The use of ostensive means to improve students' vocabulary mastery ( an action research at the fourth grade students of SDN 02 Jetis in the academic years 2010/2011)

Oleh :
Lilis Yulisa - X2209026 - Fak. KIP

ABSTRACT Lilis Yulisa. X2209026. THE USE OF OSTENSIVE MEANS TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY MASTERY (AN ACTION RESEARCH AT THE FOURTH GRADE STUDENTS OF SDN 02 JETIS IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2010/2011). Thesis, Surakarta: Teacher Training and Education Faculty. Sebelas Maret University, October 2011. The aim of this research is to know what happened during the implementation of ostensive means, whether or not the implementation of ostensive means in teaching vocabulary can improve the students’ vocabulary mastery and the advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of ostensive means. The research focuses on solving the problems of fourth grade students of SDN 02 Jetis. The problems are the difficulties in memorizing meaning of English words, the students’ pronunciation and their interest in English lesson. The research was conducted from May to June 2011. The subject of the study was fourth grade students of SDN 02 Jetis. The researcher conducted the action in two cycles. Each cycle consisted of six steps: identifying the problem, planning the action, implementing the action, observing the action, reflecting the action, and revising the plan. To collect the data, the researcher uses observational technique consisting of observation and interview. The observation is reflected in field notes and photographs. There are five steps to analyze the data. They were assembling the data, coding the data, comparing the data, building data interpretations and reporting the outcomes. To find the improvement of the students’ vocabulary mastery after the research implementation, the researcher conducts tests. The tests were pre-test and post tests. The researcher analyzes the mean scores of the tests. The result of the research shows that ostensive means can improve the students’ vocabulary mastery. With ostensive means, the students can grasp and remember the meaning of new words. They can name and pronounce the words in the correct pronunciation. The students’ involvement in the classroom also improved. Combining ostensive means and crossword puzzle can improve the students’ spelling skill and their concentration in teaching learning vocabulary process. The students’ vocabulary improvement is reflected in the tests scores. The mean score between pre-test and cycle 1 post test improves from 4.5 to 6.8. It improves again in cycle 2 post test which was 8.1. It shows that there was a significant improvement of the students’ vocabulary mastery before and after the research. Based on the results of the study, the researcher concludes that the implementation of ostensive means improves the students’ vocabulary mastery. In line with the result, the researcher suggests that ostensive means is one of the effective technique presentations as to increase the students’ enthusiasm and their achievement in learning English. This result hopefully will motivate teachers to use ostensive means in their classroom, especially when teaching vocabulary to fourth year students of elementary school.