The Effectiveness of Using Picture to Teach Vocabulary at

Elementary School

Jatmiko Jatmiko and Tontowi Jauhari

Kadiri University , Jalan. Selomamgkleng No. 01, Kediri, Indonesia

(Jatmiko; Tontowi Jauhari)@unik-kediri.ac.id

Keywords: Effectiveness, Picture, Teaching Vocabulary.

Abstract: The objective of this research was aimed to find out whether teaching vocabulary using picture better than

teaching vocabulary without picture (conventional) at Students of Elementary School. The Method of this

study was a quasi-experimental design. The samples were 60 students. Meanwhile, there were some

instruments used by the researcher to help him to collect data such as pre-test, treatment, and post-test result.

The data were described based on the planning, implementation of process standard in teaching and the

assessment as planned in the lesson plan. The data analysis found out that an F-value of the effect of teaching

method was 10.781 and significance value was .002 where it is less than 0.05 and the mean score of post-test

for experimental group was 87.60 and for control group was 80.80.The result of the research shows that

experimental method has significance value and more better than conventional method. From the findings,

the researcher applied that picture be one alternative used in teaching vocabulary and it can effectively

influence the students’ confidence. Finally, the researcher was support and encourage students to learn English

better than before.

1 INTRODUCTION

The objective of this research was aimed to find out

whether teaching vocabulary using picture better than

teaching vocabulary without picture (conventional) at

Students of Elementary School. The Method of this

study was a quasi-experimental design. The samples

were 60 students. Meanwhile, there were some

instruments used by the researcher to help him to

collect data such as pre-test, treatment, and post-test

result. The data were described based on the planning,

implementation of process standard in teaching and

the assessment as planned in the lesson plan. The data

analysis found out that an F-value of the effect of

teaching method was 10.781 and significance value

was .002 where it is less than 0.05 and the mean score

of post-test for experimental group was 87.60 and for

control group was 80.80.The result of the research

shows that experimental method has significance

value and more better than conventional method.

From the findings, the researcher applied that picture

be one alternative used in teaching vocabulary and it

can effectively influence the students’ confidence.

Finally, the researcher was support and encourage

students to learn English better than before.

1.1 Statement of the Problem

The main problem of this study is,do thestudents

taught using picture have better vocabulary mastery

than the students taught without picture

(conventional).

1.2 Hypothesis

Hypothesis (Hi): The students who are taught using

picture have better vocabulary mastery than those

who are taught using conventional method

Null Hypothesis (Ho): The students who are taught

using picture have worse vocabulary than those who

are taught by using conventional method.

2 THEORETICAL BASIC

2.1 The Concept of Teaching

Teaching is a profession conducted by using a

combination of art, science, and skill. It is an art

because it relies on the teacher’s creative provision of

the best possible learning environment and activities

366

Jatmiko, J. and Jauhari, T.

The Effectiveness of Using Picture to Teach Vocabulary at Elementary School.

In Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities (ANCOSH 2018) - Revitalization of Local Wisdom in Global and Competitive Era, pages 366-371

ISBN: 978-989-758-343-8

for his/her students. It is a science since it is a system,

an ordered set of ideas and methods used by the

teachers in doing their main jobs: planning a lesson,

implementing the plan in the classroom and

evaluating the outcome of the activities. While Brown

(2004) states teaching is showing or helping someone

to learn how to do something, giving instructions,

guiding in the study of something, providing with

knowledge, causing to know or understand.

Base on the definition above, the writer can

conclude that the meaning of teaching is a process of

a transferring knowledge from someone to another

one in order to make people know or understand

about something.

2.2 Pictures as Media

Picture is used by teacher to stimulate student

memory and it is one of strategy to attract students’

attention in learning vocabulary. From experts

opinion written previously, the researcher can

conclude that picture has fulfill edits functions

educative media, for example; it can improve

students’ motivation and it also provides stimulus that

may upgrade students’ memory and attention. Picture

can be classified into visual aid and picture is also

material that easy to find.

Pictures are found everywhere. They can be

drawn either on the blackboard or chart paper or even

cut-outs (Nagaraj, 1996). Through pictures, learners

can be shown people, places, and things from areas

for outsides their own experiences. Pictures can also

represent images from ancient time or portray the

future. We will support this statement if we realize

that every time we see pictures, there must be

something we want to say about the pictures.

For most people, Brown (2007) stated, pictures

provide feeling that they make contacts with the real

world. Perhaps, there are millions of individuals all

over the world who have never seen an ocean except

in some kind of pictures. The picture may be used to

clarify their imagination about ocean.

2.3 Advantages of Using Pictures

Pictures are one kind of media that can help the

teacher draw the students’ interest and rise up their

motivation. If the students are motivated, they will

participate actively and will earn seriously during the

teaching-learning process.

According to Gerlach and Ely (1980), there are

advantages of the pictures as follows:

 Pictures are in expensive and widely available;

 They provide common experiences for an

entire group;

 The visual detail makes it possible to study

subjects which would otherwise be impossible;

 Pictures can help to prevent and correct

misconceptions;

 Pictures offers stimulus to further study,

reading and research. Visual evidence is a

powerful tool;

 They help to focus attention and to develop

critical judgment;

 They are easily manipulated.

From the explanation above that pictures have

an important role and advantages in teaching learning

process in order to make the students be more active

in teaching learning process, especially vocabulary,

so that the teaching-learning process can be reached.

2.4 The Concept of Vocabulary

Types of vocabulary that may be encountered by

readers in their reading:

2.4.1 General Vocabulary

Refers to the words that comprise the major portion

of one’s vocabulary used in everyday

communication, such as table, house and chair.

2.4.2 Specialized Vocabulary

Refers to the words with multiple meanings that

change from one content area to another, such as

mass, root, and rise.

2.4.3 Technical Vocabulary

Refers to the words that are essential for the

understanding of specific content area. These words

relate to only one content area and are crucial for

understanding of its concepts, such as gene (science)

and embargo (social studies).In this study, the writer

focused on general vocabulary because according to

Suyanto (2007) states that teaching vocabulary is

better one if the materials are used still in children

world contexts in order to make them easier in

practice for communication. Based on the statements,

the writer assumes that study about the word that used

in everyday communication plays an important role

to make the communication be fluently.

The Effectiveness of Using Picture to Teach Vocabulary at Elementary School

367

2.5 The Concept of Countable and

Uncountable Noun

2.5.1 Countable Noun

Countable nouns are individual people, animals,

places, things, or ideas which can be counted.

Countable nouns are for things we can count using

numbers. They have a singular and a plural form. The

singular form can use the determiner "a" or "an". If

you want to ask about the quantity of a countable

noun, you ask "How many?" combined with the

plural countable noun.

Singular Plural

One dog two dogs

One horse two horses

2.5.2 Uncountable Noun

Uncountable nouns are not individual objects, so they

cannot be counted.

Uncountable nouns are for the things that we

cannot count with numbers. They may be the names

for abstract ideas or qualities or for physical objects

that are too small or too amorphous to be counted

(liquids, powders, gases, etc.). Uncountable nouns are

used with a singular verb. They usually do not have a

plural form. Examples: tea, sugar, water

2.6 Related Previous Study

The previous study which has been read by the writer

and related to writers’ study is written by Icuk

Harjuno. He concludes that it is effective using

pictures to teach vocabulary about objects around

school environment of SDN Manyaran 03 Semarang.

He found that picture can improve the students’

vocabulary mastery based on the result analysis data

in the cycle 1, there was an increase or improvement

of the students English vocabulary ability in cycle 2.

In the cycle 1 the students were active was 67.23%

and in the cycle 2 the students were active was

85.29%. There are some similarities between Irzawati

study and the writer study. The similarities related to

the media of teaching and method research namely:

Picture.

The differences can be found in the kind of theme

which are used in the study Irzawati applies picture

on the “fruits and animals theme, there is significant

difference grades between students who are taught

by using pictures and the student who are taught not

using pictures. The difference of the development

meaning that pictures was effective as teaching media

in improving students’ ability in vocabulary. So, it is

suggested for English teacher to teach using pictures

in improving the students’ ability in vocabulary.

3 RESEARCH DESIGN

In this research, the purpose of the study is to find out

whether the using picture in teaching countable nouns

and uncountable nouns is effective to the students’

vocabulary achievement, the research design used in

this research is a quasi-experiment design. This

research carried out at Sixth Grade Students of

Elementary School and the sample of this study was

only60 students. They were grouped into classes. The

experimental group (Class A) consisted of 30 students

while the control class (Class B) consisted of 30

students.

The techniques of collecting data were pre-test,

treatment and post-test to get a clear data of the effect

of learning vocabulary using pictures. In pre- test the

students given a test and he test consisted 25 items in

the form of fill in the blank and choices provided. The

time allocated to accomplish the test was 30 minutes.

This test was aimed at knowing the students’

vocabulary background knowledge toward the

material that they were going to learn.

After the student did the pre-test, there was a

meeting for every group to get treatment. The

materials were taken from some sources such as

books, worksheet or internet related to the topic to be

discussed. For experimental group taught by using

picture but for the control group was taught by using

conventional method or the researcher only explained

the topic without picture as the treatment in the

teaching learning process in the classroom.

The researcher just gave a text that has correlation

with the topic of discussion then the students asked to

read and then underlined the difficult/unfamiliar

words and the last answered the questions. After

giving treatment to each group, the researcher gave a

post-test to the each group to know how the teaching

using picture is more effective. The test consisted 25

items in the form of fill in the blank and choices

provided. The time allocated to accomplish the test

was 30 minutes. Moreover, the result of this test used

as the data to measure that picture is more effective in

teaching vocabulary.

In analyzing the data, a kind of the data analysis

was applied; it is Analysis of Covariance or

ANCOVA. It was used to know significant

differences between the students’ vocabulary

achievement in the experimental group than in the

control group. Test is examination or trial of

something to find it quality, volume, and completion.

ANCOSH 2018 - Annual Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities

368

The objective of giving a test in this study is to see or

find out whether or not it is effective to use picture in

teaching countable noun and uncountable noun.

3.1 Validating the Test

Validity is the most important consideration in

developing and evaluating measuring instruments.

Historically, validity was defined as the extent to

which an instrument measured what it claimed to

measure (Ary et al., 2002).

There are 3 types of validity: construct validity,

content validity and criterion validity. For the purpose

of this study only content validity is used as an

achievement test (Ary et al., 2002). In this case, the

test was justified in term of (1) the relevance of the

test items of the purpose of the study, (2) the

relevance of the items to the developing rubrics or

scoring procedures, (3) the appropriateness of the test

items to the level of the students. In this research, the

researcher used the test consist of 25 multiple choices

and the technique of scoring is easy so it’s not

consuming the time. In each item scores 4 points, so

the total score is 100. The test had done 30 minutes to

know the test how easy or difficult the test items, they

were calculated by using difficulty index. The result

of the difficulty index can be seen below:

I =

(1)

Note:

I = Difficulty index

B = Students that have right answer

N = Students follow the test

The Range of Values

0 – 0.30 = Difficult

0 – 0.70 = Medium

0.71 – 1.00 = Easy

3.2 Developing and Constructing the

Test

The researcher constructs his own test to take make it

tailored to the specific research question. There are 25

items for pre-test and post-test. The researcher

selected instructional material to develop and

construct the test and in taking the score it is used

Kuder-Ricardson procedures.

Online statistics helps you in estimating the test

reliability using Kuder-Richardson Formula 21

calculator.

(2)

k : Number of questions

μ : Population mean score

: Variance of the total scores of all the people

ρKR21: Reliability of the test

Here are a few explanatory notes for the

commands.

 Reliability uses only cases with complete data

on the item variables. ScoreA is computed here

only for cases with such complete data so that

the KR21 is based on the same cases as the

Reliability output.

 The KR21 formula uses the population

("biased") estimate of the scale score variance,

whereas Aggregate computes the sample

("unbiased") estimate. Also, Aggregate will

save the standard deviation of a variable to the

new data set, but does not have a function to

save the variance. Therefore the standard

deviation is saved by Aggregate as scoreA_sd

and this value is squared and then multiplied by

(N-1)/N in the Compute command to get the

population variance estimate for ScoreA in the

KR21 formula.

 A Break variable does not need to be

designated in current versions of SPSS

Statistics when the aggregation is performed

over the full data set. If the reliability analysis

was performed within subgroups of the data as

defined by a split file variable, then that

variable would be the Break variable in the

Aggregate procedure. You would not need to

turn on the Split File structure when working in

the KR21_info data set.

 All of the steps in the KR21 calculation can be

performed in the menu system, or graphic user

interface (GUI).

The Aggregate procedure is available under Data-

>Aggregate.

After running Aggregate, the KR21_info data set

will be listed in the Windows menu of SPSS Statistics

and can be activated by clicking that item.

The Compute command operation is available

under Transform->Compute Variable. Type the

resulting variable (ScoreA) into the Target Variable

Box and the transformation expression into the

Numeric Expression box.

The IF command operation is also available in the

Transform-> Compute Variable dialog by entering

the Target Variable and Numeric Expression box and

then clicking the IF button. In the "If cases" dialog,

click the radio button beside "Include if case satisfies

condition" and enter the conditional expression

("(nmissing(item1 to item6) = 0) " in this example)

The Effectiveness of Using Picture to Teach Vocabulary at Elementary School

369

into the box below that radio button. Click Continue

and OK.

Based on the techniques of collecting data above,

the researcher gave a pre-test on the first meeting to

know the students’ vocabulary background

knowledge toward the material that they were going

to learn. After that the researcher gave treatment to

the students on the second meeting. For the

experimental group, the researcher gave picture

where as the control group, they got a kinds of picture

and answer the questions based on the picture given.

And, in the last meeting the researcher gave a post-

test to the students to know how the teaching of

vocabulary using picture is more effective to the Sixth

Grade Students of I Elementary School. Finally, the

researcher makes analysis from the result of the test

to answer the research question and validate his

hypothesis.

4 RESEARCH RESULTS

This chapter discusses about the result of the

descriptive statistics of students’ vocabulary mastery.

The difference in the effectiveness of picture and

conventional teaching vocabulary and testing

hypothesis which is considerable as:

4.1 Pre-test Score

Table 1: The descriptive Statistics of Students’ Pre-test

Score.

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Standard

Deviation

Pre-test

Exp

84.53

13.925

Pre-test

Contr

100

85.73

10.221

Contr

Valid N

(listwise)

The table of descriptive statistics shows that mean

score of experimental group (in this case using

picture) is 84.53 (s.d = 13.925) and the control group

(in this case without picture) is 85.73 (s.d = 10.221).

It mean that, the control group is actually higher than

experimental group.

4.2 Pre-test Score

There are some points of the description analysis of

post-test score.

Table 2: The Descriptive Statistics of Students’ Post-test

Score.

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Standard

Deviation

Pre-test

Exp

100

87.60

10.627

Pre-test

Contr

100

80.80

13.010

Contr

Valid N

(listwise)

The table of descriptive statistics of post-test

shows that mean score of experimental group (in this

case using picture) is 87.60 (s.d = 10.627) and the

increase of mean score from pre-test mean score is

3.07 while the mean of control group (in this case

without picture) is 82.80 (s.d = 13.010) and the mean

score from the pre-test was decreasing 1.93. It means

that, the mean of experimental group is actually

higher than control group.

4.3 The Difference in the Effectiveness

of picture and Conventional

Teaching in Teaching Vocabulary

Here, some points of the description analysis of

covariance.

Table 3: The description analysis of Covariance Dependent Variable: Post-test.

Source

Type III Sum of

Square

Mean Square

Sig.

Partial Eta

Squared

Noncent.

Parameter

Observed

Powe𝑟

𝑏

Corrected Model

4334.223

2167.111

27.188

.000

.488

54.376

1.000

Intercept

983.164

12.335

.001

.178

12.335

.932

Pre-test

3640.623

45.674

.000

.445

45.674

1.000

Method

859.327

10.781

.002

.159

10.781

.898

Error

4543.377

79.708

Total

434256.000

Corrected Total

8877.600

a. R Squared = .488 (Adjusted R Squared = .470)

b. Computed using alpha = .05

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370

Based on the table of tests of Between-Subject

effects we can see that line the independent variable

(in this case teaching method finds an F-value of the

effect of teaching method 10.781 and column

labeled Sig the value is .002 where it is less than 0.05

(an alternative alpha level). It means that two groups,

experimental and control groups differ significantly.

In pre-test line found an F-value of the effect of

pre-test 45.674 and column sig, the value is 0.000.

This is less than 0.01, therefore the covariate is

significant. This value also indicates 44.5% of

variance in the dependent variable (partial eta squared

of 0.445 multiplied by 100).

The result of students’ vocabulary progress could

be seen from pre-test and post-test from each group.

The computation of control group pre-test and post

test scores using test of Between-Subjects Effect

showed that there is significant difference between

two groups in the post test scores. Meanwhile, the

result showed that the students in the experimental

group achieve better result in the post test. The

improvement was statistical significant if it was

compared their pre-test scores. The statistical

computation results exhibited a significant fact that

picture is effective in improving students’ vocabulary

mastery.

The computation of mean scores in the

experimental showed that the pre-test score was 84.53

and after treatment using picture with 50 vocabulary

was given the post test score was 87.60, the

improvement reached 3.07. while in the control

group the mean of pre-test was 84.73 and after

treatment using conventional method (read a text)

was given, the post test score was 82.80, it means that

the post-test score was decreasing 1.93 from the pre-

test.

4.4 Testing Hypothesis

For testing hypothesis, the writer want to know

whether Ho was accepted or rejected. To meet the

hypothesis above, the statistical analysis of ancova

was applied in this research to decide how far the

mean of pre-test score is different from the post test

score; both in group itself and between groups with

the level of significance of 0.05. The significance of

the test was analyzed by using computer program

In table of tests of between-subject effects line

teaching method shows that the value of F-value is

10.781 and the significant value is 0.002. Thus, it can

be concluded that both of experimental group and

control group different significantly. It means that the

researcher hypothesis (Hi) is accepted and the (Ho) is

rejected. Thus, it is concluded that using picture is

more effective than conventional method in teaching

vocabulary at elementary school.

5 CONCLUSIONS

After the researcher gave the pre-test, treatment and

post-test to the students, it is concluded that the

students who taught using picture have better

vocabulary than the students who taught without

picture (conventional teaching). But, to reach the

purpose of this research, we must give all the

vocabularies (the words about countable and

uncountable noun) to the students, because it will give

influence in students’ post-test. So it made the

teaching is more effective in teaching vocabulary.

They teaching vocabulary using picture will be

success if the researcher is required to follow the

general specific procedures, such as: specifying the

topic, defining the students’ group and pairs and the

rules to treatment.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thanks to God “Allah SWT” for

blessing and mercy and Rector of Kadiry University,

so this Research can be finally finished. I get idea on

conducting this Research to fullfill the requirement

for the International Journal presented by Kanjuruhan

University.

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