Investigating the Effectiveness of Anagram Technique on Students

Vocabulary Mastery

Atik Yuliyani1 and Siti Nurjanah1

1 UIN Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta, Indonesia

Keywords: Anagram technique, Vocabulary, Teaching

Abstract: This research aims to get empirical evidence on the effectiveness of Anagram technique on students’
vocabulary. A quasi - experimental design was used as the method of the study in which 72 students of the
eight grades of one Islamic Junior High School were chosen as the sample. The instrument of this study was
tests divided into pre-test and post-test. The result of the analysis shows that there was a positive effect of
Anagram technique on students’ vocabulary. Moreover, the Cohen’s d formulation also proved that
Anagram technique gave moderate effect size on students’ vocabulary.

1 INTRODUCTION the introduction of vocabulary that could be used by

the learner in everyday conversations is often
Language becomes the most important thing in omitted or neglected (Mollica, 2001). Whereas in
human life. Because we are as human need an learning English, vocabulary plays more important
interaction where we use the language to role than grammar. As it is stated by Thornbury that,
communicate. Since English is an international “without grammar very little can be conveyed,
language, people all over the world needed to learn without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”
English. In Indonesia English is taught in elementary (Thornburry, 2002).
up to university level. But in fact, even though Teaching vocabulary is not easy, it needs a
English is taught for a long time period, most of the technique to make the students eager to learn and
people are still confused to respond in English. One easy to understand. If a teacher cannot provide fun
of the obstacles in responding in English is because and meaningful learning, the students will face the
the people are lack of vocabulary. difficulties to catch the material because English is
Vocabulary is defined as the words that are used still unfamiliar for some of them. If we see the
by people, both in oral or written forms for problem nowadays, many students are lack of
communicating (Hanson & F.M. Padua, 2011). vocabulary. They just remembered the word for a
Vocabulary is one of the most crucial elements in a while and did not save it in their long-term memory.
language. Because without vocabulary we cannot As the result, the students understand what the
deliver a message, especially in English that speaker say but they do not know how to respond it.
becomes a foreign language in Indonesia. It shows that they do not have enough vocabulary in
Vocabulary is a core component of language their mind.
proficiency and provides much of the basis for how This is also the case in most of Indonesian
well learners speak, listen, read, and write (Richards, schools. Based on the observation in one of Islamic
2002). Some of the people think that grammar is junior high school in Jakarta, the writer found that
more important than vocabulary. For instance, several students cannot reach the standard minimum
people will not talk in English just because they are score in English subject. The students must get 73 in
afraid to take a risk with wrong grammar. Since the English. In fact, the average score of the eighth-
learning of a language is most commonly identified grade students is 65-70 in each class. While learning
with acquiring mastery of its grammatical system, it English, the students cannot achieve some of
is not at all surprising that most textbooks have a indicators of the subject. The most difficult indicator
grammatical or 'structural' organization. As a result, is the students did not understand what the passage
about because they lack of vocabulary. In addition,

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Yuliyani, A. and Nurjanah, S.
Investigating the Effectiveness of Anagram Technique on Students Vocabulary Mastery.
DOI: 10.5220/0009927213251330
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Recent Innovations (ICRI 2018), pages 1325-1330
ISBN: 978-989-758-458-9
Copyright c 2020 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
ICRI 2018 - International Conference Recent Innovation

the teacher still uses monotonous technique in contrast, enumeration, explanation, and translation
teaching English that make the students bored in (Harmer, 1991).
learning. He just asked the students to read the text Realia technique is conducted by bringing the
individually and answer some questions. Also the things that will be presented into the classroom. For
teacher only uses text in student worksheet or example ruler, pen, pencil, ball, etc. The teacher
workbook that its performance does not support the holds up the object then say the word and then ask
students’ interest. So to solve this problem the the students to repeat it. Not only the teacher should
teacher should be creative to provide fun and provide the things, but also the students also can
meaningful teaching and learning process. bring their own thing into the class.
Through a proper technique, the students will Pictures technique is conducted by showing a
feel relax and enjoy while learning and it can make picture. The picture can be board drawings, wall
them easier to understand the material. It also gives pictures and charts, flashcards. Magazine pictures, or
the students unconsciously learning, so they learn the teacher can simply draw a picture in the board.
without they realized it. As Harmer (1991) state that Mime, action and gesture technique can be
teaching vocabulary must be interesting and the applied by acting out in front of the class the words
teacher should be creative to create fun and that are taught. The words that are taught should can
meaningful learning because vocabulary is very be acted out such as run, walk, sit, etc. This
essential in a language. There are so many games to technique only can be implemented for beginner
teach vocabulary, and one of them is anagram. learners. The intermediate and advanced learners
Anagram is a word or phrase created by re-arranging will not get interested in learning using this
the letters of another word or phrase, in which every technique.
letter in the original is used in the creation of the Contrast technique is conducted by showing the
new phrase (Rosadi, 2017). It facilitates the students correlation of the words to explain the meaning of
to make a new word by looking the dictionary based the words such as empty and full, cold and hot,
on the word or phrase given. So the students will small and big, etc. To make the students easily
know the new vocabulary after re-arranging the understand the concept of comparison, the teacher
word. This game can be used to teach or review the can draw pictures or even try to make a mimic of the
vocabulary properly (Mollica, 2001). words. This technique help the teachers to teach the
Knowing the advantage of the game, the writer antonym of the words that the students will learn
wants to conduct a research on the effect of anagram two different words in the same time.
technique on students’ vocabulary mastery at the Enumeration technique can be implemented by
eighth-grade students of MTsN 13 Jakarta. explaining the words from the general into the
specific words such as explaining about the fruit
before explaining about an apple.
2 LITERATURE REVIEW Explanation technique will be difficult at
beginner and elementary levels because giving an
explanation to the students about new words means
2.1 Definition of Vocabulary giving them the explanation about the words that are
also related to these new words. So this technique is
Vocabulary is the knowledge of meaning of words
better used for intermediate students. Moreover, the
that used to communicate effectively, both in oral
teacher also should give the explanation about what
and written forms (Hiebert & Kamil, 2005). The
the words that are used in an informal form such as
more vocabularies that are acquires by someone, the
mate (friend)
more he or she is able to understand the language in
Translation technique is quick and easy way to
listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
present the meaning of words but it is not without
problems. In the first place it is not always easy to
2.2 Teaching Vocabulary translate words, and in the second place, even where
translation is possible, it may make it a bit too easy
Teaching vocabulary must be interesting and the for students by discouraging them from interacting
teacher should be creative to create fun and with the words.
meaningful learning because vocabulary is very Anagram technique is kind of word games that
essential in a language. Harmer mentions in his book change the order of the letters of a word into another
some of some techniques in teaching vocabularies word or group of words change into another group
such as realia, pictures, mime action and gesture,
of words or sentences are meaningful.

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 Investigating the Effectiveness of Anagram Technique on Students Vocabulary Mastery

Based on some technique in teaching vocabulary great variety of interesting activity and exercise.
that mention above, the teacher can apply the Using Anagram technique in teaching vocabulary
technique depend on the needs of the students. more effective for helping the students in learning,
Whether the teacher wants the students more active they would be easier in recognizing new words and
(student centered) or the teacher that take over make the lesson more interesting.
teaching and learning process (teacher centered). There are three types of transpositions (letter re-
But whatever it is, the teacher should provide fun arrangement) in Anagram. One of them is Random
and meaningful learning because teaching Anagram where the letters of an English word being
vocabulary is different than teaching language skills scrambled into a random pattern and the players
such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. If must rearrange the original word. The rules of
the teacher is not able to provide an interesting Anagram Game as follows:
teaching and learning process, the students will be 1. Students are divided into 4 groups where each
difficult to catch the lesson. group consists of ten students.
Besides the teaching technique, there are three 2. Student gets some words consists of 4-6 letters.
important encouraging learning process that may 3. Student must arrange the letters that were
lead to remember a word. They are noticing, randomized into a new word.
retrieval and creative (Nation, 2001). 4. Student uses all the letters to form a 1 or 2,
even 3 new words.
2.3 Anagram Technique Example:
a. Malp : lamp, palm
Anagram technique is a type of word play, the result b. Tapel : petal, plate, pleat
of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to c. Elam : male, meal, lame
produce a new word or phrase, using all the original d. Erosh : horse, shore
letters exactly once’ for example orchestra can be e. Balett : battle, tablet
rearranged into carthorse. 5. Group with a most new word is the winner.
Anagram is the first type of word game popular
in Europe during the middle ages. Anagram art There are three criteria, or rules, that must be met
created by the Greek poet Lycophron. Before the era in order to classify something as an Anagram:
of computerization, anagram built using pen and 1. The letters of a word or phrase must be re-
paper from a combination of letters and experiment arranged.
with variations. 2. A new expression must be created.
By using this technique, the students will not 3. The letter of the original must be used in the
be bored because this technique is appropriate to new expression.
their characteristics which is they incline more
interested to play, meanwhile anagram technique is a
type of word play. Many words will be got through 2.5 Advantages of Anagram
this technique. Automatically, this technique will
increase students’ vocabulary. Using this technique In applying a technique for teaching, there is
also help the students to get involved in classroom always an advantage and a disadvantage. We cannot
activities. Since this technique is fun and beneficial say that one technique is the best overall, because it
for the students, it will give the students opportunity depends on the learners that we teach. What we
to increase their English vocabulary. should look carefully is whether or not a technique
suitable for the learners. Kumara stated that
2.4 Teaching Vocabulary using Anagram is considered as an effective, enjoyable
Anagram and interesting way to teach vocabulary because it
can give the students enjoyment or challenge in
Harmer (2002) stated that young children learn studying language and encourage them to look
differently from older children, adolescents, and carefully at words, students can practice to form
adult. In learning, young children more difficult to other words from the given clues, match words with
study because their mood tends to change every definition, provide spelling practice, show the
other minute. But on the other hand, they have more students how the letters of many words can be
motivation to learn than adult. So, the teacher should manipulated to form other words, emphasize the
be more creative in selecting activities in learning importance of letter position in relation to word
process. Furthermore, the teacher should provide a meaning.

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ICRI 2018 - International Conference Recent Innovation

Anagram technique can motivate the students was used to see the effect size level of the Anagram
and make them interested in learning vocabulary technique on students’ vocabulary mastery (Cohen,
English for junior high school, the students also 2007).
know about the new words by using anagram, they
can found the new word by themselves. In addition
the students can become active when they suggest 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
coming front of the class. They become brave to
spell the word and getting the meaning.
Anagram technique also helps the students to
4.1 The Data of Experimental Class
work in team. They will not work individually
The data were collected from students' pre-test score
because they want to get the best score to be the
which was conducted before the researcher
winner. Collaborative learning will help the learners
implemented anagram technique and students’ post-
to enhance their social intelligence.
test score which was conducted after the researcher
Moreover, applying this technique means to help
implemented anagram technique. The data is
students to raise their vocabulary. Anagram
presented in table 1.
technique is a technique that can make the students
have capability to develop their vocabulary.
Table 1: Students’ Pre-test, Post-test and Gained Score of
Experimental Class.
2.6 Disadvantages of Anagram
Pre- test Post-test Gained
Student
score score score
The disadvantage Anagram technique is the noise 1 61 73 12
cannot be avoided. This technique is student- 2 64 76 12
centered which make all the students get involved, it 3 67 73 6
will be so noisy. 4 61 70 9
Anagram technique cannot make a new word 5 58 67 9
6 58 79 21
form except from word itself, and it limit teacher
7 61 76 15
expectation. This technique needs a dictionary for 8 52 67 15
beginner, because without a dictionary they cannot 9 61 73 12
find another word form. An activity which is chosen 10 61 79 18
by the teacher will have its advantages and 11 52 79 27
disadvantages. Since Anagram technique has many 12 55 70 15
13 61 76 15
advantages than disadvantages. Therefore, before 14 58 70 12
applying Anagram technique, it is a need for the 15 61 73 12
teacher to adjust with the topic. 16 67 76 9
17 55 73 18
18 70 82 12
19 67 70 3
3 METHODOLOGY 20 52 67 15
21 58 76 18
Quasi experimental design was used in this study in 22 55 73 18
23 64 82 18
which two classes are involved. One class assigned 24 61 76 15
as an experimental class, and the other one as 25 64 73 9
control class. The students in both classes were 26 58 79 21
given pre-test and post-test. Pre-test was used to 27 70 76 6
decide which group belongs to control and/or 28 58 70 12
29 61 76 15
experimental class. While post-test was used to see 30 73 85 12
the effect of Anagram technique on students’ 31 70 82 12
vocabulary mastery. 32 67 76 9
Purposive sampling was used as a sampling 33 58 79 21
technique where seventy two (72) students of the 34 67 82 15
35 70 85 15
eighth grade of one Islamic junior high school in
36 64 79 15
Jakarta, Indonesia were chosen as the sample of the Σ 2220 2718 498
study. Test consisted of thirty (30) multiple choice Mean 61.66 75.5 13.83
questions was used as the instrument and T-test was
used to analyze the data. In addition, Cohen formula

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 Investigating the Effectiveness of Anagram Technique on Students Vocabulary Mastery

The data shows the score of 36 students in VIII-I, Student

Pre- test Post-test Gained
the mean score of pre-test was 61.66, the lowest score score score
score of pre-test was 52 and the highest score was 35 61 70 9
73. Meanwhile, the mean score of post-test was 36 55 64 9
75.50, the lowest score of post-test was 67 and the Σ 2322 2613 291
highest score was 85. Besides the mean score of Mean 64.5 72.58 8.08
gained was 13.83 with the minimum gained score
was 3 and the maximum gained score was 27. It can The data shows the score of 36 students in VIII-
be known that there was significant difference in the H, the mean score of pre-test was 64.5 the lowest
pre-test and post-test score of experimental class. score of pre-test was 55 and the highest score was
73. Meanwhile, the mean score of post-test was
4.2 The Data of Controlled Class 72.58 the lowest score of post-test was 64 and the
highest score was 82. Besides the mean score of
The control class is a class in which they did not gained was 8.08 with the minimum gained score was
taught by using anagram technique. The data were 3 and the maximum gained score was 15.
collected from students' pre-test score and post-test The data shows the difference between students’
score. The data is presented in table 2. score in experimental and control class that the score
of experimental class which was taught by using
Table 2: Students’ Pre-test, Post-test and Gained Score of anagram technique was higher than the score of
Controlled Class. control class which learn with conventional
technique. The progress of both classes can be seen
Pre- test Post-test Gained in Figure 1.
Student
score score score
1 67 73 6 79
2 64 70 6
3 67 73 6 76

4 64 76 12 73
5 70 73 3
70
6 67 76 9
7 70 76 6 67 Experimenta
l class
8 67 73 6 64 Controlled
9 58 70 12 class
10 64 73 9 61

11 67 70 3 58
12 70 79 9
55
13 61 76 15
14 73 79 6 52
15 70 76 6 Pre‐ test
Post‐ test

16 61 64 3 Figure 1: The Difference between Students’

17 64 67 3
Score in Experimental and Control Class.
18 61 70 9
19 64 70 6 In the description of the data which was taken
20 67 76 9 from 36 students of experimental class, Table 1
21 61 67 6 showed the description of the experimental class
22 64 73 9 score which has the mean score of pre-test 64.5
23 70 76 6
before anagram technique was implemented. After
24 64 70 6
anagram technique was implemented in the class,
25 67 82 15
26 61 73 12
the mean score of post-test was 76 Meanwhile, the
27 73 79 6 Table 2 showed the description of the control class
28 64 67 3 score which has the mean score of pre-test 61.66 and
29 67 76 9 the mean score of post-test was 75.5. It means that
30 61 76 15 both classes have increased in the post-test score.
31 58 67 9 Yet, the experimental class got higher score than the
32 61 70 9 control class. Based on the statistical analysis, the
33 58 70 12 increasing point of the experimental class was 13.83
34 61 73 12 points; from 61.66 to 75.5. As for the control class,

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ICRI 2018 - International Conference Recent Innovation

it increased 8.08 points; from 64.5 to 72.58. It means technique on this research; it was 0.63. It shows that
that the experimental class had more significantly it has medium effect size level.
increasing points rather than the control class. In summary, this research shows that using
The result of T-test shows that tvalue is 2.684 with anagram technique can affect students' vocabulary at
the Sig. (2-tailed) 0.009. Then tvalue is compared to the eighth-grade students of one Islamic junior high
the ttable to know whether anagram technique give school in Jakarta.
significant effect on students’ vocabulary. The ttable
is taken from the requirement which has been
standard in analyzing the data. The ttable shows 1.994 REFERENCES
with 70 as the degree of freedom (df) in the
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value of the post-test score was lower than α, 0.009 York: Routledge.
< 0.05. It means there was significant effect of Hanson, Susan and F.M. Padua, Jennifer., 2011, Teaching
anagram technique on students’ vocabulary mastery. Vocabulary Explicitly, Honolulu:Pacific Resources for
Moreover, the effect size of anagram technique was Education and Learning.
0.63. Therefore, the effect size level of this research Harmer, Jeremy.,1991, The Practice of English Language
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Harmer, Jeremy., 2002. The Practice of English Language
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Teaching: Third Edition. New York: Longman.
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vocabulary. In addition, it can promote the learning Sedayu”. A thesis in Sanata Dharma University
Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta: 2016. Unpublished.
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Current Practice. New York: Cambridge University
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4 CONCLUSION Technique in Teaching Vocabulary, Voices of English
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Based on the findings, it is concluded that anagram Thornbury, Scott., 2002, How to Teach Vocabulary.
technique has medium effect on students’ Essex: Longman.
vocabulary at eighth grade students of one Islamic
junior high school in Jakarta. It can be seen from the
data with the statistical hypothesis showed that the
mean score of experimental class after being taught
by anagram technique was 75.5 and it was higher
than the mean score before using anagram
technique; it was 61.66. The data analysis,
moreover, showed that sig. 2-tailed (ρ) < α; 0.009 <
0.05. It means that null hypothesis (H0) was rejected
and alternative hypothesis (Ha) was accepted.
Therefore, anagram technique shows the medium
effect in improving the students’ vocabulary. It is
also supported by the effect size of anagram

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