1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

English is very greatly used in many sectors in Malaysia. It is taught in all level of school,

starting from play school until the higher institutions.. Learning a second/foreign language needs

some skills and components to be mastered. Among those skills and components, vocabulary is

one of the most crucial ones in language learning without which communication is not possible.

(Harmer, 2001) argues that if language structures make up the skeleton of language, then it is

vocabulary that provides the vital organs and the flesh. To make the learning process becomes

more interactive; a teacher must come out with brilliant ideas, something that can catch the

pupils’ interest in their teaching of the language. Teaching young learner is not easy as it looks.

Unlike teaching adult, teacher must use different approach especially to gain their attention to

the area that the teacher wants them to discover.

For a large majority of 2nd language learners, the ultimate goal of studying is to be able

to communicate in a new language. Mastering vocabulary is not just important, but crucial in a

foreign language environment. Vocabulary is central to English language teaching because

without sufficient vocabulary, students cannot understand others or express their own ideas. For

any individual, a low vocabulary is a serious handicap. Ambitious and energetic persons can

push ahead in their jobs just so far, but then they reach a plateau caused by low vocabulary

(Silverman, 2015) . This shows how important vocabulary is for everyone. In fact, research on

the role of vocabulary shows that children with greater word knowledge tend to have better

social skills (Cohen, 2009). Improving the vocabulary has a direct, positive impact on the

capacity to build up the language proficiency as a whole.

People can expand their English vocabulary knowledge and proficiency in many different

ways. Presenting new vocabulary to the young learner sometimes can be really hard, but with

the correct way, teacher can change the atmosphere to be something really fun and

memorable. According to (Mukalel, 2007) when introducing vocabulary to young learners, it is

great to use real items that capture children’s attention. However, it is not always possible or

realistic for teachers to use real items in the classroom. Picture cards can be a great way to

introduce new vocabulary so that learners have a very clear understanding of the word or

concept. Picture card can be really powerful tools to teach the pupils new vocabulary.

1.2 Reflection on teaching experience

Based on the researcher experience in teaching English for young learners in primary

school, the researcher can see that the students having problem in understanding English.

From the previous examinations and tests, the English teachers in the school said that more of

the pupils could not reach the target score set for them. They also add that this is because

most of the pupils could not understand the content of the text or sentence in the test or

examinations paper. There are also a small percentage of pupils who did not even understand

the questions and this of course resulted their failure in answering the questions. The main

problem here is because they find it Is hard to understand the language because of their limited

vocabulary.

Vocabulary is really important in any language. The pupils tend to use Bahasa Melayu

instead of English when they speak. This is because they do not know certain words in that

language. For example, when I show a video clip about burglar to the pupils and ask them ‘what

did the burglar steal from the house?’ the pupils cannot give the answer in the target language

(English) but instead they use their mother tongue, Bahasa Melayu. This situation shows that

they are still weak in their vocabulary.

In one English lesson, the researcher asked the pupils a question, ‘Who wants to be a

singer?’, and then suddenly a boy raise his hand and asks, ‘Mr, “singa” is lion. It is an animal’.

The pupil was confused and misunderstands the word ‘singer’ with ‘singa’. This problem is likely

to happen among second language learner as the pronunciation of both words are alike.

pronunciation of both words are alike. But the issue here is they do not know the word ‘singer’

until I explained to them. The pupils should know that the topic for that day was ‘occupation’ so

the examples should be about the topic. The thing like this seems like a small issue but it can

lead to a really serious problem if it is not eradicate fast. (Moats, 2001) argues that many

children have ‘partial knowledge of word meaning, confusion of words that sound similar but that

contrast in one or two phonemes, limited knowledge of how and when words are typically used,

and knowledge of only one meaning or function when there are several.

1.3 Reflection based on related literature/ theory/assumptions/beliefs

According to the Oxford Dictionary, vocabulary is defined as the body of words used in a

particular language. The National Research Council (1998) concluded that vocabulary

development is a fundamental goal for students in the early grades. In teaching vocabulary

especially for the children, we should choose the methods and the techniques that are suitable

with the materials, so that students will enjoy and easily understand the topic.

In KSSR, there are 4 main focus skills; listening, speaking, reading and writing. All the

skills are very important in language learning. To succeed in all four skills, first we must be good

in vocabulary. It is very important because without vocabulary the pupils cannot speak, write,

and cannot understand the meaning of sentences or cannot understand what the people are

saying. (Biemiller, 2003) said that ‘vocabulary is a strong indicator of reading success’.

Vocabulary must be taught starting from elementary school. For example, in listening activity,

pupils who lack of vocabulary will find it is hard to find the main point from an audio clip, unlike

the pupils who are good in their vocabulary. This is because the particular pupil cannot

understand a few words from what he heard. For example, in one long sentence there are a few

words that the pupils did not understand, they might lose interest to that particular text. ‘Having

a low vocabulary can trap children in a vicious circle, since children who cannot read more

advanced texts miss out on opportunities to extend their vocabulary and are also less

successful in using strategies for word learning’ (Fisher, 2005). Recent research shows that

vocabulary growth is largely determined by parental practices, particularly before the age of 7

(Biemiller, 2003). Children mainly use words their parents and other adults use with them in

conversation, and acquire larger vocabularies when their parents use more words.

(Thornbury, 2004) stated that vocabulary is generally a matter of remembering, unlike e.g.

learning grammar, which is a system based mainly on rules. To be able to teach as effectively

as possible, it is important to know, how words are remembered and stored in students’ minds

and how long term memory is organized. Teaching vocabulary using pictures will make students

enjoy the lesson and easier to understand because they know directly the things or subject that

are being mentioned (Putri, 2011). This will strengthen the pupils understanding and memorize

what they learn about.

As a teacher, it is our responsibility to make the pupils love to study. To do this, teachers

are advised to have special and unique way to deal with this young learner who are less

enthusiastic or not in the learning process. Teacher should have the passionate to come out

with interesting idea that can capture the pupils’ interest so that they will learn without feeling

threaten and feel happy about it. Instead of using old school way of learning, we can use and

add some media in our teaching and learning activity. As (Joklova, 2009) pointed out, “the

standard classroom” is usually not a very suitable environment for learning languages. That is

why teachers search for various aids and stimuli to improve this situation. Pictures are one of

these valuable aids. They bring “images of reality into the unnatural world of the language

classroom” (Joklova, 2009). For example, we can use picture cards to teach them vocabulary.

Picture cards can be specifically use when we provide communicative activities to the class in

the teaching of grammar and vocabulary. (Mukalel, 2007) stated that by using picture, students

can undertake interquestioning and do language work orally and in writing. Even the preparation

and use of these picture cards should not be a haphazard affair, instead the whole thing should

schematized and should constitute part of an overall plan in teaching the units for the term or

the year. Pictures bring not only images of reality, but can also function as a fun element in the

class. Sometimes it is surprising, how pictures may change a lesson, even if only employed in

additional exercises or just to create the atmosphere.

As mention earlier, pictures can be one of the valuable aids in teaching vocabulary to the

pupils. Pictures bring not only images of reality, but can also function as a fun element in the

class. Sometimes it is surprising, how pictures may change a lesson, even if only employed in

additional exercises or just to create the atmosphere. Pictures meet with a wide range of use

not only in acquiring vocabulary, but also in many other aspects of foreign language teaching.

As (Thornbury, 2004) pointed out, they are motivating and draw learners’ attention.

Furthermore, it’s also refers to the fact that they provide a sense of the context of the language

and give a specific reference point or stimulus. Pictures, being suitable for any group of learners

independently on age or level, can be used in lots of various ways. Another advantages of using

pictures as teaching aids are the availability where one can get them easily for example in the

magazine, newspaper and also the internet. They are also personal in sense of teacher himself

can select which picture he wants to use. It is also can be really useful for various types of

activities such as drilling, comparing, rearrange and many more. From my experience, learners

always pay attention and are curious about what are they going to do with the pictures shown.

‘Language learning is a process that must be taught to a child as early as possible.

Young learner is possibly a faster student to master a language; they can easily understand the

language learning process, especially in foreign language. (Putri, 2011).’ The early age or the

golden age of the students should be utilized by as much as possible, because at this age a

students’ brain will be easier to understand and grasp the language learning materials,

especially foreign language. This age is the most suitable time for the pupils to add as much

word they could. According to (Muftau, 2014) ‘it is very interesting to discover that in some

cases, children learn very fast compared to adults who might also be learning the same thing.’ It

was very fascinating to discover that children actually have the ability to be very creative and

learn new things. This might be a great way to help kids develop their talents while they are still

young. It might be the best option for a teacher to make a child try different activities because it

will help the child develop their abilities through creativity. ‘Children are often better than adults

at solving tasks that require a creative solution, such as being set a challenge with limited

equipment. Put another way an adult’s brain is designed to perform, but a child’s brain is

designed to learn’ (Gordon, 2007) . It is really important for children to learn vocabulary at their

young age. One of the beauties of the English language is the diversity of the vocabulary

available to it is users. It is also one of the things that can make English hard to get to grips with.

Misused vocabulary can make even the most fluent speakers seem inexperienced; on the other

hand getting it right gives the speaker confidence and an increased ability to express

themselves (Emma, 2013). Furthermore a good vocabulary ranges increasing reading

comprehension, ability in technical subjects and written ability.