Journal of English Language Teaching http://ojs.ikipmataram.ac.id/index.php/joelt DOI: 10.33394/jo-elt.v5i1.2292 Volume 5 Nomor 1, Juni 2018 online: 2548-5865, print: 2355-0309 pp.1-6 1 CRAFTING MEDIA TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ ENGLISH VOCABULARY Dira Permana 1) , Siti Syafi’atul Qomariyah 2) Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, IKIP Mataram dirapermana@ikipmataram.ac.id 1) , sitisyafiatulqomariyah@ikipmataram.ac.id 2) Abstract This study aims at (1) seeking whether or not crafting media is able to enhance students’ English vocabulary of fourth grade at SDIT Anak Sholeh Mataram and (2) elaborating on how Craftingmedia is implemented to enhance students’ English vocabulary of fourth grade at SDIT Anak Soleh Mataram. This study used Classroom Action Research (CAR) with test, observation, and documentation as the instruments of gaining data. Based on data findings, the mean score of pretest was 80.7 and posttest was 88.9. This significant gap in scores between pretest and posttest (8.2) implied there had been enhancement in students’ English vocabulary achievement as the students were taught by using Crafting media. Crafting media was implemented through several related phases which presented students’ direct and active selves-involvement to pump up the students’ learning motivation to recognize various objects their surroundings. Thus, it can be concluded that Crafting media is able to enhance students’ English vocabulary learning of fourth grade at SDIT Anak Sholeh Mataram. Furthermore, Crafting also could help the students drive their motor and language skills. Therefore, it is expected that English teachers use Crafting media as an alternative teaching media to enhance students’ vocabulary in the English class learning. Keywords: Teaching media, Crafting, English vocabulary, Enhancement INTRODUCTION English has been taught starting from low level of schools; elementary school up to higher schools; universities. The very basic element of English language learning is vocabulary. Vocabulary has been considered crucial and plays significant roles in the process of gaining English language skills. Scholars in Akbari & Jahangard, (19: 2012) establish that vocabulary learning is the very heart of language acquisition since vocabulary specialists all together concur that lexical competence is central to communicative competence which is the ability to communicate effectively and properly. Students of elementary age are sought to recognize objects of their surroundings as the preparation to know more complex words of world wild after reaching higher level of study. The limitation of the students’ vocabulary mastery at elementary schools has been ordinarily accepted since students of this age are still beginners. The students of basic level, in the process of their learning to acquire various words, tend to have difficulties such as to memorize, spell, pronounce and even know meaning of new words. This situation requires teachers to think harder finding the way that teachers can facilitate students to have sufficient English vocabulary. Teaching kinds of words directly to the elementary school students are not enough only by direct instruction. The existence of tools and/or media helps students rapidly acquire words during their learning. Scott, et.al (1991: 5) writes most activities for the younger learners should include movement and involve the sense. You will need a plenty of objects and pictures to work mailto:dirapermana@ikipmataram.ac.id1 2 with, and to make full use of the school and your surroundings. Consequently, the teachers ought to be creative finding new and interesting teaching media to enrich students’ vocabulary easily. Teaching English for children is contrast to teaching English for adults. A teacher should be able to see the level of readiness of students to accept the lesson and the material based on students’ needs. Teaching English for children should pay attention to certain conditions. One of which is that children usually learn from their environment. When the teacher teaches vocabulary, for instance, selection of the vocabulary material should be based on considerations; simple words with the emphasis on communicative vocabulary rather than the structure of the language or complex sentences. The teacher should select the materials representing students’ needs. Teaching in abstract and complex concepts might eliminate learners’ interest. The wise step is to introduce children to the spoken language through the enrichment of the learners’ vocabulary. Children have the ability to automatically absorb the language so that the provision of a continuous input and practical language will make them learn the language with fun. Many teaching techniques applied by English teachers in teaching vocabulary to students are frequently not based on the children’s needs and level of learning. There are still many teachers focusing the teaching on "form" and/or on "content". There are also teachers emphasizing the teaching on word-for-word translation method which most experts consider less strategic and unnatural to the teaching of English vocabulary to children. Supposedly, learning English as a foreign language is expected to imitate, even it is not similar to their native language acquisition process in which aspects of language and natural context authenticity are taken into account. Children and adults are quite different in the way they acquire language. In early childhood, for instance, children are learning to think symbolically and are using language to represent objects, but they still do not think logically or understand the viewpoints of others. Furthermore, children at varying stages have different levels of cognitive and social developments compared to adults, as well as different types of relationships with peers and others, and these must be taken into account (Philip, et al., 2008). This study focuses on giving students a new teaching media to learn English in a fun and creative learning situation, especially in learning vocabulary, namely Crafting. Crafting is one of the teaching media which can be used in the elementary school level. Weida (2014: 5) notes that considering the senses and emotions as well as cognitive lives of students is a good place for teaching artists and other art educators to reflect upon how we can justify the use of craft materials in the schools. Sedaris (2014) states that crafting includes as a whole host of activities associated with skillful attempts at making useful things using hands and resulting in stocking stuffers, grab bag items and painted rocks. Crafting is putting ideas into action and then holding them together in inexpensive adhesive. Crafting focuses the learning on three activities: (1) problem- solving activities (identifying, matching, sequencing, prioritizing a classifying), (2) interactive activities (making survey or carrying out interview), and (3) creative 3 activities (such as: making mask, birthday cards, etc). These crafting activities can be used to hone the skills of children in motor and language skills, especially in the development of their vocabulary mastery. Weida (2014: 5) notes that you may wish to list your top three rationales for craft: from motor skills, to cultural traditions, to experiencing design. In relation to motor skills, a variety of skills that can be done are to (1) create various shapes of animals or objects using origami paper and plasticine malleable, (2) draw freely on HVS and color in accordance with their favorite color, then make a simple flash card using their picture. (3) glue and stick on the specified media. RESEARCH METHOD This study was a classroom action research by Kemmis and McTaggart's model comprising of planning, acting, observing and reflecting. This study was conducted in two cycles at fourth graders students of SDIT Anak Sholeh Mataram and consisted of 30 students as subjects of the study. The procedure of applying Crafting media in teaching vocabulary was (1) the preliminary test which was conducted to know the ability of students’ vocabulary using multiple choice, (2) the application of crafting media by creating, coloring, sticking and saying. In this stage the teacher did several related processes involving practicing, observing and making notes on all of teaching learning activities to see how far Crafting media was applied and (3) continual test which was meant to see the current result of students’ vocabulary achievement. Data of the study were both quantitatively and qualitatively collected. Quantitative data were taken from vocabulary test scores and qualitative data were taken from observation sheet and documentation results. The standard criteria of success score of the overall students was 70 referring to the school minimal completeness score. Data were analyzed by comparing the preliminary and continual scores completed with observation sheets and documentations from which conclusion was drawn. FINDING AND DISCUSSION This session presents the results of the findings and discussion of the study. The findings are begun with the implementation of the action which was carried out in two cycles and involved several meetings. The first meeting was initiated by conducting apperception through asking students some questions including whether they knew or not on what kind of paper that the teacher brought. The students seemed enthusiastic in answering the teacher’s questions. After the teacher showed the color paper which was called Origami, the students started practicing to make various shapes of animal or objects using origami papers given. In whilst activity, the teacher gave students other colorful papers and were asked to make various shape of animal, fruits, or objects that they liked. The students were very happy and enthusiastic in creating new things using origami paper. The upcoming meeting was utilized by the students to create various shapes of objects, asked to mention what kind of animals that had been previously made. After finished, the students began writing down all objects they had made on the whiteboard following by the teacher asked the students to guess the meaning of any objects they had made in English. Next stage, the 4 teacher taught students how words were spelled and phonetically pronounced by instructing students to practice spelling and pronouncing provided words in turns. Subsequently, the students were asked to make simple sentences using kinds of animals that had been made using origami papers. Based on observation, it was monitored that students had showed enthusiasm of learning and positive responses to show good performance of learning in which they were able to create various shapes and even bravely writing down any shapes made from the origami, however; in terms of spelling the words and how those words written were pronounced were still in doubt and ought to be given some corrections and feedbacks in order that the students could have better ability in the way of acceptably spelling and pronouncing words. Therefore, the second cycle was committed. The next meeting was started by greeting students and did brainstorming by asking questions related to the topic to be discussed. The topic was about kinds of fruits. To facilitate the learning, the crafting media used was manila papers. Other kinds of tools need to be given in order to drive the students’ will and enthusiasm of learning vocabulary. First of all, the teacher gave a model how to draw and color fruits on manila papers. After showing a model, the teacher divided the students into five groups and gave manila papers to each group. The students of each group were subsequently asked to draw and color some fruits using manila papers. The next step, the teacher asked the students to mention the fruits that they had drawn and colored, while the teacher wrote down them on the whiteboard. Next, the students began writing down all the fruits they had made on the whiteboard following by the teacher asked the students to guess the meaning of any fruits they had made in English. Next step, the teacher guided the students on how words of fruits were spelled and phonetically pronounced by instructing students to practice spelling and pronouncing provided words in turns. In the final stage, the students were asked to make simple sentences using kinds of fruits that had been made using manila papers. Based on observation, it was seen that students in their learning had been able to show very good performance in which the students only were able to mention the words but also were better in writing with good spelling. The students also showed significant action in the way that pronounced the words phonetically accepted. In this occasion, the observer tried to notice all activities in the classroom learning by using the observation sheet. It was about the lesson preparation by the teacher, the learning material presentation, the learning method, and the teaching characteristics. The observation was also about the students’ readiness, the students’ learning activities, the students’ response towards the learning process, and the students’ participation during teaching learning process using Crafting teaching media. Based on the observation, it was found that most students were enthusiastic to do questions and answers about whatever being learned from the media crafting. Students also could pronounciate the words based on phonetic symbols made from media crafting. Students could use simple words to make various sentences with better spelling related to the topic given. Based on the result of the average scores of students’ vocabulary 5 achievement and indicator of success in which students’ average score in pre-test was 80.7 and students’ average score in post-test was 88.9, these implied that indicator of success had been achieved; applying crafting teaching media could enhance students’ English vocabulary. This result strengthened the existence and satisfying performance of the crafting media as the tool to promote students’ vocabulary mastery. The result of this study is discussed on the basis of the field action and relevant theories on the study of implementing crafting teaching media which aims at improving students’ English vocabulary. In answering the research question which stated: “is Crafting teaching media able to enhance students’ English vocabulary at the fourth graders of SDIT Anak Sholeh Mataram”, the researchers used the results of pre-test and post-test that had been done by the students of class 4 Abu Ubaidah as main data to be studied and from which conclusion was drawn. It could be seen from the result of students’ average scores both in pre-test was 80.7 and students’ average score in post-test was 88.9. It means that based on the result of pre-test and post-test, implementing Crafting teaching media had successfully improved students’ English vocabulary. This high score of enhancement was achieved in the second cycle. Considering this successful achievement, the students’ English vocabulary was much better and significantly enhanced through the use of Crafting teaching media compared to the previous condition. In the other words, it was proven that implementing Crafting teaching media could enhance students’ English vocabulary. For the first cycle, the researchers considered unsuccessful and make the researchers revise and continue to the second cycle. After doing the acting phase of cycle one, the researchers were doing the observation while the teaching learning process happens. It was to prove how Crafting was taught to improve students’ English vocabulary. Based on the observation of the first cycle, it was found that some students were still in doubts to do questions and answers about the learning materials being learned from the Crafting media maximally. Students still did not pronounciate the words well and did not represent phonemic symbols. Consequently, some students mispronounciate the words made from media Crafting. This result proved that crafting teaching media in the first cycle still had not successfully improved the students’ English vocabulary. It also needed the teacher’s more performance during the teaching-learning process of next cycle. In acting phase of cycle two, the teacher must more motivate the students to be braver in asking questions. And the teacher also must be more creative in giving a model in using crafting media and gave them a lot of chance in practicing. In the second cycle, it was proven that implementing crafting teaching media could improve the students’ English vocabulary. The students seemed more enthusiastic in asking and answering question given by the teacher in teaching learning process. They were also able to make various shapes of animal or other objects using crafting media and also able to mention the name of animals and other objects in English. It also influenced by the teacher’s performance in teaching learning process. The teacher overall could show a better performance. Dealing with those findings, the researchers considered 6 successful in implementing crafting teaching media to improve students’ English vocabulary. This crafting activity can be used to hone the skills of children in motor and language skills, especially in the development of their vocabulary mastery. In relation to motor skills, a variety of skills that can be done is to 1) create various shapes of animals or objects using origami paper media or can also use the media plasticine malleable and safe for children, 2) draw freely on HVS in accordance with the theme given by the teacher accompanied by coloring in accordance with their favorite color, then make a simple flash card by using their picture. 3) gluing and sticking on the specified media, etc. Meanwhile, with regard to teaching vocabulary, variations of the game that can be done is; 1) look and say, 2) hear and choose, 3) hearing and mentioning, 4) figure out the name of my animals, my flowers, my fruits, etc, and 5) construct words and phrases about various animals or other objects. These several phases were also used to answer the second research question stating: “How is the process of Crafting teaching media implemented to teach English vocabulary at the fourth graders of SDIT Anak Sholeh Mataram”. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION Based on the results of study above, it can be concluded that crafting media has been able to enhance students’ English vocabulary, in which students’ average score in pre-test is 80.7 and students’ average score in post-test is 88.9. There has been significant gap in scores between pretest and posttest which is 8.2 points showing enhancement. Therefore, it is suggested that teachers use crafting media as the alternative teaching media to teach English in the class, particularly in enriching students’ vocabulary learning in elementary school level. REFERENCES Akbari, Somayeh., & Jahangard, Ali. (2012). Second Language Vocabulary Learning; An Empirical Study. Lulu, The Asian Society of Applied Linguistics. Ellis, G., & Jean, B. (2002). The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. England: Penguin English. Philip, Jenefer., Oliver, R., & Mackey, A. (2008). Second language acquisition and the younger learner, Child’s Play. Jhon Benyamin Publishing Company: Philadelphia. Scott, W. A., & Ytreberg, L. H. (1991). Teaching English to Children. Essex: Longman. Taggart, Kemmis. (1998). Research Methodology. London: Beech Wood College Press. Weida, Courtney Lee (Ed.). (2014). Advances In Creativity And Giftedness; Crafting Creativity & Creating Craft Craftivism, Art Education, and Contemporary Craft Culture. Sense Publisher.