Enhancing the Students’ Vocabulary Mastery in the First-Grade Fishery Major of SMKN 1 Bakung Blitar through Word Search Games (WSG).

Abstract

The hardest obstacle faced by EFL students in Indonesia is mastering vocabulary (Sujadi and Wulandari, 2021). The students struggle to comprehend the reading text, speak English effectively and consistently using the same phrases, and their interactions are frequently interrupted due to missing words. The fundamental source of these issue is a less of vocabulary. The students on fisheries in the first grade at SMKN 1 Bakung considered English to be a challenging subject due to lack of vocabulary. Learning English vocabulary was complicated regarding word meaning, pronunciation, and searching for synonyms and antonyms. To determine the most effective method for teaching vocabulary, this research aims to find out the use of Word Search Games (WSG) enhances the students’ vocabulary mastery in the first-grade fishery major of SMKN 1 Bakung Blitar. This study uses a Classroom Action Research (CAR) with the steps namely planning, acting, observing, and reflecting to learn how to word search activities can help students improve their vocabulary mastery in determining the synonyms and antonyms of words of recount text. The research is conducted at SMKN 1 Bakung Blitar. The research session is in even semester in the academic year of 2021/2022. One cycle consists of four meetings. Each meeting will last for 45 minutes because of the implementation of “PTM terbatas”. When the cycle meets the success criteria, it will end. The research subject is the first-grade fishery major consisting of 24 male students. The data collection involved a number of instruments namely vocabulary test and observation sheet. The study’s findings provided numerical and verbal data. The numerical data was the vocabulary test results. To analyze the numerical data, the researcher compared the test results to the predetermined success criteria for analysis. Using WSG to increase students’ vocabulary knowledge was judged to be effective if 75% of students received a score of 65 on a test. Whilst, verbal data was gathered by the researcher from observations of students’ activities and the classroom environment during the teaching-learning process. This data was examined using descriptive qualitative analysis. As part of the WSG implementation, the teacher gave a broad topic overview, organized groups, distributed recount passage and printed WSG. The students took sticky notes off a whiteboard. The student’s goal is to search up the synonyms and antonyms on printed WSG. Each group should present their finding to the class as a whole. Following the presentation, the students swapped the work from each group. Each student would get a list of vocabulary from the material discussed, including synonyms and antonyms. Based on observations of students’ vocabulary test scores, the mean is improved from cycle to cycle. The different scores mean between the two cycles is 4.5. Cycle 1, the average score is 63.4 which reveal that 12 children (or 50% of pupils) still obtain a score of 65 or higher. However, in cycle 2, the average rise of 67.9. Seventy-nine percent of pupils achieved a score of 65 or above. It implies that students may be able to meet the success criteria. Suggestions proposed for students to expand their vocabulary by playing word search or other word games. Moreover, for teachers, it was suggested that word search games (WSG) be used as an alternative to other methods of teaching English vocabulary by English teachers. Lastly, for further research, the following study will conduct this strategy’s effectiveness compared to other research approaches. Additionally, future studies will test this tactic in different lessons. Consequently, the success of the WSG plan will be known not only in English lesson but also other subjects.