Improving Students Vocabulary Mastery through Guess My Move Game Arsyi Rizqia Amalia Universitas Muhammadiyah Sukabumi, Indonesia arsyirizqiaamalia@ummi.ac.id Abstract In learning a language, vocabulary is the most important thing that should be mastered by learners. The English ability of primary school students is very closely related to the vocabulary mastery that they have. This research aims to find the answer to the following questions: 1) How is the application of Guess My Move Game model in learning English in primary grade school students? 2) How the students' English vocabulary mastery improve by using the Guess My Move Game model? and 3) Are there differences in the mastery of English vocabulary in male and female students using Guess My Move Game model? The research method was used in this study is Classroom Action Research with Kemmis and McTaggart design. The total population was 24 students of first primary school grade. The group was divided by gender. Based on the performance of group scores, it indicates that the female group gets the highest score, but the average highest score is achieved by the male groups. The result of this research shows that the Guess My Move Game learning model can improve students’ English vocabulary mastery both in individual and group scores. Keywords: vocabulary, gender, guess my move game. INTRODUCTION A language is a communication tool between community members in the form of symbols that have their specificities where people can interact with each other. Regarding the purpose of learning English, Harmer (2007) states that: "Students throughout the world with all ages learn to speak English, but their reasons for wanting to learn English can differ greatly." In Indonesia, we have a variety of languages that will not be found in other countries, such as regional or local languages, national languages, and foreign languages. Ellis, Gass, & Slinker in Djonhar (2012) stated that in Indonesia, the Indonesian language is placed as a second language, because the first language is a regional language or also called a local language, while the position of other languages such as English is placed as a foreign language as Marpaung (2019 cited in Marpaung, 2017) stated that, “In the case of Indonesians, there is a high level of acceptability and tolerance of the use of English because English in Indonesia considered as a Foreign Language" English has an important role in social life, this is because English is the international language in the world and English is important to be learned in order to be able to communicate with people from other countries and to help some people improve their careers (Marpaung, 2017). “Indonesian students often experience problems when learning English, specifically vocabulary, because English differs from Bahasa Indonesia (the Indonesian language) in its structure, pronunciation, and vocabulary” (Katemba, 2019). Based on this role, Indonesian government includes English as a subject taught in educational institutions starting from elementary school to high school even university as subjects that must be taken in each semester. “Therefore, in Indonesia, English is viewed not only as an indispensable vehicle of access to scholarly disciplines but also as a medium for international communication” (Katemba, 2013). Mastering vocabulary is important for every language learner because vocabulary is the basis for someone to master a language. In teaching English, especially at an early age, there are many things to be concerned about, one of which is vocabulary (Katemba, 2020). "Vocabulary is a number of words a language has" (Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, 2017). Based on the theory, it can be seen that the more languages we want to master, the more vocabulary we need to have. This is in line with Nurigiyantoro (2001) which states that "vocabulary is the wealth of words owned by a language", so anyone who masters one or more languages has a wealth of words from the language they mastered. Linse & Nunan (2005) explain that the development of vocabulary in children is an important aspect in the formation of their language acquisition, however the strengthening of language in the environment of children outside of school is still weak, especially for foreign language. In connection with students' English ability, there are some obstacles faced by the English teachers, one of them is the response or interest of students who are still diverse even some students expressed prefer other subjects rather than English. Another obstacle is that there are some students are not fluent in reading or writing in Indonesian language, so it is influencing their English ability. Some of these obstacles need to be solved with some efforts to develop sustainable learning activities. In learning a language, especially English, vocabulary has a very important role. The more vocabulary we have, the easier it will be for us to learn and understand a language since language is made up words (Marpaung & Sinaga, 2019). Seeing the importance of vocabulary mastery, efforts to improve vocabulary mastery to minimize the problems faced in learning a language are considered necessary to be implemented. Considering the characteristics of primary school students who are young and like to play, learning methods that are able to invite students to play while learning can be used as an effort to improve the teaching and learning process and to improve the students’ learning outcomes. Play is an activity that requires the body to move according to one's own desires without coercion from others. There are several opinions about play explained by Dwijawiyata (2013:7), such as: playing means moving while having fun doing the things you want by involving feelings at certain times and places, and learning to adapt to the environment, using the objects around it, and done together with the people around. Suyadi (2009:18) stated that "when children are playing, unconsciously they learn hard to be able to portray themselves in the game, even with games with a certain level of difficulty, children are required to learn more serious to finish the game." Therefore, seen from nature of the game, it certainly can be used as a good method in learning activities. In learning activities with a certain level of difficulty, children can master the lesson if the learning is carried out in a fun way by using game. Improving language skills using the game method is not a new thing, Hudges (2010: 225) explains that there is a very strong relationship between language and games, both games and languages have a parallel development, especially in the growth and development of students, language skills and play abilities can develop harmoniously. The use of group learning models or cooperative learning that can make all the students become active can be used as a choice in dealing with an imbalance student activity and learning outcomes. Farida, et.al (2016) also stated that teaching English has to delivered in fun ways, so the students can learn better. Further, Katemba (2020) stated that “ the importance of vocabulary is a reason for teachers to give serious attention in teaching it, especially to children, because vocabulary is the foundation on which to build language plays a fundamental role in communication”. Based on the theory above, the researcher took the initiative to make a game to hone students' vocabulary in groups by using the cooperative learning model type Guess My Move Game (GMG). With the application of this GMG learning model, it is expected that both female and male students can be actively involved in learning activities and students learning outcomes can be improved. In previous research, another study was carried out by Sudarmono (2015) with a focus on research was on the development of team sports games for learning physical education, sports and health. The study aims to see the impact of the use of the game method on students' motoric abilities, in contrast to the research that will be conducted which focuses on language skills in students. Previous research related to the method of learning English also has been carried out by Wijayatiningsih (2014) with the title, the utilization of the total physical response model and repetition for the development of English language learning. This study focuses on the use of learning models and audio visual media in learning English, this is different from the research that conducted by researchers, that is learning English by using game method. Based on the results of interviews with primary grade English teacher at Al-Azhar Primary Islamic School, language acquisition in primary grade students is still very closely related to the mastery of the vocabulary they have. Four language skills, such as speaking, listening, writing and reading are strongly influenced by the vocabulary possessed, in other words students’ language ability can be seen from the numbers of vocabulary they have. In learning English at school or class, the teacher sometimes uses media such as pictures/flash cards and also videos of learning. The responses of students in the class are so varied, some are happy, and some are still do not pay attention because they feel English as a subject that is considered difficult. In terms of age, primary grade students tend to be active inside and outside classroom activities, but these activities do not define the students’ learning outcomes. Based on classroom observations carried out, almost all male students are very active in the classroom both in learning activities where they are actively asking or answering questions and actively doing activities outside the learning process such as play with friends, run in and out of class, taunt each other, etc. in learning period. This is different from female students who tend to be less active even sometime very quiet. The activities of female students are more passive, and this can be seen from the rarity of female students who want to ask or answer questions, especially when they are not paying attention to the teacher's explanation. Female students usually talk or whisper to each other, so they are not making the classroom atmosphere become noisy not like the male students. The formulations of the problem in this study are: 1. How is the application of GMG model in learning English in primary grade school students? 2. How the students' English vocabulary mastery improve by using GMG model? 3. Are there differences in the mastery of English vocabulary in male and female students using GMG model? METHOD Research is essentially a question-answer process, but between the questioning and answering activities there is a process or method that is systematic and controlled in determining the answer to the questions asked (Gulo: 2010). Research Design The research method used in this study was Classroom Action Research with Kemmis and Mc. Taggart design with the implementation of four main stages for each cycle, namely: planning, implementation, observation, and reflection. The implementation of the research cycle are continued if the indicators of success that are marked by an increase in value or score have not been achieved. Research Participants and Sampling Procedures Participants in this study were students of first grade at Al-Azhar Primary Islamic School Sukabumi, with 24 students. The reason for choosing these participants was based on the initial observations of the researcher who discovered the uniqueness and problems at the class after being compared with other primary schools. DATA COLLECTION The research procedures in this study refer to Moloeng (2016) who grouped the research stage into the pre-research stage, the implementation stage, and the data analysis stage. The procedures carried out in this study are: 1. Pre-Research, the Stages are a) Choose a place of research, b) Conduct an initial interview to get an overview of the characteristics of students, c) Class preliminary observations, and d) Prepare research instruments. 2. Research Implementation, the stages are: a) Class orientation with direct observation of teaching and learning activities, b) Provision of pre-cycle practice questions to determine students' initial abilities, c) Plan the implementation of research by developing a lesson plan to be used in the class, d) Give out treatment in the form of applying the GMG learning model in learning English based on the steps that have been written in the lesson plan, e) Carry out observations of learning activities to see the extent of the impact of treatments that have been given, f) Carry out a reflection as an activity to restate the activities that have been carried out along with the strengths and weaknesses in the implementation, and g) Provide practice questions at the end of each research cycle. 3. Data Analysis, the stages are: a) Process data that has been obtained, b) Compare the acquisition of data from each treatment, and c) Sum up the data by looking at the achievement indicators of research success based on the predetermined problem formulation. In connection with the implementation of classroom actions research using Guess My Move Game designed by the researcher, this game is a modification of the cooperative learning model type of Team Games Tournament and Number Head Together which is then re-developed with adjustments to the age and characteristics of primary grade school students. The steps for implementing GMG are as follows: a) Students are divided into groups of five to seven people based on gender, b) Each group member were given a hat and they lines up according to the serial number in their hats, c) The smallest number stood in front of the other group members, while the group members line up based on the smallest to the largest number, d) The teacher distributed boards and answer cards, e) The teacher explained the rules of the game, e) The student with the smallest number demonstrated the movements listed on the teacher's question board and group members are allowed to discuss for one minute and then one student (the member with the smallest order number) answered the question based on the results of their group discussion without being helped by his group mates. If the member can guess the name of the movement correctly then he is allowed to move to the very back position and the members behind him took the position and did the same as the previous students until all cards have been played, the group with the biggest score become the winner in this game. Based on the steps described, the implementation of the classroom action research is carried out through the learning cycles with four main stages, such as: planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. This research can be stopped at a certain cycle when the indicators of the research has been achieved. The success indicators in this study are when the class average score is more than or equal to 80, with the percentage of completeness in Passing Minimum Score achievement more than or equal to 70%. RESULTS A. Initial Conditions Based on the class orientation with direct teaching and learning activities observation, it was found that students' responses in learning English were so diverse. The male students’ characteristic tended to be very active inside and outside learning activities. It is the opposite with the female students’ characteristic who tended to be passive and this affected the English learning atmosphere in the classroom. To see the students' initial mastery of English, the researcher gave pre-cycle test with the specified minimum passing score of 75.00 with the following results: Table 1: Preliminary Research Data Indicators Information Highest Score 100 Lowest Score 20 Average Score 57,08 Achieved Minimum Passing Score 8 (33,33%) Did not Achieved Minimum Passing Score 16 (66,66%) Based on pre-cycle test, students’ learning outcomes still tend to be low with an average value of 57.08 and students who reach minimum passing score only 33.33%. B. Findings The implementation of English learning using GMG learning model is carried out in two cycles with the stages of classroom action research such as planning, implementation, observation and reflection. The findings were as follows: 1. Planning In this activity, researcher developed a Lesson Plan based on the CAR plans that have been designed and the identification of problems encountered. The lesson plan drafts focused on developing learning objectives by using the GMG model in learning English. The lesson plan is made for two cycles with three meeting for each cycle with two different materials, first material was about pet and the second material was about kind of toys. 2. Implementation The implementation stage in this Classroom Action Research was giving treatment in the form of applying the GMG learning model in learning English based on the steps that have been written in the Lesson Plan. The steps of GMG learning model implemented in 2 cycles are as follow: a) The first meeting was filled with reinforcement of material for students. The material delivered each cycle is different, based on students’ book written byMukarto (2016). The material in the first cycle was about pets, and material in the second cycle is about kinds of toys, b) Students are divided into groups of five to seven members, the division of this group was based on students' English abilities/heterogeneous and also by gender with the results of the formation of 2 groups of male students and 2 groups of female students, c) Each group member lined up according to the serial number in their respective hats, d) The smallest number stood in front of the group members, while the group members lined up based on the smallest to the largest number. The position of the student with the smallest number is positioned in front of the class while the other members is positioned behind the student's desk, e) Teacher distributed boards and answer cards that contain English vocabulary for all groups. The answer card is given based on the material being studied, in cycle 1 the answer card consisted of the words "I have", names of pets, and numbers from 1 to 10 in English. In cycle 2 the answer card consisted of the words "I have", names of toys, and various colours in English, f) Teacher explained the rules of the game that were implemented, g) At the second meeting of each cycle, the teacher as a researcher modelled the movements listed on the question board and at the third meeting, the student with the smallest number demonstrated the movements listed on the teacher's question board based on the examples given at the previous meeting. After that, the group members are allowed to discuss the answer for one minute and then one student (the member with the smallest order number) answered based on the results of the discussion without being helped by his group friends anymore, if the member can guess the name of the movement correctly then he is allowed to move to the very back position and the members behind him moved forward to took positions to answer. Each correct answer got 1 sticker on their group's score card. Every violation, especially violations in maintaining conducive learning activities gave an impact on reducing the group score because researcher took back one sticker from the score card for each violation. The activities continued until all cards have been played and the group with the biggest score was the winner of the game. 3. Observations Observation in this learning activity aims to see the extent of the impact actions or treatments that have been given. At the end of each treatment cycle, the researcher gave individual test questions based on the material that has been studied. The results of the first cycle test are as follows: Table 2: Cycle 1 Data Indicators Information Highest Score 100 Lowest Score 40,00 Average Score 71,04 Achieved Minimum Passing Score 12 (50%) Did not Achieved Minimum Passing Score 12 (50%) When it is compared with pre-cycle tests, there was good improvement and the comparison can be seen in the following graph: Figure 1. Comparison of Pre Cycle and Cycle 1 Scores Based on the figure above, it can be seen that there was an improvement on students’ test result of 13.96 points. However, since the indicators of research success have not been achieved, the class action research continued to the next cycle. The results of the second cycle test are as follows: 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Pre Cycle Cycle 1 57.08 71.04 Table 3 : Cycle 2 Data Indicators Information Highest Score 100 Lowest Score 55,00 Average Score 82,29 Achieved Minimum Passing Score 17 (70,83%) Did not Achieved Minimum Passing Score 7 (29,17%) When it is compared to cycle 1, there was an improvement on students’ test result of 11.25 points and the comparison can be seen in the following graph: Figure 2. Comparison of Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 Scores 4. Reflection Reflection is an activity to restate what activities have been carried out along with the strengths and weaknesses in its implementation based on the treatment given. Based on the learning process that has been carried out, all students can be actively involved in learning English activity. For its weaknesses, student responses were very varied. Most students were enthusiastic in the class and it made the classroom atmosphere became very noisy and some students needed special attention so the researcher needed to work harder than usual. DISCUSSION 1. The application of GMG model in learning English in primary grade school students The steps of the GMG learning model in 2 cycles were carried out well with the following indicators: a. The presentation and reinforcement of material about pets in cycle 1 and material about kind of toys in cycle 2 were carried out well. The materials presented were not new things for the students because most students are already familiar with some vocabularies in the material s before they became students at primary school, but almost all students were only able to pronounce it without knowing how to write the vocabulary properly. b. In group divisions, it was based on students' various English abilities. Based on the initial problems encountered relating to the differences in the character of male and female students, then the division of groups were also divided by gender with the results of the formation of 2 groups of male students and 2 groups of female students. c. The implementation of GMG learning model steps started from demonstrating the movement based on the vocabulary written in the question board, students answer the questions by using the prepared answer board. This step was done well because all students were actively 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 Cycle 1 Cycle 2 71.04 82.29 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Pre Cycle Cycle 1 Cycle 2 33.33 50.00 70.83 66.66 50.00 29.17 Not Achieved Minimum Passing Score Achieved Minimum Passing Score 0 20 40 60 80 100 Pre Cycle Cycle 1 Cycle 2 57.08 71.04 82.29 involved in learning activities even though the classroom atmosphere were very noisy. Substitution players went well because all students wanted to come in front of the class to play and each group member always reminded each other when it was time for their group to play. d. The final step was the announcement of the winner, each correct answer is given with an award sticker. At the end of each meeting, the winner group are announced. Students’ responses were good that they wanted the game to be continued so the whole group had the chance to win the game. Based on the explanation above, it can be concluded that the implementation of English teaching and learning process by using the GMG learning model was well implemented and students’ responses were very positive during the learning process. 2. Students' English vocabulary mastery improvement using GMG learning model. One of the objectives of this classroom action research was to improve the students' English vocabulary mastery especially in pets and kind of toys materials by using the cooperative learning model of GMG type. Based on the findings explained earlier, the students’ vocabulary mastery improvement based on pre-cycle, cycle 1 and cycle 2 grades could be seen in this following graph: Figure 3. Students’ Individual Average Scores Based on the graph above, it can be seen that the average score of individual students has increased in each cycle. From the indicators of the success of this study, an improvement in the students average score was more than or equal to 80, then this research can be said to be successful in increasing students’ individual average scores. Figure 4. Completeness of Students Learning Outcomes Based on the graph above, it can be seen that students' learning outcomes completeness has increased in each cycle. Based on the indicators of the success of this study, the completeness of student learning outcomes was more than or equal to 70%, then this research can be said to be successful in increasing the completeness of student learning outcomes with Minimum Passing Score achievement of 70. Based on the data that has been presented, it can be concluded that the indicators on this research has been reached, so this study was stopped in cycle 2. 3. The differences in male and female students’ English vocabulary mastery by using GMG learning model. Implementation of cooperative learning model certainly requires the division of groups, while in this study the grouping was distributed based on students' abilities and also based on students' gender. In each meeting, group assessments are carried out at the second and third meetings in each cycle, the group score based on the acquisition of the stickers they got. The explanations are presented in table 4: Table 4: Group Scores Group/ Pet 1 Pet 2 Toys 1 Toys 2 Material Male 1 10 12 10 12 Male 2 9 10 8 13 Female 1 4 7 8 13 Female 2 8 11 12 14 Based on the group scores for each meeting described in the table above, it can be seen that the student group scores were varied. Even so, the scores at the second game or third meeting in each cycle always gained a good improvement. This assessment was based on the accuracy of the answers given and the students’ ability to work well and in an orderly manner in a group. Every violation, especially in maintaining conducive learning activities were result an impact on reducing the group score was given. Based on data scores in each meeting, the accumulation of group scores on the application of the GMG model to improve English vocabulary in students was as follows: Figure 5. Accumulation of Group Values in the Implementation of the GMG Model The acquisition of gender-based group scores showed good grades with the highest score being achieved by female 2 group, but the average highest score was achieved by the male students. With two assessment criterions in this game, they were an accuracy answers and order in group work. These criterions gave a positive influence on the acquisition of group scores. Seen from the characteristics of students who have been presented in the background of the problem, the results obtained are interesting because the first criterion was an accuracy on the answers, the highest score was achieved by the male group. Even though the characteristics of male students 0 10 20 30 40 50 Male 1 Male 2 Female 1 Female 2 44 40 32 45 were very active, it made it more difficult to maintain the instruction in the male group which result an impact in score reduction in their group. The final score indicated that the female 2 group received a higher score because their group worked well. As a result, these make the female group did not experienced a score group reduction. CONCLUSION The implementation of the GMG learning model is well implemented, and this can be seen from the students’ positive responses and students' willingness to engage in learning activities were very high. The GMG learning model can improve the English vocabulary mastery of Al -Azhar Primary Islamic school students in Sukabumi both in individual and group scores. Based on the performance of groups divided by the gender, group scores indicated that female group got the highest score, but the overall highest average score is achieved by the male groups. This shows that the students activeness inside and outside the classroom does not guarantee to the students’ learning outcomes either individually or in groups. REFERENCES Djonhar, S. C. (2012). 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