Abstract

This study aimed to enhance regular and irregular verb writing skills in eighth-grade students at a public junior high school in Blora, Central Java, Indonesia, by implementing flashcards as a teaching tool. The research followed the Classroom Action Research (CAR) approach, encompassing planning, action, observation, and reflection. Data collection methods included observation, tests, questionnaires, and interviews. The analysis revealed a significant improvement in students' average scores throughout the research cycles. The use of flashcards not only improved verb writing skills but also heightened students' vocabulary retention and interest in learning. The findings suggest that incorporating flashcards can be an effective and engaging strategy for teaching verb forms, benefiting students' language proficiency and learning experiences.

Highlight:

• Flashcards enhance verb writing skills: The study aims to improve regular and irregular verb writing skills using flashcards in eighth-grade students.
• Classroom Action Research (CAR) approach: The research follows the CAR method, including planning, action, observation, and reflection to implement flashcards effectively.
• Significant improvement in test scores: Data analysis shows a notable increase in average test scores from the preliminary study to research cycles, indicating the effectiveness of flashcards in teaching verb tenses.

Keyword: Flashcards, Verb Writing Skills, Eighth-Grade Students, Classroom Action Research, Vocabulary Improvement

Introduction

In Curriculum 13 -based content standard, high school students' English education covers four skills, that is, listening, speech, reading and writing[1]. English education has several important language components so that students can acquire these four English skills. This can be mainly due to the obstacle when students learn the second language[2]. A simple time is an example of a problem that SMP N 6 Blora class VIII students encounter. The exercise fills the final form of regular and irregular verb in recount text. Use of simple time spent often confuses the complexity of students. According to the experience of researchers while observing in SMP N 6 Blora, it is difficult for students to fill the final form of normal verbs and empty verbs instead of count text. The simple past is one of the episodes studied by class VIII high school students.

Teachers must teach a simple past explaining it to the students SMP for eighth grade. In the previous case, the researchers tried to help students dominate a simple past to write normal and irregular verbs in the correct final format in the recording text[3]. However, several times, students could not learn a simple past. For example, students cannot distinguish the final form of normal verb and irregular verb when exercise is provided. As a result, researchers want to apply flash cards as an educational strategy to help students remember the final form of normal verbs and irregular verbs[4]. The use of tools or supports is the right way to use a flash card to facilitate students to learn the final shape of normal verbs and irregular verbs.

The goal of eighth year students studying English grammar is to completely improve their skills before learning four important microcells in English[5]. In fact, most students are not very interested in grammar research. Students use simple past time to encounter difficulties when understanding the language characteristics of count text. The student does not know or cannot distinguish the final form of normal verb developed by teachers and irregular verbs[6]. Some students have completed the final form of normal verb and irregular verb in the wrong count text space, such as «the moon shined brightly and the scenery was very beautiful there.

This can be seen from an example that students have not made to understand it. The verb must be changed in the final format, and you need to add the verb in the final format in -Ed / d. In fact, they easily forgot the words that could be caused by students' mistakes to memorize many verbs[7]. Many students find it difficult to write the correct final form of regular and irregular verbs. This phenomenon affects students by writing sentences, such as the use of the verb's final format. Class VIII students need to include count textbooks, depending on the standard competition 11.1 standards and skills. According to Arsyad (1997: 120) describes that flashcards are: flat plane graphic media that contains text, images and symbols certain[8]. The map is an alternative form that helps teachers teaches regular and irregular verbs in the pas[9]t. The eighth year students will improve the form. The end of the domain of the normal verb and irregular verb is understood and distinguishes the correct final form of the normal verb and irregular verb of some missing sentences in the text.

Methodology

In this study, researchers used classroom action research (CAR) as: research methods. McNiff (1992:1) emphatically says that classroom action research is a form of reflective research conducted by teachers themselves whose results can be used as a tool for the development and improvement of learning. This classroom action research was conducted solve problems encountered in the classroom and help teachers improve the quality of the learning and teaching process[10].

In this study, in the class research model, the researchers decided to adopt the Kemmis and Mc Taggart model (1988: 14). The class research procedure is based on Kemmis and Mc TAGGART models, that is to say planning, action, observation and reflection. These four steps are included in the cycle [11].

The subjects observed in this study were class VIII students of SMP N 6 Blora. The researcher chose VIIIF class students which consisted of 16 VIII (F1) and (F2) students. The research was carried out from December to January 2022. Researchers conducted teaching to students once a week and researchers began to make observations to find out the actual conditions that occurred happens in the classroom. When making a preliminary observation or research, researchers are difficult for some class VIIIF students Perform exercises and tests related to the past use of normal irregular verbs to satisfy the target.

In this study, researchers used several stages, including preliminary, cycle one and cycle two

a. Preliminary

The researchers acted as teachers who taught students the textbooks in preliminary research. There were 32 students who passed the previous test, which was part of the preliminary research. In fact, most students have difficulty in answering many questions when filling the normal verb and irregular verb's past form in the empty space of the count text. Students need a lot of time to do this. At the end of the lesson, the researchers proved the objective of determining the ability to understand regular and irregular verbs in the past of 32 students, the researchers classified the results of the tests in three categories. The teacher asked them to find the vocabulary and find the meaning. The third question refers to vocabulary, especially the student's interest in educational methods used when teaching verbs. The three students who won the most subtest scores, the most, medium, and more, had the same answer. The fourth question is that it is difficult for students to learn the last oral format. Three students have acquired the best, medium, low test score. The last fifth question refers to the student's opinion on how to overcome the difficulties. In general, three students had the same answer. This can be caused by the lack of care for students to use teachers in the education and learning process, or the student's attention to the teacher's explanation[12].

b. Cycle one

The researchers began their activities showing flash cards to students who were composed of the last four ordinary verbs or irregular verbs in the past. The researchers asked the students to make four groups. Later, the students of each group practiced flash cards with instructions given by the researchers. The researcher asked all the students to ask his friends and responded to what they asked each group to do it until they played all the roles. The researchers practiced flash cards and did not ignore the students who declared the verb. He automatically takes them asking them to repeat them so that they can know the pronunciation and know the correct procedure to practice flash cards. Researchers helped the students when they were difficult to practice flash cards and pronounce verbs. In addition, the researcher wrote an irregular verb on the board. There was a problem for most students to practice and pronounce them. The students are very careful when the team is explained. Finally, in order to verify the student's understanding during the first cycle, the researchers conducted the test to perform the test. There are 20 tests full of points that students should of 32 students, the researchers classified the results of the tests in three categories.

Table2. shows that students have improved. The average result of student tests in the first cycle test was 62.81. According to the results of the first test, it is possible to conclude 70 on the basis of the results according to which students have not respected the assessment of the approval given at the school.

b. Cycle Two

The researchers explained what students should do. Students must use the last correct form to fill out empty spaces with several sentences. It was a question of assessing the understanding of the student in the past form of the normal verb in irregularities.

Table 4.3 is on average 82.03 with a total score of 2,625 in the second test score. Since the second test result, you can conclude that the students have met the approval phase given to the school.

Result and Discussion

During the learning process, the observation stage is carried out by recording the things observed during learning activities and activities of teachers and students during implementation learning. This observation stage is carried out to determine the ability to master vocabulary students after applying flash card media to English subjects. At this stage carried out the process of observing the implementation of the action by using the observation sheet which has been made with the aim of seeing the effectiveness of the application of learning media that has been used[13].

From the results of observations made by researchers that learning using flash card media already running but not optimal, among others because; lack of student participation in class because this is the first meeting for new material known to students, students are less active in asking questions, there are still some students who are still have difficulty in understanding the subject matter, there are some students who do not respond when the researcher assigned to follow the learning process because the students were still not ready to learn and sometimes every student is lazy in memorizing the vocabulary in Flashcards.

Learning using flashcard media provides benefits for students in their abilities English vocabulary in the text, including the following; the creation of an active class and fun because the media that attracts students to learn new vocabulary, improve the mastery of difficult vocabulary that students find in the text,improve results student learning so that the score reaches the Minimum Completeness Criteria

The results of increasing the ability to master English vocabulary in students can be seen see in the table below:

The results of observations made by writers on teachers' efforts in implementing the use of flashcards of regular and irregular verbs in writing skills can be concluded that the ability to increase students' use of flashcards of regular and irregular verbs in writing skills has been carried out optimally and very effectively. From the average test scores of students who have analyzed, the data showed that the average test scores of students increased significantly research cycle I 62.81, and cycle II 82.03. It is can be concluded that the use of flash cards helps eighth graders in Blora to learn the past tense of regular and irregular verbs in writing skills.

The use of flashcards makes students interested in remembering the past regular and irregular verb forms. It can be seen that they are very enthusiastic practice flashcards in the teaching and learning process based on instructions given by the researcher. Besides, students can really improve mastery of their regular and irregular verbs. Students must always respect each other to create friendships comfortable, serene and peaceful environment.

Hypothesis Testing

The use of regular and irregular verb flashcard media on students' writing skills is very interesting to study. Since students have been studying online since entering junior high school, of course, their understanding of the learning material is not optimal, especially in their writing skills in the form of regular and irregular verbs in recount text[14].

The first research from Patmadewi (2021) with the thesis title "Using flashcards in improving students' English vocabulary mastery" carried out on class XI students[15]. Researchers used quantitative and quantitative techniques to collect. Qualitative data, including observation and interviews, while quantitative, includes pretest and posttest, to find out that the use of flashcards can improve writing skills and make it easier to know the forms of regular and irregular verbs.

The similarity of this research is the subject studied by junior high school students. However, in this study, the authors did not perform pre-test and post-test. In addition, the only method used is a qualitative method. This is because the data needed is clear enough from teacher interviews and classroom observations. Follow-up research from (Eti Fitriana, 2019) entitled the thesis "Errors of regular and irregular verbs in writing recount text", which was conducted on 10th grade students of SMAN 1 Bungaraya. This study uses interview data and documents to determine students' regular and irregular verb errors in writing recount text[16]. This research is the same as the research conducted by the author, except that the author uses data from observations, interviews and questionnaires.

While the data used in the research conducted by Eti Fitriana is documentation and interviews only. In addition, this study has other similarities, such as the use of flashcards when studying regular verbs and irregular verbs in writing skills.

Based on previous research, of course there are differences and similarities from this study. Indeed, this flashcard media has proven its success in increasing vocabulary or making it easier for students to understand the material. From several studies the method used is different between Patmadewi and Eti Fitriani.

The method used by Patmadewi includes two methods and research. While the method used by Eti Fitriana using quantitative methods. For the subjects to be studied, the author uses students and teachers of class 8F at SMPN 6 Blora. The different methods used by the research subjects were 8th grade junior high school students. The purpose of this study was to determine the students' difficulties in writing and distinguishing between regular and irregular verbs and the use of flashcards as learning media.

Conclusion

Based on the result of the average test scores of students who have analyzed, the data showed that the average test scores of students increased significantly research cycle I 62.81, and cycle II 82.03. He it can be concluded that the use of flash cards helps eighth graders SMP N 6 Blora to learn the past tense of regular and irregular verbs in writing skills. The use of flash cards makes students interested in remembering the past regular and irregular verb forms. It can be seen that they are very enthusiastic practice flashcards in the teaching and learning process based on instructions given by the researcher.

References

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