Using Technology-Based Hidden-Object Games (HOGS) to Improve the Seventh Graders’ Vocabulary Mastery at SMPN 15 Malang.

ABSTRACT Charisma, Gesta Dea. 2015. Using Technology-Based Hidden-Object Games (Hogs) to Improve the Seventh Graders’ Vocabulary Mastery at SMPN 15 Malang. Thesis, Undergraduate Study Program of English Language Education, Faculty of Letters, State University of Malang. Advisors: (I) Dr. Sri Rachmajanti, Dip.TESL, M.Pd., (II) Drs. Andi Muhtar, M.A. Keywords: Vocabulary mastery, Hidden-Object Games The purpose of this study was to improve the students’ vocabulary mastery by using Hidden-Objcet game. This study was conducted at SMPN 15 Malang. Due to the result of the preliminary study, in the form of pre-test for the students and based on the result of interview with the English teacher, it was found that the students had difficulties in mastering new vocabulary items. There were 32 students of 7E students treated as the subject of the study. This study was a collaborative classroom action research which was aimed to solve the teaching problems experienced by the English teacher to improve the students’ vocabulary mastery. The English teacher then became the collaborator to observe the implementation of the game. This study carried out the action in the form of cycle which were done in three meetings. Each cycle consisted of four steps including planning, implementing, observing and reflecting. The researcher only had one cycle in this study because the students’ learning result had already reached the criteria of success. Based on the findings, it showed that the hidden-object game brought a positive effect toward the students’ vocabulary mastery. In the first meeting, the students were required to find 20 things in the game from the list of words. In the second meeting, the words to be found were increased from 20 to 30. In the last meeting, the students were warmed up by mentioning the 50 words they had found in the previous meeting. Finally, they were given a post-test which consisted of all the words they had found at the game. The result of the post-test showed that all of the students had passed the standard score for each of the groups which were 60 for the lower group, 75 for the middle group and 85 for the higher group. Moreover, the result of the questionnaires gathered by the researcher about the students’ feeling in learning vocabulary showed positive reaction toward the use of the hidden-object game in adding new vocabulary. Based on the research findings, some suggestions were given in order to minimize the problem in mastering new vocabulary items. For the teacher, the researcher suggests to use hidden-object game at least once in a chapter, because it was proven to be powerful to improve the students’ vocabulary mastery. Besides, the teacher should motivate the students to add their vocabulary items by playing some kinds of hidden-object games. In addition, the researcher hoped that future researcher would conduct the research about using hidden-object game in different level of the school to see whether this game is powerful enough to improve the students’ vocabulary mastery in many levels