THE USE OF GAMES AS A STRATEGY
TO TEACH ENGLISH TO YOUNG LEARNERS
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN RESEARCH PAPER
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Ensa Puspita Sari
131214087
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2018
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
i
THE USE OF GAMES AS A STRATEGY
TO TEACH ENGLISH TO YOUNG LEARNERS
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN RESEARCH PAPER
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Ensa Puspita Sari
131214087
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2018
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
iv
DEDICATION PAGE
“Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.”
Proverbs 23:18
to Jesus Christ, beloved parents and family,
best friends,
and people who always ask “kapan sidang?”
Ensa Puspita Sari
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
vii
ABSTRACT
Sari, Ensa Puspita. (2018). The Use of Games as a Strategy to Teach English to
Young Learners. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program,
Sanata Dharma University.
As an English teacher, sometimes it is confusing how to get and keep
students’ interest during lessons. Basically, games are one of the best ways to
support English language learning. Games are one of the teaching techniques that
can be applied to young learners when they have problems in a learning activity.
Games are fun and young learners like to play them, anytime. By playing games,
students can discover new ideas, organize, and associate with their environment.
Based on the researcher’s and the respondents’ observation, there was a
problem found in some teaching and learning activities of young learners. The
problem was a lack of motivation to learn English. These general problems were
very common for some teachers when they taught their students in class. For
example, the students talked out of topic with their friends during the lessons.
When the teachers asked the students to repeat the teacher’s explanation, they
could not explain the material. Sometimes, the students felt shy to express their
ideas. For those reasons some teachers used games to teach the students so that the
students did not feel bored. In this research, the researcher aimed to make sure
that the use of games is beneficial for both the teachers and the students.
Therefore, the formulated question in this research is ‘How do the five
respondents’ perceive the use of games as a strategy to teach English to young
learners?’
In order to answer the research problem, the research method used in this
study was a qualitative method. Furthermore, the research instrument was
interviewing. The respondents of this research were five English teachers who had
different teaching experiences, educational backgrounds, and frequency of using
the games.
The results of the interviews showed that most of the teachers used games
as one of the strategies to teach their students. This strategy was considered an
excellent technique to facilitate the students in learning English. The teachers
thought that the use of games in teaching English was an effective and interesting
activity to do in their class. The researcher drew the conclusion that the teachers
had a good perception concerning the use of games in teaching English to young
learners.
Keywords: perception, games, teaching English, young learners
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
viii
ABSTRAK
Sari, Ensa Puspita. (2018). The Use of Games as a Strategy to Teach English to
Young Learners. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris,
Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Sebagai seorang guru bahasa Inggris, terkadang guru merasa bingung
tentang bagaimana cara membuat siswa tertarik selama pelajaran. Sebenarnya,
bahasa Inggris sangatlah mengasyikan dengan melakukan beberapa aktivitas,
seperti menggunakan permainan-permainan. Permainanadalah salah satu teknik
yang bisa diterapkan pada anak usia dini saat mereka bermasalah dalam
kegiatan belajar mengajar. Permainan itu menyenangkan dan anak-anak usia
dini sangat suka memainkannya, kapan saja. Dengan bermain permainan, siswa
dapat menemukan ide-ide baru, mengadakan, dan bergaul dengan lingkungan
mereka.
Berdasarkan pada pengalaman dari peneliti dan para responden, terdapat
masalah yang ditemukan dalam kegiatan belajar mengajar pada anak usia dini.
Masalah tersebut adalah kurangnya motivasi untuk belajar bahasa Inggris.
Masalah-masalah umum tersebut sangatlah akrab oleh beberapa guru ketika
mereka mengajar siswanya di kelas. Misalnya, mereka sering berbicara dengan
temannya selama pelajaran berlangsung. Terkadang, mereka merasa malu untuk
mengeluarkan pendapatnya dalam bahasa Inggris. Itulah alasan mengapa para
guru menggunakan permainan untuk mengajar siswa karena penggunaan
permainan adalah salah satu strategi untuk mengajar anak usia dini agar siswa
tidak merasa bosan. Dalam penelitian ini, peneliti mencoba untuk meyakinkan
bahwa penggunaan permainan sangat bermanfaat bagi guru dan siswa. Terdapat
satu rumusan masalah di dalam penelitian ini. Rumusan masalah tersebut adalah
bagaimana cara kelima responden memahami penggunaan permainan sebagai
strategi dalam mengajar bahasa Inggris pada anak usia dini?
Untuk menjawab rumusan masalah, peneliti menggunakan metode
kualitatif dalam penelitian ini. Terdapat instrumen penelitian untuk
mengumpulkan data. Instrumen penelitian tersebut adalah wawancara.
Responden dalam penelitian ini adalah lima guru bahasa Inggris yang
mempunyai pengalaman mengajar, latar belakang pendidikan, dan seringnya
menggunakan permainan yang berbeda.
Hasil dari wawancara menunjukkan bahwa kebanyakan guru
menggunakan permainan sebagai salah satu strategi untuk mengajar siswanya.
Strategi ini adalah teknik yang efektif untuk memfasilitasi siswanya untuk belajar
bahasa Inggris. Para guru berpikir bahwa penggunaan permainan dalam
mengajar bahasa Inggris adalah sebuah aktivitas yang efektif dan menarik untuk
dilakukan di dalam kelas mereka. Peneliti menarik kesimpulan bahwa para guru
mempunyai persepsi yang baik pada penggunaan permainan dalam mengajar
bahasa Inggris untuk anak usia dini.
Kata kunci: persepsi, permainan, pengajaran Bahasa Inggris, siswa muda
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First of all, I would like to give thanks to Jesus Christ for His love,
blessing, sanctuary, and guidance so that I could accomplish my research paper.
He is the single source of my power to do everything in my life. He has given me
the strength to finish my research well. Second, I would like to give thanks to my
beloved advisor, Christina Lhaksmita Anandari, Ed.M,. for always supporting,
helping and giving me advice to finish my research paper. Third, I would like to
give thanks to my five respondents, Paulina Rian, S.Pd., Dharu Krisma D.S,
S.Pd., Marcellina Winny, S.Pd., Vitha Ama Matuate, S.Pd., and Christina
Anggita, S.Pd,. for helping me to get the data and sharing about their experiences
in teaching young learners. Without all of you, this research paper would not be
finish.
I dedicated my great gratitude to my beloved Mama Endang Siswanti and
Papa Sabar Narimo for being my financial supporters during college, and also
thank you for being patient and supporting me in finishing my research paper. I
also give my thanks to my siblings, mas Andi, mas Neo, and mbak Lita, my
sisters-in-law, mbak Anggi and Mami Titis, my brother-in-law, mas Arif and
also my beloved nieces and nephew, Shallo, Alexa, Lael, and Ova.
My special thanks go to Maria Dian Fajar Rianti, S.Pd. and Rosalia
Ratya Amarta, S.Pd. for always reminding me and inspiring me to finish my
research paper. I am really grateful to have them and thank you for being my close
best friends in my college life. These girls are my best partners that I have ever
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
x
had in my life. I thank my friends, “SAPI POANG Squad” for always making me
laugh in the all night sessions during college. All of them are my first friends that
I met in this university. I give thanks to all of my classmates, Ouda’s Squad;
Acel, Tyas, Vero, Rosa Avia, Lol, Clara, Galuh, Cika, Hapri, Pinta, Retha,
Rosa Silala, Deta, Vian, Yansen, Venia, Astri, Galih, Wisnu, Viko, and Erwan
for all moments that we have shared together and during these4 years. My thanks
also goes to my academic advisor, Bapak F.X. Ouda Teda Ena, M.Pd., Ed.D.,
for being my “Bapak” in my college life. I also give thanks to all my friends in
PBI batch 2013 for the cooperation and the friendship during the last 4 years.
My special thanks also go to my best friends in junior and senior high
school, “GGR” and “THE GENGES”, for supporting me and inspiring me to
keep working on my research paper.
My next gratitude goes to my Pringgo-girls Sisterhood in Pringgodani
boarding house, mbak Agatha, mbak Maria, mbak Stella, mbak Fanny, mbak
Dita, mbak Aven, mbak Karin, mbak Tesa, and Vina for caring for me in the
last 3 years in the boarding house. These girls are my best-sisters in the world,
even though we are in different citiesnow, but they are always my good sisters.
Last, but not least, I thank everyone who has contributed in the process of
doing this research paper. Their help and support are really meaningful to me.
May God widen His blessing to all of them. God bless you.
Ensa Puspita Sari
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
xi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ........................................................................................................... i
APPROVAL PAGES .............................................................................................. ii
DEDICATION PAGE ............................................................................................ iv
STATEMENT OF WORK‟S ORIGINALITY ....................................................... v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN ........................................................... vi
ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... vii
ABSTRAK ............................................................................................................. viii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................... ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... xi
LIST OF APPENDICES ...................................................................................... xiii
CHAPTER I ............................................................................................................ 1
A. Background .................................................................................................. 1
B. Research Problem......................................................................................... 5
C. Methodology ................................................................................................ 5
1. Type of research ....................................................................................... 5
2. Respondents .............................................................................................. 6
3. Interview ................................................................................................... 8
CHAPTER II ......................................................................................................... 10
A. Review of Related Literature ..................................................................... 10
1. Young Learners ...................................................................................... 10
2. Teaching Games to Young Learners ...................................................... 13
3. Perception ............................................................................................... 17
B. Research Results and Discussion ............................................................... 19
1. Teachers‟ Perception on the Use of Games ............................................ 20
2. The Teachers‟ Positive Perception on the Use of Games ...................... 20
3. The Advantages of Using Games ........................................................... 24
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
xii
CHAPTER III ....................................................................................................... 29
A. Conclusions ................................................................................................ 29
B. Recommendations ...................................................................................... 31
1. The Teachers .......................................................................................... 31
2. The Future Researchers .......................................................................... 32
REFERENCES ...................................................................................................... 33
APPENDICES ...................................................................................................... 36
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
xiii
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix Page
A. Interview Guideline ………………………………………………………… 37
B. Interview Transcript …………………………………………….………….. 38
C. An Example of Games to Teach English to Young Learners………………. 42
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, the researcher discusses the research background and the
research method. The researcher establishes the reason for choosing this topic, the
investigated problem, and the importance of the study. Furthermore, the overview
of the study strategy is also provided.
A. Background
English language is studied by foreign language learners in formal and
non-formal education. In Indonesia, young learners need to master English
language because of the globalization era (Larsen & Long, 1991). However,
English can be a very fun language to learn if the students enjoy the class
activities. Teachers might be able to make the class fun by doing several activities,
such as using games. According to Wright, Betteridge, and Bucky (2006), the
word „game‟ means an activity which is entertaining and engaging, often
challenging, and an activity in which the learners play and usually interact with
others. Therefore, games do not only help children learn vocabulary or grammar
but also develop the learners‟ social and communicative skills. Their sense of fair
play encourages and increases cooperation with their friends. Games are
particularly valuable for a child to begin learning a foreign language. At the
beginning of learning a new language, children need some time to adapt to the
language, sounds and rhythms.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
2
In this globalization era it is not strange to hear people communicate using
English as their foreign language though it is not their first language. English as
an international language has also influenced our education. The 1994 Curriculum
states that the goal of teaching English to elementary school students is to
motivate or to encourage the students to be more ready and confident at the higher
level of study. Students are prepared earlier to have knowledge, skills, and
experiences in English before they enter the higher levels of study which put them
at the higher level of difficulties (Depdikbud, 1994, p. 1)
While considering that English is needed to be learnt, the government
constructed a curriculum which introduced English to the elementary students of
the fourth to the sixth grades. Furthermore, in order to improve our education, the
government created a new curriculum in 2006, it called School Based
Curriculum(SBC). Nowadays, this improvement can be observed clearly. One of
the changes is that English is not only introduced to the elementary students of
grade four as the 1994 curriculum stated but also to the earlier ages. It is not
strange if we can easily find schools which introduce English to the first or second
graders. This means that English teachers should deal with younger learners in
which it is not easy and sometimes there are challenges and problems.
Usually, children start pre-school at the age of 5-6 before they enter
primary school. At these ages, they are naturally curious and enthusiastic to
explore the world around them. They like to be active and have a lot of energy
which make preschool the perfect time to provide physical activities to teach a
language. Some have learned English since they are at the age of 6-12 years old in
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
3
the elementary level. They are also known as beginners when they learn English
in this age. In these ages, the students still need more interesting activities in the
learning process. Therefore, teachers use games as a strategy to teach their
students because it would be easier for elementary students.
They assume that games have benefits in teaching English. It prevents their
students from getting bored during the learning and teaching process. Being
lacking in motivation sometimes happens to students because their teachers are
not creative enough to teach them. The teacher usually gives the lessons by
applying the memorizing technique. It will make the students feel bored and
unenthusiastic to learn English. As Miffin (1997) stated, “Motivation is typically
defined as the forces that account for the arousal, selection, direction, and
continuation of behavior” (p. 399). Therefore, it is highly recommended that the
teachers give a kind of relaxation technique, such as games, to keep the students‟
anxiety and stress away (Ragunathan, 2001).
Based on the researcher‟s observation, as an English teacher, the researcher
found a problem. The problem was lack of motivation to learn English. These
general problems are very familiar to some teachers when they teach their
students in class. They said that, the students did not want to listen to them when
they gave the explanation. The students also talked a lot with their friends during
lesson. They usually talk about something out of the lesson. When the teachers
asked the students to explain what the teachers explained, they could not explain
the material. Sometimes, they feel shy to express their ideas. Although children
had an innate ability to learn a language, they did not learn properly if they find
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
4
their lessons boring and unexciting. In fact, children learn better through
interesting activities and for them games are very useful tools for teaching them a
foreign language. Actually, these games are the tools that help children learn in an
enjoyable environment without making them feel the pressure of learning a
foreign language. That was the reason why the teachers used games to teach the
students because the using of games was one of the strategies to teach young
learners in order that the students did not feel bored. They liked to use a game
because it would be more acceptable to the students than just doing worksheets or
listening to the theory. As what Martin (1995) wrote, a game is “any fun activity
which gives young learners the opportunity to practice the foreign language in a
relaxed and enjoyable way” (as cited in Brewster & Ellis, 2002, p. 172). Some
games are competitive, with teams or individuals working towards being the
winner. Other games are cooperative, where teams or pairs work together to
achieve a common goal, such as drawing a picture or solving a puzzle. However,
not all games can be used in the language learning context.
This paper explores the teachers‟ perception on the use of games in
teaching English to young learners. This paper showed that the purposes of the
interview were based on the teachers‟ perception. From the interview, the
researcher realized that the use of games in teaching English to young learners can
increase the students‟ motivation in learning. On other hand, the students also got
the advantages of using games. They became confident to speak in English and
also they did not feel bored in the class. They were motivated to learn English
through games. McCallum (1980) explained that games stimulate students‟
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
5
interest in classroom activities and it will make the students become motivated
and willing to learn English.
According to Kemp and Smellie (1989), perception is the process whereby
one becomes aware of the world around oneself. They defined perception as a
cognitive process in which a person views information and environment through
listening, seeing, smelling, feeling, and thinking. They also describe perception as
a unique interpretation toward a particular phenomenon. Based on the definitions
above, in this research, the concept of perception deals with the way teachers
think, feel and view about the use of games in teaching English to young learners.
B. Research Problem
The research problem for this paper is:
1. How do the five respondents perceive the use of games as a strategy to
teach English to young learners?
C. Methodology
1. Type of research
The type of research that was used in this paper was a qualitative research.
This qualitative research was aimed to understand the teachers‟ perception on the
use of games in teaching English to young learners. According to Johnson and
Christensen (2012), a qualitative research is a research which is used to
understand people‟s experiences and to express their perspectives (p. 33).
Moreover, Creswell (2012) stated that a qualitative research involves collecting
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
6
data based on words from a small number of individuals so that the participants‟
views are obtained and also includes analyzing the data for detailed descriptions
and determining the main themes by analyzing and interpreting the context for the
larger meaning of the findings (p. 16). Therefore, the researcher used qualitative
research since the data were in the form of words and sentences. It was not
dealing with numeric data and statistical analysis.
2. Respondents
The respondents of this paper were five English teachers who had different
teaching experiences, educational background, and frequency of using the games.
They were teaching in different institutions: Puri Kids English Course, Swift
English School, and Alpha English Course Yogyakarta. The teachers‟
pseudonyms were Teacher 1, Teacher 2, Teacher 3, Teacher 4, and Teacher 5.
The reason why the researcher chose the five respondents was because they
really like teaching the young learners. Besides, the English Language Education
study program did not teach us about English Young Learners. The English
Young Learners course was only offered in the elective courses for the students.
Therefore, not all students could join that class. Meanwhile, one of the
respondents also gave the reason why she likes teaching children. It was because
teaching children could be done in a way that was diverse and fun. The point was
that as teachers, we could use all forms of media that were interesting in learning
process.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
7
Teacher 1 was a graduate student of English Language Education of Sanata
Dharma University batch 2013. Teacher 1 has been teaching in the Swift English
School Yogyakarta for about 1.5 years. The respondent has experiences in
teaching kindergarten and primary school students in her institution, but
sometimes, she also taught Junior High School students. The respondent said to
the researcher that she always uses games to teach the students because all her
students are active, kinesthetic students and they need games in their learning
activities.
Teacher 2 was a graduate student of English Language Education of Sanata
Dharma University batch 2013. Teacher 2 has been teaching in the Puri Kids
English Course Yogyakarta for about 1.5 years. In her institution, the respondent
has experiences in teaching kindergarten and primary school students. In the
respondent‟s teaching experience, she always uses games to teach her students
because using a game is one of her techniques to teach English.
Teacher 3 is an undergraduate student of English Language Education of
Sanata Dharma University batch 2013. Teacher 3 has been teaching in the Alpha
English Course Yogyakarta for about 6 months. The respondent is only teaching
kindergarten and primary school students. While she is teaching in the course, the
respondent is not always using games in her learning process because she adjusts
with the lesson plan. The respondent used games only in the first meeting. Then,
she teaches based on the lesson plan.
Teacher 4 was a graduate student of English Language Education of Sanata
Dharma University batch 2011. Teacher 4 has been teaching in the Puri Kids
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
8
English Course Yogyakarta for about 2.5 years. She has experiences in teaching
kindergarten and primary school students. However, the respondent also has
taught play group students. Therefore, Teacher 4 always uses games in her
learning process. The respondent also told the researcher in the interview that her
institution required games or ice breakers in every learning.
Teacher 5 was a graduate student of English Language Education of Sanata
Dharma University batch 2013. Teacher 5 has been teaching in the Puri Kids
English Course Yogyakarta for about 8 months. Similar with other respondents,
Teacher 5 also has experiences in teaching play group, kindergarten and primary
school students. However, Teacher 5 said that the most difficult challenge in
teaching was teaching play group students. To overcome this challenge, she
always used games and movement activities in her teaching and learning process.
3. Interview
The researcher used an interview to gather the data from the teachers. As
what Cohen (2011) noted, an interview is a flexible tool for data collection,
enabling multisensory channels to be used: verbal, non-verbal, spoken and heard
expressions and is a powerful implementation for the researcher. From the
interviews, the researcher could get the main points from the teachers‟ perceptions
and also could get more information. The researcher did the interview with five
respondents at different times and different places. The researcher did the
interview and asked nine questions about their perceptions and experiences in
teaching English to young learners. The questions for the interview were already
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
9
prepared before the interview and the questions were in Indonesian in order to
help the teachers understand and answer the questions easily.
According to Creswell (2014), “in qualitative interviews, the researcher
conducts face-to-face interviews with participants, telephone interviews, or
engages in focus group interviews with six to eight interviewees in each group.
These interviews involve unstructured and generally open-ended questions that
are few in number and intended to elicit views and opinions from the
participants.” (p. 239). There are several types of interviews, such as face-to-face
(in a person interview), telephone (researcher interviews by phone), focus group
(researcher interviews participants in a group), and email Internet interviews.
However, this research used personal interview (face-to-face interviews). In other
words, the researcher conducted a face-to-face interview with the respondents. In
a special case, the researcher used a social media (Whatsapp) to do the interview
with one of the respondents because the respondent was in Jakarta. The media use
was called semi-closed since it could not be extended like the face-to-face
interviews.
Teacher 1 was interviewed on August 2, 2017 in the Almond Bakery,
Yogyakarta. Second, the Teacher 2 had the interview on August 3, 2017 in Jwalk
Mall, Yogyakarta. Third, the Teacher 3 was interviewed on August 3, 2017 in the
respondent‟s boarding house. Fourth, the Teacher 4 was interviewed on August 5,
2017 in Kedai IQ, Yogyakarta. Lastly, the Teacher 5 was interviewed on August
10, 2017 via voice note in Whatsapp application. This special arrangement was
because the Teacher 5 was not available in Yogyakarta for face-to-face interview.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
10
CHAPTER II
DISCUSSION
There are two parts in this chapter. The first one is the review of related
literature to explore the teachers‟ perception on the use of games with young
learners. The second one is the findings as well as the interpretation of the
findings.
A. Review of Related Literature
In this section, the researcher provides related theories for further discussion
on the problem. The theories are about young learners, teaching games to young
learners, and perception.
1. Young Learners
According to Suyanto (2007), young learners are elementary students aged
between 6-12 years old. They can be categorized into two groups. They are the
younger group in which the students are in the ages between 6-8 years old and the
older group in which the students are in the ages between 9-12 years old. Based
on the grade level, they also can be put into two groups. They are lower class and
upper class. The lower classes include students from grade 1, 2, and 3, whereas
the upper classes include students from grade 4, 5, and 6 (Suyanto, 2007). In
addition, Smith (1982) also categorizes elementary students into two different
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
11
levels. The first three years are called the primary grades, whereas the last three
years are called intermediate grades (p.16).
Berman (1998) described three different types of learning styles such as
visual learners, auditory learners and kinesthetic learners. Furthermore, there are
some teaching activities that can accommodate the three learning styles.
a. Visual learners
The learners understand the content of the lesson by seeing through their
eyes. Therefore, teachers can present something that can be seen by the learners,
such as pictures, diagrams, videos and hand-outs. The teaching activities can be
done by providing games through pictures and watching videos and movies.
b. Auditory learners
The learners will learn best through their ears. Therefore, the technique for
this style can be through songs. Children can learn something easily through
songs. By listening to the songs, they can learn the pronunciation of words,
numbers, and animals.
c. Kinesthetic learners
The learners will learn best by doing something and moving their body.
The technique for this style can be TPR (Total Physical Response). For example,
children can learn parts of body by touching their body and they can learn by
dancing or acting, such as role play games.
As what Rixon (1999) stated, the definition of young learners is children
between the ages of about 5 years old to 12 years old. It can be suggested that
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
12
games are a natural part of young learners‟ lives. According to Phillips (1993),
young learners respond to language according to what it does or what they can do
with it, rather than treating it as an intellectual activity or abstract system (p. 7).
Young learners also have the advantage of being great mimics, are often
unselfconscious, and are usually prepared to enjoy the activities which the teacher
has prepared for them. These factors mean that it is easy to make the English class
enjoyable, as the teaching activities can stimulate the learning experience for the
children. The activities can make the children have a high degree of motivation to
learn English. The young learners should be focused on the language as a vehicle
of communication and not on the grammar. It is true that if an activity is
enjoyable, it will be memorable. The children will have a sense of achievement
which will develop their motivation for further learning. Gardner and Lambert
(1972) stated that motivation is very important because it can influence learners‟
attitude toward the learning. If learners have positive attitudes, they have high
motivation in learning.
Concerning characteristics of young learners, some children are creative
and want to be active. They often use their imagination to create their own world.
The characteristics of the students are various. The children‟s learning strategies
will be different from adult learners. Vygotsky (1978) said, which is in contrast
with Piaget‟s theory, that the role of the adult and language in children‟s learning
are very important. There is a main difference between the theories of Piaget and
Vygotsky. Piaget believed that children learn through his or her own individual
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
13
action and exploration, whereas Vygotsky believes that adults or teachers work
actively to improve children‟s development in learning (Vygotsky, 1978).
The games which will be given to the children depend on the type of the
students. The students cannot only sit and listen to the teachers. They need to have
motivation to study through games. Children, especially boys, tend not to sit still
and sometimes resort to aggression probably because of the changes in hormones,
which is followed with high energy (Biddulph, 1998). Young learners create their
own learning engaging with their environment and they are active in their learning
process by exploring their immediate settings (Piaget, 1970). According to
Vygotsky (1962), children construct knowledge through social interaction. Within
the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), children acquire knowledge through
interaction with other people. Working within ZPD helps children reach their
optimum capacity to solve problems with assistance. Children learn effectively
through scaffolding with the help or guidance of an adult or more proficient peer
(Bruner, 1983). Since young learners have a lot of energy but minimum
concentration, it is better to engage them in physical activities within a playful
environment.
2. Teaching Games to Young Learners
According to Wright, Betteridge, and Bucky (1994), the word „game‟
means an activity which is entertaining and engaging, often challenging, and an
activity in which the learners play and usually interact with others. Crandall
(1998) stated that language games are not just time fillers or ice-breakers. They
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
14
can motivate, and encourage students to discover learning and solve problems.
They give the opportunity to learners to learn and use language in a meaningful
way, as well as they help teachers to understand the students‟ needs (as cited in
Khonmohammad, Gorjian, & Eskandari, 2014, p. 327). Moreover, Wright (1990)
also accounts games as one of the most powerful language tools creating an
atmosphere of success for young learners. By playing games students can discover
what to learn, be motivated and learn better.
Therefore, games do not only help children learn vocabulary or grammar
but also develop learners‟ social, communicative skills. Their sense of fair play
encourages and increases cooperation. Games can help the teacher create useful
and meaningful contexts for learning new vocabulary (Cameron, 2001). Using
games in teaching and learning of vocabulary is particularly effective because in a
fun situation, learning is less stressful for children. Games provide one way of
helping the learners to experience language rather than merely the study of it. By
using games, it will help and encourage many learners or their students to sustain
their interest and work.
Kamra (2010) concluded that using games is an efficient way to teach
English in the classroom. This way the teachers get the best results in the
classroom. It raises students‟ motivation. Games prepare young learners for life
and they acquire positive social attitudes. Games teach sharing, helping each other
and working as a team. In the process, children learn by doing, living, trying, and
imitating. As a result, this kind of learning is lasting. During games, some feelings
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
15
such as the pleasure of winning and the fear of losing may arise. This opportunity
gives to the teacher an idea about the students‟ character.
Huyen and Nga (2003) explained that:
Games have been shown to have advantages and effectiveness in learning
vocabulary in various ways. First, games bring in relaxation and fun for
students, thus help them learn and retain new words more easily. Second,
games usually involve friendly competition and they keep learners
interested. These create the motivation for learners of English to get
involved and participate actively in the learning activities. Third,
vocabulary games bring real world context into the classroom, and
enhance students' use of English in a flexible, communicative way (p.
14).
The statement above explains that the use of games such as vocabulary games
gives many benefits and demonstrates the effectiveness of using games in learning
English. All types of games can be applied in classroom activities. It shows that
games bring in relaxation and fun for the young learners.
Simpson (2015) wrote that games can be used with all of the language
skills; it can be focused on speaking, reading, listening, or writing. Moreover,
other advantages by using games are reducing anxiety and decreasing stressful
feelings of the students. Kim (1995) noted that there are four skills such as
listening, writing, speaking, and reading, which are provided in games for
language practice (p. 35). As Crookal (1990) stated, games are advantageous at
this point because they reduce anxiety, increase positive feelings and improve
self-confidence because learners are not afraid of punishment or criticism while
practicing the target language freely (p. 112).
Games are applied to young learners in order to have fun learning. Dunn
(1984) explained that there are two types of young learners. The first type is
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
16
young children. Games for young children begin with simple things. The
important part is giving young children opportunities to acquire basic language for
activities (p. 80). The second type is older children. According to Dunn, they are
no longer beginners, but post-beginners. They can manage to communicate in
simple English in a variety of classroom situations and begin to use English to
predict into the future and to recount past happenings. Since they are more mature,
the material of games will be at a more advanced level.
Games provide the English teachers with many advantages when they are
used in the classroom. One of these advantages is that learners are motivated to
learn the language when they are in a game. McCallum (1980, p. ix) emphasizes
this point by suggesting that “games automatically stimulate student interest, a
properly introduced game can be one of the highest motivating techniques.” In
other words, games stimulate students‟ interest in classroom activities and the
result is students become motivated and willing to learn English.
McCallum (1980) explains that there are many advantages of games such
as the fact that they focus students‟ attention on specific structures, grammatical
patterns, and vocabulary items; can function as reinforcement, review and
enrichment, involve equal participation from both slow and fast learners; can be
adjusted to suit the individual age and language levels of the students; contribute
to an atmosphere of healthy competition, providing an outlet for the creative use
of natural language in a non-stressful situation; can be used in any language
teaching situations and with all skill areas (reading, writing, speaking or
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
17
listening); provide immediate feedback for the teacher; and ensure maximum
student participation for a minimum of teacher preparation. (p. 9).
3. Perception
Suparinah (1986) defines perception as an active process in which a person
views a stimulus together with his experiences, motivation, and attitude.
According to Kemp and Smellie (1989), perception is the process whereby one
becomes aware of the world around oneself. They defined perception as a
cognitive process in which a person views information and environment through
listening, seeing, smelling, feeling, and thinking. They also describe perception as
a unique interpretation toward a particular phenomenon. Based on the definitions
above, in this research, perception deals with the way teachers think, feel and
view about the use of games in teaching English to young learners. In perception,
we use our senses to understand our environment. It means that people can give
their perceptions on what they see, what they experience, and what they hear
about something based on their senses. Flemming and Levi (1998) stated that
perception is the process whereby someone becomes aware of the environment
around them.
According to Leonitive (1981), perception can be formed if someone is
aware of experiencing an event. After the perception is formed, the information is
then organized and interpreted as behavioral responses to the stimuli (p. 31).
Robbins (2001) states that perception is a process by which someone responds,
understands, and gives meaning to the stimulus from the surrounding environment
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
18
(p. 122). He also describes that the first impression is important in forming the
perception. Having a good impression will lead to the positive perception, in
which the person feels happy and will like the object of perception.
According to Donnelly, Gibson, and Invancevich (1985), factors of
perception are divided into six parts. They note that because each person gives his
or her own meaning to stimuli, different individuals will “see” the same thing in
different ways (p. 60). In other words, someone‟s and others‟ perceptions will be
different on the same thing. In addition, they also state that there are six factors
that influence the perception. They are stereotype, selectivity, self-concept,
situation, need, and emotion. However, the researcher only mentioned several
parts that were reputed important.
a. Stereotype
Donnelly, Gibson, and Invancevich (1985) defined, stereotype as “a set of
beliefs about the characteristics of people in a particular group that is generalized
to all members of the group” (p. 64). In other words, stereotype is a personal
characteristics judgment given by someone in a set of conditions between some
people in a group and all members of the group.
b. Situation
According to Donnelly, Gibson, and Invancevich (1985), the situation is
related to the pressure of the time, the attitudes of the people and other situational
factors. Those factors can affect perceptual accuracy. It means that the situation is
very important since it can influence someone‟s perception.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
19
c. Need
The next factor is need. As what Donnelly, Gibson, and Invancevich
(1985) stated, perception is significantly influenced by needs and desires. The
statement above explained that needs affect someone in shaping their perceptions.
d. Emotion
The last factor of perception is emotion. Donnelly, Gibson, and
Invancevich (1985) supported that “a person‟s emotional state has a lot to do with
perception” (p. 67). In addition, emotion can also develop the positive and
negative perceptions. Therefore, emotion has a significant influence to make
someone‟s perception.
B. Research Results and Discussion
The research results aim to answer the research question in the previous
chapter. In order to answer the question, the researcher conducted the interviews
with five teachers who taught in Puri Kids, Alpha English Course and Swift
English Course. The Puri Kids teachers had taught their students approximately
for 8 months – 2.5 years. Then, the Alpha English Course teacher had taught her
students for about 6 months. Last, the Swift English Course teacher had taught her
students for 1.5 years. From the interview, the researcher knew that four out of
five teachers always used games for their learning. According to the teachers, they
always used games because a game was one of the methods to better teach young
learners to focus on the language learning. They said that a game was also one of
the media to attract students‟ enthusiasm to follow the lesson.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
20
1. Teachers’ Perception on the Use of Games
Based on the interview, the researcher gained deeper information about the
use of games, including the kinds of games the teachers used. Every teacher had
different games to teach their students. There were some games that were usually
used by teachers to teach young learners, such as flash cards, tic tac two, one two
three game, tap on game, ball game, hide and seek, UNO stacko, role play,
guessing game, London Bridge game, puppet, and mystery box. Based on the
interview, those games were used successfully by teachers in their perceptions.
In this section, there were two parts of teachers‟ perceptions on the use of
games. The first one discusses about the teachers‟ positive perception on the use
of games. The second one was the advantages of using games. Through the
interviews, the researcher could gain deeper information from the teachers.
Furthermore, it collected information about both; the teachers‟ positive perception
on the use of games and the advantages of using games.
2. The Teachers’ Positive Perception on the Use of Games
The focus of this part was the teachers‟ perception. According to Robbins
(2001), perception is a process by which someone responds, understands, and
gives meaning on the stimulus from their surrounding environment. Based on
Robbins‟ statement, the researcher used instruments that could support the
research to get the opinions from the respondents‟ positive point of view about the
use of games in teaching English to young learners. In addition, Fromme (2003)
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
21
noted that playing language games was a new experience and a happy diversion
from the regular classroom activities. This research emphasized how the teachers
perceive the use of games. The data of the interviews were analyzed by combining
the results.
In the interviews, the teachers said that the use of games in teaching
English to young learners was an effective technique to facilitate the students to
learn English. For example, Teacher 4 stated that one of the strategies to teach
young learners was the use of games in their learning activity because it would be
more effective than if the teachers gave only theories. As a result, the students
would easily remember what they learned in their class by using games.
“Menurut saya ini sangat efektif, karena dibandingkan dengan teori itu
akan sangat membosankan untuk anak-anak TK terlebih ya. Apalagi
kalau kita ajak mereka dengan bermain, mereka akan menerima
pelajaran dengan mudah. Terutama itu sangat membantu guru dalam
membantu mereka dalam belajar.” (Teacher 4)
“I believe, it was very effective, because compared to the theory it would
be very boring for kindergarten children. Moreover, if we invited them to
play, they would receive the lesson easily. Besides, it was very helpful
for teacher in assisting them in learning.” (Teacher 4)
Teacher 4 said that teachers liked to use a game because it would be more
acceptable to the students than by doing worksheets or listening to the theory. It
also helped the students to learn about the materials that they learned in school.
According to Simpson (2015), games also lend themselves well to revision
exercise helping learners recall material in a pleasant, entertaining way.
According to Huyen and Nga (2003), they explained the rationale behind
applying the game format this way:
Games have been shown to have advantages and effectiveness in learning
vocabulary in various ways. First, games bring in relaxation and fun for
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
22
students, thus help them learn and retain new words more easily. Second,
games usually involve friendly competition and they keep learners
interested. These create the motivation for learners of English to get
involved and participate actively in the learning activities. Third,
vocabulary games bring real world context into the classroom, and
enhance students' use of English in a flexible, communicative way. (p.14)
The statements above showed that games brought in relaxation and fun for
students. The results were also supported by the data from the interview. Teacher
2 stated “…strategi guru adalah memberikan games dalam setiap pelajaran agar
para murid tidak merasa bosan dan mereka bisa menikmati pelajaran.” (…the
teacher‟s strategy was giving the game in every lesson in order that the students
did not feel bored and they could enjoy the lesson). In other words, Teacher 2
claimed that games were motivating and entertaining the students.
Moreover, Teacher 5 also stated that games could draw students‟ interest
and motivation.
“…games dapat menarik minat dan motivasi belajar siswa. Apalagi
mereka kan masih anak-anak dan mereka juga masih suka bermain…”
(Teacher 5)
“…games could attract students‟ interest and motivation. Moreover, they
were still children and they also still loved to play…” (Teacher 5)
In other words, the students were easily encouraged to learn because they were
interested and motivated through the games. The students also had a chance to use
their imagination and creativity to play the game in the classroom. Therefore, they
were motivated to learn. Simpson (2015) suggested that games were used not only
for fun, but more importantly, for the useful practice and review of language
lessons, thus leading toward the goal of improving learners‟ communicative
competence. He also stated that games encouraged participation from all learners.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
23
The results from the interview indicated that the students could interact with other
students and they became friendlier. As Teacher 3 stated, “…jadi kalau bisa game
nya harus melibatkan semua anak, bukan yang individu gitu. Kalau melibatkan
semua anak kan, anak-anak menjadi bisa berinteraksi satu sama lain.”(…so, if
could be the game should involve all the students, not the individual. If the teacher
involved all the students, they would be able to interact with each other).
It could be inferred from another interviewee‟s statement who said that a
game should create a setting for learners to develop their skills in working with
others. As Teacher 4 stated, “…sebenarnya jenis-jenis games itu banyak. Tapi
intinya sih, aku kasih yang bisa mengajarkan siswa untuk berinteraksi satu sama
lain.” (…there were so many types of games. However, the point was I gave the
game that could teach the students to interact with each other). In other words, the
teacher taught the students how to cooperate with other students in a group. That
statement declared that games could encourage quieter students to participate,
especially when games were played in a group. Simpson (2015) stated that many
games involved a degree of competition, although this was not always the case.
In the interview, Teacher 1 explained that games should be focused on the
language skills. For example, the teacher usually taught writing and speaking, and
then she should make a plan to teach the students by using games in writing and
speaking. As Teacher 1 stated, “…games itu harus difokuskan pada ketrampilan
apa yang dipelajari siswa, writing atauspeakingkah..” (…the games should be
focused on what skills the students learnt in writing or speaking...). Four skills
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
24
such as listening, writing, speaking, and reading were provided in games to
practice language (Kim, 1995, p. 35).
Gardner and Lambert (1972) stated that motivation was very important
because it could influence learners‟ attitude toward the learning. If learners had
positive attitudes, it meant that they had high motivation in learning. By
understanding the results of the interview, the researcher concluded that the
teachers had a positive perception. The results showed that games were one of the
strategies to teach young learners based on the teachers‟ positive perceptions on
the use of games. It would be much effective than if the teachers gave only
theories. The students would also easily remember what they learned in their
lessons by using games. Moreover, the results also demonstrated that the use of
games was a way to make the lessons more effective, interesting, and enjoyable
for students.
3. The Advantages of Using Games
Teaching English to young learners is not an easy job since it requires a lot
of work and preparation. Throughout the teachers‟ experience as teachers of
English for young learners, they faced a lot of problems looking for the best way
to teach English to children; how to drew their attention and keep it for the whole
class period; how to motivate children and encourage them to learn. Games
provided language teachers with many advantages when they were used in the
classroom. One of these advantages was that learners were motivated to learn the
language when they were engaged in games. Dornyei (2001) stated that
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
25
motivation was defined as the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-
oriented behaviors.
According to the interviews, the researcher decided that the second section
was the advantages of using games. The interviewees shared about their
experiences in teaching English to young learners based on the advantages. One of
the teachers concluded that the use of games has benefits in teaching English.
Teacher 2 stated, “Ya tentu saja, karena kalau tidak ada games, pasti murid-
murid mudah bosan dan tidak antusias dalam mengikuti pelajaran.” (Of course
yes, because if there were no games, surely the students were easily bored and not
enthusiastic in following the lesson). In other words, the Teacher 2 assumed that
the use of games prevented their students from getting bored during the class
activities. Moreover, Teacher 5 also stated that the students easily remembered the
material which was given by the teacher.
“…di sisi lain pun, mereka juga tidak akan bosan di kelas. Sehingga
materi yang diberikan guru akan mudah menyerap ke dalam otak mereka.
Karena dari aktivitas-aktivitas bermain itu, anak-anak menjadi mudah
mengingat apa yang sudah dipelajari.” (Teacher 5)
“…on the other hand, they also did not feel boring in the class. So, the
material which was given by the teacher would be easily absorbed into
their brain. Because from that activities, the children could easily
remember what they learned.” (Teacher 5)
In other words, the students easily remembered the material given by the teacher
because games also were very useful and meaningful to the students. McCallum
(1980) stated that games automatically stimulated student interest, a properly
introduced game can be one of the highest motivating techniques. The result from
the interviews indicated that games were one of the useful techniques for teachers
in their English teaching. Games could motivate the students during their lessons.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
26
In the interviews, the teachers also explained that the students could
produce sentences through games. As Teacher 5 stated, “…seperti
instruction“stand up”, “jump”, atau “sit”. Instruction tersebut sih menurut saya
bisa menambah vocabulary mereka.” (…for example, the instructions such as
“stand up”, “jump”, or “sit”. I thought, those instructions could increase their
vocabulary.) It also proved that games could help students to produce sentences.
When the students played in a game, they tried to speak in English.
“…yang menang bisa bertanya sesuatu ke teman yang kalah, misalnya
“what are you doing?” atau “what time do you study?”. Melalui tanya
jawab seperti itu, murid yang menang maupun kalah bisa produce
sentence dari permainan ini…”(Teacher 2)
“…the winner could ask something to friend who lost, for example “what
are you doing?” or “what time do you study?”. Through that question and
answer, the students who would be the winner or loser could produce
sentence from that game…” (Teacher 2)
From that statement, we knew that the students could produce sentences from the
game. Those words would influence their habits to speak in English. Vocabulary
games brought real world context into the classroom, and enhanced students‟ use
of English in a flexible, communicative way (Huyen & Nga, 2003). Games
contributed to vocabulary learning if they gave students a chance to learn, to
practice, and to review the English language in a pleasant atmosphere.
Another advantage of using games was that the students‟ anxiety towards
language learning decreased. In the class, the students felt stressful because they
thought that they had to master the target language that was unknown to them.
Besides, students became too anxious about being criticized and punished by their
teachers when they made a mistake. Games were advantageous at this point
because they reduced anxiety, increased positive feelings and improved self-
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
27
confidence because learners were not afraid of punishment or criticism while
practicing the target language freely (Crookal, 1990, p.112).
In the interview, Teacher 5 declared, “…tapi kebanyakan dari game-game
yang pernah aku lakuin di kelas, itu biasanya akan menimbulkan motivasi dan
kepercayaan diri mereka…” (…however, games that I ever did in the classroom,
it would usually lead to their motivation and confidence…). In other words, the
students became more confident when they spoke in English. As Teacher 5 also
mentioned, “…Misalnya speaking, jadi mereka bisa ngomong bahasa Inggris
dengan baik gitu…” (…Such as speaking, so they could speak English well…). It
was also proved by Teacher 4 that not all students could receive the material well.
“…karena kan bagi mereka bahasa Inggris itu baru ya, apalagi untuk
anak-anak seperti mereka, tapi kalau dari awal sudah terbiasa
mendengar bahasa Inggris ya mudah. Meskipun kalimat-kalimat seperti
“I like mango”, itu kan basic banget ya. Bagi mereka yang belum pernah
dengar bahasa Inggris itu sulit sekali lho.” (Teacher 4)
“…because for them, English was new, especially for children like them,
but if from the beginning had been accustomed to hear English it became
easy. Although the phrases like "I like mango", was really basic, for
those who never heard English it was very difficult.” (Teacher 4)
In other words, the Teacher 4 claimed that there was no pressure when speaking in
English in the activity. Therefore, the students could speak naturally.
Based on the results of the interview, the researcher concluded that there
were advantages of using games in teaching English to young learners. Games
made a connection with the real life situation to the classroom which provided
students with an opportunity to use the language. Hopefully, it made the students
speak in English naturally by using games. It also brought the positive impact to
the students. As McCallum (1980) explained that games stimulate students‟
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
28
interest in classroom activities and it would make the students to become
motivated and willing to learn English.
All findings of this research were related to teachers and students. The
teachers had a positive perception on the use of games. Hence, the positive
perception could be related to the advantages of using games in teaching English
to young learners. It would have positive impact on the students‟ learning process.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
29
CHAPTER III
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter consists of two parts, namely conclusions and
recommendations. The first part is conclusions which focus on the summary of
the research results and discussion. Then, the second part is recommendations for
the teachers and the future researchers.
A. Conclusions
As a teacher or instructor, the teacher does not always know how to
increase the students‟ interest during the English lesson. In this research, the
researcher tried to make sure that the use of games is beneficial for the teachers
and the students. The researcher conducted this research to find out the teachers‟
perceptions on the use of games in teaching English to young learners. Then, the
researcher tried to analyze the results of the interviews and draw the conclusions.
The researcher found that all the teachers as the respondents had a positive
perception on the use of games in teaching English to young learners. Most of the
teachers agreed that the use of games also provided some advantages for the
teachers and students. Moreover, the results also demonstrated that the use of
games could make the lessons more effective, interesting, and enjoyable for
students.
As we knew that in the young learners‟ age, they still wanted to play. They
did not want to study seriously. Some of them really liked movement activity
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
30
because it was still hard for them to sit still all the time and pay attention to their
teacher. It made them bored. The results of the interview showed that most of the
teachers used games as one of strategies to teach their students. This strategy was
an effective technique to facilitate the students to learn English. The teachers
thought that the use of games in teaching English was an effective and interesting
activity to do in their class. They assumed that it would be more effective than if
the teachers only gave the students theories. They liked to use the games because
it would be more acceptable to the students than doing worksheets or listening to
the theory. It proved that the students easily remember what they have learned in
their class by using games. In addition, the teachers obviously stated that the use
of games made the students happy and they did not feel bored in the class. It also
motivated the students to learn English and they then spoke English freely.
Furthermore, the teachers also stated that there were a lot of advantages
which they got through the activity. For instance, by using games, the students
would be more active since it increased their mood in studying English. The
students were interested in challenging games. It gave the benefits for the students
to learn English. They could produce the sentences through the games. Then, the
students became more confident to speak in English. The other benefit was it is
helpful to get the students‟ attention. This strategy also was helping them to learn
about how to cooperate with other students in a group. The teachers said that by
using games, it would be the way to encourage students and to get them to
participate actively in the learning process, especially when games were played in
a group. In short, the researcher drew a conclusion that the teachers had a good
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
31
perception on the use of games in teaching English to young learners. The positive
perceptions could be related to the advantages of using games in teaching English
to young learners. Then, the students got positive impact on the students‟ learning
process. The researcher could conclude that games could be applied in any
classroom as an effective and interesting way that could be applied in any lessons.
The results of this research suggested that games were used not only for more fun,
but more importantly, for the useful practice and review of language lessons.
B. Recommendations
In this section, the researcher would like to give some recommendations to
the teachers who teach English to young learners and also to the future researchers
who have similar interests in the use of games to teach young learners. There are
two parts of the recommendations. They are for the teachers and the future
researchers.
1. The Teachers
There are some recommendations for the teachers, as instructors, in class.
Teachers can use games to teach their students appropriately. The using of games
with young learners is based on the teachers‟ creativity. If the games are not
appropriate, the students will feel bored. Teachers can apply the games in every
learning process because the students will feel happy and they will not feel bored
in the class. The teachers also can use games as an ice breaker in the class.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
32
2. The Future Researchers
The last recommendation is for the future researchers. The future
researchers who have similar interests in the topic of the use of games to teach
young learners can conduct the observation with the teachers in the class. The
future researchers also can observe the students while they are playing games in
the class. Then, the researchers can draw appropriate conclusions about the use of
games in teaching English to young learners.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
33
REFERENCES
Berman, M. (1998). A multiple intelligence road to an ELT classroom.
Bancyfelin: Crown House
Biddulph, S. (1988). Raising boys. London: Thorson.
Brewster, J., Ellis, G., & Girard, D. (2002). The primary english teachers guide
(new edition). Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching languages to young learners. Cambrigde:
Cambrigde University Press.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2011). Research methods in education
(7th ed). Upper Saddle River: Routlledge.
Crandall, J. (1998). Collaborate and cooperate: Teacher education for intergrating
language and content instruction. English Teaching Forum, 36 (1): 2-9.
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: planning, conducting and evaluating
quantitative and qualitative research, 4th edition. Boston: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
methods approaches, 4th edition. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publication.
Crookal, D. (. (1990). Stimulation, gaming, and language learning. New York:
Newbury House.
Depdikbud. (1994). Kurikulum pendidikan dasar (GBPP). Jakarta: Depdikbud.
Dornyei, Z. (2001). Motivational strategies in the language classroom.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Dunn, O. (1984). Developing English with young learners. London: Macmillan
Publishers LTD.
Fromme, J. (2003). Computer games as a part of children's culture. Retrieved
September 9, 2017, from Games studies:
http://gamestudio.org/0301/fromme
Garnerd, R., & Lambert, W. (1972). Attitudes and motivation in second-language
learning. Rowley, Mass: Newbury House Publishers.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
34
Gibson, L., Ivancevich, J., & Donnelly, J. (1985). Organizing: behavior,
structure, and processes (5th ed). Boston: Bussiness Publications Inc.
Huyen, N., & Thu-Nga, K. T. (2003). Learning vocabulary through games. Asian
EFL Journal , p. 14.
Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. (2012). Educational research: qualitative,
quantitative, and mixed approaches (4th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE
Publications.
Kamra, R. (2010). The importance of using games in the English classroom.
Retrieved November 12, 2017, from http://englishtips.org
Kemp, J. E., & Smellie, D. C. (1989). Planning, producing, and using
instructional medium (6th ed). New York: Harper & Row.
Khonmohammad, H., Gorjian, B., & Eskandari, Z. (2004). Using games to affect
learners' motivation in learning English grammar. International Journal of
Language Learning an Applied Linguistics World .
Larsen, F., & Long, M. (1991). An introduction to second language acquisition
research. New York: Longman.
Lee, S. (1995). Creative games for the language class. Language Teaching , 33
(1), 35-41.
McCallum, G. (1980). Word games for students of English as a second and
foreign language. Oxford United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Phillips, S. (1993). Young learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Piaget, J. (1970). The science of education and the psychology of the child. New
York: Oxford.
Ragunathan, A. (2001). Five simple techniques to improve your memory.
Retrieved July 15, 2017, from
http://www.psychology4call.com/fivememorytechniques.htm
Rixon, S. (1999). Young learners of English: some research perspective. London:
Longman.
Robbins, S. (2005). Organizational behavior (1th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pretice Hall Inc.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
35
Simpson, A. (2015). Using games in the language classroom. Retrieved
September 9, 2017, from http://myweb.sabanciuniv.edu/adams
Smith, M. (1982). Learning and its classroom application. Boston: Allyn &
Bacon Inc.
Suparinah, S. (1986). Persepsi sosial. Jakarta: LP3ES.
Suyanto, K. (2007). English for young learners. Jakarta: Bumi Aksara.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge Mass: Harvard University Press.
Wright, A. (1990). Games for language learning. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Wright, A., Betteridge, D., & Buckby, M. (1994). Games for language learning.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wright, A., Betteridge, D., & Buckby, M. (2006). Games for language learning.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
36
APPENDICES
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
37
APPENDIX A Interview Guideline
INTERVIEW GUIDELINE
1. Sudah berapa lama Anda mengajar siswa young learners di tempat kerja Anda?
2. Selama Anda mengajar siswa young learners, apakah Anda selalu menerapkan games
dalam setiap pembelajaran yang Anda lakukan?
3. Bagaimana pendapat Anda tentang menerapkan games dalam pembelajaran bahasa
Inggris untuk young learners?
4. Apakah strategi tersebut dapat menarik perhatian siswa dan mudah untuk diterapkan?
5. Menurut pendapat Anda, apakah games yang sudah diterapkan dapat memfasilitasi
para siswa dalam belajar bahasa Inggris?
6. Menurut pengalaman Anda selama mengajar siswa, bagaimana typical siswa Anda?
7. Menurut Anda, jenis (nama) games apakah yang cocok untuk mengajar siswa dalam
belajar bahasa Inggris?
8. Bagaimana persepsi Anda tentang penggunaan games dalam mengajar bahasa Inggris
untuk murid dibawah umur 12 tahun?
9. Apakah dalam penggunaan games yang sudah Anda terapkan selama ini dapat
membantu siswa dalam belajar bahasa Inggris?
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
38
APPENDIX B Interview Transcript
INTERVIEW Transcript
Note:
R: Researcher
T: Teacher
Interview transcript with English teacher
R: “Okay, selamat siang. Saat ini saya akan memulai memberikan beberapa pertanyaan untuk
respondent 2 yang berkaitan dengan penggunaan games untuk siswa-siswa young
learners di tempat kerja Anda. Apakah sudah siap?”
T: “Okay, sudah siap. Silahkan.”
R: “Pertanyaan pertama, sudah berapa lama Anda mengajar siswa young learners di tempat
kerja Anda?”
T: “Kira-kira ya 1,5 tahun lamanya.”
R: “Selama Anda mengajar siswa young learners, apakah Anda selalu menerapkan games
dalam setiap pembelajaran yang Anda lakukan?”
T: “Ya tentu saja. Karena kalau tidak ada games, pasti murid-murid mudah bosan dan tidak
antusias dalam mengikuti pembelajaran.”
R: “Bagaimana pendapat Anda tentang menerapkan games dalam pembelajaran bahasa
Inggris untuk young learners?”
T: “Ya itu sangat tepat sekali. Karena anak kecil tidak bisa untuk selalu belajar. Strategi guru
adalah memberikan games dalam setiap pelajaran agar para murid tidak merasa bosan
dan mereka bisa menikmati pelajaran.”
R: “Apakah strategi tersebut dapat menarik perhatian siswa dan mudah untuk diterapkan?”
T: “Ya. Dengan games perhatian siswa jadi bisa fokus. Karena mereka tertarik dengan
games, jadi pusat perhatian mereka ada di games. Penerapannya tergantung level dari
kelas murid tersebut. Semakin level rendah semakin gamesnya mudah.”
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
39
R: “Menurut pendapat Anda, apakah games yang sudah diterapkan dapat memfasilitasi para
siswa dalam belajar bahasa Inggris?”
T: “Games bisa disesuaikan dengan materi pelajaran di hari tersebut. Tidak cuma sekedar
games yang tidak ada hubungannya dengan pelajaran. Guru juga berusaha untuk
membantu siswa dalam menerapkan pembelajaran seperti vocabulary atau produce
sentence, bahkan dengan bermain pun mereka juga bisa belajar. Bermain games didalam
kelas juga akan membuat mood anak-anak menjadi bagus. Harapannya dengan bermain
games, ini dapat membantu siswa dalam belajar bahasa Inggris.”
R: “Menurut pengalaman Anda selama mengajar siswa, bagaimana typical siswa Anda
temui?”
T: “Typical siswa bermacam-macam. Ada yang aktif, pendiam, diberi games apa saja mau
bahkan ada murid yang diminta untuk bermain juga tidak mau. Anak-anaknya ada yang
nakal, atau mereka juga ingin main games yang menggunakan anggota tubuh seperti
hide and seek.”
R: “Menurut Anda, jenis-jenis atau nama games apakah yang cocok untuk mengajar siswa
dalam belajar bahasa Inggris?”
T: “Ada beberapa games yang saya gunakan saat mengajar murid-murid saya. Pertama adalah
games tic tac two. Tic tac two adalah permainan yang dimana ada suatu papan terdapat 9
kotak, 3 kesamping dan 3 kebawah. Permainan ini untuk 2 orang. Setiap orang harus
menentukan satu symbol yang sama. Tujuannya adalah siswa harus membuat garis
dalam 3 kotak secara sejajar. Yang menang bisa bertanya sesuatu ke teman yang kalah,
misalnya “What are you doing?” atau “what time do you study?”. Melalui tanya jawab
seperti itu, murid yang menang maupun kalah bisa produce sentence dari permainan
ini.Selain itu murid juga bisa belajar boom game, misal guru pilih dengan kelipatan 3 dan
murid yang ditunjuk pertama harus berkata boom setiap kelipatan 3 dengan contoh “1 2
boom, 4 5 boom.” Lalu selanjutnya ada guessing game. Dalam permainan ini guru
mempersiapkan beberapa kartu yang terdiri dari gambar tentang daily activity misalnya.
Lalu salah satu murid melihat gambar tersebut dan memperagakannya, sedangkan teman-
teman lainnya menebak. Misalnya “he is playing football; he is swimming.”Selain itu
ada pula permainan whispering game. Dalam permainan ini murid-murid membuat satu
barisan ke belakang, dan yang paling belakang diperlihatkan satu gambar, dari gambar
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
40
tersebut orang paling belakang membisikkan depannya dengan suatu kalimat misalnya
“she is reading a book”, dan orang yang sudah diberi tahu kalimat tersebut harus
menyalurkan ke orang depannya sampai yang paling depan. Tugas orang yang paling
depan adalah memberi tahu gurunya apakah kalimat yang disampaikan tersebut benar
atau salah dan guru yang akan menilainya.
R: “Kira-kira, games yang sudah disebutkan diatas itu cocok untuk kelas berapa?”
T: “Games Tic Tac Two cocok untuk kelas 5 dan 6 SD. Kalau Guessing game cocok untuk
kelas 1-6 SD. Karena Whispering games diterapkan untuk kelas 1-6, maka untuk TK
juga bisa diterapkan, tetapi dengan vocabulary yang mudah. Misalnya, “it is an apple”;
atau “it is a dog” yang mudah seperti itu.”
R: “Menurut Anda, bagaimana cara guru membangun mood siswa dengan menggunakan
games?”
T: “Sebenarnya saya sangat sering mengalami kesulitan untuk membuat murid-murid
antusias dengan bermain saat mood mereka tidak bagus. Kebanyakan kalau saya ajak
bermain games, mereka tidak mau karena mungkin mereka sedang kelelahan dan sedang
tidak mau bermain. Pertama, saya mensiasatinya dengan cara menanyakan terlebih
dahulu kepada murid-murid, maunya mereka bermain apa. Mereka juga sering
memberikan masukan maunya bermain apa, misal “main games ini aja Miss.” Terkadang
juga saya mengajak mereka bernyanyi atau melihatkan video pendek terlebih dahulu.”
R: “Bagaimana persepsi Anda tentang penggunaan games dalam mengajar bahasa Inggris
untuk murid dibawah umur 12 tahun?”
T: “Menurut persepsi saya, games sangat bermanfaat untuk belajar bahasa Inggris, bahasa
yang mungkin untuk anak-anak dibawah umur 12 tahun itu merupakan bahasa yang sulit.
Games adalah salah satu strategi supaya siswa itu tidak bosan dengan belajar. Games
juga bisa membuat siswa menjadi lebih bisa untuk produce sentence in English.”
R: “Last one, apakah games ini sangat membantu mereka untuk belajar bahasa Inggris?”
T: “Ya, tentu. Karena saat bermain game, siswa juga diminta untuk berbicara bahasa Inggris
dan produce vocabulary yang sedang dipelajari.”
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
41
APPENDIX C An Example of Games to Teach English to Young Learners
Guideline of Game
Theme: Vocabulary of Daily Activity
The name of game: Guessing Game
Description of game:
1. Guru mempersiapkan beberapa kartu bergambar dengan tema daily activity.
2. Lalu guru menunjuk salah satu siswa untuk mengambil satu kartu tersebut.
3. Siswa melihat gambar apa yang ada didalam kartu tersebut dan mencoba untuk
memperagakannya di depan kelas tanpa mengucap kata.
4. Sedangkan siswa-siswa yang lain menebak gambar apakah yang sedang diperagakan
temannya yang ada di depan kelas.
5. Setelah itu, salah satu siswa bisa mengangkat tangan dan menjawab gambar apa yang
ada di dalam kartu tersebut.
6. Misalnya, didalam gambar tersebut terdapat seorang anak laki-laki sedang berenang.
Siswa yang memperagakan di depan kelas harus memperagakan cara berenang.
Kemudian siswa yang menjawab tadi harus menjawab dengan kalimat yang lengkap
seperti, “he is swimming.”
7. Lalu guru dapat memberikan nilai/point untuk siswa yang berhasil menjawab dan
memperagakan dengan baik dan tepat.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI