CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
A. The Nature of Vocabulary 1. Definition of Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the main point in learning a language. We will not
understand someone‟s speaking if we do not know any vocabularies. Broadly
in prel.org (2011: 1), vocabulary is knowledge of words and word meanings.
Moreover, Rivers in Nunan (1991: 117) states that the acquisition of an
adequate vocabulary is essential for successful second language use because
without an extensive vocabulary, we will be unable to use the structures and
functions we may have learned for comprehensible communication.
Based on the definition above vocabulary has a very important role in
learning English. We will not understand the other language skill or even the
structure when we do not know vocabulary at all. It is a way to communicate
ideas or thought. We may tell it in a written form or spoken form, but
something that should be considered is having an adequate vocabulary to do
it. The more words we have the more explore our ideas.
2. The Importance of Learning Vocabulary
Vocabulary also has the essential part in communication with others.
Sometimes our speaking or writing cannot be understood by other people. It
may happen because of lack of vocabulary. Tarigan in Handayani (2007: 8)
quantity and the quality of the vocabulary that he has. Nunan in Setyaningsih
(2010: 9) says that the lack of vocabulary makes students unable to follow the
lesson. In other words, the students unable to follow the teaching learning
process well, and unable to understand the other skill in learning English.
Based on the explanation above, vocabulary is the key in learning
English. We need the understanding of vocabulary to speak, to write, to
listen, and to read. Besides, we will unable to explore our ideas or use English
maximally when we lack of vocabulary. It is also hard to another person to
respond our communication if our speaking cannot be understood. In short,
something that determines our success in learning English is vocabulary.
3. Teaching Vocabulary
Teaching vocabulary is not an easy task because it contains of the
meaning, pronunciation, part of speech, and spelling. Besides, a word may
have more than one meaning, and new vocabulary is not always fun to learn.
Many students feel tedious and bored toward worksheets and home school
worksheets. The default way of explaining vocabulary is to give a definition,
but this does not always work efficiently because of the lack of context
clues. Frost (2004: 1) says that there are some ways to explain vocabulary,
and those are:
It means that explaining something using example, such as picture and
drawing. It is very useful for more concrete words (dog, rain, tall) and
for visual learners. It has its limits though, not all items can be drawn.
b. Mime
It means that using hand, body movement and facial expressions to acts
something without speaking. This way lends itself particularly well to
action verbs and it can be fun and memorable.
c. Synonyms/Antonyms
It means that the same meaning word ca be used to teach vocabulary,
and antonym means the opposite meaning words. Using the words a
student already knows can be effective for getting meaning across.
d. Definition
it means that we should explain the meaning of a word. Make sure that it
is clear (maybe check in a learner dictionary before the lesson if you are
not confident). Remember to ask questions to check they have
understood properly.
e. Translation
It means that we can traslate the word. It is faster and more efficient
when you know the student‟ first language. Remember that not every word has a direct translation.
f. Context
It means that we can know the meaning of a new vocabulary based on the
word is used and either describe it to the students or give them example
sentences to clarify meaning further.
There are many ways that can be used to teach vocabulary, and the other
one of it is based on Kurse in Nunan (1991: 121). He divides five suggestions
for teaching written vocabulary in context as follows:
a. Word elements such as prefixes, suffixes, and roots. The ability to
recognize components parts of words, words families, and so on is
probably the single most important vocabulary skill a students of reading
EFL can have. It substantially reduces the number of completely new
words he will encounter and increases his control of the English lexicon.
b. Pictures, diagrams and charts. These clues, so obvious to the native
speaker, must often be pointed out to the EFL student. He may not
connect the illustration with the item that is giving him difficulty. He
may also be unable to read charts and graphs in English.
c. Clues of definition. The student must be taught to notice the many types
of highly useful definition clues. Among these are:
1) Parentheses or footnotes, which are the most obvious definition
clues.
2) Synonyms and antonyms usually occur along with other clues: that
is, is clauses, explanation in parentheses, and so on.
d. Inference clause from discourse, which are usually not confined to one
1) Example clues, where the meaning for the word can be inferred from
an example, often use physical clues such as i.e., e.g., and for
example.
2) Summary clues: from the sum of the information in a sentence or
paragraph, the student can understand the word.
3) Experience clues: the reader can get a meaning from a word by
recalling a similar situation he has experienced and making the
appropriate inference.
e. General aids, which usually do not help the students with specific
meaning, narrow the possibilities. These include the function of the word
in question, i.e., noun, adjective, etc, and the subject being discussed.
Finnochairo (1974: 73-74) stated several premises and comments related
to the teaching of vocabulary as follows:
a. Not all the words a student hears during any lesson need become a part
of his “active” vocabulary during that lesson or even in later lesson.
Some words in the new language (and in our native language) will
remain “passive”; that is, we understand them when we hear them or read
them, but we do not use them ourselves in speaking or in writing. The
vocabulary for active use should be systematically presented and
practiced.
b. Vocabulary should always be taught in normal speech utterances.
d. Whenever possible, the vocabulary items should be centered about one
topic. Words about food should be given in one lesson; words about
clothing in another; words about weather in another skill, etc.
e. Whenever a familiar word is met in a new context, it should be taught
again and practiced.
f. Vocabulary items should be taught in the same way we teach everything
else. We give our students an understanding of the meaning in many
ways.
g. Vocabulary should be practiced as structures are practiced in substitution
drills, transformation drills, questions and answers, etc.
h. Vocabulary items should be reintroduced many times with all the
structures and in all the situations in which they can logically be used.
i. Students should be encouraged to learn and use nouns, verbs, adjectives,
and adverbs which contains the same roots.
4. Vocabulary Learning
Learning English vocabulary for Indonesian is not only knowing the
meaning of the words, but also comprehending the meaning and the use of the
words. Sometimes the students do not have a good way to learn vocabulary.
They only learn it by reading dictionary, and it is quite boring. There are
many ways that can be done by the students in vocabulary learning. The first
way is based on Hatch and Brown (1995: 373-391), there are five essential
a. Encountering new words: That is, having a source for words. The
students‟ strategies here included learning new words by reading books,
dictionary, newspaper or magazine, and listening to radio, watching
television or watching some interactive video materials. It is quite clear
that the students have to encounter words in textbook or out before they
can learn them.
b. Getting the word form: The second step essential to vocabulary learning
appears to be the getting of a clear image-visual or auditory or both- of
the form of the vocabulary item. This step was shown in comments such
as “associating new words with words that sound similar in my native
language‟. The importance of getting the word form of the word also
appears students are asked to give definition for words.
c. Getting the word meaning: This step includes such strategies as asking
native English speakers what words mean, asking people who speak my
native language the meaning of new words, making pictures of word
meanings in my mind, and explaining what I mean and asking someone
to tell me the English word.
d. Consolidating word form and meaning in memory: Many kinds of
vocabulary learning drills, such as flash cards, matching exercises,
crossword puzzles, etc., strengthen the form-meaning connection.
e. Using the word: The final step in learning words is using the words.
Some would argue that this step is not necessary if all that is desired is a
of the other processes as well, since a great amount can be comprehended
in context even if a reader or listener knows nothing about many of the
words being used.
The second is according to sheppardsoftware.com (2011: 1), there are ten
tips in vocabulary learning, and those are:
a. Read: Most vocabulary words are learned from context. The more words
you are exposed to, the better vocabulary you will have. While you read,
pay close attention to words you do not know. First, try to figure out their
meanings from context. Then look the words up. Read and listen to a
challenging material so that, you will be exposed to many new words.
b. Improve context skills: Pay close attention to how words are used to
improve your context skill.
c. Practice: Learning a word will not help much if you promptly forget it.
Research shows that it takes from 10 to 20 repetitions to make a word be
a part of your vocabulary.
d. Make up as many associations and connections as possible: Say the word
aloud to activate your auditory memory. Relate the word to words you
already know.
e. Use mnemonics (memory tricks): Such funny little word pictures will
help you remember the meaning of a word, and they are fun to make up.
Get in the habit of looking up words you do not know.
f. Play with words: You can play any games about word such as: Scrabble,
g. Use vocabulary lists: There are many books that focus on the words most
commonly found in standardized tests.
h. Take vocabulary tests: Playing games, such as the ones on this site, that
test your knowledge will help you learn new words and also let you know
how much progress you are making.
i. Get excited about words: Come to appreciate the sometimes-subtle
differences between them. Find out the difference between something
that denotes something else and something that connotes something else.
Learn to say what you really mean and discover the joys of being able to
express yourself in writing. Your future can depend on how rich your
vocabulary is.
B. Motivation
1. Definition of Motivation
Motivation is an internal condition in a person which supports her or
him to do an action. According to Uno (2010: 1), motivation is an internal
drive that makes a person move toward whatever goal they are trying to
accomplish. Based on McDonald in Sardiman (2010: 73) states that
motivation is a change of energy in a person which is started by appearing
“feeling and begun with a respond to a purpose. In other hand, someone who
does an activity has an internal support and aim of the action. Motivation
comes from motive, but it has different meaning. Motive is a potential energy
to be actualized into an action (Uno, 2010: 27). In short, motivation consists
of motive and its reinforcement.
In teaching learning process, motivation gives a significant
contribution in learning success and it can be seen from the students‟
achievement. Williams and Burden in Harmer (1983: 98) states that
motivation is a „state of cognitive arousal‟ which provokes a „decision to act‟, as a result of which there is „sustained intellectual and/or physical effort‟ so that the person can achieve some „previously set goal”. Besides, motivation
can appears because of intrinsic and extrinsic factor, for example, learning
needs and hopes, while extrinsic factor can be a reward and interest in
teaching learning process. A smart student can fail in teaching learning
process when he lack of motivation.
For this reason, motivation is an essential factor that supports optimal
result of teaching learning process. However, motivation can be stimulate
from the outside, but it appears internally. We may say that motivation is an
internal activator which can motivate learning activity, so the aim of teaching
learning process can be reached.
2. The Importance of Motivation in Teaching Learning Process
Motivation is one of the most important things in teaching learning
process. It has an important role to make the students involved in learning
process. Besides, motivation is one of some aspects that will determine the
learn much than the students who have low motivation. According to Uno
(2010: 27), there are some important roles of motivation in teaching learning
process, those are:
a. Determine something that can be learning reinforcement: Motivation can
determine several things around a student which can support his or her
learning process.
b. Clarify the aim of study
In this case, motivation has a very close relationship with the meaning of
study. A student will be more motivated to study when he or she knows
what is the use or the meaning of study.
c. Establish learning diligence
People who have motivation to learn something will try to learn well in
order to get the best. They will not do an activity except studying.
Based on belajarpsikologi.com (2011: 1), motivation has some
important roles in teaching learning process, those are:
a. As a push to do an action
The students do not have desire to learn at the beginning, but when there is
something to find out they will have interest to learn. The students‟
eagerness to know something will push them to learn.
b. As a drive of action
When the students motivated to learn, their body and mind will do to learn.
The students will selects some actions that are not important to reach their
purpose.
3. Kinds of Motivation
There are many opinions about the kinds of motivation, and based on
Sardiman (2010: 89), there are two part of motivation, those are:
1. Intrinsic motivation. It is a motive that appears without stimulation from
outside. We have it naturally inside our self. An action is intrinsically
motivated when it is implies that the goal of the action is the action itself.
Purely intrinsically motivated activities are not instrumental; this is
because the satisfaction is inherently associated with the activity as such
(e.g., to learn about or get more insight in something; to play tennis for the
fun of it).
2. Extrinsic motivation. It is a motive that appears because of there is an
outside stimulation. An activity is extrinsically motivated when it is
instrumental for reaching a goal that is not inherently related to the activity
(e.g., studying to get a reward; playing tennis to become a professional and
making a lot of money).
According to Woodworth and Marquis in Sardiman (2010: 88),
motivation has three part, those are:
1. Organic needs.
It is a motive which is brought since we were born and we don‟t need to learn this motivation. It consists of the need to eat, to drink, to take a rest,
2. Emergency motive
This motivation appears because there is an outside stimulus. Foe
example: the power to save the body, the power to respond, the power to
try, etc.
3. Objective motive
It relates with the needs to explore, manipulate and built an interest. The
motivation appears because of the power to face the world effectively.
4. The Way to Motivate the Students
` It is important for the teacher to motivate the students in teaching
learning process. The teacher can do it through some techniques such as:
providing media, using interesting method, and etc. It is true that students‟ motivation is on their intrinsic, and the teacher cannot improve it. But, the
teacher can do some action that will stimulate the students to be motivated in
learning. Harmer (1983: 100-103) states that we can build students‟ motivation in five distinct stages as follows:
a. Affect: the students are more likely stay motivated over period of time if
they think that the teacher cares about them. When students feel that the
teacher has little interest in them (or is unprepared to make effort to treat
them with consideration), they will have little incentive to remain
motivated.
b. Achievement: nothing motivates like success. Nothing demotivates like
continual failure. If everything is just too easy, students are likely to lose
difficult to attain. What students need to feel is a real sense of
achievement, which has cost them something to acquire but has no
bankrupted them in process.
c. Attitude: aspects such as the way we dress, where we stand and the way
we talk to the class all have a bearing here. Students also need to feel that
we know about the subject we are teaching. When students have
confidence in the teacher, they are likely to remain engaged with what is
going on. If they lose that confidence, it become difficult for them to
sustain the motivation they might have started with.
d. Activities: our students‟ motivation is far more likely to remain healthy if they are doing things they enjoy doing, and which they can see the point
of. We need to try to match the activity we take into lesson with the
students we are teaching. One way of doing this is to keep a constant eye
on what they respond well to and what they feel less engaged with. Only
then can we be sure that the activities we take into class have at least a
chance of helping to keep students engaged with the learning process.
e. Agency: here, it is the person or thing „that does‟. A lot of time, in some classes, students have thing done to them and, as a result, risk being
passive recipient of whatever is being handed down. Wes should be
interested, however, in things done by the students. Real agency occurs,
finally, when students take responsibility for their own learning, and we
can provoke them to do this in the various ways. No one is suggesting that
more we empower them and give them agency, the more likely they are to
stay motivated over a long period.
There are some ways to improve students‟ intrinsic motivation by
Slavin (2009: 132-135), those are:
a. Arousing interest: It is important to ensure the students the importance of
the interest towards the material given to show that the knowledge will be
got is worthwhile for them (Bergin, 1999; Tomlinson, 2002).
b. Maintaining curiosity: The teacher can use various ways to arouse or
maintain students‟ curiosity.
c. Using various interesting teaching method: Many kinds of teaching
method or using interesting material is a way to improve students‟ intrinsic motivation to learn something.
d. Helping student determine their aim: The students will learn harder to
catch the aim that made by their own self than made by other for them.
C. Pantomime
1. Definition of Pantomime
According to Aristoteles in Iswantara (2007: 1), pantomime is an
art show of using body movement incline to dumb show. Rendra in
Nuswantara also said that pantomime is all of human activities only from
explanation above, pantomime is a way to communicate using nonverbal
action, but using facial expression and body movement.
In conclution, it is believed that pantomime can use to teach vocabulary
because a teacher should be able to teach without any media outside her or
him. It means that, teacher can use their body to teach vocabulary. One of the
ways is using pantomime. Facial expression and body movement is an
effective way to catch students‟ attention in following the lesson. Teacher
commonly ask the student to memorize a word without using interesting way
to help them connecting the word with their memory. The student will be
more enthusiastic to learn vocabulary when they have an impression toward
the vocabulary because it is not boring or monotonous. Pantomime can give
an impression about a word, so the students will be more motivated to learn.
2. How to Play Pantomime
Some teachers in other countries had used pantomime as one of the teaching
methods. Based on Hirsch (2011: 1), there is an example how to play
pantomime that is: introduce pantomime into the classroom. Have students
become involved through physical movement, which helps them learn to
express themselves without using words. Prepare topics on slips of paper and
place them in a bag. Instruct students to select a topic. Call each student to the
front of the room and have him do a pantomime illustrating the topic. Ask the
rest of the class to guess what is portrayed. Use items such as playing in the
select a partner, and have the partners pantomime a situation that uses two
people, such as buying an item, having a phone conversation or playing a
sport. Instruct the class to guess the subject being portrayed. The other
example to teach pantomime is based onehow.com (2011: 1):
a. The students at the beginner (children) are natural actors. The teacher does
not need to teach them how to act; just need to provide an atmosphere that
encourages them to explore without self-consciousness.
b. The teacher tells the students that pantomime is just acting out something
without words. It can be a single action or it can tell a whole story.
c. The teacher may ask the students to pantomime simple daily actions like
brushing their teeth or playing with their pet. As they pantomime this, join
them in the pantomime.
d. The teacher can select a short children's book that features daily actions.
The teacher can explain that pantomime can bring a story to life, for
example by asking the students to pantomime the story as the teacher read
it. The teacher should read the story slowly, pausing at each page, and give
the students a chance to play. It can be done with a series of books over a
few days.
e. The teacher may choose two more books to read, but this time have half of
the students pantomime to one book first, then half to the other. Then, the
teacher have to encourage the students who are not pantomiming to watch
f. It is good to discuss what the students noticed in the pantomime. Ask them
if they could always tell what the person was pantomiming and discuss
their answers, leading them to an understanding that pantomime can be as
clear as words if they choose the right gestures.
g. The teacher must explain that pantomime does not need any words to tell a
story. The teacher may break the students into small groups if there is a
large number of students, and give each group a familiar scene from a
story to act out or a situation they can relate to. Then, give the students
time to work out their pantomime and perform it for the other students.
h. The teacher can encourage the students to write their own pantomime
stories or come up with their own situations to pantomime. The next is,
having them to work in small groups of their choice and perform their
pantomime for the other students.
D. Basic Assumption.
In this research, the writer tried to use pantomime as appropriate way
to improve students‟ motivation in learning vocabulary. Pantomime is an art
show that uses body movement and facial expression to communicate
something. It is a way that can increase students‟ motivation because it is fun
