THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING CROSSWORD PUZZLES TO INCREASE ENGLISH VOCABULARY MASTERY OF THE SECOND GRADE STUDENTS’ OF SMP N 2 AMBAL IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR OF 2012/ 2013

Abstract

The objective of this research is to find out whether teaching vocabulary by using Crossword Puzzle is effective for Junior High School students or not. This research is an experimental research which has been conducted on the second-grade students of SMP N 2 Ambal in the academic year 2012/2013. In this research the researcher took 52 students as the samples. The researcher took class VIIIA, which consists of 26 students as experimental group, and class VIIID, which consists of 26 students as control group. The test consists of 30 items as instrument of the research. It is a multiple choices reading test. The researcher had given pre-test before she taught the students vocabulary by using Crossword Puzzles, and the researcher gave post-test after she had taught the students vocabulary by using Crossword Puzzles media. Stasistically, the researcher analyzed the data by using t-test. The result of this study shows that there is significant effect of using Crossword Puzzles to teach the students vocabulary, since it was  found that the result of t-value is 2.99, the degree freedom (df)  is 50 and the level significance of t-test table is 5% (0.05) It shows 2.05. It is proven by the result of t-test sample related that the t-value is higher than t-table. Based on the result finding, it can be seen that using Crossword Puzzles as media to increase vocabulary is effective for Junior High School students’ of SMP N 2 Ambal in the academic year of 2012/2013.

Key word: Effectiveness, Crossword Puzzles, Vocabulary Mastery.