THE USE OF COMIC STRIPS

AS AN ENGLISH TEACHING MEDIA

FOR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Atik Rokhayani Aisyah Ririn Perwikasih Utari

[email protected] [email protected]
Muria Kudus University Muria Kudus University

ABSTRACT
Nowadays, teachers have to be creative in delivering materials to the students. Ideally,
teaching media are needed to support the success of teaching and learning processes. In
English classes, teachers have to create a good atmosphere using interactive teaching media.
The objectives of this paper are (1) to know whether Printed Material in the form of Comic
Strips can improve the English vocabulary of the students of SMP 2 Bae Kudus, (2) to describe
the strength and the weaknesses of comic as a means of teaching English. This is action
research was conducted at Class VIIA of SMP 2 Bae Kudus consisting of 30 learners. Before
conducting the research, the writers administered a pr- test to know the students
vocabulary. The result of the pre-test shows that the mean score was 68.27, while the standard
score (KKM) is 75. Then, the writers in collaboration with the English teacher did Cycle I using
Comic Strips. The mean score of a test proceeding Cycle I was 76.97. So, the writers
continued to do Cycle II. In Cycle II, the writers also gave evaluation to the students. The mean
score of the test proceeding Cycle II was 85.10. In delivering the materials, the teacher felt it
easier to deliver teaching materials using comic strips.

Keywords: teaching media, printed material comic strips

INTRODUCTION highest level. The requirements of

English is defined as foreign language in communicating well become the main
Indonesia. Nowadays many people learned components of using the four skills to
English as a need to communicate broadly. communicate. Some additional English
Students start to learn English at early language components also need to be
ages. All levels of education use English as learned; they are grammar, vocabulary,
a communication tool. The skills of English and pronunciations. Those components are
are absolutely needed to master the important because they are the keys of
language. They are integrated one to understanding utterances spoken or written
other. The four English skills are Listening, by English speaking people.
Reading, Speaking and Writing. There are Teacher becomes the main key in the
various levels of learners which are classroom during the of teaching-learning
considered as the key from the lower to processes. Students are facilitated to think

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and improve their mind or thought about the students in and out of the classroom.
material delivered by the teacher. Teachers facilitate the students using
Professionalism is absolutely needed by all teaching and learning media. The strategy
teachers in this world. Being professional is determines the successful process. If a
compulsory to maintain the condition, plan, teacher does not use any media, there will
and teaching process in the classroom. be no interesting teaching and learning
Students need to comprehend the materials process. Students need something new in
and the teachers share the materials using their process of learning, especially when
appropriate media which aims to make the they are at school.
students feel comfortable and easy to
understand the materials. Teaching media is improve their English language ability. If they
developed nowadays. People use fulfil all of the required skills, the result of the
sophisticated media to do everything, teaching and learning process planned and
including teaching and learning. applied by the teacher can be considered
Multimedia is one of the most commonly
used media for teaching and learning learning process is the matter of their
process. In the middle of the usage of motivation. If they are motivated and
multimedia, conventional media is still interested in learning English, they will be
needed and useful. Using multimedia means able to master the language easily.
that there must be a connectivity of
electricity or even internet connection. PRINTED MATERIAL COMIC STRIPS
Printed materials are still used as Comics with colourful illustrations, the story
appropriate media if there is no electricity and the realistic as well as interesting
connection. It can be used anytime and characters can motivate students of all age
anywhere. The visualization through pictures levels (Sudjana and Rivai, 2009: 69).
and text can support the sharing of the Pictures are identical to fun, interest, and
materials from teacher to students. concrete things. It can attract the reader to
Successful education can be measured by read the story further. If the reader is
the result or the output of the teaching and motivated to read the whole story, then the
learning process itself. implicit aim of reading the comic
The four competences of a professional (entertainment or education) can be reached
teacher should be fulfilled to make easily. Colourful comic can be a very
education successful. They are pedagogic, interesting thing for readers especially
personal, social and professional. Efficient children.
and effective teaching and learning process As printed materials for the teaching
is the aim of the four competences. They and learning processes in the classroom,
support comic strips are considered as teaching

144 LANGUAGE CIRCLE Journal of Language and Literature Vol. VIII/2 April 2014
media. Teachers use comic strips as both students, and allow students to master
materials and media. Comic consists of a better teaching purposes
story which describes concrete things about (3) Teaching methods will be more varied ,
the environment at school. The utterances not merely verbal communication
uttered by the characters can be imitated by through the narrative of words by the
the students to make their English well- teacher, so students do not get bored
spoken. Teacher can be the main key to especially when teachers teach to every
maintain the pronunciation. hour lessons
Interesting materials and attractive (4) Students are doing more activities to
media can be shared in the classroom to learn, because they not only listen to
descriptions of teachers, but also do
lesson plan is made by considering the other activities such as observe,
effective usage of comic strips. For young demonstrate, etc.
learners, comic strips should consist of short Lesson plan is prepared and applied by
and life-like utterances so that the students teachers. They should make the lesson plan
can understand the meaning without any by themselves because they know the exact
significant difficulties. The characters in
comic strips are also familiar to the students environment. Organizing the class and the
because the setting is at school. process of teaching and learning seem to be
a complex thing for teachers. The teaching
TEACHING MEDIA process is limited by time allotment while
Various teaching media are used for their they have to deliver the materials which are
values or benefits. The same teaching needed by the students. The effective
materials can also be used. Media must teaching media has some particular criteria
contribute to creative contents of the that should be fulfilled by the teacher. The
materials so that the students learn the way of fulfilling the criteria is considered to
materials unconsciously. Unconscious be done to determine appropriate teaching
learning is better in language learning media for a particular teaching material.
because the students will not consider the According Sudjana and Rivai (2009:4),
English lesson as a burden due to its there are several things to note about the
difficulty. Sudjana and Rivai (2009:2) teaching media. First, teachers need to have
describe the value and benefits of teaching an understanding of teaching media for
media into the followings: instance types and benefits of teaching
(1) Teaching will attract more attention to media, using the media as a teaching aid
foster students' motivation to learn and follow-up the use of media in the
(2) Teaching materials will be clearer teaching and learning process. Second,
meaning that can be understood by the teachers are able to make simple teaching

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media for the purposes of teaching, e. is the time allotment enough to deliver the
especially the two- dimensional media or materials?; f. is it suitable with the way or
graphic media, three- dimensional media,
and projections media. Third, knowledge process.
and skills are needed in assessing the One of the important elements in
effectiveness of the use of media in the learning English is vocabulary. Mastering
teaching process. vocabulary is needed for the students. From
Creating an appropriate media for the four skills in English (listening, reading,
particular teaching materials should consist speaking and writing), vocabulary consider-
of these criteria; a. is it suitable with the ed to be the highest level in comprehending
teaching subjective? The chosen teaching the meaning of the text. So, someone who
media should be suitable with the learn English have to master vocabulary
instructional teaching subjective. It consists well. Vocabulary occurs before grammarians
of the components of comprehension, found the language structure or features that
application, analysis, synthesis. They are make the people feel easier in learning
possibly to use teaching media; b. does it target language (McCarthy, 2008:1).
support the content of the teaching According to McCarthy (2008:1), there
materials? The teaching materials which are are some elements to be considered by the
based on fact or true story, principles, teachers in teaching and learning vocab-
concept, and generalizations need teaching ulary:
media so that the students can understand (1) Composing vocabulary and elements of
the materials easily; c. is it easy to find or the words
create? The teaching media can be easily to (2) Organizing vocabulary of the words
get, to create by the teacher by the time of (3) Using the structure of vocabulary in the
teaching and learning process. Graphic higher level e.g. phrase, sentence etc
media generally can be created by teachers (4) Mastering vocabulary is more dominant
without any expensive thing to pay. It is than people thinking
simple and more practical to use; d. is the The guideline in mastering English
teacher skilful to use the media? No matter
what kind of media is used by the teacher, using appropriate media in delivering the
the main requirement is whether he/she can materials based on the contexts in the
use it appropriately or not. The value and process of teaching and learning in the
benefit that are required are not considered
from the media, but it depends on how the the teaching and learning process of
teacher uses the media. If the teacher fails vocabulary also takes the high portion to
to use the media to share the materials, the
teaching and learning process can also fail;

146 LANGUAGE CIRCLE Journal of Language and Literature Vol. VIII/2 April 2014
RESEARCH METHOD vocabulary. Pre-test is done on
Based on the purpose of this paper, the Wednesday, 4 September 2013. Based on
writers did classroom action research. The the result of pre-test, the mean score is
writers collaborate with the English teacher 68.27. There are 2 students reached
to do action research. In this research, there standard score (KKM) since KKM is 75.
are procedures which consist of two cycles. Pre-test score can be categorized into fair.
Each cycle involves four steps. They are So, the writers considered that the use of
planning, acting, observing and reflecting. In interesting media is very needed in
the planning phase, the teacher prepared teaching vocabulary. Then, the writers
lesson plan and the instrument of teaching. collaborated with English teacher of class
After doing the planning, it is continued to do VII A of SMP 2 Bae Kudus to conduct
action in the class. The next phase is research on learning English by using
observation. It is the description about Printed Material Comic Strips as a media
recording procedure and interpretation of to improve students' vocabulary.
data concerning process and product. Then, After doing pre-test, the teacher did
the last phase is reflecting. Reflection is the cycle I. It was on Monday and Wednesday, 9
analysis and reflection of the data. and 11 September 2013. The teacher used
This classroom action research was Printed Material Comic Strips media in
conducted at SMP 2 Bae Kudus. This school delivering the material to the students.
is located on Jl. Kampus UMK Gondang
Manis Bae Kudus. It is not far from the students were active in the discussion. The
central Kudus regency. students never used comics in learning
This classroom action research was English especially vocabulary in the
classroom. Then, the teacher gave an oral
vocabulary of class VII A in SMP 2 Bae
Kudus. The teacher used Printed Comic vocabulary. The mean of the score is 76.97.
Strips in delivering the materials to the The improvement is only 1.97 with the pre-
students. There were 30 students in the test. So, the writers decided to continue to
classroom. cycle II.
In cycle II, the students were more
RESULTS active than in cycle I because they had
This research implemented the use of already interested in comics. Cycle II is done
Printed Material in the form Comic Strips to on Wednesday and Monday, 25 & 30
improve the September 2013. The teacher also gave an
Before conducting cycle I, the writers
conducted pre-test to know the ability of vocabulary. The result of the mean score of
the students in mastering English

LANGUAGE CIRCLE Journal of Language and Literature Vol. VIII/2 April 2014 | 147
cycle II is 85.10. All students have reached be taken and read anywhere and
KKM. It is categorized into good. everywhere. For the students, they do not
only learn the content of comics in schools
Strength and Weaknesses through teacher guidance, but can also learn
The Strength of Printed Material Comic independently at home
Strips Comic strips also have closely links with
Comic strips have a very exciting potential to the entertainment. In a newspaper or
help the teachers in achieving the learning magazine column usually contained comic
objectives. Attractive graphical visualization, strips with a different theme and edition.
short dialogues, simple and easy to Readers get the amusement and exciting
understand making everyone from different atmosphere after reading serious news in
ages like reading comics. When the readers the mass media. English comic is not only
are interested on the image and character of the media of learning but also indirectly be
the comic, they want to know more deeply refreshment and entertainment for students
into the contents of the comic story. This is in the classroom.
what is expected of a teacher to the students Comics aimed at education course
to be interested in what will be delivered in contain the values and moral messages that
the classroom. can be delivered to students. In addition,
Student motivation to learn and study learning materials, soft skills or behavioural
the contents of the comic strip as an are also can be taught while the teachers
attractive visual design can be a primary using comics. Most of the teachers think it is
basic of students' interest towards English easier in teaching English by using media or
subject. Based on some research and comics that make the comics remain
relevant sources, comics can increase focused students' attention and focus on the
student motivation to be able to complete learning process.
the task given by the teacher. Teaching and
learning process will be the focus, smooth The Weaknesses of Printed Material
and comfortable in accordance with the Comic Strips
criteria of the ideal class standards. Good learning media is media that can help
Visual media found in comic books can teachers and learners to follow the process
stimulate students' senses to process of learning to achieve learning objectives.
information presented through setting and Each media has strength and weaknesses.
story situation. It is undeniable that Comic is a visual medium that consists
nowadays there are more media of a graphic design and characters. For
development that lead to audio - visual, but pronunciation or pronunciations, automatic-
comics are still able to survive because of its ally, students rely on examples from the
advantages are permanent and comics can teacher, the comics cannot be the additional

148 LANGUAGE CIRCLE Journal of Language and Literature Vol. VIII/2 April 2014
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