IMPROVING STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY MASTERY USING GAMES

The objectives of the research are to see whether games can improve students’ vocabulary mastery and to describe the class climate when games are applied in English class. The preliminary research showed that the students had problems in vocabulary mastery. The indicators of the problem are low achievement in vocabulary, difficulty to grasp the meaning of words, difficulty to spell the words, problem in pronouncing the words, difficulty to interpret the meaning of the words, and difficulty to use words in appropriate context of situation. Those indicators can be improved using games. This improvement influenced their scores from cycle to cycle. The mean score of post test I is 67.6, and the mean score of post test II is 74.8. For that reason, games were able to stimulate students to learn vocabulary well. The students were also able to grasp the meaning, pronounce and spell words better. Games can also improve the class situation in terms of: (1) The students’ interest toward the material increased; (2) The students’ active participation in English lesson, and (3) Workgroup and independent activities.Keywords: vocabulary mastery, game