The effectiveness of teaching simple present tense using card game: an experimental research at the first grade of MTs Darul Ulum Purwogondo Kalinyamatan Jepara in the academic year of 2009/2010

The background of this research is based on the phenomenon that learning grammar, especially Simple Present Tense is seen as one of the language component that is difficult to learn because of its complexity rules and learners are still confused in forming the verb or auxiliaries in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences. This research is aimed to find the answer to the following research questions. 1. How is the improvement of students understanding on Simple Present Tense who are taught by using card game? 2. How is the improvement of students’ understanding on Simple Present Tense who are taught using conventional method? 3. How is difference of the improvement of students’ understanding between those who are taught by using card game and those who are taught by using conventional method? The study was to find out whether card game is more effective to improve the students’ understanding on Simple Present Tense than without using card game or not. And this study employed the true experimental design where MTs Darul Ulum Purwogondo Kalinyamatan Jepara was selected as the research setting. The population is the first grade and two classes were selected by cluster random sampling as the sample of study. One class was assigned as the experimental group that was class VII H and control group was VII F. The method in collecting the data was used test. The data were obtained by employing the relevant pre test and post test. In this study, the obtained data were analyzed. The test of significance of the difference between two groups was measured by employing t-test computation. The T-test with significance level of 5 %, it was obtained that the difference average of both group is t count = 2.29 and t table = 1.99. Becausee t count > t table, so, there is significant difference between achievement score of student’s who are taught by using card game and who are taught without using card game is difference. So, it means that the usage of card game is effective. Therefore and gave positive effect in improving the students’ understandin