CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Background of the Study Nowadays, English plays an important part for human life.

Every progress of human life is always related to English. Every aspect in the world, such as economy, education, science and technology, agriculture, politics, etc, can not be separated from English. Many books with various themes are written and transl ated in English. Related to communication, English has been studied by most peop le in the world. Moreover, it is an international language. Because of the importance of English, the Indonesian Government has dete rmined it as the first foreign language taught in Indonesia. It is a crucial sub ject in Senior High School, in Junior High School, and even in Elementary School . In elementary school, English is taught as a local content for the preparation at higher level. The Local Content Curriculum of 2004 for Elementary School Stu dents (2004:1) states that Bahasa Inggris bagi siswa sekolah dasar bukan berfungs i sebagai suatu bidang kajian, tetapi lebih pada persiapan siswa untuk mencapai kompetensi yang diharapkan di sekolah menengah pertama. In teaching English for elementary students, vocabulary is the basic com ponent in learning language. It is defined by Cameron (2001:72) that building up a useful vocabulary is central to the learning of a foreign language at primary level. Because of the importance of English for elementary students, the teache rs should choose the appropriate method in their teaching. They should find the best way in teaching English to get the best result in students learning. Picture is the visual aids in teaching language that can be used to improve English ski ll, especially vocabulary mastery. Wright in Joklov (2009:16) is of the opinion t hat the pictures motivate and draw learners attention; they provide a sense of th e context of the language and give a specific reference point or stimulus. There fore, pictures are very useful for teaching vocabulary to the students. Based on the reasons above, the writer would like to discuss Improving St udents Vocabulary Mastery through Picture (A Classroom Action Research in the Fif th Grade Students of SD Negeri 03 Boyolali at the Academic Year of 2010 - 2011) B. Teaching English to Children 1. The Characteristics of Children Children have some special characteristics, especially in learning language. Acc ording to Scott and Yteberg (2000:1-4) children can be divided into two main gro ups, the five to seven year olds and the eight to ten year olds. Each group has their own characteristics. For example, the five to seven year olds, children ca n talk about what they have done or heard. While the general characteristics of children in eight to ten year olds are they can tell the difference between fact and fiction, they ask question all the time, they make some decisions about the ir own learning, they have definite views about what they like and they do not l ike doing. From each characteristic of the group, children of five are little ch ildren and children of ten are relatively mature children with an adult side and childish side. In http://peni.staff.uns.ac.id/2008/10/10/young-learner-characteristics/, Peni s ays that childrens special characteristics in learning language are as the follow ing: a. Children respond the language well through concrete things (visual things) ra ther than abstract things b. Children need physical movements and real activities to stimulate their think ing c. Children will be enthusiastic if they are taught using fun activities or bein g involved in activities d. Children love to play, and learn best when they are enjoying themselves e. Children learn well through something that is close to their culture f. Children like to work together In addition, Debord (2008:1) states that mental developments of children are: a. Children in middle childhood can enjoy reading alone, can think abstract

ly and can plan ahead for several weeks b. They can evaluate behavior with insight c. Their attention span and ability to concentrate increases to several hou rs d. This age group needs to feel independent and free to express themselves e. These children have a need to know and understand why Based on the explanation above, it can be assumed that children have some charac teristics, for example they will be enthusiastic if they are taught using fun ac tivities or being involved in activities. Therefore, the teacher should use an i nteresting technique which is appropriate with the characteristics of children. Teachers should give chances for the students to be more active in the classroom or involve in the learning process to make them able to create and form their o wn knowledge. 2. The Cognitive Development of Children Piaget in Elliot et al (2000:35-47) states that there are four stages of childrens cognitive development. The stages are: a. The Sensorimotor Stages (birth to 18-24 months) In this period, children acquire schemes for two basic components: goal directed behavior and objet permanence. Goal directed behavior is an infants init iated act with a specific goal in mind. For example, a young child learns to dif ferentiate hard from soft objects by sucking them. At the end of this period, th ey begin to experiment with new ways, such as looking reaching, and grasping. Th en, object permanence involves the knowledge that objects continue to exist even they are out of sight. b. The Preoperational Stage (2-7 years old) Children can use symbols, such as gestures, words, numbers, and image, t o represent the real objects in their environment. Intuitive problem solving but thinking limited by centering, egocentrism, and irreversibility. Children ignor e the relationships among the various parts. Egocentrism is childrens tendency to see things as they want them to be, like they may believe that the moon follows them around; everything focuses on them. Irreversibility is the inability to re serve ones thinking. They can not return the original premises. They have learn 2 + 2 = 4, but they can not yet grasp that 4 - 2 = 2. c. The Concrete Operational Period (7-11 years old) Children become capable of various logical operations, but only with con crete things. The child thinks through certain actions and the results of those actions. If information is concrete, comparison can be made accurately. Children develop logical operation for seriation, classification, and conservation. Seri ation is the ability to order object in logical progression, such as big, bigger , biggest. Classification is another way children can arrange order on their env ironment by grouping things and ideas according to common elements. While conser vation involves understanding that an entity remains the same despite superficia l changes in its forms o physical appearances, such as number, liquid substance (mass), length, and volume. d. The Formal Operational Period (over 1 years old) Children develop abstract system of thought that allow them to use prepo sitional logic, scientific reasoning, and proportional reasoning. Children becom e capable of logical thinking with abstractions. They think scientifically and t hey show this by drawing conclusions, offering interpretations and developing hy pothesis. They work out all logical possibilities without having to determine wh ich actually occur in the real world. It is more than simple imagination; it is the systematic exposition of logical alternatives. Their thinking begins to diff erentiate between concrete and abstract. In these stages are involved in the thi rd and fourth stages. Those are concrete operation and formal operation stages. Children in concrete operation can use their language in logic. They can order o bject in logical order, can classify the things around them, and can understand the quality of things, like the number of their friend, big, small. In formal op

eration stage, childrens thinking begins to differentiate the concrete and the ab stract things. This conditions support them to learn language better. They can n ot only know what the name of the things is, but also the usage of the language. 3. Teaching English at Elementary School In elementary school, teaching English will be the base for teaching Eng lish in junior high school and senior high school. Huebener in Astari (2009:11) says that the general aim of language teaching is to equip the students with kno wledge and skills required for effective communication in the foreign language. In this globalization era, English becomes the first foreign language in Indonesia. It has been taught as a local content in elementary school. It is st ated in the curriculum of elementary school 2004 Sebagai upaya meningkatkan kuali tas pendidikan khususnya pengajaran Muatan Lokal Bahasa Inggris Sekolah Dasar un tuk kelas 1 s.d 6 (Kurikulum Tahun 2004 Mata Pelajaran Bahasa Inggris untuk SD/M I Provinsi Jawa Tengah. P:3). It is also stated that the aims of teaching Englis h at Elementary School are: a. Siswa memiliki ketrampilan menyimak, berbicara, membaca dan menulis sede rhana dalam bahasa Inggris. b. Siswa memiliki ketrampilan menggunakan unsure-unsur Tata Bunyi, Kosa Kat a, Tata Bahasa, Tata Tulis dan Tata Budaya. (Kurikulum Tahun 2004 Mata Pelajaran Bahasa Inggris untuk SD/MI Provinsi Jawa Tengah. P:4). From the explanation above, it can be said that learning in elementary f unctions as a preparation for students before continuing their study in junior h igh school. In other words, it is used to give the students basic knowledge abou t English before entering junior high school. C. 1. Review on Vocabulary Mastery The Definition of the Vocabulary Mastery In English learning, vocabulary is an unseparated part for understanding the language. Some experts state the definitions about vocabulary. Linse (2006: 121) says vocabulary is the collection of words that an individual knows. Simila r with Linse, Hornby (2005:1707) defines vocabulary as all the words that a pers on knows or uses. While John, in http://www.scribd.com/ doc/18475644/ Vocabulary -Mastery, states that vocabulary is knowledge involves knowing the meanings of w ords and therefore the purpose of a vocabulary test in to find out whether the l earners can match each word with a synonym, a dictionary tape definition, or an equivalent word in their own language. From the definitions stated, it can be concluded that vocabulary is know ledge about all the words and its meanings that an individual uses. Mastery is great skillfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mastery). Meanwhile, Webster (2002:714) states that mastery is skill or knowledge that makes one master of a subject. Furtherm ore, Hornby (2005:944) defines mastery as great knowledge about something or und erstanding of a particular thing. From the definitions mentioned, it can be concluded that mastery is stud ents ability to understand a particular thing. From the definitions of vocabulary and mastery, it can be concluded that vocabulary mastery means students ability to understand the words and its meanin g. 2. The Importance of Vocabulary Vocabulary is one of the language skills which are very important in lea rning a language. It has the strongest effect to enable the language use. Camero n (2001:137) is of the opinion that vocabulary knowledge is extremely important: (a) when a written word is being sounded out or built up from its component lette r or morpheme sounds, knowing the word already will speed up recognition, and (b ) when sentence is being read, known words will be easier to hold in short-term memory as meaning is built up. In line with Cameron, http:www.tki.org.nz/e/community/esol/ellf/pdf/ellf

-17-vocab:pdf states vocabulary acquisition and learning is essential for develo pment in both oral and written language. It means that an inadequate vocabulary will make the language use becomes difficult. Moreover, David Wilkins in Thornburry (2002:13) believes that without gra mmar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed. In addition, Dellar and Hocking in Thornburry (2002:13) say that if you spend most o f your time studying grammar, your English will not improve very much. You will see the most improvement if you learn more words and expressions. You can say ve ry little with grammar, but you can say almost anything with words. From the statements above, it can be concluded that vocabulary is an imp ortant aspect in a language and the mastery of it is essential for successful co mmunication. If people have mastered an adequate amount of vocabulary, communica tion will run smoothly. 3. Teaching Vocabulary As one of English skills, vocabulary requires procedure in order to make an effective teaching and learning process. It is defined by Wahyuti (2004:29-3 0) that the procedure of teaching vocabulary consists of presentation, practice and production. The procedure is explained as follows: a. Presentation In this stage, teachers present the vocabulary that students will learn; for example, by pictures, definition, translation, etc. In presenting the vocab ulary, there are some important aspects that the teachers must pay attention to create an effective teaching and learning process. In http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/presenting-vocabular y, the aspects which are needed to be presented for the students as follow: (a) What it means It is vital to get across the meaning of the item clearly and to ensure that you r students have understood correctly with checking questions. (b) The form Students need to know if it is a verb, a noun or an adjective and to be able to use it effectively. (c) How it is pronounced It can be particularly problematic for learners of English because there is ofte n no clear relation between how a word is written and how it is pronounced. (d) How it is spelt It is always difficult in English for the reason mentioned above. Remember to cl arify the pronunciation before showing the written form. (e) If it follows any unpredictable grammatical patterns For example, man-men or information (uncountable) and if the word is followed by a particular preposition such as depend on, etc. (f) The connotations of the item may have Bachelor is a neutral or positive word whereas spinster conjures a more negative image. (g) The situations when the word is or is not used It is formal, neutral or informal. For example, spectacles, glasses or specs. Wh ether it is used mainly in speech or in writing. (h) How the word is related to others For example: synonyms, antonyms, lexical sets. (i) Collocation or the way that words occur together To describe things in great detail not in big detail and to ask a question raise your hand, do not lift your hand. It is important to highlight this to students to prev ent mistakes in usage later. (j) What the affixes Affixes consist of prefixes and suffixes. It may indicate about the meaning. b. Practice In this stage, teachers give students an opportunity to practice the vocabulary already learnt by giving them exercises. c. Production

In this last stage, the students apply the vocabulary that has been learnt into speaking or writing activities. D. 1. Review on Picture The Definition of Picture One of the interesting things which attract childrens attention is pictur es. Pictures give many contributions for children in learning English. As a visu al stimulus, it is very relevant to the process of English teaching and learning . This technique influences the English achievement of elementary school student s. There are some definitions about picture. Based on Webster (2002:877), picture i s a design or representation made by various means (as painting, drawing, or pho tography). Supporting Websters idea, Hornby (2005:1138) defines picture as a scen e, person or thing that has been represented on paper using a pencil, a pen, or paint. Another definition about picture is that picture is a representation of anything (as a person, a landscape, a building) upon canvas, paper, or other sur face, produced by means of painting, drawing, engraving, photography, etc.; a re presentation in colors by extension a figure; a model (http://www.brainyquote.co m/words/pi/ picture202820.html). From the definitions above, it can be concluded that picture is a visual represe ntation on a paper, a canvas, or other surfaces, using a pencil, a pen, or paint , produced by means of painting, drawing, engraving, photography, etc. Pictures here may stimulate and increase students language learning (Schwartz, 2000:4). 2. The Role of Picture in Teaching and Learning Process As a suggested teaching aid in classroom, pictures help the students to understand various aspects of foreign language. For the elementary students who are still unfamiliar with English words, pictures will enable both teacher and s tudents to have the English teaching and learning process. There are some pictures roles in language learning. According to Werff ( 2003:1), with pictures we can: a. Teach, practice, or review new vocabulary b. Do guided practice (drills) c. Practice grammatical structures d. Practice listening comprehension e. Do writing activities f. Do semi-guided or free speaking practice such as problem solving activit ies, role plays, discussions, etc. Meanwhile, Wright in Joklov (2009:16) says that the pictures roles in learning la nguage are they are motivating and drawing learners attention; they are providing a sense of the context of the language and giving a specific reference point or stimulus. In addition, Ryan in http://www.mun.ca/educ/faculty/mwatch/vol2/ryan2.html empha sizes that pictures can not only illustrate a topic but also can provide the exp erience base children require in order to profit from reading and writing and fr om numerous other learning experiences, including those associated with art prog ramming. Pictures have a lot of contributions in reaching English skills; however , the teachers should have the selection for the pictures used. Ryan in http://w ww.mun.ca/educ/faculty/ mwatch/vol2/ryan2.html states the criteria of the pictur es as follows: a. It has to be appropriate. For example, the following criteria will need to be considered: (a) Age of students. (b) Geographic locale of usage. (c) Past "real" experiences of students. (d) Past vicarious experiences of students. b. It has to be appropriately sequential. That is, the content of the picture has to have some consistency or comm onality with the experience-base of the students. That is, when the teacher is

selecting a visual, the background experiences of children will be a determining factor in that selecting process. For example, for a primary child, the most effective picture will be one which h as identifiable life-experience content. Subsequent pictures can have reduced a mounts of life-experience content and greater amounts of other, experience-based (e.g., previous pictures) content. c. It has to be appropriately complex. It is needed to avoid simplicity, or visuals which patronize. If the vi sual does not have some complexity, then children will likely simply dump their perceptions from the images into their already existing cognitive categories and no learning, no seeing, occurs. From the explanations above, it can be said that the role of pictures is really essential in all aspects of language learning. It can be concluded then, the role of using pictures are quite appropriate to be used in teaching English at elementary school since they have a lot of contributions to the teaching and learning process. 3. The Advantages using Picture There are many benefits or advantages for using pictures in teaching lan guage. According to Hill in Joklov (2009:16), the advantages of pictures are: a. Availability (one can get them in any magazines, on the internet, etc) b. They are cheap, often free c. They are personal (teacher selects them) d. Flexibility easy to kept, useful for various type of activities (drillin g, comparing, etc) e. They are always fresh and different, which means they come in a variety of formats and styles and moreover the learner often wonders what comes next Meanwhile, Schwartz (2000:1) says that one of the main advantages of using pictu res is that teachers do not have to spend any money to get them. The teachers ca n easily create an extensive picture file which contains all kinds of subject ma tter. When teachers have a large collection of such pictures, their students wil l be better to understand the society and the diversity of the population. In addition, Joklov (2009:15) believes that pictures, being suitable for any grou p of learners independently on age or level, can be used in lots of various ways . It means that, depending on the use, pictures can be used to teach vocabulary, writing, speaking, etc, for kindergarten students, elementary students, junior high school students, or senior high school students. Joklov (2009:16) also belie ves that when the collection of the pictures is once made, it can serve for a lo ng time. Based on the explanations about the advantages of using pictures as the teaching aids, it can be said that pictures have provided a lot of advantages in English teaching and learning process, especially in teaching vocabulary to the element ary students. Related to the object of this research in which the students at el ementary school, those advantages are relevant to be applied in English teaching and learning process at elementary school. 4. Teaching English Using Pictures Using pictures in teaching English will be an interesting technique to t each children. However, the pictures that the teachers used have to be prepared. Werff (2003:2) is of the opinion that there are three steps for preparing pictu res in language teaching, namely: a. Choosing Pictures Pictures are illustrations that are cut from a magazine, newspapers or other sou rces. They are mostly photographs, but drawings, collages, maps or other illustr ations can be used for certain activities. Each picture should be at least 13 x 18 cm, but preferably about 20 x 25 cm, i.e., almost an entire magazine page. Pi ctures are easier to use without any printed text on them. b. Collecting the pictures

Students like colorful and varied materials. Available sources for pictures are glossy magazines, TV guides, the Sunday supplements of newspapers, and so on. Ry an in http://www.mun.ca/educ/faculty/mwatch/ vol2/ryan2.html says that the sourc es of pictures are numerous; those are calendars, magazines, post cards, greetin g cards, advertising (especially tourist brochures), posters, for quality prints (art stores), and mail order Services. The teachers can collect the pictures by themselves, or ask their students to br ing their own pictures. The selections will probably focus on pictures for discu ssions, games, and teaching vocabulary. c. Sorting the Pictures In this stage, the teachers try to identify a structure or function that can be practiced with each picture. The teachers need to notice the pictures seem perfe ct for teaching vocabulary (for example, clothes, furniture) and the pictures th at will be appropriate for guessing games. The teachers should paste the picture s on letter-sized paper, punch holes to keep them in a binder and sort them out by level or grade, by activity or by topic. Based on the explanation above, it can be assumed that there are many pi ctures that can be used as the material in English teaching, although it needs t o be selected by teachers. It is also very easy to find the pictures materials i n many sources. The choice of picture depends on the subject, the necessity and the goal of teaching and learning process. Teachers preparations in selecting the pictures are considered important to make students easier in understanding the English subject.

E.

Basic Assumption In our country, English as a foreign language has been taught not only t o the students in senior high school, but also to the students of elementary sch ool. The most important part of English that have to teach to the young learners is vocabulary. In learning vocabulary, students may find some difficulties in understan ding and using the words in the appropriate context because the methods which us ed by the teachers are not effective and exciting for the students. Considering that children are unique and have their own characteristics, the teachers have to choose the correct way to teach their students effectively . Pictures have a concept to overcome childrens difficulties in learning English, especially vocabulary. The concept is to provide the activities that are meanin gful through deep experience during teaching and learning process. It has close relationship with children because they remember best when they have done someth ing with the words they are learning. So, it will be beneficial if pictures are conducted to improve the students vocabulary mastery and it is assumed that using pictures can improve students vocabulary mastery. F. Hypothesis Considering the explanation above, it can be concluded that the using of the pictures can improve the students vocabulary mastery in the fifth grade stud ents of SD Negeri 03 Boyolali in the academic year of 2010-2011.

Bibliography Astari, Reny. 2009. Improving the Students Vocabulary Mastery Through Inquiry-Bas ed Teaching. An Action Research. Surakarta: Sebelas Maret University Press. Cameron, Lynne. 2001. Teaching Languages to Young Learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Debord, Karen B. 2008. Children: How They Grow, Elementary School Children Ages 9 to 12. http://www.classbrain.com/artread/publish/article_35.shtml Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Provinsi Jawa Tengah. 2004. Kurikulum Tahun 2004 Mata Pelajaran Bahasa Inggris. Semarang: Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. Elliott, S.N., Kratochwill, T.R., Cook, J. Littlefield, Travers, J.F. 2000. Educ ational Psychology: Effective Teaching, Effective Learning. Singapore: McGraw Hi ll Hornby,AS. 2005. Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University P ress. Joklov, Kateina. 2009. Using Pictures in Teaching Vocabulary (Bachelors Thesis). Br no: Masaryk University Press. Linse, Caroline T. 2006 Practical English Language Teaching: Young Learners. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies. Schwartz, Susan L. 2000. Junk Mail Catalogs: A Treasure-Trove for Language Teach ers. http://www.njcu.edu/cill/vol5/schwartz.html Scott, Wendy A. and Yteberg, Lisbeth. H. 2000. Teaching to Children. England: Lo ngman. Thornburry, Scott. 2002. How to Teach Vocabulary. UK: Bluestone Press. Wahyuti. 2004. Teaching Vocabulary Using Cartoon Films. An Action Research. Sura karta: Sebelas Maret University Press. Webster, Merriam. 2002. Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary. Massachusetts: Me rriam-Webster Inc. Werff, Joep van der. 2003. Using Pictures from Magazines. The Internet TESL Jour nal, Vol. IX, No. 7, July 2003. http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Werff-Pictures.html . http://peni.staff.uns.ac.id/2008/10/10/young-learner-characteristics/ http://www.brainyquote.com/words/pi/picture202820.html http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mastery. http://www.scribd.com/doc/18475644/Vocabulary-Mastery, http:www.tki.org.nz/e/community/esol/ellf/pdf/ellf-17-vocab:pdf http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/presenting-vocabulary http://www.mun.ca/educ/faculty/mwatch/vol2/ryan2.html

IMPROVING STUDENTS VOCABULARY MASTERY THROUGH PICTURE (A CLASSROOM ACTION RESEARC H IN THE FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS OF SD NEGERI 03 BOYOLALI AT THE ACADEMIC YEAR OF 2 010 - 2011)

By: WIDYASTUTI K2208103 ENGLISH DEPARTMENT TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FACULTY

SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY SURAKARTA 2010