ABSTRACT
This final project is about the use of cartoon films as the media to teach vocabulary to the fourth grade students of SD N Sampangan 3 Semarang. Teaching vocabulary to Elementary School students is not an easy task. It requires a lot of creativity from a professional teacher.
The objective of the study is to find out the students’ achievement in vocabulary improved through cartoon film. It is hope that this research would be useful for teachers and students in language teaching and learning process.
The Elementary school students have different characteristics than those of adults; they easily get bored, lose interest after ten minutes or so. A teacher of this level has got a challenging task to motivate them. He or she needs to modify the way of his/her teaching. So, he/she can use the media in order to attract the attention and interest of students.
The subject of the study is the fourth grade students of SD N Sampangan 3 Semarang in the Academic Year of 2005/2006. There are 47 students (23 girls and 24 boys). The writer took all of them as the subject of the study.
The technique used for obtaining data: collecting data from the students by using observation form, pre and post-test, and questionnaire. First, the writer gave pre-test. It was conducted at the beginning of the research. Second, the second activity was held. It was continued with the third activity and the fourth activity. Thirdly, the post-test was conducted. The item tests were similar with the pre-test. The last, the students got a questionnaire sheet.
The result of the study was that the students’ progress during the teaching and learning activity by using cartoon film was good. The students’ achievement in English vocabulary improved, it was supported by the significance result of the pre-test was lower (60.86%), the second activity (90.86%), the third activity (92.55%), the fourth activity (94.46%) and the post test (93.62%).
Therefore, teachers should always try to find better techniques for their teaching. Based on the result, teachers can apply the use of cartoon film as the medium as an alternative way in improving students’ vocabulary.
