THE USE OF CROSSWORD PUZZLE ON STUDENTS’ INTERACTION

IN LEARNING VOCABULARY

Resti Febtrina, Ujang Suparman, Deddy Supriyadi.

[email protected]

ABSTRACT

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui apakah crossword puzzle dibutuhkan untuk
mempengaruhi interaksi siswa dalam pembelajaran kosa-kata dan untuk menelaah
motivasi siswa dalam berinteraksi ketika mereka belajar kosa-kata. Desain penelitian ini
adalah kualitatif phenomenological. Subjek penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas VIII B di
SMPN 8 Bandar Lampung, tahun ajaran 2013-2014. Peneliti menggunakan tiga
instrumen pengambilan data: observasi, dokumentasi, dan wawancara. Data dianalisis
dengan menggunakan teori interaksi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa total
interaksi yang tercipta sekitar 150 interaksi, 133 interaksi siswa-siswa (89.26 %) dan
17 lainnya interaksi antara siswa-guru (10.69 %). Jumlah akhir interaksi siswa-siswa
lebih tinggi dari interaksi siswa-guru di dalam kelas. Dapat dikatakan crossword puzzle
memiliki pengaruh positive terhadap interaksi siswa di kelas dan dapat memotivasi
siswa untuk berinteraksi aktif dalam proses belajar.

This research was intended to find out whether a crossword puzzle game was needed to
affect the students’ interaction in learning vocabulary and to investigate the students’
motivation to interact when they was learning vocabulary. This research used
phenomenological qualitative study. The participants were students at SMPN 8 Bandar
Lampung, VIII B class in academic year 2013-2014. Researcher used three data
collecting techniques: observation, documentation, and interview. The data were
analyzed using some theory interaction patterns and interaction categories. The results
showed that the total numbers of interactions in the class were 150 interactions, 133
interactions (89.26 %) were students-students interactions, and 17 interactions (10.69 %)
were student-teacher interactions. The total number of students-students interaction was
higher than students-teacher interactions. It means that crossword puzzle game has
influenced positively the students’ interaction and motivated the students to interact
actively in learning process.

Key Words: Crossword Puzzle, Learning, Students’ Interaction, Vocabulary.

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INTRODUCTION

Interaction is one of the main components in the class that make the teaching and

learning process more interesting. Students’ low motivation in learning material in

the class may affect them to be passive at doing some interactions with other

students, so when they feel uncomfortable in the class it may affect their sprit to

study and it also makes them feel bored and lazy to learn something in the class.

In learning language the students were forced to be active to communicate and

can use language as medium of communication, but when they learn language in

the class with low motivation and low interaction they will have difficulties to

master the language.

To master the language the first step that students should know is vocabulary.

They should understand language vocabulary which is very important component

of language. Vocabulary is one of the language components that is very important

to help students in learning English language. The basic one to know English is

vocabulary, when students start to study English in their elementary school; the

first kind of material that they learn is vocabulary. Vocabulary is also important to

be understood by students when they learn four skills like listening, speaking,

writing, and reading. On the other hand, many students still have difficulties in

understanding English vocabulary although they have studied English for long

time in their school.

Several students claim that their primary problem at acquiring English is teacher’s

teaching technique that did not build up their ability to make good interaction in

the class; so the students felt uninterested in the learning process, this is the one of
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students’ problem in learning English language. So, the quality of interaction in

the class may become the main problem for students to be interested in learning

process.

The main problem in learning process may come from how a teacher creates the

whole interaction with students in the class to make them interest and enjoy in

learning vocabulary. The interaction can come from between teacher and students

or students and students, it can be said that this problem is categorize as external

problem that comes from the interaction of student in learning process. Interaction

in the class has its own part to push up or throw out students interesting in

learning vocabulary in the class. So, the teachers should have other ways to be

used as a teaching technique, It can be some interesting media which can push up

the students’ interaction.

From some problems above, maybe there is something wrong in learning process,

or may be problem in the teachers’ own personality in teaching in front of the

class. To overcome this situation, some researchers have investigated many

techniques, and media to help teachers teach vocabulary in the class. There are

some researchers, who focus on the increasing students’ achievement in learning

vocabulary, but there is a little research about using some techniques or media in

learning vocabulary which is focused on the interaction of students, about how the

techniques or media can affect students’ interaction.

For those reasons the writer tried to observe some kinds of interesting media to

show the interactions of the students when they learn vocabulary in the class. The

researcher chose the puzzle game to be a media that be used to see the students’
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interaction in learning vocabulary because puzzle may be one of the media which

bring their own motivation to study about language. There are many kinds of

puzzle namely jigsaw, picture puzzles , crossword puzzles , Sudoku puzzles, and

logic puzzles. The writer only chooses one kind of puzzle game that is crossword

puzzle game. Franklin et al (2003) states that crossword puzzles game can

significant increase students’ motivation and students’ interest in the topic at

hand. The researcher delivered the crossword puzzle games with group work

among the students to build their interaction.

A crossword word puzzle is a puzzle game which normally takes the form of a

square or a rectangular grid of white and black shaded squares. The goal is to fill

the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which

lead to the answers. In languages that are written left-to-right, the answer words

and phrases are placed in the grid from left to right and from top to bottom. The

shaded squares are used to separate the words or phrases.

The writer conducted the research in SMPN 8 Bandar Lampung, because there is

no research conducted there especially about the problem that was researcher

observe. The writer has done the pre observation in SMPN 8 Bandar Lampung

and put the focus on the second grade students. The puzzle games used in this

study has been matched to the second grade learning materials. The learning

process showed that some of students still passive in the class and feel shy to

speak English because they have lack of vocabulary. This condition can be affect

students’ interaction in the class.

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There are several pattern of classroom interaction according to Edge (2001): T –

Ss (teacher - students), Ss – T (students - teacher), T – S (teacher – student), S – T

(student - teacher), T – S – S (teacher - student – student), S – S (student –

student). The researcher focused on how is students’ interaction when they are

learning vocabulary using crossword puzzle.

METHOD

This research was a qualitative study which was focused on one type of

qualitative, a Phenomenological. Suparman (2009) states Phenomenological study

is a study that represents a psychological approach of a phenomenon. In this

research a psychological approach helped the researcher observed the

phenomenon in the class when the students were learning vocabulary using

crossword puzzle. The participants of this research were the second grade students

of SMPN 8 Bandar Lampung, in class VIII B that consists of 24 students. The

researcher observed and collected the data from three data collecting techniques

like observation, interview, and documentation in order to know the use of

crossword puzzle on students’ interaction in learning vocabulary.

The research instrument was vocabulary game in which in this research the

researcher used crossword puzzle game. The students were taught using

crossword puzzle game and the researcher observed the students’ interaction in

the class and made some documentation of students’ conversation. After the class

end, the researcher was interviewing some students to make the data more
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complete. The researcher was analysis the data using some theory of interaction

and motivation.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Result
The first and second data collecting techniques helped writer answer the first

research question. From the result of pre-observation the writer showed that the

learning process in the class was teacher-centered, the students were passive and

just listen what the teacher said. The teacher taught the students vocabulary using

common way. When the teacher tried to make the students work in group they

were braver to speak up in the class although they were still shy to be active in

building interactions in the class.

The writer made observation sheet to deal with the points which had been scored.

The pre-observation sheet was not filled by the writer only, butthe real

observation sheet was filled in by the writer, the English teacher, and also one co-

observer. After doing pre-observation the writer taught the students English

vocabulary using crossword puzzle game, and after that the writer did second

observation to know the students’ interaction after being taught using crossword

puzzle game. The writer divided the students in 4 group works that consists of 6

students in one group; these helped the writer monitored the students’ interaction

easier. If students learn vocabulary in group work the students were more active to

create some interactions in the class.

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The behavior that was written down in observation sheet was every positive

behavior of the students in learning process. The score of behavior interpreted the

level of students’ activeness (interaction). It could be seen that there are

significant increase in students’ interaction before and after they learned

vocabulary using crossword puzzle game.

In the result of documentation the data was conversation among the students in

their group. The data showed the activeness of students in building interactions

when they are learning vocabulary using crossword puzzle.The result of

documentation was analyzed by interaction patterns theory.

In analyzing interaction pattern, the writer used Edge’s theory (2001). There are

six patterns of interaction which were analyzed: Teacher-Students [T-Ss],

Students-Teacher [Ss-T], Teacher-Student [T-S], Student-Teacher [S-T], Teacher-

Student-Student [T-S-S], Student-Student [S-S]. The number and percentage of

six interaction pattern categories can be seen in the following table.

Table 4.3. The Number and Percentage of Six Interaction Pattern Categories

The number and percentage

No. Interaction Pattern
N %
1 Teacher-Students [TSs], 2 1.34%
2 Students-Teacher [SsT], 2 1.34%
3 Teacher-Student [TS], 3 2.01%
4 Student-Teacher [ST], 10 6.67%
5 Teacher-Student-Student [TSS] - -
6 Student-Student [SS]. 133 89.26%
Total 150 99.95%
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Students’ interaction dominated the percentage of total number interactions in the

class with carried 89.26%. It can be concluded that students become more active

in the class, and the class becomes students centered not teacher centered.

The second research question was answered by the result of two data collecting

techniques: documentation and interview. From documentation the researcher got

the result in conversation form which was transcribed with interaction theory and

the result from interview was interview sheet that was analyzed to help the

researcher completed the answer of second research question.

Data from documentation conversation among the students in their group work

which had been analyzed and transcribe using interaction theory: interaction

categories, and interactive principle. In analyzing interaction categories the writer

used interaction analysis system proposed by Flanders (1963) namely Flanders

interaction analysis categories (FIAC).

Table 4.4. The Number and Percentage of Three Main Categories

The number and

Categories percentage
N %
Indirect Influent 1. Accept feeling: - -
2. Praises or encourages; 1 0.67%
Teacher Talk

3. Accept or uses ideas: 2 1.34%

4. Ask question: 1 0.67%
Direct Influent 5. Lectures: 1 0.67%
6. Gives direction: 4 2.68%
7. Criticizes or justifies
-
authority: -
8. Student talk response: 110 73.33%
Students Talk 9. Student talk initiation: 21 14%
Silence 10. Silence of confusion: 10 6.67%
Total 150 100%
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From Table 4.4 shown above, it can be seen that the total number of interaction in

three main categories was 150 interactions

After the data analyzed using interaction patterns and interaction categories, the

writer also analyzed it using interactive principles. Interactive principle was

analyzed the data on how crossword puzzle can influence students’ motivation

directly. There were seven interactive principles proposed by Brown (2001:56):

automaticity, intrinsic motivation, strategic investment, risk taking,

communicative competence, inter language, the language culture connection.

From those seven interactive principles there was one focus on students’

motivation: intrinsic motivation\

The data from interview was secondary data to complete the data from

documentation.

Table 4.6. The Result of Interview

Classification of the questions Number of Students %

Students who like English lesson 7 Students (70%)
(3 males, 4 females)
Students who like learning vocabulary using media 7 Students (70%)
(4 males, 3 females)
Students who have problems in learning English 8 Students (80%)
(5 males, 3 females)
Students who have low motivation in learning 5 Students (50%)
English (4 males, 1 females)
Students who have high motivation in learning 5 Students (50%)
English (2 males, 3 females)
Students who enjoy do some interaction in learning 9 Students (90%)
vocabulary (4 males, 5 females)
Students who like crossword puzzle game as media 8 Students (80%)
of learning. (5 males, 3 females)
Source of data are 10 students of 8 B class 99.99 %
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From these data it could be clearly seen that in the students with low motivation

and the students with high motivation have balance percentage each of them have

50 %, it means crossword puzzle was increased students’ motivation, although in

this case there are 3 female students in high motivation and 4 male students in low

motivation, this conclude that female student was more motivated than male

students.

Discussion

The research showed that crossword puzzle game in group working can be said as

one of useful media to minimize students’ problems in building some interactions

when they have learning process. Students’ interaction in VIII B became more

active and can made effective atmosphere in the class that made students put their

interest in learning vocabulary.

Weisskirch (2006) found that students are more interested in completing the

puzzles when given time to do them in class, and when given the chance to work

collaboratively with others, students found the puzzles to be more useful and

enjoyable than when doing them on their own. Weisskirch’s research found that

with completing crossword puzzle game the students felt more enjoyable, it

means that crossword puzzle game minimized the student’s problems in the class.

In observation sheet, the students’ behavior in learning processshowed that

students in learning vocabulary using crossword puzzle were braver to overcome

their own problems with asking some questions and discussions with other

friends.
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On the other hand, the result of the last observation sheet after the students

learned using crossword puzzle game as media showed that there are 548

interactions, have increased 100 interactions from pre observation. Group 1

(females Group) have interaction about 22.62 % (22.32 % in pre observation).

Next, group 2 (females and males Group) had interaction about 27.18 % (from

25.66 %) of the pre observations’ interactions. Meanwhile, group 3 (males Group)

had interaction about 21.35 % (from 19.64 %) and the last group had 28.83 % (from

28.79 %).

It can be stated that crossword puzzle game can influence the students’

interaction. In this result, crossword puzzle game can improve students’

activeness and help students to build good interaction in the class. So, students are

braver and enjoy interacting with each other in the class.

The result of documentation and interview are used to answer the second research

question. From that result, it can be seen that there are different motivations

between male and female students to interact in learning vocabulary using

crossword puzzle game. Male students in average have low motivation in building

more interaction in the class; therefore female students have high motivation in

learning process. The result of data analysis showed from some classification of

questions interview female students have higher percentage than male students.

From the first classification, 30 % of male students like English lesson and 40%

of female students like English lesson. There was a difference about 10 % from

both of them.
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Male students also have more difficulties in understanding vocabulary in the class,

so they chose to be passive and did not want to build some positive interaction in

the class. When these problems appeared male students thought lazy and felt that

they had lower ability to learn English than female students. From that kind of

reason, male students suggested themselves bad influent which made them

pessimist in learning something in the class, it made their motivation became

lower than female students. Tricia M, et al (2009) in their research found that

crossword puzzle could influence positively in students’ interaction, it push up

students’ interesting to be active in learning process. But this research found

something different; crossword puzzle game has another role in motivating

students to interact actively in the learning process.

Crossword puzzle game has influence students’ motivation to interact in learning

vocabulary, although male students still have difficulty to increase their

motivation. But compared with males’ motivation in pre observation, there is a

little difference in quality of motivation which male students have when they are

learning vocabulary using crossword puzzle game. From all the result of data

analysis, it can be stated that crossword puzzle game has big role on students’

interaction in learning vocabulary in group work activity.

Student 2 : satumenurun
Student 2 : suatuhari orang pergikemesjiduntukberdoa
Student 3 : apasih, Tanya Miss aja. Miss apasihartinya?
Teacher : haridimana orang-orang pergike masjid untukshalatbersama.
Student 4 : ouJum’atjum’atya miss jawabanya..yegw yang nempel, Friday.
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The students have motivation to speak with their teacher; they were very active

and enthusiastic in the class. It means that the second principle proposed by

Brown, intrinsic motivation was appeared in this class.

Based on motivation theory there are five level of human motivation:

Physiological, Safety,Belonging and love, Esteem and Self-actualization. The

students’ interaction in learning vocabulary using crossword puzzle showed the

positive response. The students were more active to build interactions in the class.

The students’ interactions reach the highest level of motivation theory by Maslow

(2009).In has been showed in the following conversation.

Student 5 : cobabuatkalimat
Student 2 : anisa …….
Student 3 : ihanisasemua
Student 1 : iya lo rang inipeninggw
Student 3 : yadahyuniaaja
Student 1 : oh iyaini“ yuniabahagiamelihatgebetannyalewatdepankelas”

The students were open to speak up with their friends. It means that they reached

the highest level of motivation; Self-actualization. Self-actualization is the top

level of hierarchy of needs and contains the morale, reactivity, openness and clear

mildness. The students have chance to do some challenging projects in learning

vocabulary using crossword puzzle game.

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CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTION

Conclusions

Based on the results of the data analysis and the discussion, the writer draws the

following conclusions:

1. The crossword puzzle game can influence the students’ interaction in learning

process and make students more active in the class. The total number of

interaction that the students show in the class when they are learning

vocabulary using crossword puzzle is about 133 interactions(89.26 % ) out of

the total number of interactions, it was higher than the total teacher

interaction. So the center of the class is the students, the teacher just as a

facilitator.

2. Learning vocabulary using crossword puzzle game can also improve the

students’ motivation to interact in learning process. The Students’ interaction

in the class dominated the whole interaction, so learning process can be

students-centered learning where the teacher is a facilitator and corrector

when students do some mistakes.

Suggestions

Considering the conclusions of the research above, the writer would like to

propose some suggestions as follow:

1. The writer suggested the English teacher should apply crossword puzzle

game in teaching learning vocabulary at the second grade of student in order

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to avoid students’ boredom and makes the different atmosphere. Meanwhile,

the students are motivated and feel relaxed in learning process.

2. In applying the game the teachers act as monitor and facilitator to make

students centered-learning in building good interactions in the class, so

students will enjoy and be active in learning process. The students also can

increase their abilities to communicate and interact with their friends in

getting the right answer of the game in group work.

REFERENCES

Brown, H. Douglas. 2001. Teaching by Principles an Interactive Approach to

Language Pedagogy. Wesley Longman, Inc.

Edge, J. 2001.Essentials of English Language Teaching. London: longman

Flanders, N. A. 1963. Intent, action, feedback: A Preparation for Teaching.

Journal of Education. 3(14): 251-260.

Franklin, S., Peat, M., & Lewis, A.. 2003. Non-Traditional Interventions to
Stimulate Discussion: The Use of Games and Puzzles. Journal of
Biological Education.37(2), 76-82.

Maslow (2009).Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.Human resources. (http://www.biz-

development.com/HumanResources/3.18.Maslow's-Hierarchy-Of-
Needs.htm). Retrieved on July, 12th 2014.

Suparman, U. 2009. Qualitative Research for Language Teaching and Learning.

Bandung: Arfino Raya Publisher.

Tricia M, et al. 2009. Reviewing for Exams: Do Crossword Puzzles Help in the
Success of Student Learning. The Journal of Effective Teaching, Vol. 9,
No. 3, P.4-10.

Weisskirch, R. S. 2006. An Analysis of Instructor-Created Crossword Puzzles or

Student Review.College Teaching. Vol. 54 No. 1, P.198-202.