ARTICLES
THE DIFFICULTIES IN MASTERING VOCABULARY IN ENGLISH LEARNING
Learning English Vocabulary can be done everywhere, at school, at home, in a course, etc. To improve English mastery,it is necessary to master grammar (structure) and to have a lot of vocabulary words.
Vocabulary learning has long been emphasized in language teaching , much to the detriment of the students who have mostly been left to fend for themselves.
The function of vocabulary in language teaching and learning is very important because both teachers and learners are made easy to interact, even with one word. In communication-oriented teaching the most pressing concern for learning vocabulary.
The importance of vocabulary is also made clear by Prator (1973; p.11), as follow : “Vocabulary is expanded as fast as possible, since the acquisition of vocabulary is considered more important than grammatical skill”.
Building vocabulary is a large work. It can help us in speaking English fluently.Learning vocabulary is very important when students study English, if the students make some mistakes in grammar, maybe they can understand. But when students do not have the right word to express something, it will make their partner become frustration
To increase the possession of vocabulary, one can also learn to or refer to the synonym of words from dictionary, using a dictionary as tools which will enable students to increase their vocabulary.
Song can also provide an excellent means for introducing or reviewing vocabulary. It is made clear by Richards (1969; p.15) as follow ; “Songs can be used as a useful aid in the learning of vocabulary.
The importance of vocabulary mastery are :
The ability to understand the target language greatly depends on one’s knowledge of vocabulary.
Vocabulary acquisition is an important aspect of speaking.
In language learning, one has to know how the words are mastered. The teacher in trying to stimulate learning, should organize his/her vocabulary teaching into three main stage :
Teacher, in presenting a new word to learners, should try to make the learners remember its phonetic form and its meaning
The teacher should use exercises designed to develop futher knowledge of the newly learning words.
The teacher should concentrate on the teaching of how to use it productively.
Being systematic about new words encountered will help students enlarge their vocabulary. They should review their record regularly and try to use the word in speaking and writing.
B. Difficulties in learning vocabulary
In general, “difficulties” can mean a condition that be designed with hindrances in activity to achieve the aim, so that the hard effort is needed to overcome it.
Entang (1981; p.15) added that learning difficulties can be meant as a condition in learning process that be designed by the hindrances to achieve the aim of study. These hindrances may be realized or not by people experience in the whole learning process.
Some researchers show that students have learning difficulty to design with lower characterictic. Wellington (nd) concludes his research result or study as follow : “There is ,then some agreements from study to study about characteristic of underachievers: low motivation, low self-confidence, low capacity to function under pressure and low seriousness of purpose”.
Indication of learning difficulties have direct or indirect influence to the educational process. Difficulties in indirect learning is difficulty in educational process. Because of difficulties are learning, the students are not successful in their purpose. It can come to the failure in learning process totality, such as drop out from school, slow study, and so on. This indication has an influence in the whole of educational process for the students themselves.
Difficulties in learning will influence the students to their psychology condition. The students incline to experience the frustration, obstruction of emotional, hindrance of adaptation, etc.
That is why in learning vocabulary, the students always get difficulties. In many cases, students have to learn words with meaning that many very according to context. A decision was made in each such instance as to whether the meaning in the new context was different enough to warrant further definition or similar enough for students to extrapolate from what they had previously learned. For example, a word such as beat might appear in the contexts : (a) beat the opposing football team, (b) beat a drum, (c) a beat of a heart, (d) beat a person. Contexts (b) and (d) (meaning = strike) were judged close enough to allow extrapolation of meaning from one context to another, but (a) and (c) were through to require separate definitions.
C. Some Factors Blocking Students In Mastering Vocabulary
There are some factors that cause the students to have difficulties in learning vocabulary.The factors can come from the inside of the students as well as the outside.
Factors are commonly found among the students in learning vocabulary may be classified into : lack of motivation, lack of environment, lack of using dictionary.
1. Lack of Motivation
Motivation determines how far the students learn and understand the subject being learned. The students who have strong motivation in learning vocabulary will be more successful than who do not. In other words, learning vocabulary also depends on the students’ motivation. Slameto (1995; p. 58) added that strong motivation is very necessary in study.So without having strong motivation someone will not be successful in learning English.
2. Lack of Repetition
Repetition is a significant factor which makes the students get difficulty or not to have vocabulary. The teacher ought to try to see those words be repeated as many times as possible. The students should repeat the words also in isolation until they have difficulties in pronouncing it. The memory of students are not loyal, that is why they should be repeated and they are not easy to forget. A difficult word should be repeated often enough so that most of students can say it correctly.
3. Lack Environment
The students’ environment seldom support their need to speak English in their daily life. They usually use Indonesian or malay language as a mean of communication in their daily life. If the students try to practice English, they often get ridicule from their environment. Slameto (1995; p.70) added that the environment can influence the students to study. In other words, the students’ environment does not support them to learn English.
4. Lack of Using The Dictionary
To build an extensive vocabulary, the students must know how to look up a word in the dictionary and how to use them.
Four Factors above are important to help students to overcome whatever blocking them in mastering vocabulary items. If they cannot be overcome as soon as possible, they will not increase the students ability in English. Because the skill in speaking English is highly needed, both in educational and working fields as well as in social gathering. And remember that English is used by many people in all over the world in various countries.
D. To Overcome The Difficulties In Mastering English Vocabulary Items.
1. Preparing Oneself to Study Effectively
In general, it is very important to prepare oneself to study because without a good preparation someone will not be successful.
In frame or preparation she/he should have self-confidence, know the ways to arrange the program whether or not she/he will be successful in her/his study.
Studying effectively several hours will make her/him understand the materials being learned. If s/he plans for a variety in her/his study, s/he will probably find that learning easily that s/he can accomplish her/his study more in less time.
2. Self-confidence
Every student should be aware that s/he has ability to be successful in her/his study. By having self confidence s/he will certainly be able to follow and understand her/his lesson well. Ahmadi (1991; p.5) stated that self-confidence is a believe in his/her abilities. The students will have self-confidence at home before coming into the classroom.
Examination should be also faced with self confidence. S/he may not hesitate to do tests.Self-confidence is her/his equipment and his good preparation for study. S/he will find out that s/he is able to pass her/his examination although the examination are sometime quite difficult. There are many students who do not want to do their tests because they are afraid that they will fail and they will be ashamed. Failure in some tests or examination is a natural case. Therefore, the students need not be ashamed or afraid. Most of the students sometimes fail in their examination although they are clever. That is why self-confidence is very important to be improved as a mental preparation for struggling at school. It is important to believe that there is on a subject which cannot be understood if we study actively everyday. Furthermore , we should not depend on our friend too much in our study. With self-confidence, we will be sure that every thing can be overcome easily.
3. Arranging the Program of Study
To arrange the time- table and program of study is very essential in a study. These will economize time, so that the person will be able to study right away. To use the limited time to study as well as possible is a necessity when they feel that many things must be finished soon in which they have much time. In other words, if they study that they do not know how to use the time to study effectively, they claim that they do not have time to study.
E. The Ways of Learning Vocabulary
The ways learning any subject is very necessary to be known and developed by each student. Without having a good ways a student will not be successful in her/his study.
Each student should realize how they learn or increase their vocabulary as an important tool to deepen their knowledge.
To following are some directions which are assumed to be able to make a student successful in learning her/his vocabulary.
1. Studying with an Understanding
The central part in studying is the understanding what is being learned rather than memorizing it. It is not fruitful for students because memorizing can easily be forgotten. Especially everything that s/he memorizes without an understanding.
S/he can also go to library to look up some reference books or to read some pages from others in which certain problem are discussed. If this kind of effort still does not have a good result, s/he may discuss them with his friends or if necessary s/he can also ask them to the teacher.
Beside understanding the material, her/his study will increase her/his spirit and strength to study. Very often a student studies for a moment, s/he soon feels bored because s/he does not understand what s/he studies.
S/he may not be shy to ask because these subjects are certainly difficult for her/him. Asking some questions does not show that it is easily, but it indicates that s/he pays attention to the subject.
2. Enriching Vocabulary
Even though a student recognizes her/his need of having vocabulary that can cope with more routine of everyday life, s/he still wonder about practical value of enlarging her/his present vocabulary. A large vocabulary minimizes her/his change for success.
All reading text should be meaningful. It is obviously important that student should be capable of understanding the material that s/he asked to read. It is perhabs less obvious that we should also insist on the book given to the students meaningful for them in their own right. Many of our existing primers fail in this respect for the test as no meaning an any real content has to inferred from the study of illustration.
It has been estimated that children enter first grade knowing about 25,000 words and add 5000 every year, so that they leave high school with a vocabulary of perhaps as many as 90,000 words. The average vocabulary for college graduates is approximately twice this size. These figure are for recognition vocabulary, the words that we understand when we read or hear them. Our active vocabulary, the words we actually use in writing or speaking, is considerably smaller.
Most people use only about a third as many words as they recognize. Thus, an obvious way for us to enlarge our working vocabulary is through conscious exercise. In making an effort to say precisely what we mean we should search not only among the words in our active vocabulary, but also among those we have learned to recognize. Frequently we find new words in reading and learn their meanings from the context or from a dictionary.
Ordinary we learn and remember words not for their own sake but for the meanings they represent. We have a good stock of words in the fields that interest us because facts and ideas are retained in verbal form. Thus, anything that extends the range of our ideas or experiences will help to enlarge our vocabulary.
Remember, there is no the words “S U S A H” if we want to study everything because in a word “S U S A H” is a motivation, namely; Setiap Usaha Selalu Ada Hasil. InsyaALLAH
Reference
Prator, C.H. (1973). Language Teaching Approach. Michigan: Michigan Press. p. 11
Richards, J. (1969). Song in language Learning,”TESL Quarterly 3-2. Vol.14 No.4
p.15
M. Entang. (1981). Diagnostic of learning difficulties and remedial teaching. Jakarta:Penlok P3G. p. 15
Wellington, C. b. (nd). The Underachiever: Challenge and Guidelines, Chicago : Raw Mc Nally and Company.
Slameto . (1995). Belajar dan Faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya. Jakarta: PT. Rineka Cipta. p. 58
_______. (1995). Belajar dan Faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya. Jakarta: PT. Rineka Cipta. p. 70
Ahmadi . (1991). Teknik Belajar yang Efektif. Jakarta: PT.Rineka Cipta. p. 5
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