ria ekayanti

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USING TACTILE AND KINESTHETIC RESOURCES TO

IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPELLING ABILITY AND

PRONUNCIATION AWARENESS

(AN ACTION RESEARCH AT THE FIFTH GRADE OF SD NEGERI

POJOK 02 TAWANGSARI IN 2008/2009)

A THESIS

Written by:

RIA EKAYANTI

K2205017

Submitted to Teacher Training and Education Faculty of Sebelas Maret

University to Fulfill One of the Requirements for Getting the Undergraduate

Degree of Education in English Department

TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FACULTY

SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY

SURAKARTA

2009


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ABSTRACT

Ria Ekayanti. K2205017. USING TACTILE AND KINESTHETICRESOURCES TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPELLING ABILITY AND

PRONUNCIATION AWARENESS (AN ACTION RESEARCH AT THE

FIFTH GRADE OF SD NEGERI POJOK 02 TAWANGSARI IN 2008/2009). A Thesis. Surakarta. Teacher Training and Education Faculty, Sebelas Maret

University, May, 2009.

This thesis is written to: 1) identify whether and to what extend tactile and

kinesthetic resource improves students’ spelling ability and pronunciation

awareness, and 2) describe the class situation when tactile and kinesthetic

resource is applied in the English class.

This research which is conducted through action research is carried out intwo cycles. Each cycle consists of three meetings at Cycle 1 and two meetings at

Cycle 2. In two cycles, it has been provided with tactile and kinesthetic resource,

especially learning circle and pic-a-hole, during the teaching and learning process.

The data which are collected through this research include qualitative data

(observation, teacher’s diary, interview, audio recording, photograph, document

analysis), and quantitative data (tests). The data are analyzed using constant

comparative method and descriptive statistic. Qualitative data are analyzed using

constant comparative method; while tests are analyzed using descriptive statistic.

The research finding proves that tactile and kinesthetic resource is an

effective and suitable technique to improve students’ spelling ability and

pronunciation awareness, and also the class situation in the teaching and learning

process. The research findings include: 1) students’ spelling ability improves after

using tactile and kinesthetic resource in terms of rearranging the jumbled letters

into correct word; writing words involving double consonant letters (buffalo,

grass, rabbit, etc.); writing words without making transposition of letters

(elephant, crocodile, goat, etc.); writing a correct spelling of the meant word not

another word (now, goat, Tuesday, etc.); and writing words with complete letters

(month, swallow, lizard, etc.); 2) students’ pronunciation awareness improves

after using tactile and kinesthetic resource in terms of pronouncing words based

on its sound not letters; reading sentence aloud using correct stress and intonation;

pronouncing words/sentence faster and louder; responding and pronouncing thewords/sentences loudly without being afraid of making mistakes; and repeating

the teacher’s saying well; 3) the class situation improves when tactile and

kinesthetic resource is applied in the English class in terms of students’ readiness

in starting the lesson, they prepare the materials (books, pencil, ruler, etc.) before

the teacher enter the class; asking permission to go to the toilet. During the lesson,

the students especially boys don’t ask permission to the toilet; students’

activeness/participation during teaching and learning process (students respond

question/command; students are brave to ask question); students’ attention during

teaching and learning process (they aren’t noisy anymore, they aren’t sleepy when

following the activity in the class); and students’ activeness in doing

exercise/homework provided by the teacher.


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MOTTO


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No success

without hard effort and praying


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DEDICATION

The writer dedicates this thesis to:

My beloved parents

My brother and sister

My dearest YW

My uncle BGBC

All the English lecturers


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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Praise be to God, the Lord of universe, who has given the blessing to the

writer, so that I can accomplish the writing of this thesis as a partial requirement

for achieving the undergraduate degree of education in English Teacher Training

and Education Faculty of Sebelas Maret University.

The writer is also fully aware that this thesis can never be finished without

the help of others during the process of writing. Therefore, in this occasion, I

would like to express the deepest gratitude and appreciation to the following:

1) The Dean of Teacher Training and Education Faculty.

2) The Head of the Art and Language Education Department, and the Head of

English Department of Teacher Training and Education Faculty.

3)

Dra. Dewi Rochsantiningsih, M.Ed., Ph.D., the first consultant for her

patience, guidance and suggestions.

4) Drs. Bambang Agus Purwanto, M.Ed., the second consultant for his

patience, guidance and suggestions.

5) Amanto, A.Ma.Pd., the Headmaster of SD Negeri Pojok 02 Tawangsari.

6)

My beloved parents that always support and pray for me.

7) The students of class 5 B of SD Negeri Pojok 02.

8) My lovely friends, Lia, Dhinar, Rina, Sukma, Makmuroh, Riyani, Vita,

Fita, Novi, As, Tetri, Bena, and Rini who always support me.

9)

Adit who is never tired to accompany and help me in doing this thesis.

Surakarta, May 2009


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Ria

TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE OF PAGE......................................................................................................i

ABSTRACT............................................................................................................ ii

APPROVAL........................................................................................................... iii

APPROVAL OF THE EXAMINERS ....................................................................iv

MOTTO ...................................................................................................................v

DEDICATION........................................................................................................viACKNOWLEDGMENT....................................................................................... vii

TABLE OF CONTENT…………………………………………………………viii

LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………...x

LIST OF APPENDICES………………………………………………………….xi

Chapter I : INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study ……………………………………...1

B. Problem Statement …………………………………………..11

C. Aims of the Study ……………………………………………11

D. Benefits of the Study ………………………………………...12

Chapter II : LITERATURE REVIEW

A. Young Learners ……………………………………………...14

1. The Nature of Young Learner …………………………….14

2. The Characteristics of Young Learners …………………...15

B. Spelling ………………………………………………………17

1. The Spelling System……………………………………….17

2. The Spelling Program……………………………………...21

3. Spelling in the School Curriculum…………………………22

C. Pronunciation ………………………………………………...26

1. The Nature of Pronunciation ……………………………....26

2. Pronunciation Awareness…………………………………..27

3. Features of Pronunciation …………………………………29

D. Learning Style ……………………………………………….36


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1. The Nature of Learning Style ……………………………...36

2. Kinds of Learning Style …………………………………....36

E. Tactile and Kinesthetic Resources …………………………...38

1. The Nature of Tactile and Kinesthetic Resources …………38

2. Tactile and Kinesthetic Learners Responsive to Tactile and

.........Kinesthetic Resources……………..……………………….39

3. The Direction and Procedure of Tactile and Kinesthetic

Resources…………………………………………………..40

4. Teaching Spelling and Pronunciation using Tactile

………and Kinesthetic Resources ……………….………………..43

5. The Strengths of Tactile and Kinesthetic Resources………..47

Chapter III : RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A. Research Method …………………………………………….50

1. The Nature of Action Research…………………………….50

2. The Characteristics of Action Research……………………51

3. The Features of Action Research…………………………..52

4. The Model of Action Research…………………………….52

B. Context of the Research ……………………………………...57

C. Techniques of Collecting Data ………………………………58

D. Techniques of Data Analysis…………………………………59

Chapter IV : RESULT OF THE STUDY

A. Process of the Research………………………………………63

1. Pre research………………………………………………..67

2. Research Implementation………………………………….70

B. Result Findings and Result Discussion………………………96

Chapter V : CONCLUSION, IMPLICATION, AND SUGGESTION

A. Conclusion………………………………………………….112

B. Implication………………………………………………….116

C. Suggestion…………………………………………………..119

BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………….………………...121

APPENDICES


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LIST OF TABLE

Spelling patterns.....................................................................................................25

The basic vowel patterns........................................................................................32

The modified vowel patterns..................................................................................32

The pronunciation of consonants...........................................................................33

The features of Action Research............................................................................52

Table of Collecting Data........................................................................................58

The Summary of Process of the Research..............................................................64

Summary of Research Implementation of Cycle 1 and 2......................................71

Research Findings..................................................................................................97

The Improvement of Students’ Achievement…………………………………..102

The Sample of Students’ Achievement…………………………………………102


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LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix 1 Pre Research Observation

Appendix 2 Field Notes

Appendix 3 Observation Sheets of Teaching and Learning Process

Appendix 4 Transcript of Interview

Appendix 5 The Diary of Action Research

Appendix 6 Lesson Plan

Appendix 7 List of Students’ Name

Appendix 8 Result of the Study (Students’ Achievement)

Appendix 9 Photograph (Sample of Teaching and Learning Activity)

Appendix 10 Standard Competence and Basic Competence for Class V of

Elementary School

Appendix 11 Sample of Students’ Worksheet

Appendix 12 Letters of Permission


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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Chapter I provides a description about background of the study, problem

statements, aims of the study and benefit of the study. In background of the study,

it introduces the reader toward the problem related to the scope of the study. It

exposes and describes about the fact that spelling and pronunciation are needed to

learn from the beginning. At the next section, it describes about the research

question which is summarized into problem statements. Then, the aims and

benefits of the study are also described in the last part of the chapter. Each section

is described as follows.

A.

Background of the Study

English as one of languages used to communicate both oral and written,

has widespread throughout the world. In Indonesia, English plays an important

role to help the Indonesian people to face the globalization era. It is an opportunity

for people all over the world to prepare themselves to come along with this reality.

Education is one of fields which will be one of the main focuses on developing

and preparing the good human resource. Facing this fact, the Indonesian

government is aware about the importance of English to prepare the good human

resource which has skills to communicate using English better, so that it is applied

in education. Primarily, the Indonesian government decides that English is a

subject learnt from secondary school to university. After years, English is applied


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in elementary schools from the forth grade until the sixth grade as a local content.

It is clearly stated in GBPP Muatan Lokal Bahasa Inggris (1994) cited in

Kasihani (2007: 1) that English lesson can be taught formally in elementary

schools as a local content. Temporarily, it is given at grade 4, 5, and 6. Nowadays,

English has invaded in every level of education in Indonesia, such as it is also

introduced in a kindergarten or even in a play group. It can be seen that English is

important to help the development of knowledge and technology, science, art, and

the relationship among countries throughout the world.

Teaching English for elementary school is directed to provide students

simple skill in expressing written and oral expressions in English. It also helps

them to obtain basic knowledge of English in order to have a better understanding

to learn English more at secondary school. Therefore, students are expected to

have language competence. Language competence is all skills and abilities which

are oriented for the using of language in a real life, such as speaking, reading,

writing, and listening. Since they are still young learners, they are expected to be

able to perform those competencies in a simple form. Thus, English lesson in the

elementary school is directed to develop those skills in order to gain graduates

who are able to communicate well. As stated in ‘Standar Kompetensi dan

Kompetensi Dasar Tingkat SD/MI’ (2007) that the scope of English lesson in

elementary school covers communicative competence finitely in the school

context, including some aspects like listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Furthermore, writing and reading skill are intended for supporting oral

communication learning. In writing skill, the learners are expected to write


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English words properly, and it is still in the simple form matched with their needs.

For example, they study some vocabularies about fruits. In this context, they write

the names of fruit like an apple, an orange, a mango, etc., in the correct spelling.

Whereas, in reading skill, young learners are expected to read the English words,

phrase, or sentences aloud, with proper pronunciation. In other words, they are

expected to be aware and be able to pronounce correctly any written text.

Teaching English for young learners is mostly beginning from establishing

vocabulary, then, followed by teaching alphabet. Kasihani (2007: 49) suggests

that English alphabets have to be presented earlier to the children. For children,

the English alphabet is a totally new one, then there is a lot to learn, but it is clear

that every new symbol needs to be taught with its pronunciation. It means that the

teacher should present vocabularies which are followed by modeling how to spell

and pronounce the words correctly. It is therefore, teaching in elementary school

is oriented and emphasized on the language component first. These language

components are to support the writing and reading skill. It is as a base to

recognize and read the words with proper pronunciation.

Teacher needs to make students learn about spelling and pronunciation. It

is important to introduce spelling and pronunciation in the early age, especially for

elementary school students. There are some theories underlying it. First coming

from Schutz (2008) who says as follows:

“In the absence of a good model and without guidance, the

learners will perceive, produce, and internalize words and

sounds of the target language based on the native language

sounds. For this reason, if not given emphasis at the very

beginning, pronunciation will never be acquired well. Since

pronunciation habits are formed early, it seems obvious that


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it is at the point that the development of a good

pronunciation should be emphasized” (p.10).

Meanwhile, Harmer (1991: 23) states that the teaching of pronunciation

aims to give students communicative efficiency. Furthermore, he explains that the

teacher need to be sure that the students can understand what they speak. They

need to be able to say what they want to say. This means that their pronunciation

should be at least adequate for that purpose. It is therefore, pronunciation should

be introduced from the early age. Beside the pronunciation, spelling is also

important to learn earlier. The ultimate goal in spelling instruction is to enable

students to spell correctly the words needed both in and outside school in their

present students’ status and later as literate adult (Horn in Petty and Jensen, 1980:

441). In addition, Hanna and his colleagues in Petty and Jensen (1980: 441) point

out that the ability to acquire and use the skills basic to written communication is

a requisite in modern society and indeed it is to some extent basic all forms of

human communication. This means that spelling ability is a fundamental factor to

be able to master written language.

In a daily life, pronunciation is also important. As a social human, people

always make socialization by having interaction with others. In the process of

interaction, they make conversation with each other, to share their opinion, etc.

People cannot ignore that interaction can run effectively when the people can

communicate each other communicatively. It deals with how people convey their

words. When people can pronounce the word appropriately, the others can accept

and appreciate what they mean. Meanwhile, when people cannot pronounce the

words using correct pronunciation, the other will be confused, and it can arise


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miscommunication. This reality opens the teacher’s mind that how important

studying spelling and pronunciation earlier is. Then, it encourages the teacher to

introduce children how to spell and pronounce the English words accurately.

By knowing the importance of spelling and pronunciation, the teachers

have to concern on it. However, teaching spelling and pronunciation is not an easy

duty. The students themselves find out many difficulties when they spell and

pronounce the English words. It is a general problem often faced by many

students, without the exception of grade 5 students of SD Negeri Pojok 02

Tawangsari. It is not surprisingly that studying spelling and pronunciation is

difficult that causes the learners find errors. The learners’ errors of pronunciation

derives from various sources, such as a particular sound may not exist in the

mother tongue, some letters represent different sound, and different intonation

between students’ mother tongue and target language (Ur, 1996: 52). Burns and

Broman (1975: 361) state as to the difficulty of the words presented at a grade

level, words may vary greatly in the degree of difficulty for pupils. In addition, in

a survey of 500 adult students about what most difficult subject in English, shows

that pronunciation is a substantial majority (Haycraft, 1978: 55). Those encourage

me to do a research. Beside that, I am interested in doing a research which focuses

on improving students’ spelling ability and pronunciation awareness since the

students’ competence is still low in writing and reading the English words,

whereas spelling and pronunciation are two essential aspects of language

components that are needed to learn earlier, especially at the fifth grade of

elementary school students. In addition, they need innovation which facilitates


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them to study spelling and pronunciation more easily and enjoyably. Through this

research, the students are expected to be able to write and read aloud the words

better than before.

Based on the phenomenon raised above, the study is suitably conducted

through an action research study. According to Kemmis and McTaggart in Burns

(1999:32) action research typically consists of a number of phases which often

recur in cycles. Action research usually does in the class to change and improve

the quality of teaching and learning process to be better. The problem that

becomes the focus of the study is that the students have low spelling ability and

pronunciation awareness. This problem is indicated through the following

indicators, which include competence and classroom situation point of view. From

competence viewpoint, I find some indicators dealing with the low of the

students’ spelling ability and pronunciation awareness. The indicators of problem

coming from spelling ability are: (1) when the teacher asked them to rewrite a

given word or sentence, they wrote it with incorrect spelling. For example, the

students asked to rearrange the jumbled letters into correct words, they cannot

rewrite it well; (2) students often made a lot of mistakes when they wrote words

involving double consonant letters such as ‘aple’, ‘pineaple’, ‘bufalo’, ‘ofice’, etc.

(3) students made transposition of letters such as from for form, gose for goes, gril

for girl; (4) students wrote a correct spelling of another word, such as the words

are tree, food, head they write three, foot ; hat , etc.(5) when students took notes

from the whiteboard, their writings were incorrect. There were some missing

letters and or different letter made by students. It meant they wrote the words with


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incomplete letters or changing the letters. For examples, they write dring, swep,

Sunday, etc. Meanwhile, from pronunciation viewpoint, there are 5 indicators of

problem which include: (1) students couldn’t pronounce the words appropriately.

They often pronounced it by looking at its letters. For example, the word ‘bag’

pronounced /a/, ‘potato’ /potato/, ‘banana’ /banana/, and so forth; (2) students

pronounced or read the words and sentences flat, whether it was a question, or a

statement. They couldn’t read sentences with correct stress and intonation; (3)

when the teacher asked students to read, their speed of reading was slow and their

voice was very low; (4) the students didn’t do what the teacher asked them to do,

such as when they asked to read, they kept silent and looked at the teacher in a

long time; and (5) the students made a lot of mistakes in pronouncing the words

when the teacher asked them to repeat what the teacher said. For example, the

teacher said /ka:(r)/, the students said /ker/, the teacher said /bυk/, the students

said /bok/, etc.

Regarding to classroom situation, there are some indicators of the

problem, namely: (1) when the teacher came to the class, some students were not

ready yet. They did not prepare the English book before teacher asked them to do

it; (2) during the lesson, some students especially boys, often asked permission to

the teacher to go to lavatory; (3) the students tended to be passive in the teaching

and learning process. They did not respond the teacher’s questions, and they did

not ask questions dealing with the material. Therefore, the learning situation was

not quite interactive and communicative; (4) the students made a noise in the

class, and some of them were sleepy. They did not pay attention to the teacher’s


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explanation. Most of them talked with their seatmate, and some of them drew or

wrote something in their own book when the teacher explained the lesson. This

was out of the lesson being learnt at that time; and (5) the students were lazy to do

exercise or homework given by the teacher.

Furthermore, the problem derives from some causes which may come

from students’ side and teacher’s side. The possibility causes coming from the

students’ side is they consider that the teachers’ explanation for pronunciation and

spelling are boring (they have nothing to do in a learning process but to listen to

their teacher only). As there is no activity involving students’ participation, and it

tends to teacher-oriented rather than students-oriented, so the teacher does not

make the students learn by themselves. Beside that they live in a rural, so they are

less enthusiastic in learning English. It shows that there is no motivation in the

learning process. Therefore, they do not really know what they learn, and this

makes them consider that English is the most difficult subject and they will be

afraid whenever they meet the English class. Furthermore, they have a short term

memory problem or attention deficiency problem. Since it is different from

students’ mother tongue, they often forget how to spell and to pronounce the

words correctly. It means students find difficulty in memorizing the spelling and

pronunciation of words. Regarding to teacher’s side, the causes of the problem is

there are no enough media or facility to support the teaching and learning process;

it can be pictures, real objects, visual aids, etc. In addition, the teacher only gives

the examples of the words, utters it, and then asks them to repeat it once. The

students gain little chance to recognize the words and to repeat it more than once.


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It shows that the teacher only brings the knowledge without giving experience to

the students to learn by themselves. Beside that the technique used is not quite

interesting for the children since the teacher often uses presentation technique.

The teacher inclines to explain the material without doing pace to make children

relax and avoid the boredom. This does not motivate the students to engage the

lesson. As the result, they will be noisy and do what they like. It means they need

more activities or exercises to practice their ability in spelling and pronunciation.

In this case, the teacher should create some activities that stimulate students to be

active and excited to study. This is the duty of the teacher to organize the

technique of learning spelling and pronunciation more motivating and suitable for

elementary level. Therefore, in this research I propose a technique which can be

used to improve students’ spelling ability and pronunciation awareness, namely

tactile and kinesthetic resource.

After finding the causes of problem, I consider that the main cause is on

the technique used. Then, I determine that the solution to overcome the problem is

by using tactile and kinesthetic resource. Therefore, the research focuses on the

improving students’ spelling ability and pronunciation awareness using tactile and

kinesthetic resource (T&K R). T&K R is certain materials which are conducted

by involving students’ touching and movement. It deals with out of seat activities.

There are various kinds of tactile and kinesthetic resources, which include

learning circle, task cards, flip chute, pic-a-hole, bookgames, and electroboard.

The main reason of using T&K R is it motivates the children to learn

English, especially spelling and pronunciation, since this technique considered as


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gamelike qualities. Motivation is the key factor of second language teaching.

When students have high motivation to learn, they will learn excitedly and

naturally without forced by anyone. Certainly, children will enjoy while using

T&K R, to learn spelling and pronunciation. Second, this resource responds to

individuals’ sociological preference because they can be used alone, in pairs, or

with a group. The third characteristic is it involves students’ participation actively.

It is applied by making use of students’ movement and belongs to hands-on-

activities. Beside that, it offers more perceptual concrete, and easy to do by the

students. It insists all students to participate in the learning activities, so it

encourages the shy students become brave and show up their ability. Therefore,

the English class will be fun, active, and more interesting. Next, it concerns with

children’s characteristics since this technique is primarily directed to facilitate the

children to learn English more easily and enjoyably. According to Halliwell

(1992: 3) children like to take great pleasure in finding and creating fun in what

they do. This technique provides many chances to the students to participate and

involve in the learning activity. Furthermore, it will make them more confident in

attempting the sound of foreign language and they are also delighted in playing

with sounds. The last characteristic is that T&K R is both technique and material,

so it will be easier to conduct for young learner. As stated before, there are various

kinds of T&K R, used as a material to teach spelling and pronunciation. Each of

the materials has their own sequence activities, which represents the application of

the technique. All of them are self-corrective. It means the students learn by

themselves and realize their own answer, whether or not it is correct. It is


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emphasized that T&K R is the technique providing some materials which includes

touching and moving activities. Therefore, there is a balance between students’

brain and their motor coordination. Undoubtedly, T&K R stimulates as well as

motivates the students, so that they can enjoy learning spelling and pronunciation.

B.

Problem Statements

Based on the background of the study, it focuses on how the technique of

improving students’ spelling ability and pronunciation awareness can be achieved.

Therefore, the problem statements are as follows:

1) Does and to what extend tactile and kinesthetic resources improve

students’ spelling ability and pronunciation awareness?

2) How is the class situation when tactile and kinesthetic resource applied

in the English class?

C.

Aims of the Study

Based on the problem statements above, this research is conducted in order

to fulfill the following aims:

1)

To identify whether and to what extend tactile and kinesthetic resources

improves students’ spelling ability and pronunciation awareness.

2) To describe the class situation when tactile and kinesthetic resource is

applied in the English class


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D. Benefits of the Study

The research always desires to provide benefits which are useful for the

others that are related to the scope of the study. This research is expected to

contribute:

1) The writer

For the writer, this research contributes a useful experience. The result

of this research can be used as a reflection dealing with the writer’s

duty as a teacher in SD Negeri Pojok 02. The writer knows whether or

not the students enjoy and improve themselves, especially on spelling

and pronunciation.

2) Teachers

The English teachers are expected getting a better understanding about

how to teach spelling and pronunciation by implementing tactile and

kinesthetic resource. It means that they obtain new idea in handling

teaching spelling and pronunciation, and can apply it much better in

the teaching and learning activity. The research finding is also

expected to ensure and encourage the teacher that they can do

innovation to refresh their teaching, for example by trying other

techniques to make an English lesson more interesting.

3) Teacher Training and Education Faculty

It is expected that the finding of the research can produce the next

generation who is innovative and creative in teaching English. It also

can increase and enhance education in Indonesia, which is originally


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promoted by teacher training and education faculty as a formal place

for anyone to have knowledge and education, exactly an English

teacher. Beside that, it is hoped can be a good consideration and input

for teacher training and education faculty, especially English

Department to introduce this teaching technique found in the research,

in the syllabus as one of the topics to be learnt.

4) Other Researchers

It is expected the finding of research can contribute input about the

importance of doing action research to solve certain problems in

different situation. By doing the research directly, people can gain

experience and insight about the application of tactile and kinesthetic

resources in school.


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CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

The research is about improving students’ spelling ability and

pronunciation awareness through T&K R. Therefore, the research is supported by

some theories that are used as a framework of theory in doing the research. In this

chapter, there are some theories related to the scope of the research, which include

young learners, spelling, pronunciation, learning style, and T&K R. Each theory is

described as follows:

A. Young Learners

1. The Nature of Young Learner

The teaching of English to young learners has become especially

important in recent years. One reason for this has been the introduction of primary

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching in a number of elementary schools,

even kindergartens or playgroups. However, early learning of foreign language is

not aimed at achieving the sort of complete mastery, which would allow the pupil

to move on a different foreign language or another subject at the end of primary

schooling (Brewster, Ellis, and Girard., 1992: 47). Therefore, the teaching

approach required for young learner is obviously different from that for adults.

According to Scott and Ytreberg (1992: 1), children are classified into two

groups: five to seven years old and eight to ten years old. Each group has their

own level. Level one consists of children at the age of five to seven, while


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children of eight to ten belong to level two. Both of these levels assumed as

beginner stage. Piaget in Kasihani (2007: 6) identifies four types of cognitive

development, namely: (a) sensorymotor stage (0-2 years old); (b) preoperational

stage (2-8 years old); (c) concrete operational stage (8-11 years old); (d) formal

stage (11-15 years old). Children learn English at elementary school starting from

the forth or fifth years. It means they are in the concrete operational stage.

Therefore, they need much illustrations, models, pictures, etc.

2. The Characteristics of Young Learners

Young learners do not come to the language classroom empty-handed.

They bring with them an already well-established set of instincts, skills, and

characteristics that help them to learn another language. In relation to this, Scott

and Ytreberg (1990: 1-2) state some special characteristics of children depend on

their groups. There are eight characteristics of five to seven years old. They are as

follows:

At their own level, children can:

1. talk about what they are doing

2. tell what they have done/heard

3. plan activities

4. argue something and tell you why they think what they think

5. use logical reasoning

6. use their vivid imaginations7. use a wide range of intonation patterns in their mother tongue

8. understand direct human interaction

Children at the age of five to seven are little children, while children of

eight to ten are relatively mature children with an adult side and a childish side. It

is proved by their characteristics listed by Scott and Ytreberg (1990: 3-5):

1. their basic concepts are formed. They have very decided views

of the world.


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2. they can tell the difference between fact and fiction.

3. they ask questions all the time.

4. they rely on the spoken word as well as the physical word toconvey and understand meaning.

5. they are able to make some decisions about their own learning.

6. they have definite views about what they like and don’t like

doing.

7. they have a developed sense of fairness about what happens in

the classroom and begin to question the teacher decision.

8. they are able to work with others and learn from others.

In general, children have a very short attention and concentration span

(Scott and Ytreberg, 1990: 2). They could not concentrate well in a long time as

they are easy to feel bored. Therefore, the language learning should involve their

participation and the task given should be short, varied, motivating, interesting,

and offering concrete perceptual support.

To support the previous theories, there are some other characteristics of

young learners, mentioned by Halliwell (1992: 3-8), namely:

a) Children have ability to grasp meaning.

They are already very good at interpreting meaning without necessarily

understand the individual words. It means they are able to understand

what is being said to them even before they understand the individual

words. Intonation, gesture, facial expressions, actions, and circumstances

are all the things that help to tell them what the unknown words and

phrases probably mean.

b) Children are creative enough in using limited language sources.

This implies that they are creative with grammatical forms. They are

also creative with the concepts. Children also create words by analogy,


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or they even invent completely new words which then come into the

family vocabulary.

c)

Children have capacity for indirect learning.

Children sometimes seem to notice something out of the corner of their

eyes and remember it better than what they were actually supposed to be

learning when teacher controls an activity fairly closely. At this

situation, teacher should take and create language activities involving

children’s participation, such as guessing. It is indirect since the mind is

engaged with the task and is not focusing on the language.

d) Children have instinct for play and fun.

They take great pleasure in finding and creating fun in what they do.

e) Children delight in imagination and fantasy.

They test out their version of the world through fantasy and confirm how

the world actually is by imagining how it might be different. The

capacity for fantasy and imagination has a very constructive part to play

in the language classroom.

B. Spelling

1. The Spelling System

The higher the spelling inconsistency is, the more negative the influence

on pronunciation will be (Schutz, 2008). However, the English spelling does not

serve a guide to pronunciation. On the contrary, it can often be misleading. It is

since spelling is the writing of word or words with all necessary letters and


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diacritics present in an accepted standard order (A Wikimedia Project, 2008). It is

one of the elements of orthography and a prescriptive element of language. Most

spellings attempt to approximate a transcribing of the sounds of the language into

alphabetic letters. Therefore, it is important to emphasize that the spelling of a

word is not always an accurate guide to how it is pronounced. Similarly, the

pronunciation of a word is not always helpful when working out how the word

should be spelt.

From a linguistics perspective, English spelling is based on the alphabetic

principle (Petersen and Hayden, 1961: 202). In alphabetic writing system, letters

are used to represent speech sounds or phonemes. For example, the word pat is

spelled with three letters: p, a, t ; each representing a phoneme, respectively: /p/,

/ æ /, /t/. According to Kenworthy (1987: 94-96) there are five basic features of

language spelling systems, namely:

a) Feature 1

The English writing system is an alphabetic one. It follows the

convention that there is a correspondence between letters and individual

sound. However, unlike the spelling system of some other languages

which use an alphabet, several of letters in English can have more than

one value sound. So, there is not always a strict one-to-one

correspondence between sound and letter. Some letters do have only one

value – called ‘single valued’ (e.g. d, p, and m); some letters can have

two or more values – called ‘multi valued’ (an example is ‘c’ which

represent the sound in ‘cat’ or the sound in city).


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b) Feature 2

In the English spelling system, a ‘root’ or ‘base’ is always spelled the

same. Each root or base has a unique spelling. This feature makes

English spelling a highly ‘visual’ system in the sense that reader can

very easily recognize related words. For example, when a person sees

the word ‘photogravure’, he or she will immediately recognize the root

p-h-o-t-o and know that this word is somehow related to ‘photograph’,

‘photography, or ‘photographic’, even though the person has never seen

the word before.

c) Feature 3

Some of the symbols used in the writing system are combinations of two

or more letters from the alphabet. It is called composite symbol. The

composite symbol can be single-valued or multi-valued too. For

instance, ‘-ph-‘represents the sound in /f/ as in fish, phase, phone, etc.; ‘-

th-‘ can represent 2 sounds: the one in ‘thick’ or the one in ‘three’.

d) Feature 4

Some of the symbols are used to signal something about another symbol.

It means that they have no sound value themselves when they are

functioning in this way. The clearest example is the letter ‘e’ at the end

of a word; it tells the reader something about the value of preceding

vowel letter or consonant. In the word ‘ feet ’, it signals that the preceding

‘e’ is pronounced as /i:/. In ‘ice’, it signals that the letter ‘c’ is

pronounced as /s/.


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e) Feature 5

Position and surrounding are extremely important in the English system.

When position and surroundings are taken into account, some very

regular pattern and sound values for letters emerge. For example, ‘wh’

can only occur at the beginning of word; ‘ng’ can only occur at the end.

Moreover, there are also certain features of the English spelling systems

that may be new to the learners. Fitzpatrick (1995: 17) outlined them broadly as

follows:

a) By contrast with some spelling systems, the English one is not generally

phonetic as one letter does not always represent only one sound.

Compare, for example, the pronunciation of ‘p’ in the words ‘stop’ and

‘ phone’.

b)

It is largely alphabetic system, and the learners therefore have to

decipher the various letter combinations that represent given sound in

order to reproduce them. As the example above, one letter may have

more than one value.

c) Patterns can be established from the way a basic word is built up with

prefixes and suffixes, as in the following example of the letter ‘a’:

act , act ion, react , react ion, inter act ion (pronounced / æ / )

part, de part, de part ment, part ly, part icle (pronounced /a:/)

d) There are a few ‘oddities’ that the learner will be faced with, such as the

fact that certain vowel combination have more than one pronunciation

pattern; consonants can join together to form one sound only; some


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letters are pronounced or silent depending on their position in a word;

and some letters have no phonetic value, but act as silent modifiers.

2. The Spelling Program

Some spelling programs are based on the theory of social utility; that is,

the words are selected on the basis of their importance in the different spelling

activities of life (Burns and Broman, 1975: 359). Horn in Burns and Broman

(1975: 361) suggested the following criteria for introducing the basic word in the

spelling program:

a) The most important words should be introduced in the

beginning grades and those of lesser important in the

later grades.

b) The simplest words should be introduced in the

beginning grades and the more difficult words in the

later grades.

c) Those words that are used often or needed in the

curriculum activities of children should be introduce

when appropriate.

Justification for the social utility approach to selection and grade

placement of words is evident when two factors are considered:(1) the

permanence of the words, and (2) the amazingly small number of words used in

the average person’ writing vocabulary.

Careful attention should be directed toward the content of the spelling

program. The method of determining spelling content is to base the entire spelling

program solely upon the words for which children have an immediate need

(Petersen and Hayden, 1961: 202). For example, if a class is studying

things/objects in the classroom (surrounding the classroom), the words needed to

be spelled will probably include whiteboard, chalk, table, chair, map, eraser, ruler,


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etc. It is then, becoming the content of spelling program for that week and no

standardized list is used. Furthermore, it presents that this type of spelling

program offers three advantages: (1) all children are taught the words which they

probably will use most frequently in their writing; (2) spelling is integrated with

other curricular areas by using words derived from immediate classroom needs;

and (3) the use of the supplemental list provides opportunity for the

individualization of the spelling program according to specific needs and abilities.

A good spelling program includes enrichment activities for children who

learn spelling words easily and who make few spelling mistake in writing. The

activities during the learning process can involve visual, auditory, tactile, and

kinesthetic imagery. Thus, the pupils will not lose interest and the teacher will not

waste instructional time.

3. Spelling in the School Curriculum

In most school, the systematic program of spelling instruction usually

begins in the second grade. It does not mean that many first grade children do not

acquire a fairly extensive spelling vocabulary. However, this is the result of

instruction in reading and handwriting rather than the formal teaching of spelling.

In a first grade handwriting lesson, for example, the teacher is actually developing

spelling ability as the teacher names each letter and writes it on the board for

children to copy. The children will have memorized the sequences of letters and

thus spell the words. It is therefore, a systematic program in spelling begin in the

second grade that is at grade 4-6 (Petersen and Hayden, 1961: 203).


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Most students of elementary school less confidence and getting frustration

when they learn something new that they feel difficult, like learning spelling.

When it does so, they will not enjoy in engaging the lesson, and even they feel

afraid and consider it as something like specter. To eliminate students’ frustration,

the teacher can build children’s self-confidence by: (1) making sure that each

child has a definite and efficient method of learning; (2) teaching words that are

necessary for the children’s writing; (3) making certain each child recognizes his

or her progress in learning new words; (4) making spelling instruction meaningful

and interesting, and (5) developing in each child an interest in language and a

desire to spell and use words correctly.

a. Goal of the Instructional Program

The basic goal of spelling instruction is to teach children to spell correctly

all of the words they write. Petty and Jensen (1980: 442-443) said that the

objective of every spelling program should be stated in terms of attitudes, skills,

or abilities, and a desire habits, as shown here:

I. Attitudes

Each child should:

1)

Recognize the necessity for correct spelling in effective

communication.

2) Show a desire to spell all words correctly.

3) Believe that spelling correctly is something he or she can accomplish.

II.

Skills and abilities

Each child should be able to:


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1) Recognize all the letters of the alphabet in capital and lowercase

forms in both printed and hand written materials.

2)

Write all the letters of the alphabet is a legible manner in both capital

and lowercase form.

3) Alphabetize words.

4) Hear words accurately as they are spoken.

5) Pronounce the words clearly and accurately

6) See printed words accurately

7) Group and connect the letters of a word properly.

8) Use punctuation elements that are necessary for spelling.

9) Use a dictionary including diacritical markings and guide words.

10) Pronounce unfamiliar words properly.

11)

Use knowledge of sound and symbol relationship.

12) Use knowledge of orthographic patterns that recur in English.

13) Use the most effective spelling rules

14) Use the effective procedures in learning to spell new words.

III. Habits

Each child should habitually:

1) Proofread all writing carefully.

2) Use reliable sources to find the spellings of unknown words

3) Follow a specific study procedure in learning to spell new words.


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b. Spelling Rules

The spelling program should provide a list of basic words for the

elementary grades. The list accommodates individual pupils’ needs and challenges

according to their ability. In this case, the teacher must adjust the list of spelling

words to fit the needs and abilities of learners. Adjustment should reflect the

relative importance of the words in the basic list for a specific grade level or for

the school. Dealing with this, Lamb in Burns and Broman (1975: 367) presents

five spelling patterns often recommended by linguist for studying by elementary

school children. They are as follows:

Pattern Example Exceptions

C-V-C (short vowel) cat, drip, dent

C-V-C + e (long vowel, silent e) save, drove love, give, come, have

C-V-V-C (long 1st vowel) rain, leaf, coat, need relief, break

C-V + r (controlled, preceding vowel) far, bird, clear heard, burn, third

C-V (long vowel) go, be, by to, do, too

Table 2. 1. Spelling patterns

Teaching rules to which there are many exceptions, particularly with

respect to the words children most often need to spell, has proven to have little

value. Horn in Burns and Broman (1975: 375) suggests some rules that have few

exceptions and thus are practical value, namely:

Words ending in silent e usually drop the final e before the addition of

suffixes beginning with a vowel, but they keep the final e before the

addition of suffixes beginning with a consonant (make – making; time –

timely).

Words ending in a consonant and y change the y to i before adding all

suffixes except those beginning with i. The y is not changed to i when


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adding suffixes to words ending in a vowel and y, or when adding a suffix

beginning with i (busy – busily; stay – stayed; enjoy – enjoying).

One-syllable words and words accented on the last syllable, if they end in a

single consonant preceded by a single vowel, double the final consonant

when adding a suffix beginning with a vowel (run – running; begin –

beginning).

The letter q is always followed by u in common English words (quite,

quiet).

English words do not end with v (believe, give).

Proper nouns and most adjectives formed from proper nouns should begin

with capital letters (France).

C. Pronunciation

1. The Nature of Pronunciation

Language is humankind’s distinctive feature. Whether people think of

rationality or sociability, they are thinking of language. It is language that makes

human different from other species. Speech is therefore the basic form of

language. This leads to the conclusion that speech should be emphasized on

second language teaching (Hammerly in Schutz, 2008). Pronunciation is the part

of speech. People need to be able to say what they want to say. This means that

their pronunciation should be good and adequate that purpose. Pronunciation is a

substantial majority of English language since it is the way a word is usually

spoken, or a manner in which someone utters the word (A Wikimedia Project,


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2008). Moreover, Diah Kristina (2006: 1) defines that pronunciation is the act or

manner of pronouncing the words; utterance of speech. In other words, it is a way

of speaking a word, especially a way that is accepted or generally understood. It

entails the production and reception of sounds of speech and the achievement of

the meaning. In the English alphabet, there are 26 letters but there are many more

sounds in the English language. This means that the number of sounds in a word

is not always the same as the number of letters. For example, the word ‘cat’ has

three letters and three sounds, but the word ‘catch’ has five letters but still only

three sounds. It can be illustrated as follows:

CAT is written - /k æ t/ CATCH is written - / k æ t /

In ‘CATCH’ the three letters TCH are one sound represented by one symbol /t /.

2. Pronunciation Awareness

Awareness means having knowledge of or bearing in mind, whilst

pronunciation is the way the words uttered (A Wikimedia Project, 2008).

Therefore, pronunciation awareness means having knowledge of utterance of

speech or understanding of the way the words uttered/spoken. It is dealing with

the awareness of basic features of English pronunciation, which include sounds,

stress, and intonation. This indicates that people should be aware with the sound

of language, where the words stressed, and how the intonation of statements,

questions, or commands. Therefore, the hearer will understand the speaker’s

intention, and the message will be delivered. Furthermore, Szynalski (2008) state

that there are 3 levels of English pronunciation, as follows:


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Level 1

People often do not understand what you want to say.

You use the wrong sounds in English words.Level 2

People understand what you want to say, but it is

unpleasant to listen to you.

Level 3

People understand you, and your English is pleasant

to listen to. This level is called ‘good pronunciation’.

Good pronunciation does not mean that people could

speak with perfect American or British accent.

In addition, there are 5 points of grading the criteria for oral exam (Jane

and Brave, 2008: 2). They are as follows:

A (8.5 – 10) very good pronunciation, clear and intelligible, students

approximate target pronunciation with very few noticeable errors.

B (7.0 – 8.4) generally good pronunciation, but with some noticeable errors

(for example, consonant pronounced at the end of words, nasal “m”‘s and

“n”‘s pronounced as consonants, lack or required links, etc.)

C (6.0 – 6.9) some frequently repeated errors.

D (5.0 – 5.9) several words are difficult to understand.

E (< 5) very difficult to understand.

The primary goals of pronunciation training are intelligible speech and

effective communication – not nativelike pronunciation. Although pronunciation

courses vary in their duration, focus, and scope, most classes build awareness, an

essential component of any habit change. Therefore, students need to know what

they want to change before they can change it. It deals with pronunciation

awareness, an ability to understand the process of sound perception and

production applicable to the language. It means the students should be aware how


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the words are pronounced appropriately. In gaining pronunciation awareness,

students should learn the significant features, rules, and guidelines for

pronouncing English (Miller, 2000). Thus, pronunciation deals with sounds,

phonemic symbol, vowel, consonant, word stress, etc. Furthermore, Danchenko

(2008) states that to build pronunciation awareness, students should (1) notate and

use items from a written source, (2) practice reading it, and (3) read it to their

partner in class. It indicates that students be aware of how the words or sentences

sound, and then concentrate on its meanings. They also need to practice a lot how

to read the words or sentences. In addition, to provide a lot of repeating, most

pronunciation experts also recommend the use of body movement to internalize

the sound patterns of English (Miller, 2000). It is emphasized that in improving

pronunciation awareness, it does not mean that the students will pronounce like a

native, but simply, it prepares them for future pronunciation changes to be better.

3. Features of Pronunciation

a. Speech Sound

According to Haycraft (1986: 57), the most important parts in the mouth

for the production of sound consist of: a) nasal cavity. It is a central in the

production of specific consonants and vowels. All forms of Standard English have

24 consonants and 20 vowels (long vowels, short vowels, and diphthongs); b)

alveolar ridge: It is a part of the roof of the mouth that contains the roots of the

teeth (Lehman, 1983: 42). It is a hard ridge that can be left behind upper incisors;

c) hard palate. It is a hard bony structure in the front part of the roof; d) velum. It

is the roof of the mouth from uvula toward the lips which do not cover the


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underlying bone. This is the continuation of the palate in the back of the mouth,

and e) the tongue, which is divided into four parts: tip, front, center, and back.

b. Phonemes

Phonemes are the different sounds within a language. The use of one

sound may change the meaning of the word. Take one example, the word ‘live’ /I/ ,

and ‘leave’ /i:/ . English phonemes are divided into two features, that is, vowels

and consonants.

c. Vowels

Phonetically, the meaning of vowel is a sound which is produced without

audible friction or blockage in the flow of air along the central line of breath from

the lungs through the mouth. All the vowels are typically voiced. Vowel has two

significant characteristics or feature, that is, quality and quantity. The quality of

vowels is determined by the particular configuration of vocal tract. Different part

of the tongue may be raised or lowered. The lips may be spread or pursed. The

quantity of vowel sound shows the duration or pitch and loudness. For example,

/i:/ and /I/ are two sounds that differ either the quality or the quantity of vowel.

The shape and resonance chamber are determined by the position of the tongue

and lips. The tongue helps in forming the resonance chamber in two cases: (1) the

height of raised tongue, and (2) the part of raised tongue. The height of raised

tongue consists of close, half close, half open, and open, whilst the parts of raised

tongue consist of the front, the central, and the back . The position of vowel can be

seen in the diagram below:


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Front Central Back

Close /i:/ /I/ /u:/

/υ/

Half Close

/e/

/з:/

/ә/

Half Open /ɔ:/

/ /

/ æ / /ɒ/Open

/ ɒ:/

Diagram 2. 1. Representation of the position of English vowels

The horizontal line shows the height of raised tongue. The vertical line shows the

parts of the tongue, that is front, central, and back. There are four classifications

of the height of raised tongue: close vowel, half-close vowel, half-open vowel,

and open vowels. Vowel also classified based on lips position, that is, unrounded

and rounded vowel.

The basic features of vowel pronunciation can be seen in one-syllable

words that have the shape ‘(Consonant) + Vowel + Consonant’ (C-V-C). In such

word, the middle vowel has a consistent pronunciation, as the table below:

a /æ/ e /е/ i /I/o / ɒ / u / /

at, bat egg, bet it, bit odd, cot up, cut

Table. 2. 2. The basic vowel patterns


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Beyond the basic vowel patterns are those that involve a modification of

the original vowel sound, depending either on the word-ending or a letter

combination within the word. These can be divided into groups according to the

modifier. They are: (1) ending modifiers (the ‘silent “e” ‘; the ‘magic “y” ‘;

the ‘-le‘ modifier); (2) internal modifiers (the ‘radical “r” ‘; the ‘troublesome “w”

‘; the ‘lazy “ ” ‘); and (3) invisible modifier (the “y” sound). The examples of

these modifiers can be seen as follow:

Groups of modifier Original sound Modified sound

‘silent “e” ‘ hat /æ/ ; cut / / hate /eI/ ; cute /u:/

‘magic “y” ‘tin /I/ ; pond /ɒ/

tiny /aI/ ; pony /ә υ/

‘-le‘ modifiertab /æ/ ; not /ɒ/

table /eI/ ; noble /ә υ/

‘radical “r” ‘ ten /e/ ; run / / term /ɔ:/; turn /ɔ:/‘troublesome “w” ‘

net /e/ ; cot /ɒ/new /u:/ ; cow /au/

‘lazy “ ” ‘ bad /æ/ ; cot /ɒ/ ball /ɔ:/ ; cold /ә υ/

Table 2. 3. The modified vowel patterns

d. Consonants

Consonant is described in terms of physical dimensions, that is,

positioning the tongue, lips, and teeth in order to modify the passage of air

through the mouth. Most consonants have only one sound value. They are b, d, f,

j, k, l, m, n, r, v, z. It is important to note that the pronunciation of these letters

does not vary even when they are doubled, for example: happy, middle, hotter,

etc. However, as well as their normal sound value, some consonants may also

appear as silent consonants. They may be silent at the beginning of a word, within

it, or at the end. Here are some examples of silent consonants:

Letter Beginning Internal End

b doubt, debt climb, lamb

c scissor, muscle

d Wednesday bridge

g gnome, gnaw sign, daughter, thought sing, belong


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h hour, heir rhyme, ghost, daughter

k knew, knee

l talk, half, wouldn column, autumn

p psychology cupboard, receipt

r more, part teacher

s island

t watch, listen, often

w write, wrong answer, sword, two yellow, saw

Table 2. 4. The pronunciation of consonants

Consonants are classified into three parts: (1) according to the position of the

vocal cord (voiceless and voiced); (2) according to the place of articulation

(bilabial, dental, alveolar, palatal, velar, labiodental, and glottals); (3) according to

the manner of articulation (stops, affricate, fricative, nasal, liquid, and glide).

These can be represented as a diagram below:

Diagram 2. 2. Classification of consonantPlace of Articulation

B i l a b i a l

L a b i o d e

n t a l

I n t e r d e n

t a l

A l v e o l a

r

P a l a t a l

V e l a r

G l o t t a l

voiceless p t kstops

voiced b d g?

voiceless f s hfricatives

voiced v z ʒ

voiceless taffricates

voiced ʤ voiceless

nasalsvoiced m n ŋ

voicelessliquids voiced r

voiceless M a

n n e r o f A r t i c u l a t i o n

glidesvoiced w y

Some consonants when combined with the letter ‘h’ undergo changes in

their original sound value. These changes can be either fixed or variable. First, the

letters ‘p’ and ‘s’ undergo a permanent change when they are combined with ‘h’.

The ‘ph’ is pronounced as /f/ like in the word telephone; while the ‘sh’ is


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pronounced / / as in shop. Second, the combination ‘ch’ has 2 possible

pronunciations, that is, /t / and /k/ sound as in kitchen and headache. Third, the

combination ‘gh’ at the end of a word that can be silent (e.g., high), or pronounced

as /f/ as in rough. Next, the combination ‘th’ can be pronounced as / / or / / as in

brother and bath. Last, the combination ‘wh’ is usually silent as in wh-questions

(what, when, etc); but it can be silence the ‘w’ with the help of the letter ‘o’ as in

who, whose, etc.

e. Word Stress

Word stress is an important part of pronunciation since it is used to

highlight certain syllables. Fortunately, the primary stress in most English words

is on the first syllable.

Window Market London Beautiful Hospital

This is also applied to genuine compounds:

Bookshop Post office Sitting room

Words borrowed recently from other language often have stress on the last

syllable:

Cigarette Magazine Hotel Address Shampoo

When a word is stressed, three things tend to happen (Brewster, et al.,

1992:86). They are as follows:

1. the stressed word sounds slightly louder than others

2. the vowel in the stressed word is clearly pronounced

3. tends to sound longer


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f. Intonation

Intonation is referred as ‘speech melody’ (Brewster, Ellis, and Girard,

1992: 88). Some of the most important functions of intonation in English are to

help the most strongly stressed word in a sentence; to show the grammatical

function of what is being said, for example whether something is a statement or

question; and to show feelings and emotions.

There are two kinds of intonation patterns, namely falling tone and raising

tone. The most usual intonation pattern in English uses a falling tone. This is used

to make a short statement, a questions with words such as who, what, why, etc.,

command, and exclamation to show surprised or anger. Whilst, the raising tone is

used to make a request, a question from statement, in yes/no question, and in

clauses/phrases that come before the main clause.

g. Phonemic alphabet

Phonemic alphabet does simplify the relation between spoken and written

English. Furthermore, it provides a reliable visual connection to the spoken

language. Each phoneme is visually identified by its symbol. Phonemic symbol

looks intentionally different from regular characters to avoid interference in

writing. Phonemic alphabet is always enclosed in slashes to distinguish it from

conventional orthography. Thus, it can be captured the fact that it perceives all of

the words as having the same vowel by transcribing them, for example: pea /pi:/,

see /si:/, me /mi:/, and key /ki:/.


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D. Learning Style

1. The Nature of Learning Style

Learning styles are the manner in which people’s brain learn and store

information (Burbine, 2002). It is the way an individual characteristically

acquires, retain, and retrieves information. In line with this, Vernon (2008)

described learning style as the more or less consistent way in which a person

perceives, conceptualizes, organizes, and recalls information.

There are also some definitions given by expert. Learning style is defined

as the manner in which students of all ages are affected by sociological needs,

immediate environment, physical characteristics, emotionally and psychological

inclinations (Carbo, Dunn and Dunn, 1991: 20). Meanwhile, Orlich et.al. (1998:

163) defines learning style as cognitive and psychological traits that learners

exhibit as they interact in the classroom.

In short, learning style determine the preference of the students of how

they learn something, affected by internal (genetic) and external (environment)

factors, as well.

2. Kinds of Learning Style

According to Bandler and Grinder (2008), there are four learning styles:

students may prefer a visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), kinesthetic (moving), or

tactile (touching) way of learning. These influenced by their genetic make up,

their culture, and the society they live in. Each person is born with tendencies

toward learning styles. So, there is no right or wrong learning style.


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The data of Perceptual Learning Style Preference Survey published by

Reid (1987) show that most ESL students in Indonesia preferred tactile and

kinesthetic leaning. This is supported by Brewster, Ellis, and Girard (1992: 114)

which state that active participation by the pupils (leaning by doing) is a great

activity and must contribute to the general aim of English lesson in primary

teaching and is also important criterion for selection of materials. Tactile learners

are students who learn best through their sense of touch, such as using their hands

and finger (Carbo, Dunn and Dunn, 1991: 146). They learn best by writing,

drawing, taking notes, and involving their emotion and feeling while learning.

Kinesthetic learners are students who learn best through movement or doing

something (Kelly, 2000). They are naturally good at physical activities. They

enjoy and learn well when activities are varied during a class period. It means that

movement includes learning while doing, being involved in learning activity and

learning while standing up, or using the large arm muscles.

There are some characteristics of tactile and kinesthetic learners listed by

(Dunn and Dunn, 1991: 22), as follow:

Touch and movement are

important

Learn by imitation and practice

Love games

Impulsive

Remember what was done

Memorize or learn by heart

with walk and see

Mostly use gesture

Use the fingers as indicator in

reading

Respond to physical attention


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E. Tactile and Kinesthetic Resources

1. The Nature of Tactile and Kinesthetic Resources

Insight from brain research on the essential role of physical movement can

enhance learning in the ESL classroom. Hannaford in Reid (1998: 31) states that

movement impacts learning by “waking up” the brains and preparing them for

incoming information. Hannaford also emphasized that physical movements not

only strengthen the body but are crucial to brain and nervous system development,

and are vital for maintaining alertness and learning readiness (1995: 31). As

reported by the teachers of elementary school that children could improve their

ability in listening, writing, and reading, after the teachers apply some activities

involving students’ movement.

Most learning in the early years after birth is a result of touching, feeling,

moving, and experiencing. Piaget in Kasihani (2007: 7) states that the way of

children’s thinking grows up and develops through their direct involvement with

objects or environment surrounding them. The direct involvement here can be

applied through tactile and kinesthetic resource. Tactile and kinesthetic resource

provides some materials conducted through students’ physical movement. Tactile

and kinesthetic resource should be developed and incorporated into regular

instruction for those who are having difficulty learning to read. Learning to read is

dealing with some aspects of reading, like spelling and pronunciation. Both of

these aspects can be improved by using tactile and kinesthetic resource since this

technique provides some assistance visual materials, which can be implemented to


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some activities. Certainly, the activities are involving students’ touching and

movement.

2. Tactile and Kinesthetic Learners Responsive to Tactile and Kinesthetic

Resources

Tactile and kinesthetic materials can be used anywhere in the instructional

environment. They respond to individual preferences for quiet sound, low or

bright light, an informal or formal design, and warmth or cool, while learning. In

fact, because they can be moved easily from one section of the room to another,

children who require variety many alternate how they use such resources.

Because of their gamelike qualities, the resource tends to be motivating to

students who previously have been unsuccessful academically. Learning occurs

rapidly when information is understood, absorbed, translated into another form,

and then applied. Thus, it is important that the young learners to whom tactile and

kinesthetic resource is assigned are positive about them. Therefore, are willing to

follow directions for their use, case, and replacement. If they begin to enjoy

learning, through a hands-on approach, they will become persistent and will

continue using materials until they have achieved the stated goals outlined for

them.

Tactile and kinesthetic resource is various materials used as a resource to

maximize tactile and kinesthetic learners. The teacher makes use of tactile and

kinesthetic resource to improve students’ spelling and pronunciation ability

(ability to read). According to Carbo, Dunn and Dunn (1991: 147) there are

various kinds of tactile and kinesthetic resources, namely learning circles, task


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cards, flip chutes, pic-a-holes, electroboard, and bookgames. Each kind of

resources can be applied to teach students to read. Thus, the teacher can choose

one of the resources freely since there is no rule to choose those resources; only

one or more than one. Teachers use many different ways to teach children to read;

they read to them and let them hear and see words and sentence simultaneously;

they explain how to combine the sounds of letters to form words; they describe

how different groups of letters from word families; and they use familiar, real

experiences that are described verbally as the basis for initial decoding

experiences. These activities will be more interesting by applying the tactile and

kinesthetic resources.

3. The Direction and Procedure of Tactile and Kinesthetic Resources

LC and PAH are two kinds of tactile and kinesthetic resources used in this

study. According to Burn and Burn (1991: ), the direction and procedures of each

resources are illustrated below, as follows:

a. Learning circle

The direction of constructing “learning circle”:

1) Cut poster board into circles or any shape related to the topic being

taught.

2) Boldly print task content on the front side of the card and self

corrective (color-code or shape-code) answers on the back side of the

card.


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3) Laminate before cutting each card into the parts which separate the

task from the answer, then package, organize, and label card set for

storage.

The procedures of “learning circle”:

1) Begin by pointing the words/sound symbols attached on the learning

circle.

2) Model the spelling/the sound symbol and ask the learners to repeat it.

3) Take off the words cards/sound symbol cards

4) Invite the learners to the learning circle and say the word

5) Let the learners to choose the correct spelling/sound symbol have been

prepared in the form of cards.

6) Ask the learners to attach it with push pin in the edge of learning

circle.

7) Let the learners to check the answer by moving back the learning circle

and seeing the code on it.

b. Pic-a-hole

The direction of constructing “pic-a-hole”

1)

Cut a colorful pieces poster card 24-3/8 inches by 6-1/2 inches

2) Measure and mark the cardboard (on the wrong side) to the dimension

given. Use a boll point and score the lines heavily.

8 inches 8-1/8 in. 8 inches

5 inches

1 – 3/8 inches


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3) Remove the shaded areas. Use a ruler and knife to get a straight edge.

The piece of poster card should look like the illustration below:

4) Working on the wrong side of the center section only.

5) Remove the shaded areas with a ruler and knife.

6) Fold on all the drawn lines using a ruler as a guide to obtain sharp,

straight fold lines

7) Punch two or three holes as shown in the diagram

8)

Place an index card under the center section. Trace the openings onto

the cards. Remove the same areas from the index card. This will serve

as a guide for placement of questions and answers which can be

written on 5 x 8 index cards in appropriate places. Punch the holes.

9) Using 5 x 8 index cards, mark holes and punch them out.

10)

Fold over the first side under the center section; then fold up the

bottom flap; now over the last side. Paste or staple them together,

being certain that the bottom flap is between.

8 inches 8-1/8 in. 8 inches

1 inch

Write question

here

Write answers here


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The procedures of “pic-a-hole”

1)

Invite the learners to come to the class

2)

Let the learners to read the questions and the options

3)

Get the learners to place the point below the option they believe to be

correct

4) Get the learners to lift the card to check their answer. If correct, the

card can be lifted easily.

4. Teaching Spelling and Pronunciation using Tactile and Kinesthetic

Resources

Spelling and pronunciation belong to aspects of language components.

Spelling is related to the alphabet constructing a word. It presents the writing of a

word with all necessary letters and diacritics. Spelling ability is dealing with the

way people write words based on a standard order correctly. Therefore, if people

write words correctly by paying attention on its letters, that words can be read

clearly and the message could be delivered and accepted by the addressee. While,

pronunciation is related to the way the word uttered. It is dealing with the sound

symbols representing in a phonemic transcription (/ /). For example the word is

written ‘BUFFALO’, this is pronounced as /’b f әlә υ/. Therefore, in English, the

way to write and to read a word is different. These have to introduce earlier at the

elementary level in order to provide them the appropriate writing and

pronunciation of words. In other words, it is the basis for the higher level, so it is

hoped that their writing and pronunciation become better.


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Teaching spelling and pronunciation means making the students learn

about the way the words are written and spoken. Through teaching spelling, the

students are hoped to be able to write words in English better and more carefully.

Whilst, through teaching pronunciation, the students will be more aware about

how the words pronounced. They will be more familiar with the sounds of English

language. However, the final goal does not demand them to native-like, but it is

directed to improve their pronunciation better than before. Certainly, the words

that they should learn are limited on the scope of their needs and the lesson

material.

Children can learn spelling and pronunciation easier by applying the

technique that provides some activities. Those activities should engage the

students to learn actively. Simply, the students will be learning by doing. It will

motivate and attract the children when there is a visual aid associated with

spelling and pronunciation transcription. The technique that is suitable to teach

spelling and pronunciation is tactile and kinesthetic resources. Tactile and

kinesthetic resources are one of the techniques used to improve students’ spelling

ability and pronunciation awareness. As stated by Carbo, Dunn, and Dunn (1991:

147) there are various kinds of tactile and kinesthetic materials including learning

circle, task cards, pic-a-hole, flip chute, electroboards, and bookgames. There are

no rules of choosing one or more than one materials. The teacher is free to choose

and use it as they desire. Learning circle and pic-a-hole are kinds of tactile and

kinesthetic resources, chosen as equipments or materials to improve students’

spelling ability and pronunciation awareness. The alternative materials are used to


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maintain the students’ interest and enthusiasm in learning spelling and

pronunciation.

Learning circle is a large round. It is divided into 8 triangular sectors. Each

of the eight sectors has words with certain s

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