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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Background of the Research

Language cannot be separated from our lives because it connects to society.

We can also describe our ideas, feelings and desires to other people using the

language. There are many languages in the world. They are used to communicate

between people in the world. English is an important language and is used as an

international language because most countries use it. It is used in all world activities,

such as conferences, sport events and world trade. Moreover, English is important in

developing sciences, technology, education, and culture because most of resource

books are written in English.

Based on Junior High School Curriculum, (Depdiknas, 2008:69), it is stated

that: “Pembelajaran bahasa Inggris di SMP/MTs ditargetkan agar peserta didik dapat

mencapai tingkat fungsional yakni berkomunikasi secara lisan dan tulis untuk

menyelesaikan masalah sehri-hari (English instruction at Junior High School is

supposed to lead the students to achieve the functional level, that is to communicate

in their daily life, either oral or written)”. So, the students in Junior High School

should learn English more deeply in order to be able to use and apply it in

communication.

The most important that they have to acquire English that involve four

language skills; they are listening, speaking, reading and writing. But, being able to

master those skills, the students need vocabulary. Nunan (2003:54) said that no

matter how well the students learn grammar, or how successful the sounds of the
languages are mastered, without words, communication cannot occur in any

meaningful way. So it’s important for the students to acquire the vocabulary so that

they can communicate each other in their society.

Many teachers don’t realize that vocabulary is the major problems in

confronting English as foreign language learning. Vocabulary is the most important

component of a language power. In using the language, students who are rich in

vocabulary will be successful both in expression skill: speaking and writing and

receptive skill: reading and listening. But one who is poor in vocabulary will get

trouble in those skills. Richards and Renandya (2002:45) say that vocabulary is a

core component of language proficiency and provides much of the basis for how well

learners speak, listen, read, and write.

In a classroom, most of the students are passive because they don’t know a lot

of vocabularies. The teacher uses the old method in which teacher centered. After

giving explanation, usually the teacher asks the students to answer the questions. So,

when the teaching learning process, they do not give any attention and feel bored at

the vocabulary subject.

For that reason, the English teachers must have the ability to vary the

teaching technique which focused on student centered. It is important to teacher in

order to the students change to have pleasure in learning language. The technique

that can be used is queue technique. As one of the educational techniques in teaching

learning process of English, including English vocabulary.

According to Harmer, (2007:65) through queue technique, vocabulary can be

designed to get used the language of description (eg. He is quite tall, she has blonde
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hair, and he has a beard). An artificial information gap is created by getting the

students to look at different pictures. This seems that students can get reinforcement

as well as attention to vocabulary. In short, the queue technique can break the tension

and help the students to avoid boredom in learning English.

Based on the explanation above, the writer hopes students can enjoy the

teaching and learning process of English vocabulary and increase the student’s

vocabulary acquisition continually and hopefully enjoy learning a foreign language.

This technique will become one new breakthrough in teaching learning activity,

which can contribute as an educational research.

The title of this Thesis is improving vocabulary through queue technique.

Researcher chooses this title because the queue technique can improve the student’s

vocabulary acquisition. Through queue technique, vocabulary can be designed to get

student to use the words in real meaningful way. This seems that students can get

reinforcement as well as attention to vocabulary. So, queue technique can reduce the

stress and make the student enjoy the teaching and learning process of English

vocabulary.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Referring to the background of the study above, the writer wants to reveal by

doing this research is as follows:

1. Can the queue technique increase vocabulary mastery to the first year

students at SMP Negeri 2 Peusangan ?

2. How is the classroom atmosphere when the queue technique is applied in

teaching vocabulary?
1.3 Purpose of Study

Based on the statement of the problem above, the purpose of this research is

as follows:

1. To know whether the queue technique can increase vocabulary mastery to

the first year students at SMP Negeri 2 Peusangan or not.

2. To know how is the classroom atmosphere when the queue technique is

applied in teaching vocabulary.

1.4 Significance Research

Theoretically, this study is to provide practical benefit of teaching vocabulary

and help the student overcome the problem in learning vocabulary. Meanwhile it can

enrich the English teacher to use the technique in teaching vocabulary. It gives

contribution to the school in improving the quality of its inputs.

Practically, the finding of this study are expected that the teacher can get

input about the ways of increasing the student’s vocabulary and receive the positive

effect of using queue technique in the future. Meanwhile for the students, they are

hoped to be able to improve their vocabulary in learning English in the classroom

and enlarge their vocabulary easily.

1.5 Scope of the Research

The writer gives the scope of research for limiting the focus of the research.

The focus of this research concerns with teaching English vocabulary through the

queue technique especially adjective and noun because in queue technique are used

to describe people. In describing people, we need some adjectives and also nouns, so
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the researcher focuses this research on these two parts of English vocabulary.

1.6 The Definition of Key Terms

Definition is intended to avoid the ambiguity in perception of some terms

used in this study. They are operationally only applied to this study. The definition is

as follows:

1. Vocabulary is the total number of words in a language. List of words with

their meanings, especially at the back of the book used for teaching a foreign

language. All the words known to a person or used in a particular book,

subject, etc (Hornby, 1995:1331). In this research, it means a list of words

and sometimes phrases, usually arranged in alphabetical order and defined; a

dictionary, glossary, or lexicon. All the words used by a particular person,

class, profession, etc: sometimes, all the words recognized and understood by

a particular person, although not necessary used by him.

2. Queue Technique is a technique of teaching that is the practice activity

designed gets students to use the words in real meaning full way (Harmer,

(2007:65). In this research, it means the technique used by the researcher in

the teaching and learning process of English vocabulary.