P-ISSN: 2808-0467
E-ISSN: 2808-5051
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ENGLISH TEACHING MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT BASED ON
TYNKER PROGRAM IN IMPROVING FOURTH-GRADE STUDENTS'
VOCABULARIES
Fahri Haswani, Ade Aini Nuran
Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Medan, Medan, North Sumatera, Indonesia
1
haswanifahri@unimed.ac.id
2
adeaini@unimed.ac.id
PAPER INFO ABSTRACT
Received: August
2022
Revised: August
2022
Approved: August
2022
Background: In 21
st
-century learning, students must have access to
communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, dan
creativity, and innovation, including elementary students. Tynker is a
platform for learning programming for kids that teaches them game design,
web design, animation, and robotics.
Aim: The study aimed to develop English teaching material based on the
Tynker program to improve the vocabularies of fourth-grade elementary
students.
Method: The subject of the study was 20 students in fourth grade in Zia
Salsabila Private School. The researchers used Research and Development
design in this study. The techniques of collecting data were observation,
interview, and questionnaire. Furthermore, the researchers analyzed the data
using descriptive qualitative and quantitative analysis. The result of the study
showed that English teaching material based on the Tynker program
improved students' motivation for vocabulary learning.
Findings: Tynker-based teaching resources can be an alternate learning tool
for fourth-grade elementary school pupils, particularly for developing
vocabulary. The Tynker Program can help as a tool for learning English, but
the researchers recommend using it with the proper learning resources. The
teacher can download the Tynker program and develop their lesson plans
using some of Tynker's topics. The teacher can use Tynker to give students
resources for learning English and assist them in subjects where they feel
learning English is difficult or dull.
KEYWORDS
Tynker, vocabulary, elementary students, research and development
INTRODUCTION
Learning is a process of interaction between students and educators as well as learning
resources in a learning environment, according to Constitution No. 20 of 2003 regarding the
National Education System. Komalasari (2013) also says that learning is a planned system,
implemented, and evaluated systematically to make learners achieve learning goals effectively
and efficiently.
21
st
-century learning provides 21
st
-century skills to students, namely the 4Cs, which
include communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity and
innovation (Bailik & Fadel, 2015). In this learning, students must master the 4C skills
themselves. In achieving these abilities, it is inseparable from the role of the learning method
that applies in schools through innovative learning, such as the use of technology and mastery
of program languages as the demands of the 21
st
century (Nurutdinova et al., 2016). In this
case, learning has transformed into online learning, directly or indirectly requiring students to
master various programs offered by technological development(Kuo et al., 2014). Larson and
Miller (2011) state that in 21
st
-century learning, teachers and students work together in
English Teaching Material Development Based on Tynker Program in Improving Fourth-Grade Students’
Vocabularies
1334 Interdisciplinary Social Studies, 1(11), Aug 2022
implementing learning by integrating the use of technology in the classroom. Thus, students
will also train to improve their critical thinking skills and solve problems in facing every
challenge at school following their HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skill) (Retnawati et al.,
2018).
Larson and Miller (2011) state that in 21
st
-century learning, teachers and students work
together in implementing learning by integrating the use of technology in the classroom. Thus,
students will also train to improve their critical thinking skills and solve problems (Problem-
solving) in facing every challenge at school following their HOTS (Higher Order Thinking
Skill) thinking skills. Larson and Miller (2011) state that in 21st-century learning, teachers and
students work together in implementing learning by integrating the use of technology in the
classroom. Thus, students will also train to improve their critical thinking skills and solve
problems (Problem-solving) in facing every challenge at school following their HOTS (Higher
Order Thinking Skill).
There are several skills to master in learning English, one of which is vocabulary mastery
(Hamer & Rohimajaya, 2018). Vocabulary is essential because vocabulary is the basis for
someone to understand and use English (Nurmala Sari & Aminatun, 2021; Susanto, 2017).
Currently, English learning has applied in elementary schools (Chen et al., 2011), which
Elementary School aims to introduce English to students. Vocabulary is one of the essential
elements to master by students in elementary school (Rozi et al., 2021). Therefore, the teacher's
role is significant in increasing students' motivation to learn English vocabulary and adapting
it to 21
st
-century learning (Pellegrino & Hilton, 2013). However, based on the observations,
21
st
-century learning has not been realized optimally and affects student learning outcomes.
Furthermore, based on the initial data acquisition, it is known that English teachers who
teach grade 4 still tend to use conventional methods in memorizing vocabulary that is not
contextual (Lestari & Suwatra, 2013). Despite so, another research by Pradana and Sholihah
(2019) revealed that conversing in English during role play might also elevate students' English
skills. Teachers need to put more effort into getting students to understand what they will
portray as. Hence, it is difficult for students to understand the meaning of the vocabulary and
use it in communication even though sometimes they have memorized it but are not practiced
in contact. This situation makes students feel bored in learning English, especially vocabulary,
even though the child desires to play while knowing. These children are accustomed to the
times, one of which is using technology. Therefore, in educating children, teachers must use
active methods to follow their needs, namely playing (Hunter & Walsh, 2014). One thing that
the teacher can improve is the use of learning media.
Despite so, some teachers have utilized conventional media in their learning. For example,
Hasanah et al. (2019) discovered that using flashcards might elevate students' memory,
especially in learning English. Another research by Rahmawati (2021) unveiled the use of AR
(Augmented Reality) in English vocabulary improvement. On the other hand, these efforts need
more attention on their fundamental aspects, such as which theory they rely on to validate the
proposed procedures.
Based on the explanation above, the author is interested in researching to increase students'
motivation in developing English vocabulary through the Tynker program. Tynker is a
programming platform that teaches children to create games and programs. Tynker uses a
system of visual code blocks that are easy to assemble into a match (Purwadhika, 2019). With
English Teaching Material Development Based on Tynker Program in Improving Fourth-Grade Students’
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1335 Interdisciplinary Social Studies, 1(11), Aug 2022
the use of this program, learning will become contextual learning which will lead to a learning
process that involves student activity. Furthermore, the use of this program fulfills contextual
knowledge and the use of technology through programming languages (Coding). Thus, the
demands of 21
st
-century learning will be complete.
Therefore, the purpose of this study was to find out the increase in motivation of Zia
Salsabila's 4
th
-grade private elementary school students in developing English vocabulary
through the Tynker program. This study focuses on increasing the motivation of fourth graders
at Zia Salsabila Private Elementary School to develop English vocabulary through the Tynker
program.
This study used the Tynker program as a learning medium because this media is designed
like a game and requires English vocabulary to complete. The vocabularies have been
developed based on the user's age. The researchers conducted the research at Zia Salsabila
Private Elementary School, Pendidikan Pasar XII Bandar Setia Percut Sei Tuan Street, District
of Deli Serdang, North Sumatra.
METHOD
This study aims to determine the increase in the motivation of 4
th
-grade students of Zia
Salsabila Private Elementary School in developing English vocabulary through the Tynker
program using a Research and Development design by applying a qualitative method through
observation and the distribution of questionnaires. This method is a research method used to
produce products and test their effectiveness of these products (Sugiyono, 2019).
Preliminary Stage
The preliminary stage is the development stage conducted to determine the problems and
needs of students and teachers at Zia Salsabila Private Elementary School. This initial stage
consists of analyzing the requirements of learning devices in the form of learning media using
the Tynker program to improve students' vocabulary skills at Zia Salsabila Elementary School.
Development Stage
The development stage is the stage used to collect information and develop learning media
products. These stages consist of:
1) Learning Media Development Phase through the Scratch Program: At this stage, media
development will be carried out to learn in improving vocabulary skills at Zia Salsabila
Private Elementary School;
2) Learning Media will be validated by two specialists, including a lecturer from the
department of English language and literature and an English teacher from Zia Salsabila
Private Elementary School, as part of the Tynker Program's learning media validation
phase; and
3) Produce Early Products.
Evaluation Stage
The evaluation stage is a stage that aims to find out the Development of the Tynker
Program Learning Media on the vocabulary ability of students. The evaluation stage consisted
English Teaching Material Development Based on Tynker Program in Improving Fourth-Grade Students’
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1336 Interdisciplinary Social Studies, 1(11), Aug 2022
of a limited trial, questionnaire distribution, and questionnaire data analysis to find initial
conclusions regarding the quality of learning media as the initial product of this study.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Need Analysis
The questionnaires were used to investigate students' target needs and learning needs. It
consisted of 30 items in which 20 items were used to analyze students' target needs, and ten
were used to investigate their learning needs. It was administered to teachers of grade IV, which
consisted of two teachers. Both of the teachers are females, and they graduated from English
Language Teaching Department.
The demand of the target situation determined necessities; that was what the learner had
to know to function effectively in the target situation. The students' needs in speaking were
described in the following table.
Table 1. Interview Results
No
Questions
Answer
Yes
1
What kinds of skills which
students in grade V need?
Micro Skill
Macro Skill
2
What do you think about
technology usage in
learning? English for young
learners? Would you like to
explain its contribution to
teaching English since you
have been an English
teacher?
It is helpful to
entertain
students in
learning English
It helps the
teacher to
explain the
meaning of
English
Words
It makes
students enjoy
learning English
3
What is the learning
atmosphere you like in the
classroom?
Active
English Teaching Material Development Based on Tynker Program in Improving Fourth-Grade Students’
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1337 Interdisciplinary Social Studies, 1(11), Aug 2022
Fun and
interesting
Source: Researchers' Interview
The data mean that novice students need to be persuaded to explore English as a global
language which all students in Indonesia must have. The strategies used should motivate
students to know more about English.
Designing Learning Materials
After administering the needs analysis, the researcher found that the students needed an
improvement in the teaching-learning process, especially in learning vocabulary. Then, the
researcher selected the topics and objectives based on the needs analysis results. The materials
should attract the students to learn a language with Tynker. The learning materials were
designed in several steps. They were:
Warming Up
In starting the instructions, the teacher should provide exciting material, which includes
watching a cartoon.
Main Activities
1) Listening, reading, and practicing short conversation;
2) Giving exercises such as answering some questions;
3) Playing Tynker; and
4) Practicing Tynker to identify some vocabularies.
Closing
1) Doing some worksheets as the evaluation of students learning process
Figure 1. Activity Suggested
English Teaching Material Development Based on Tynker Program in Improving Fourth-Grade Students’
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1338 Interdisciplinary Social Studies, 1(11), Aug 2022
Figure 2. Worksheet 1
Figures 3. Worksheet 2
Validating by Expert
After the learning materials were successfully developed, the experts evaluated the
materials to analyze if they were appropriate or not. The evaluation was given by using the
questionnaire to the experts. It was used to get suggestions, evaluations, and comments in order
to make the learning materials better and ready to be tested. The questionnaire was made up of
a Likert scale rating with five ratings, namely:
Table 2. Likert Scale and the Categories
Value
Category
Value 5
Very Good/Relevant/Appropriate
Value 4
Good/Relevant/Appropriate
Value 3
Enough
Value 2
Less
Value 1
Significantly Less
Good/Relevant/Appropriate
For qualitative classification of data in the Likert scale, it consists of 5 categories, namely:
Excellent, Good, Sufficient, Unsatisfied, and Awful. The following is a table of classes based
on Likert scale intervals.
Table 3. Categories Based on Likert Scale Intervals
Score
Category
81.00% - 100%
Excellent
English Teaching Material Development Based on Tynker Program in Improving Fourth-Grade Students’
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1339 Interdisciplinary Social Studies, 1(11), Aug 2022
61,00% - 80,99%
Good
41,00% - 60,99%
Sufficient
21,00% - 40,99%
Unsatisfied
0,00% - 20,99%
Awful
The first expert is Dr. Widya Andayani, M.Hum (English lecturer in Universitas Negeri
Medan). The expert evaluated this media about the image selection is more focused on local
wisdom. The second expert is Ms. X (English teacher of class IV at Zia Slasabila Private
Elementary School in Bandar Setia, North Sumatra). The expert evaluated that the learning
materials follow the material presented to students, and students will study easier like the
lessons and achieve excellent achievement.
CONCLUSION
After obtaining the research findings, the researchers discovered that learning materials
using the Tynker model in teaching vocabulary engage students to be active in the class with
the process, which included warming up, main activities, and closing. The learning materials
attracted the students' attention and improved their creativity while learning English.
Based on the result of this study, Tynker-based teaching materials can be an alternative
learning resource for grade 4 elementary school students, especially in enhancing students'
vocabulary. Tynker Program can be a tool for learning English, but it is suggested to be used
whether it was combined with the appropriate learning materials. The teacher can download
the Tynker program and create learning materials based on some themes in Tynker. The teacher
can use Tynker in providing English learning material and help students in subjects that they
consider studying English complex and tedious.
The other researchers are expected to conduct research to test this English material in
teaching vocabulary. The trial of these teaching materials can be carried out by using action
research. This method is used in several meetings so that the effectiveness of its use can be
observed.
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