TEACHING ENGLISH VOCABULARY TO YOUNG LEARNERS - THROUGH GROUP WORK

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by jayni

Teaching English to young learners has become widespread, yet traditional tactics quickly lead to boredom and reduced engagement. This research demonstrates that group work is an effective strategy to develop young learners’ vocabulary. A quantitative study compared a control group using traditional methods with an experimental group using group work in a fifth-grade class. T-test results show significantly better vocabulary enhancement in the group work condition.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

TEACHING ENGLISH VOCABULARY TO YOUNG LEARNERS THROUGH GROUP WORK Dhian Marita Sari 1 Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Tarbiyah Madani Yogyakarta, Indonesia [dhianmarita.sari@gmail.com](dhianmarita.sari@gmail.com1)[1](dhianmarita.sari@gmail.com1) Abstract Over the previous few decades, teaching English to young learners has become a phenomenon in our country. English is required in kindergarten and primary school. Young language learners, like other children, enthusiastically embrace new foreign languages, but they rapidly become bored if they are taught using traditional tactics and procedures. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate that group work is an effective strategy for young learners' vocabulary development. The study employed a quantitative method with two groups: control and experimental. The class included 48 students. The sample used in this research consists of fifth-grade learners from SD Wojo Yogyakarta, each of which has 24 students. The experimental class is one in which students learn vocabulary through the use of group work, whereas the control class is one in which students engage in more traditional teaching methods. T-test analysis was performed on the data that was obtained. It revealed that the T-test score of 1.68 was lower than the significance level of 0.05. It indicates that learning in groups is significantly more effective than traditional methods for enhancing young learners'vocabulary. Keywords: cooperative learning, Teaching English to Young Learner, vocabulary. Introduction The implementation of vocabulary instruction needs to start as soon as it is at all possible. In addition, educators need to be mindful that teaching a language to learners in elementary school is quite different than teaching the same language to adults (Permana, 2020) . Marulis & Neuman (2010) adds that vocabulary is crucial for oral language comprehension, domain-specific knowledge acquisition, and reading comprehension. The teachers should be aware at young learners must already be familiar with vocabulary because knowing words is a requirement for learning a second language. According to Malle & Yehualawork (2015), these students can communicate more effectively by building a broad and deep vocabulary knowledge base. Due to this, an individual's comprehension skills affect their ability to learn English in all aspects of the language, including listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Bakhsh (2016) states young learners are defined as students in their first year of primary school who are between the ages of five or six and twelve. Teaching young students is more difficult than teaching adolescents or adults because young students become easily distracted. Children enjoy having fun and playing, so the teacher should select teaching strategies that cater to their nature. Hakim (2019) adds that the teachers should incorporate variety and make the teaching-learning process more engaging when teaching new vocabulary. It is essential to provide students with a wide range of learning opportunities. Moreover, to make vocabulary instruction engaging for young students, the teacher should not only have engaging teaching aids but also employ a variety of teaching techniques. Implementing appropriate teaching techniques for young learners' vocabulary acquisition is one method to make vocabulary acquisition more engaging and improve students' motivation. Group work can be used to increase students' appreciation of learning English, particularly in terms of vocabulary acquisition. Using group work to teach vocabulary can increase students' motivation and their enjoyment of classroom vocabulary instruction. Hatch and Brown (1995) cited in Brewster (2002) list the five basic steps to learning vocabulary: discovering new words and visualizing or hearing their forms, learning their meanings, creating a strong memory association between the forms and their meanings, and applying the words. It has been demonstrated tha

FAQs

What problem does the study address in teaching English vocabulary to young learners?

Young learners often become bored when taught using traditional tactics and procedures, which reduces engagement and vocabulary growth.

How was the research conducted?

The study used a quantitative method with two groups—control and experimental—with 48 fifth-grade students from SD Wojo Yogyakarta, 24 per group.

What do the T-test results indicate about group work?

The T-test score was 1.68 and fell below the 0.05 significance level, indicating that learning in groups is significantly more effective than traditional methods for enhancing young learners’ vocabulary.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by jayni