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DEVELOPING YEAR 4 JAYA STUDENTS VOCABULARY THROUGH SEMANTIC MAP

1.0

INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, I will discuss the reflection on my teaching experience. I will also talk about the
related theory and literature to support my research.
The purpose of teaching English in Malaysian classroom is to expose students to four
main skills which are listening and speaking, reading and vocabulary as well as writing.
According to Hornby (1995), the total number of words in a language is called vocabulary. In
order to be proficient in English, learners need to learn vocabulary.
However, teachers of English as a Second Language cannot expect most of their students can
learn vocabulary easily (Allen, 1983). According to Thornbury (2002), learning vocabulary of a
second language is considered as a challenging job. In order to be proficient in the target
language learners need to produce the language itself using correct forms of words. Hence, the
responsibility lies on teachers shoulders to help students develop strategies for coping with
unknown or unfamiliar uses of words of the target language. In the KSSR syllabus, the reading
objective that the Education Ministry aim to achieve at the end of the Year 6 is that students
should be able to read and comprehend a wide range of text. However, this objective cannot be
fulfilled if the students have limited vocabulary. Allen, David & Valette (1997) state that without
sufficient vocabulary, learners cannot understand others or express their own ideas. Therefore,
students will not be able to use English effectively in the classroom and outside the classroom
without mastering vocabulary.
1.1 Reflection on Teaching Experience
Being an English teacher for almost 15 years, I discovered many problems in my class
especially limited vocabulary among the students. Some of the students do not understand the
reading text because they were not able to understand the words. If I think carefully on why they
were not able to understand the reading text, I can conclude that they were not able to
understand the vocabulary. Even though the students could pronounce well the words in the
texts, they could not understand the content of the texts. Out of the 35 students in Year 4 Jaya
class, only 6 students could actually comprehend the texts and answer the questions well. Many
of them could not answer well because they did not understand even simple words from the
text.

I gave them a short paragraph about animals. After reading the text, I asked questions such as
What is the habitat of tigers? but the students were unable to respond or give me the correct
answer. All they said were I dont know and What is habitat, Ms. Suriya? Thus, I could see
that some of Year 4 Jaya students did not know the meaning of some words in the paragraph
and they were unable to understand the words to the paragraph given.
As an English teacher, I reevaluated the scenario above; I realized that Year 4 Jaya students
were facing problems in understanding the vocabulary in reading texts. I could see the problem
when I gave them a worksheet whereby they needed to fill in the blanks with words from the
paragraph. I found that some of the students were unable to complete the worksheet because
they did not understand the meaning of the words. The words were unfamiliar to them. At some
point I was forced to use translation to explain the meaning of the words.
1.2 Related Theory/ Literature
In this part, I will talk about theories that support the focus of my research.
1.2.1 Macro Theory
Based on Piagets Theory of cognitive development (1970), teachers have aligned their teaching
strategies with students cognitive level. In other words, cognitive development is the emergence
of the ability to think. Theory of Cognitive Development is a theory that describes how human go
about making sense of their world by gathering and organizing information (Piaget in Woolfolk,
2010). When a student looks at a semantic map, a certain area of the brain is activated. They
would have a clear concept and idea of the vocabulary items introduced throughout the
sessions. Day and Bamford, (1998) suggest that appropriate material usage helps students
learn to read and lead them to enjoy reading. I support this statement with my own experience
of teaching my students. When I taught them the habitat of animals, they did not seem to
understand until I showed them in semantic map which gave a clearer view of the links.
Therefore, I believe that understanding the words using the semantic map enabled the students
to learn vocabulary and comprehend the reading text better. As I adopt Piagets cognitive theory
in my research, my Year 4 Jaya students need activation of their schema when it comes to
vocabulary. As reflected in my teaching and learning experience, the students are facing
problems in understanding vocabulary from the reading text. Thus, the students must be
exposed to organize ideas in a systematic way in order to change the perception towards
learning vocabulary.

1.2.2 Micro Theory


Metacognitive strategies, which have an executive function by means of planning, monitoring
and evaluating the whole learning process, are essentially important. Abundant studies have
demonstrated the great effect exerted by metacognitive strategies both in reading (Baker &
Brown, 1984; Carrel et al, 1989; Talbot, 1995) and listening (O Malley & Chamot, 1985;
Schwartz, 1992; Yang, 2004). However, there is little research available to scrutinize the
relationship between metacognitive strategies and vocabulary learning though conspicuously,
vocabulary is central to language learning. The mastery of vocabulary plays a key role in the
whole process of the second language learning and is of critical importance to the learners.
Critical and creative thinking is required to relate, analyse and evaluate existing experiences to
acquire a new skill. For instance, the reflective thinking which is emphasized in metacognition is
important for my Year 4 Jaya students to wisely choose the right vocabulary to develop their
understanding.
As McCarty (1992) suggests, before presenting new language, pre-reading activities
might be beneficial to activate existing knowledge to make the encounter with new words more
meaningful. Pre-reading activities often arouse students attention and desire to explore a
particular topic or subject in greater detail (McCarthy, 1992: p.108). Based on this, I believe that
using semantic map in pre-reading activities will definitely develop my students vocabulary
effectively.

CHAPTER 2.0

FOCUS OF INVESTIGATION / ISSUE OF CONCERN

The focus of investigation in my research is Year 4 Jaya students inability to understand


vocabulary. The words read were meaningless to them as they could not understand the
meaning of the words. Based on the my observation, students have very limited vocabulary.
They could not comprehend the reading text because of lack of vocabulary and this leads them
to face difficulty in answering the questions. Thus, the consequence of this problem affects the
reading lesson in the classroom. The teachers need to spend more time and this leads to time
constraint for both the teachers and the students to complete the lesson.
2.1 Problem Statement
The curriculum specification and syllabus states that By the end of their primary schooling,
pupils should be able to 2.2 demonstrate understanding of variety of linear and nonlinear text
Based on this statement, it shows that students need to understand a wide range of vocabulary
to master different types of reading materials.
Based on my teaching experience in Year 4 Jaya, the students were not able to understand the
reading text that they were reading from the textbook as textbook was one of the tool in
measuring their understanding. I noticed this problem when they needed to fill in the blanks with
suitable words from the text given. Although the material is familiar for many of them in my
class, they did not understand some of the words.Wilkins(1972) stated, without grammar very
little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed. The students were not
able to answer questions related to vocabulary. They faced difficulties in choosing the correct
answer because they could not able to understand the words in the sentences. The students
also did not know how to identify the correct words from the text to answer questions. They
were so confused. I was worried as the students were not able to identify the basic words from
the short text. I concluded that the lack of vocabulary influenced students in understanding the
text. Vocabulary knowledge is very important to understand a text and answering the questions
that they are attempting to answer.Johnson (2008) mentioned that the basic process of problem
identification occurs when a situation is observed and there is recognition that something within
that situation could probably be done better (p.25).

2.1.1 Preliminary Investigation


To identify the problem, I had carried out a preliminary investigation on my research participants.
I used three methods which were diagnostic test, unstructured interview and students
worksheet.
a) Diagnostic test
Diagnostic testing is an important tool for teachers who want to know where their
students are academically in order to bring those students to where they need to be. If I want
my students to move forward, I need to identify where they have started; diagnostic testing is
the way to do this. The diagnostic test (Appendix A ) measures where students are in terms of
their knowledge and skills. The diagnostic test divided into three sections ( Section A, Section B
and Section C). It will assess the abilities of vocabulary that my Year 4 Jaya have at a particular
time to answer questions in a subject area. In short, the result from the diagnostic text benefited
me greatly as I would able to focus my research area through data tabulation.
b) Students Worksheets
Apart from the diagnostic test, I had also gathered their worksheets for document
analysis. To confirm their weakness in vocabulary, I had given them two types of vocabulary
exercises (Appendix B and C) over two different days during my English period. After every
reading lesson, I gave the students two types of vocabulary exercises. Students need to fill in
the blanks with correct words from the box given. I managed to collect the 3 samples of
students worksheets as the source of data and they were analyzed according to their
achievements. .
c) Unstructured Interview
To further support the problem I had identified, I decided to come up with interview
sessions with participants. Wragg (1978) said that an interview session must be capable to be
beneficial to the interviewer as the interviewee shares his or her opinions, beliefs and personal
experience. By interviewing some of my Year 4 Jaya students, I was able to understand the
students difficulties in understanding vocabulary in reading texts. This helped me to confirm their
problem and gave me the opportunity to obtain views and opinions from participants regarding
the issue( Appendix D)

2.1.2 Analysis of Preliminary Investigation.


In the analysis stage, the data obtained from the various data collection methods were coded
and analyzed to narrow down to the research problem and issue being investigated.
a) Diagnostic test
A diagnostic test was carried out during my English period. All 35 students took part in the
diagnostic test. Table 1 shows the number of questions, types of questions and division of
sections in the diagnostic test. Table 2 below showed the results of my 5 target participants
from Year 4 Jaya.
SECTIONS
A

CONTENTS

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS

This section consist of multiple choice

questions
This section consists of filling in blanks

questions
This section consists of filling in the blanks

questions
Table 1: Diagnostic Test

SECTION

NUMBER OF

PUPILS

QUESTIONS

LEVEL OF
ACHIEVEMENT

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

1
A

QUESTIONS

Achieved

Not Achieved

Not achieved

Table 2 : Results of Section A

Not achieved
Achieved

SECTION

NUMBER OF

PUPILS

QUESTIONS

LEVEL OF
ACHIEVEMENT

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

1
B

QUESTIONS

Achieved

Not Achieved

Not achieved

Not achieved
Achieved

Table 3 : Results of Section B


SECTION

NUMBER OF

PUPILS

QUESTIONS

LEVEL OF
ACHIEVEMENT

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

1
C

QUESTIONS

Achieved

Not Achieved

Not achieved

Not achieved
Achieved

Table 4 : Results of Section C

b) Students Worksheet
To further confirm the problem, I also conducted document analysis on students worksheets I
gave them two vocabulary worksheets where they have to fill in the blanks (Appendix A) and
MCQ questions ( Appendix B). The document analysis also further justified the problem they
were having as they showed tremendous weakness in answering vocabulary questions. The
topic that I used was on Spending Wisely which was Unit 2 in Year 4. The topic is mainly about
ambition which is very much related to types of occupation.There were 10 questions in each
worksheet. Some of the participants were able to provide average level performance where it
still contained mistakes. Based on their work, I concluded that the participants could still
improve their vocabulary and with enough support and assistance, they would be able to
progress using suitable strategy.

NO
1.

STUDENTS
Student A

EX 1
5

EX 2
4

TOTAL
9/20

PERCENTAGE
45%

2.

Students B

11/20

55%

3.

Student C

8/20

40%

4.

Student D

10/20

50%

5.

Student E

12/20

60%

Table 5 : Participants marks on the assigned work


(c) Unstructured Interview
Based on the interview (Appendix E) which I conducted randomly in my Year 4 Jaya class, I can
say that the students vocabulary level was very low . From the responses, it showed very
clearly when I asked one of the students whether he liked to read books and he answered not
really. The participants responded in Malay language to my questions, Saya tak suka baca
buku Bahasa Inggeris. Saya tak faham cikgu. This shows the lack of interest in reading which
most probably contributes to the problem which leads to a lack of vocabulary. Apart from that,
from my own experience while conducting the interview, some of the students found it difficult to
communicate in simple English. The students hesitated to express anything in English even
though they seemed to have some ideas to share as they were too intimidated to do so due to
lack of vocabulary. Therefore, as a researcher and at the same time English Language teacher,
it is my responsibility to identify a suitable strategy that can be implemented in my class to
develop vocabulary level among my participants.
2.1.3.

Opportunities for improvement & justification of strategy


In order to ensure development of vocabulary in Year 4 Jaya students, semantic map is

a suitable strategy that can be used during reading class. Semantic map is appropriate to be
used in low ability class like Year 4 Jaya. As students progress in school, subject matter
becomes more complex. Correspondingly, word meaning becomes more complex. Vocabulary
learning strategies are one part of language learning strategies which in turn in part of general
learning strategies (Nation, 2001). Some vocabulary learning strategies such as metacognitive,
cognitive, memory and activation strategies as I have been listed by Gu and Johnson (1996,
cited in Ghazal, 2007, p.85-86).Ward and Annitas study (1998) showed that semantic mapping

increased cognitive processing and developed the cognitive structure. They suggested using
semantic mapping as a pre-reading activity which I plan to do semantic maps in my pre-reading
stage too.
Research on semantic mapping has been extensively conducted. Most of the studies
focus on using semantic mapping as pre-activities for reading, speaking or writing lessons. The
subjects of these studies are often intermediate learners. The results have shown significant
differences in vocabulary learning. Learners using semantic mapping could organize words
systematically and recall word meanings easily. Employing images, semantic mapping or other
graphic organizer techniques (Segler et al. 2001; Nation, 2001 cited in Ghazal, 2007) is
encouraged for better encoding which results in better retrieving later. One of the implications
for classroom practice that Channell (1988) derived from her research is that learners should be
encouraged to make their own lexical associations when they are learning vocabulary. With
regard to word meaning and retrieval, many researchers (Hague, 1987; Cater, 1987; Amer,
2002) agreed that semantic mapping is effective for long-term memory and aids recall of words.
Therefore, in this study, as a researcher I am concerned about the semantic mapping technique
which will benefit by my participants to develop their vocabulary.
Knowing a range of association for a word helps the students to understand its full
meaning and helps recall the word form or its meaning in appropriate context (Nation, 2001).
This is a good way to develop vocabulary as most of my students from Year 4 Jaya were in low
proficiency language and this will help me to cater to their level seamlessly.

2.1.4 Criteria of Selection


Based on my reading, I found out that develop the use of semantic map can be the best
strategy to develop my Year 4 Jaya pupils vocabulary. There are six criteria of selection for
my intervention. The six criteria are workability, significance, practicality, control,
collaboration and relevance to the issue identified to in my research.

Workability
The uses of semantic map will be workable for my Year 4 Jaya student especially
those who are from low ability group. Bubble map is an effective and efficient method
to teach vocabulary. I also believe that this action research workable because it

involves only 5 participants from my class. Furthermore, the problem selected is


small enough to be handle in the period of action research. Limitation of vocabulary
could be solved by using semantic maps whereby this strategy enables the students
to identify the suitable words from the text given. Thus, I have narrowed down on
how to find the words that are associate with the key word in the middle circle in
semantic map. Moreover, I am meeting them every day for an hour. I am sure using
semantic map in my low ability class would bring a positive engagement towards my

students and I could be able to measure the improvement from my students work.
Significance
The semantic map strategy can be effective to students as words can be taken from
the reading text. Therefore, my Year 4 Jaya students would become familiar with
the words they encounter in the reading text. This will give them a good base to learn,
understand and remember the vocabulary. The year 4 syllabus states that, by
the end of primary schooling, pupils should able to 3.8.4 Read and understand
simple factual texts by filling in the blanks with correct words. If the students

are

able to fill in the blanks with the correct words they would able to understand the

meaning of the words.


Practicality
It is practical to carry out this intervention, semantic map as an effective strategy as
an English teacher of Year 4 Jaya were facing problem in understanding
vocabulary.I do not use a large amount of money to produce my intervention. My
intervention stays within budgetary limits, where I just have to buy mahjong papers
and print some colourful words and laminate them.Furthermore, the words can be
used over and over again if laminate them. I can store them easily as they do not
occupy a large storage.

Control
As a researcher and the English teacher, I have the freedom to control the words
which I am going expose my students too. I would be able to prepare the right
amount of task based on my students capacity and capability. Hence, I have
planned to implement the intervention during my English period. I will be able to
observe students progress when doing the vocabulary worksheets within the time.

Collaboration
In order to carry out the research, I need to build a good rapport between my students
and I. This is important to make sure that they are all able to cooperate and collaborate

with me. A good relationship between school management and I is also essential as
they can help me provide information about my pupils and also help me in managing my

commitments as a teacher.
Relevance to school
When the students are able to develop vocabulary and improve their reading, it will
enhance their proficiency. Since most of the students come from low proficiency
background and their first language is Malay language, this intervention can develop the
vocabulary among the students. I will be able to share my strategy that I have used with
other teachers if required.

2.2.

Definition of terms

2.2.1.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary refers to students understanding of oral and print words. This understanding implies
conceptual knowledge of words that goes well beyond a simple dictionary definition. The
vocabulary is taken from the reading text which is suitable to be used in pre reading stage.
2.22. Semantic Map
Semantic mapping is a visual strategy for vocabulary expansion and extension of knowledge by
displaying in categories words related to one another. Semantic mapping is an adaptation of
concept definition mapping but builds on students prior knowledge or schema. While it draws
on prior knowledge it recognizes important components and shows the relationships among the
components. This is a very interactive process and should be modeled by the teacher first.

3.0

OBJECTIVE/RESEARCH QUESTIONS

3.1.

General objectives

The objective of this research is to determine whether the use of semantic map can improve the
vocabulary level of my Year 4 Jaya students.
3.2.

Specific objectives

3.2.1.

to investigate if semantic map can help to develop vocabulary level of Year 4 Jaya

pupils.
3.2.2.

to ascertain how semantic map is able to help in enhancing Year 4 Jaya pupil

vocabulary level.
3.3.

Research questions

3.3.1.

Does the use of semantic map help to improve the vocabulary level among Year 4

Jaya students?
3.3.2.

How does the semantic map help the students to develop their vocabulary?

3.3.3

What is the students perception on semantic map to develop their vocabulary in the
reading class?

4.0 TARGET GROUP/PARTICIPANTS


4.1 The school
This study is appropriate to be carried out in my school, SK Bukit Belacan because of the
location of the school. It is located in an urban area. SK Bukit Belacan is considered as an
average performing school. This school is consisting with three main races groups, Malay,
Chinese and Indian. The number of students in this school is 1360. Approximately, 35 to 40
students are in each class. The school has 80 teachers.
4.2 The target group
The targeted group for this research is Year 4 Jaya. I have chosen five students from my class
because I have identified them with low proficiency language from preliminary investigation.
They needed frequent translation in Malay language all the time. They did not perform well in
worksheets (Appendix B&C) given in preliminary investigation. I labeled them as student 1,
student 2, student 3, student 4 and student 5. The majority of the students are from low to
average socio-economic backgrounds. The total income of their parents for a month is between
Rm1500 - Rm 2000. Table 1 below shows the participants identified for this research.
Participants

Gender

Race

S1

Male

Malay

Socio-Economic status
Low

Proficiency level
Low

S2

Female

Malay

Average

Average

S3

Male

Malay

Low

Low

S4

Male

Malay

Low

Low

S5

Female

Malay

Low

Low

Tabel 6: The participants identified for this research

5.0 RECOMMENDED ACTION


In this chapter, I will discuss the action plan that I will use based on the model identified to
solve the problem and I will also discuss the data gathering method that I will use to support
my study. Next, I will also discuss the method used to analyse the data.
5.1.

Action plan
4.1.1

Action research model

The model adopted for this research is the Stephen Kemmiss Spiral Model of Action
Research(1985).The stages are planning, action, observing and reflecting. I will use
Kemmiss model to carry out my research.

Figure 1: Action Research Protocol after Kemmis (cited in HopKins, 1985)

According to Kemmiss (1967), a model is important to improve your own teaching. I started
with a problem which I noticed in my teaching. It could be a concern that Year 4 Jaya students
do not spend enough effort in vocabulary. Faced with the problem, the action I plan to go
through a series of phases (reflect, plan, action, observe) called the Action Research Cycle to
systematically tackle the problem.
Firstly in the planning stage, I needs to identify a problem that is faced by a targeted group.
Once the researcher identifies the problem, researcher needs to develop a plan to overcome
the difficulties that they noticed from the students. For example, if researcher is not happy with
the material that he or she is using, the researcher has to plan and develop another suitable
method. Researcher also needs to enhance his or her understanding in the problem by
investigating the cause of the problem.
In the action stage, the researcher has to come up with suitable strategy to solve the problem.
The intervention which he or she decides needs to be implemented in the class that he or she is
teaching. In this stage, the researcher has to evaluate how far the intervention solves the
identified problem.
After the action stage, the observation stage comes in. In this stage, the researcher can collect
suitable data whereby the data shows the effectiveness of the intervention. The researcher will

be able to determine what type of data that he or she is going to collect, qualitative or
quantitative data and effective techniques to be used.
Finally, in the reflection stage, I will be able to reflect on the process of my intervention whether
it has been achieved or not. The outcome from the reflection will show the effectiveness of the
intervention.
Planning for Cycle 1
My action research based on Kemmiss model.

Sharing and
communicating results

Identifying the
problem faced by
my Year 4 Jaya
Identifying the
students.
problem in my Year 4
Jaya students

Reflecting on the
process

Collecting data
Developing an
intervention to
Developing
overcome the an
problem
intervention
to

Collecting the
datadata
Analyzing
Analyzing the data.

overcome the
problem

Figure 2: My action research model based on Kemmis model (1985)

STAGES
PLAN

STEPS
1) A per test will be conducted to get results of the target participants.
2) Findings from the results, confirmed that target participants faced
problem in vocabulary.
3) Planning suitable intervention- semantic map
4) Inform the target participant about the intervention.

5) Choose 30 words based on the KSSR syllabus that suits participants


abilities. ( Occupation, Animals and Food)
6) Planning teaching and learning based on vocabulary during
intervention.
7) Prepare formative test and post-test to evaluate the effectiveness of
the intervention

ACTION

1) Conduct 3 session of intervention for 30 minutes for each session.


2) Using semantic map to teach them vocabulary from a reading text.
3) On 1st and 2nd session, I introduce 10 words from the text in semantic
map.
4) I highlight the vocabulary in presentation stage.
5) In practice stage, participants practice the words. Participants
associate with other words which link to the main words from the
text.
6) Participants do worksheets after each session.
7) Conduct posttest after 3th session of intervention completed.

OBSERVE

1) Interview the participants to get the feedback.


2) Records the results from the worksheet based on the vocabulary.
3) Data might be varies due to changes from first session to the third
session and take into consideration.

REFLECT

1) Gather data to analyse and interpreting the results of pretest and post
test whether the objectives achieved.
2) Compares the results
3) Tabulated the data into tables and graphs to see clear picture of the
performance of participants.

5.2

Data Gathering Methods

Data gathering method is a significant step where it should answer the research questions
formulated. I will be using interview, observation checklist and document analysis to answer the
research questions stated above.

5.2.1 Pre-test and Post test


Pre test will be conducted before the intervention . The result collected from their pre test is in
the form of qualitative data. This result is very important because i will use it to make
comparison to know the effectiveness of my intervention. The post test is conducted after the
intervention. The result collected will be in quantative form. The analysis of the result of the pre
test and post test will enable me to calculate whether in the intervention is useful to develop
vocabulary.
5.2.2 Students Worksheets
Students worksheets is one of the data gathering methods that will be used and analyzed
quantitatively. I would use worksheets or formative test to collect the data. Document analysis
would provide more valid data as it has high accuracy. Yin (2003) suggested using multiple
sources of evidence as the way to ensure construct validity.
5.2.3. Interview
The objective of the interview is to collect data or evidence which will be used to help answer
the research question. I will jot down all their answers. The interview will be transcribed so that it
can be viewed. It is also enable the researcher to view the students perception towards the
intervention.This interview session will be carrying out with open ended questions to enable
students to express their point of view about the intervention.
5.3 Data Analysis Method
In this part, I will discuss about the data analysis method. The result of data analysis will help
me to answer my two research questions.
5.3.1 Pre test and Post Test
Data collection tools and processes are best set up with analysis already carried out. The
marks of the participants before (pre) and after (post) a teaching intervention will be
recorded.The tests are collected and the item-by-item answer data collected and analyzed for
strengths and weaknesses. From this information, the researcher may want to alter the content
of the intervention to build upon weakness and use strengths as motivation to encourage more
learning. Any student doing poorly should be identified and given additional help.Here is the
formula to get the percentage of the test:
Total numbers of correct answers
________ %
Total number of questions

X 100 =

5.3.2 Students Worksheet


This instrument helps me to answer the second research question. Document analyzed would
be the students piece of work which would be taken during and after the intervention. I could
use the worksheets which would conduct after the implementation of the intervention for each
session. The data would be tabulated in percentage in a table quantitatively according to the
number of questions answered correctly by the students. Here is the table shows the
percentage of the three worksheets which will be used during my intervention sessions.
PARTICIPANTS

WORKSHEET 1

WORKSHEET 2

WORKSHEET 3

( MARKS %)

( MARKS %)

( MARKS %)

STUDENT 1
STUDENT 2
STUDENT 3
STUDENT 4
STUDENT 5
Table 7 : Results of participants workseets in percentage (%)
5.3.3 Interview
The interview session will be conducted after the three session of the intervention in the pre
reading lesson. Lewins, Taylor, & Gibbs (2005), states that the data collected from the interview
will be qualitative. The aim of this interview was to give a more thorough picture of the students
attitudes towards the intervention in practicing vocabulary structures in the experimental group.
A cross-case analysis was applied to analyze interview data. This technique includes organizing
the responses of interviewees according to the topics raised in the interview (McKay, 2006). As
McKay (2006) claims, this approach is suitable to highlight particular aspects of the research
topic. The interview encompassed ten closed-ended items (prepared in advance) falling into two
main categories or topics (see Appendix D). The items of the first category of the interview
(items 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10)addressed the responses pertaining to reveal the students attitudes in
favor of the intervention

5.4

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN OF ACTION

Table 8
DATE/TIME
15 April 2015
( 30 minutes)

STEPS/ PROCEDURE
Conduct pre-test

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This pre test will include 3 sections.

Collect the pre-test result of each

( Section A, Section B & Section C)

participants to be analysed

27 April 2015

Given a reading text about animal in pre


-reading stage

Questionnaire

Session 1

Read aloud the text.

Document analysis

( 30 minutes)

Introduce the words.

Reading text

Introduce the words in semantic maps

Mahjong paper with semantic

Read aloud the words.

Worksheet- Fill in the blanks with suitable

words.
Teacher repeats steps in session 1 using

map

5th May 2015

different reading text and words from the

Document analysis

Session 2

text.

Reading text

( 30 minutes)

Worksheet- Fill in the blanks with suitable

words.
Teacher repeats steps in session 1 using

11th May 2015

different reading text and words from the

Unstructured Interview

Session 3

text.

Document analysis

( 30 minutes)

15th May 2015


Post Test

Worksheet- Fill in the blanks with suitable

words.
Conduct the post- test.

This post-test will include 3 sections

Collect the post- test result of each

which are Section A, Section B and

participants to be analysed.

Section C

The data that will be analysed are :

( 30 minutes)
18-22 May 2015
30 minutes perday

All the data will be collected by the


teacher to analyse and reflect the
thoroughly.

- pre test result

Strengths and weaknesses of the

- post test result

intervention will be identified by the

- questionnaire

teacher.

-interview

Tabulate the pre test and post test into a

- document analysis

table.

Write report in quantative form the data


on the document analysis and
unstructured interview.

5.4.2 Budget
In this section, I will list down the materials that I propose to use and the total budget for my
research.
NO
1.
2.
3.
4.

MATERIALS NEEDED
A4 paper
PHOTOCOPY
COLOURED PAPERS
PRINTERS INK

PRICE (QUANTITY)
RM10 X 4 RIMS
RM10
RM10 X 2 PACKETS
RM60 X 1
TOTAL BUDGET

TOTAL
RM40
RM10
RM20
RM60
RM130

Table 9: List of Materials Needed

This table above shows the materials that I needed for my action research. As I stated in the
table, I need 4 rims of A4 papers which RM40 in total. The photocopy, coloured papers and
printers ink cost RM90. The total budget is RM130. I believe this budget is reasonable and
manageable for me to complete my research.

REFERENCES
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Pearson Education, Inc.
Brown, S., & Dove, P. (eds) (1991). Self and peer assessment, standing conference on
educational development. Birmingham.
Harmer, J. (2012). The Practice Of English Language Teaching. England: Pearson Education
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Hopskins, D. (1985). A Teachers Guide To Classroom Research. Philadelphia:
Open University Press.
Kemmis, S., & McTaggart, R. (Eds.). (1988). The Action Research Planner. Victoria,
Australia: Deakin University Press.
Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025. Retrieved from
http://www.moe.gov.my/v/pelajaran-rendah on 10 March, 2015.
Mertler, C. A. (2013). Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators. Los
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Heinemann Educational Books.


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Zhang, B. (2011). A study of the Vocabulary Learning Strategies used by Chinese
Students, 1-40.

Appendix A

ENGLISH LANGUAGE YEAR 4


DIAGNOSTIC TEST
NAME:__________________

CLASS: _____________

SECTION A
A. Circle the best word to complete the sentences.

1. The carpenters used ________ to knock the nails into the planks.
A. hammer

B. spanner

C. screwdriver

D. chisels

2. That ______________ designs beautiful houses for wealthy people.


A. engineer

B. architect

C. astronaut

D. chef

3. A television set can receive signals from a ___________.


A. radio

B. satellite

C. telephone

D. telegram

4. Puan Aida wore her new _____________ on Hari Raya Aidilfitri.


A. saree

B. cheongsam

C. baju kurung

D. ngepan

5. A ___________ is a an animal with a bushy tail and small ears.


A. squirrel

B. siamang C. bear

D. Tapir

(10 marks)

SECTION B
Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the box below.

kill, write , find out, go, play, study

1. Ali pretended to be sick so that he wouldn't have to do his work, but he


______________________ and had to do it anyway.

2. OK, everybody. Everything's ready for the game, so let's


______________________.

3. Don't cross the road without looking. You never know what's coming and you
could ______________________.

4. I'm sorry. I'm very busy at the moment. I've got a long report to complete so I'd
better ______________________.

5. I wouldn't leave the car there if I were you. It'll ______________________ by the
police.

( 10 marks)

SECTION C
Fill in the blanks with one of the words from the two words given in each
sentence.

1. When it is ________ you see water drops fall from the sky. ( rainy, summer)

2. In _________ people often go skiing. ( autumn, winter)

3. The noise you hear after a flash of lightning is called __________ . (thunder, cloudy)

4. The white pieces of frozen water that fall from the sky in cold weather are called
__________ . ( rain, snow)

5. Flowers bloom in ___________ . ( spring, winter)

( 10 marks)

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