This document provides background information on a study about vocabulary learning strategies. It discusses how vocabulary is essential for language acquisition and the problems students may face with low vocabulary. It also reviews literature identifying several vocabulary learning strategies, particularly the use of flashcards and pictures. The study aims to determine the effectiveness of these two strategies on students' vocabulary mastery based on their learning style (extrovert vs introvert). It indicates flashcards are expected to be more beneficial than pictures based on their ease of use and portability. The document lays out the rationale for investigating the impact of flashcards versus pictures on vocabulary development for different types of students.

1. CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Vocabulary is the solid foundation to learn English for children. It is a primary
skill which should be mastered by the children before they acquire another language skill,
such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. It means that vocabulary plays an
important role in communication both in spoken and written. Richards and Renandya 1say,
“Vocabulary is a core component of language proficiency and provides much of the basis for
how well learners speak, listen, read, and write.” So, vocabulary is a main skill which should
be mastered by the students to get and understand whole English skill; receptive skill
(listening and reading) and productive skill (speaking and writing).
The problems may occur when the students do not master the vocabulary well.
They will not be able to comprehend the content of the text if they have less vocabulary.
They also cannot speak fluently if their vocabulary is low. Moreover, they cannot write
when they want to convey their opinion or ideas. Schmitt and Mc Carthy 2 in their book
“Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy” stated that the learners clearly needed to
know the 3,000 or so high frequency words of the language. Related to their opinion, the
learners are obviously expected to get 3, 000 or more new words, so they will be able to use
and practice English. Thus, it is important to apply some vocabulary learning strategies to
build students’ vocabulary in order that their vocabularies are increased and improved.
1 Jack C. Richards and Willy A. Renandya, Methodology Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current
Practice, (New York: Cambridege University Press), 2002, p.255
2 Schmitt, Norbert and McCarthy, Michael, Vocabulary: Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy.
Cambridge University Press, 1997, p. 11

2. Schmit and McCarthy cited Nation3 said that teaching students strategies is
especially important when it comes to dealing with low frequency words. Dealing with this
opinion, the vocabulary learning strategies are needed to encourage the students whose lack
of vocabularies. It also can help the students in developing the students’ vocabularies.
However, the effectiveness of using vocabulary learning strategies depend on some
variables, like proficiency level, task, text, language modality, background knowledge,
context of learning, target language, learner characteristic, and so on.
There are some vocabulary learning strategies which can be used to improve the
students’ vocabulary, like using authentic language, making creative activities, encouraging
self motivation, creating mental linkages, doing memory strategies, visual/ auditory
strategies, and physical action, applying strategies which is used to overcome anxiety,
strategies which is used to organize words like using flash card, etc. (Schmit and McCarthy,
1997). These vocabulary learning strategies helps learner to be ‘good learner’ in mastering
vocabularies. It is happened because it is believed that if the learners use more various
vocabulary learning strategies is the better achievement in learning vocabularies. Thus, the
writer intends to know whether the effectiveness of using one strategy to the other strategy.
In this case, he tries to know the effect of using vocabulary learning strategies by using the
flash card and using the pictures or imagery.
Flash card is convinced as a better vocabulary learning strategies than pictures. It
is a handy resource, simple, and versatile, but it is yet often underexploited resource. It is
occurred when the flash card is usually used for young learners and it is abandoned while
they become adult learners. Schmit and McCarthy quoted Gairns and Redman4 that one
3 Schmit and McCarthy op cit., p. 199
4 Schmit and McCarthy op cit., p. 215

3. main advantage of flash card is that they can be taken almost anywhere and studied when
one has free moment. Based on this opinion, using flash card is better than picture since it is
simple and easy to be used to advance student’s vocabulary.
Since the using of flash card and picture are beneficial in raising student’s
vocabulary, the writer is also curios to find out its effectiveness to the student’s learning
styles, in this case extrovert and introvert. Lawrence and Oliver stated that it was believed
that introverts do better in school than extroverts, particularly in more advanced subjects5.
Dealing with their opinion about learning style, it can be concluded that the student whose
learning styles are introverts are better than student whose learning styles are extroverts in
learning the subject at school related to the comprehension. It is happening because the
student whose learning styles are introvert are tend to think or reflect first when they want to
learn and know something. This is also happening to the students of fifth grade SDN Pondok
Ranji 2. When the researcher will take the students as a research sample, it can be known
that the introvert students have a better score in testing than the introverts one. Then, the
writer also found that the fifth grade students of SDN Pondok Ranji prefer to use flash card
than picture before the writer doing the research. It can be seen by their big encouragement
and participation while they use flash card. And it is contradictory situation if the students
use picture in learning English. They seem to be more likely to use flash card than picture in
learning English.
Based on the background above, the writer intends to investigate whether there is
an effect of flash card and picture to student’s learning style (extrovert-introvert) toward to
vocabulary mastery.
5Pervin, A. Lawrence and John P. Oliver, Personality: Theory and Research. John Wiley and Sons, Inc:
Canada, 1997, p.237