The Effect of Total Physical Response (TPR) on The Vocabulary Mastery of Seventh Grade Students at SMPN 1 Labuapi
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36312/jar.v4iSpecialIssue.3281Keywords:
Total Physical Response, Vocabulary Mastery , Junior High School, Daily Activity Verbs, Prepositional PhrasesAbstract
This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the Total Physical Response (TPR) method in enhancing the vocabulary mastery of seventh-grade students, especially in learning daily activity verbs and prepositional phrases. TPR, introduced by James Asher, is a teaching approach that integrates language with physical movement, helping students associate words with actions to make learning more engaging. This research used a quasi-experimental design involving two groups: an experimental group taught using TPR and a control group taught using conventional methods. In the control group, the teacher applied a traditional approach, including explanation of vocabulary, translation into Indonesian, and memorization exercises without physical movement. A total of 64 students participated, with 32 students in each group. The intervention was carried out over four meetings. Both groups were given a pre-test and post-test to measure vocabulary improvement, and the results were analyzed using an independent samples t-test. The findings revealed a significant improvement in the experimental group’s vocabulary scores (mean score = 76.09) compared to the control group (mean score = 65.78), with a t-value of -3.325. Beyond academic performance, classroom observations indicated that TPR reduced students’ anxiety and encouraged more active participation. These results suggest that TPR is not only effective in improving vocabulary mastery but also supports a more enjoyable and motivating learning environment for junior high school students.
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