
terus meningkat sebanyak 18.85% di siklus kedua menjadi 78.81% dan pada siklus
ketiga atau yang terakhir peningkatan siswa terjadi sebanyak 25% menjadi 93.81% dimana 95% siswa didalam kelas menguasai kosakata yang telah diajarkan.
Pada akhirnya peneliti menyarankan agar penelitian ini dapat dikembangkan
lebih luas oleh para peneleiti lain di lingkungan Sekolah Menengah Pertama maupun
Menengah untuk dapat memajukan prestasi siswa melalui metode ini.