CHAPTER
I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter
contains background, problem statement, objectives of the research,
significance of the research and scope of the research.
A. Background
Based on the curriculum development in Indonesia, English
has changed as a subject at school. In the past, English was taught from junior
high school until university, and today English is taught from elementary
school until university.
Teaching English as proficiency involves four skills
they are listening, speaking, reading and writing. Those skills support each
other and cannot be separated with each other in this case. These four language
skills are developed from basic language components such as, structure,
vocabulary, pronunciation and spelling.
In this research, the writer’s attention focuses on the
vocabulary as one of the English language components. The importance of
vocabulary in teaching a foreign language is clearly stated by Allen (1997:149)
as follow vocabulary is an important factor in teaching words, sound system,
structure and other essential area of language learning. So, the writer
concludes that vocabulary as one of the elements of language which is important
to study. Without having enough vocabulary, the ability to communicate and
convey our needs could not be established to each four skills.
English teachershave a very important role in an English
instruction since they are one of the factors that determine whether the
teaching is successful or unsuccessful. The teachers have to be able to apply
various techniques in teaching English because the students prepare to learn
simply and usefully. So the teacher can use various media like using mapping to
teach vocabulary for students.
These media provide language elements for the students
to explore the language skills for them. Furthermore, it can be able to arouse
the student’s interest in learning a foreign language, so it is not boring and
it can help students to learn the language easier. So “mapping” can enrich
students’ vocabulary, word comprehension and good understanding. Mapping can
enrich English learners’ vocabulary, because through this way they may image
and memorize many vocabularies in one time. Actually our students can know and
remember many vocabularies but this way can help students to map and classify
through the topic given by instructors. They will find the words from the
general words to the specific one.
When the researcher had done observation about
vocabulary in SMP Negeri 4 Baranti
Kabupaten Sidrap, the researcher found the students’
vocabulary ability in English was very poor. The averages of students’
vocabulary were 3.3 it means that they have very poor ability compared to the
English minimal standard grade (KKM). While the minimum of mastery learning
criteria or KKM is 40.00. Therefore the researcher focuses on teaching
vocabulary through Mapping in English learning. Furthermore, the researcher tried to improve the students’
vocabulary by using Mapping as a method.
Based on the explanation above, the researcher is
interested in conducting a research with the title “Teaching Vocabulary by
using mapping”.
B. ProblemStatement
Based on the background above, the researcher formulated
a problem statement as follow “Is the use of mapping able to increase the
students’ vocabulary mastery of SMP Negeri
4 Baranti Kabupaten Sidrap?”
C. Objectiveof the Research
The objective of the research was to find out whether or
not the use of mapping is able to increase the students’ vocabulary mastery in SMP Negeri 4 Baranti Kabupaten Sidrap.
D. Significanceof the
Research
The significances of the research were important for:
1.
The teachers; it can be useful
information for the English teacher in varying their teaching method in class,
the students; it can be applied to motivate the students in increasing the vocabulary
mastery.
2.
The curriculum designers; it
can be a consideration material for formulating the curriculum.
3.
The next researchers; it can be
useful information for the next invent in teaching vocabulary.
E. Scope of the Research
The scope of the research was restricted to the
discipline, content and activity:
1.
By discipline, this research is
limited to the field of applied linguistics, which talks about the teaching
subject in terms of vocabulary mastery.
2.
By content, this research
covered some topics in this method, namely: the house; at school; in town; and
in the market.
3.
By activity, the researcher
applied teaching vocabulary by using Mapping in the classroom of the first year students
in school year 2013/2014 of SMP Negeri 4 Baranti
Kabupaten Sidrap to increase their vocabulary mastery.
CHAPTER
II
REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE
In this chapter, the researcher provided of previous
related research findings, some pertinent ideas, conceptual framework, and
hypothesis.
A. Previous Related Research Findings.
There were some researchers who have conducted
researches by using techniques in teaching vocabularies. They are as follows:
Tjandrajani (2004:4) conducted a research on Using
Authentic Materials to Increase Vocabulary of the First Year Students of SMA
Negeri 4 Parepare. She found that there was a significant development from
pretest and posttest in vocabulary mastery of the students. It means that using
authentic reading is effective in increasing the students’ vocabularies.
Jumriani (2003:24) conducted a research on Using Realia
to Increase Vocabulary Mastery of the Fifth Class Students of SD Negeri 8
Parepare. She found that using realia as a media of teaching could make the
pupils increase their vocabulary and understood the vocabulary mastery.
Khalik (2004:29) conducted a research on Increasing
English Vocabulary of the Second Year Students of SMA Negeri 1 Watang Pulu
Through Translation Method. He found that there was a significant difference
between the vocabulary mastery of the students before and after taught through
translation method.
Usman (2004:26)
conduct a research on Increasing the Mastery of the Sixth Year Students of SDN
6 Pinrang to Use English Vocabulary by Using Total Physical Response. He
conducted total physical response is very useful to be applied to the students
who wanted to increase their English vocabulary mastery.
From some findings of the research above, the researcher
is interested
to create variety in increasing vocabulary mastery of the students. Therefore,
the researcher chooses to use mapping, because mapping could design the meaning of the
word based on the topic given. It had an influence to increase the students’
vocabulary mastery.
B. Some Pertinent Ideas
1.
The Concept of Vocabulary
1)
Definition of Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the main key to learn
English. It is to be master by students to communicate with others, such as
expressing ideas, emotion and desires. Richard (2001: 4) states that vocabulary
is one of the most obvious components of language and one of the first things
applied linguistics turned their attention.
Richard (2002: 580) states in his
book “Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics” that
vocabulary is a set of Lexemes, including single words, compound words and
idioms.
Hornby (1974: 959) states that
vocabulary is (1) the total number of words that make up a language (2) body of
words known to a person or used particular book subject (3) list of words with
their meaning.
Based on the statements above, the
researcher concluded that vocabulary is the list of words with their meaning
used for teaching learning process.
2)
Vocabulary growth
According to Wapedia (http://wapedia.mobi/en/Vocabulary)
2010 stated initially, in the infancy phase, vocabulary growth requires no
effort. Infants hear words and
mimic them, eventually associating them with objects and actions. This is the listening
vocabulary. The speaking
vocabulary follows, as a child's thoughts become more reliant on its
ability to express itself without gestures and mere sounds. Once the reading
and writing
vocabularies are attained - through questions and education - the anomalies
and irregularities of language can be discovered.
In first grade, an advantaged
student (i.e. a literate student) knows about twice as many words as a
disadvantaged student. Generally, this gap does not tighten. This translates
into a wide range of vocabulary size by age five or six, at which time an
English-speaking child will know about 2,500-5,000 words. An average student
learns some 3,000 words per year, or approximately eight words per day.
After leaving school, vocabulary
growth reaches a plateau. People may then expand their vocabularies by engaging
in activities such as reading, playing word games, and
participating in vocabulary programs.
3)
Types of Vocabulary
Harmer (1991:159) divides vocabulary
into two types, they are:
a.
Active vocabulary refers to
vocabulary that has been learned by students. They are expected to be able to
use it.
b.
Passive vocabulary refers to
word which the students will recognize when they meet them but which they will
probably not be able to produce.
On other hand, Wapedia (http://wapedia.mobi/en/Vocabulary)
presented that there are 4 types of vocabulary namely:
a.
Reading vocabulary
A
person's reading
vocabulary is all the words he or she can recognize when reading. This is the
largest type of vocabulary simply because it includes the other three.
b.
Listening vocabulary
A
person's listening vocabulary is
all the words he or she can recognize when listening to speech. This vocabulary
is aided in size by context and tone of voice.
c.
Writing vocabulary
A
person's writing vocabulary is all the words he or she can employ in writing. Contrary to the previous two
vocabulary types, the writing vocabulary is stimulated by its user.
d.
Speaking vocabulary
A
person's speaking vocabulary is all the words he or she can use in speech. Due to the spontaneous nature of
the speaking vocabulary, words are often misused. This misuse - though slight
and unintentional - may be compensated by facial expressions, tone of voice, or
hand gestures.
4)
General Principles in Selecting
Vocabulary
One item of teaching vocabulary is
how to select what words to teach. Harmer (1991:155) presented criteria which
are rather more specific have been used, among which two of the more important,
they are:
a.
Frequency
We decide which word we should teach on the basis of how
frequency they are used by the speakers of the language. The words which are
most commonly used are the ones we should teach first.
b.
Coverage
A
word is more useful it covers more things than if it only has one very specific
meaning, so the argument goes.
5)
Criteria in Selecting
Vocabulary
While Richard (2001:8) presents
other criteria which also used in determining word list. These included:
a.
Teach ability
In a course taught following the Direct Method on a
method such Total Physical Response, concentrate vocabulary is taught early in
one because it can easily be illustrated through pictures or by demonstration.
b.
Similarity
Some items may be selected because they
are similar to words in the native of language.
c.
Availability
Some words may not be frequent but they are readily
“available” in the sense that they come quickly to mind when certain topics are
thought.
d.
Coverage
Words that cover or included the meaning of other words
may also be useful.
e.
Defining Power
Some words could be selected because they are useful in
defining other words; even through they are not among the frequent words in the
language.
6)
What do the Students Need to
Know
Harmer (1991:156-158) states there
are four what the students need to know
relates to vocabulary item than just one meaning, namely:
a.
Meaning
The first thing to realize about vocabulary items is
that they frequently have more than one meaning. As far as meaning goes, then,
students need to know about meaning in context and they need to know about
sense relation.
b.
Word Use
What word uses means can be changed, stretched or
limited by know it is used and this is something students need to know about.
c.
Word Formation
Word can change their shape and their grammatical value,
too. Students need to know facts about word formation and how to twist words to
fit different grammatical context. Word formation means knowing words are
written and spoken and knowing how they can change their form.
d.
Word Grammar
Just words change according to their grammatical
meaning, so the use of certain words can trigger the use of certain grammatical
patterns.
7)
The importance of a vocabulary
a.
An extensive vocabulary aids expressions
and communication
b.
Vocabulary size has been
directly linked to reading comprehension.
c.
Linguistic vocabulary is
synonymous with thinking vocabulary
d.
A person may be judged by
others based on his or her vocabulary
8)
The Approaches to Vocabulary Teaching
and Learning
However many theories about
vocabulary learning process were written, it still remains the matter of
memory. Thus, there are several general principles for successful teaching,
which are valid for any method. According to Wallace, 1988 the principles are:
a.
aim – what is to be taught,
which words, how many
b.
need – target vocabulary should
respond students’ real needs and interests
c.
frequent exposure and
repetition
d.
meaningful presentation – clear
and unambiguous denotation or reference should be assured
Learning vocabulary is a complex
process. The students’ aim to be reached in learning vocabulary process is
primarily their ability to recall the word at will and to recognize it in its
spoken and written form. Generally, knowing a word involves knowing its form
and its meaning at the basic level. In deeper aspects it means the abilities to
know its (Harmer 1991):
a.
Meaning, i.e. relate the word
to an appropriate object or context
b.
Usage, i.e. knowledge of its
collocations, metaphors and idioms, as well as style and register (the
appropriate level of formality), to be aware of any connotations and
associations the word might have
c.
Word formation, i.e. ability to
spell and pronounce the word correctly, to know any derivations (acceptable
prefixes and suffixes),
d.
Grammar, i.e. to use it in the
appropriate grammatical form
Beside that, Alex Case presented in
his website (http://edition.tefl.net/articles/lexis/teaching-vocabulary/)
about four approaches to teaching vocabulary namely:
a.
Really learn a little
vocabulary
This is perhaps what is most
typically seen as good practice in ELT (English Language Teaching) – picking
what language you want the students to learn (or letting them pick it
themselves) from word lists, the textbooks, authentic texts etc and revising it
various fun ways until they know it thoroughly and are likely to remember it
for quite some time to come.
b.
Touch on as much vocabulary as
you can
This is one way of taking the
opposite approach to the one above- accepting that students will learn
different vocabulary (and, like grammar, not necessarily the things the teacher
has decided the lesson is about) and will see and hear totally different
language in their reading, listening etc outside of class
c.
Help them pick it up
Some teachers and researchers think
that extensive reading (reading for pleasure) in English is such a good way of
picking up vocabulary and other parts of the language that it is by far the
most useful use of classroom time.
d.
Use vocabulary to teach how to
learn vocabulary
This is another way of tackling the
problem that students will learn and need different language from each other.
With this approach, you take each vocabulary point that comes up not primarily
as a chance to teach the target language but as a way of teaching something
about vocabulary and how to learn it that they can take away and use with the
language they come across, look up in their dictionaries etc outside class. The
best way to organize and think about this is by adding another syllabus to the
textbook vocabulary one so that your new vocabulary syllabus says “Compound
nouns- using dictionaries”, “Phrasal verbs- guessing meaning from context”,
“Antonyms- using English in your vocabulary lists rather than L1” etc.
2.
The Concept of Teaching
Vocabulary
According Frost (2005), there are
ways of getting across the meaning of a lexical item, namely:
1)
Illustration, this is very
useful for more concrete words (dog, rain, and tall) and for visual learners.
It has its limits though, not all items can be drawn.
2)
Mime, this lends itself
particularly well to action verbs and it can be fun and memorable.
3)
Synonyms, antonyms, gradable
items, using the words student already knows can be effective for getting
meaning across.
4)
Definition, make sure that it
is clear (maybe check in a learner dictionary before the lesson if you are not
confident). Remember to ask question to check they have understood properly.
5)
Translation, if you know the
students’ mother tongue, then it is fast and efficient. Remember that not every
word has a direct translation.
6)
Context, think of a clear when
the word is used and either describe it to the students or give them examples
sentence to clarify meaning further.
3.
The Concept of Mapping
1)
What is mapping
The concept of mapping provides a
framework for organizing conceptual information in the process of defining a
word. The concept map also supports vocabulary and concepts learning by
helping students internalize a strategy for defining and clarifying the meaning
of unknown words. Students write the concept word or target word being
studied in the center, and then work outward into the boxes writing words that
describe the target word. The framework of the concept map contains:
category/class the concept or target word belongs, properties of the concept
word or target, and examples of the concept or target word.
One of the most valuable vocabulary
activities we can do is mapping, especially if we need focus for a project or if we need a natural organization
pattern. The inventor of mapping is Gabrielle Lusser Rico. Mapping is a
technique of vocabulary that allows us to explore many ideas as soon as they
occur to us. Like brainstorming
or free-associating, mapping allows us to begin without clear ideas.
Based on the Tomlinson, mapping is
one strategy we can use to formulate a plan of action from our rough notes to
map our ideas. Mapping shows us the relationships among our ideas and suggests
organizational patterns.
Meanwhile, Siegel states that mapping
is a way of tricking the left-brain
into silence and using the right brain to come up with our own unique overview
of a subject. The way to do it is very simple, but it will not work if we break
any of the simple rules.
In addition, Richmond supports their ideas. He states that
mapping is an effective vocabulary strategy for coming up with paper topics,
especially for visual learners. Like brainstorming, mapping is relatively
unrestricted and only asks the writer to come up with random ideas that could
potentially be pursued. Yet mapping goes beyond brainstorming because it asks
the students to commit the ideas to paper by mapping each of the major topics
and sub-topics out. This type of mapping is often useful to students because it
helps them see relationships among their different topics.
Mapping is a nonlinear method of
connecting words or phrases to a central idea. The result is called a cluster
diagram, very similar to (if not the same thing as) a mind map or a concept map. It is a great
way to explore the structure of a broad subject, and it has many other uses.
Based on the definition above, the researcher
concludes that mapping method will help the students to construct and organize
their ideas although the students still unclear with it. Mapping will help them
to ask their self and formulate the theme visually.
2)
Procedure of Mapping
Based on the York University,
procedure of mapping can be broken down into four steps, namely review,
analyze, organize and plan.
a. Review
-
Pull out a blank sheet of
paper, place our topic, question in the center of the page or lay out our notes
on a surface so that we can see everything at once. Then, begin to think
about our topic or question. As words or phrases come to mind, immediately
write them down and circle them. This should create a ring of ideas around our
central topic/question. Make a very heavy circle right around it.
-
Read our notes, highlight
relevant material and strike out irrelevant material.
b. Analyze
-
Look for similarities, patterns
and connections among our ideas. Move from one word to the next, or try to find
interconnections by looking at the whole simultaneously.
-
Draw circles and lines to
illustrate graphically the relationships we see. Jot additional notes to
explain the patterns and connections to our self.
-
Now "mapping" the
notes into groups to reflect the patterns and connections we identified.
c. Organize with Headings
-
Add headings that describe the
patterns or categories we used to map the material. Highlight our headings so
that they will stand out.
-
If there are any ideas left
over that do not fit into our categories, place them under a category called
"misfits".
d. Try Different Plans
If we are lucky, clustering will
suggest a plan for developing our paper; however, not all of the
relationships we notice will fit into every feasible plan for developing our
paper. If we can think of more than one possible plan, try mapping our
notes according to two or three different plans.
3)
Modes of Mapping
Pre-mapping (mapping and thinking about a
paper before writing it) fills our "well" and creates learning. Every
time we skip the pre process, we miss an opportunity to create a richer paper.
Even people who state that they dashed off a paper in a few minutes often have
been thinking about the paper for some time. For example, we do a lot of
"mental" in our car, which explains why we are such a bad driver.
Even with a fair amount of pre-activity, do not think of pre-activity as merely
an initial process. Often, during mapping, we will need to go back and fill the
well several times. The mapping diagram below is presented as an example of one
type of pre-activity in mapping.
Example 1:
Figure 1: Expectations by Melanie
Dawson and Joe Essid
Example 2:
Figure 2: The Kippi by Dr. Kristi Siegel
Example
3:
Figure 3: Our House by Sue Tomlinson
C. Conceptual Framework
Vocabulary
mastery is one of the most important for us because without knowing a little
technique in this process we cannot express our ideas in written form and
orally. One of vocabulary activity that helps students to construct their ideas
is mapping because it present the students ideas visually and easier them to
organize their idea.
Teaching vocabulary through Mapping
concept aims to increase the students’ vocabulary mastery which presenting the
related new words. The vocabulary materials that applied by the researcher
related to the themes. The researcher conducts aquasi experimental research to
know the students’ achievement on the Mapping in vocabulary mastery.
The conceptual framework underlying
in this research is given in the following diagram:
|
(Experimental Way)
Mapping concept
&
(Conventional Way)
as
a medium to know the students’ ability in vocabulary mastery
|
|
Vocabulary test which
divided into four topics
|
|
To
know the students’ ability in vocabulary mastery using Mapping Concept, the research will teach for several meeting
both classes namely experimental and conventional (Participant observation
and field note to support the data valid)
|
|
Participant
observation
|
|
Field note
|
|
Photographs
|
|
The students’
vocabulary mastery
In
this case Mapping Concept is able or not to increase the students’
vocabulary mastery
|
|
Recorded
|
Figure 4: Conceptual Framework
