English vocabulary learning

Learning motivation plays an important role in supporting children's academic success; however, children in orphanages often face limited individual guidance and attention that can lower their learning enthusiasm. Based on observations and interviews, it was found that the learning motivation of elementary school children at Orphanage GA was relatively low, characterized by lack of enthusiasm, quick boredom, and low self-confidence. This community service activity aims to improve children's learning motivation through interactive and enjoyable educational strategies. The method used involved administering pre-tests and post-tests using a learning motivation instrument consisting of 24 statement items, covering eight indicators of learning motivation, each comprising three statement items. The instrument was measured using a four-point Likert scale with four response alternatives, namely Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree (SD), administered to 13 children aged 7-13 years, consisting of 11 boys and 2 girls. The intervention program included coloring activities, personal activity schedule creation, future goals presentations, picture-guessing games, English vocabulary learning using flashcards, an effective learning strategy seminar, and educational word scramble and word search games. The Paired Samples Test results showed that the average learning motivation score increased from 77.00 to 78.69, although the increase was not statistically significant (p = 0.651 > 0.05). Nevertheless, the children demonstrated greater enthusiasm and engagement during the activities. This program can serve as a potential initial step in fostering elementary school children's learning motivation in an orphanage setting and as a consideration for developing more effective and sustainable learning support programs. ABSTRAK Motivasi belajar memiliki peran penting dalam mendukung keberhasilan akademik anak, namun anak-anak di panti asuhan sering menghadapi keterbatasan pendampingan dan perhatian individu yang dapat menurunkan semangat belajar mereka. Berdasarkan observasi dan wawancara, ditemukan bahwa motivasi belajar anak-anak SD di Panti Asuhan GA masih tergolong rendah, ditandai dengan kurangnya antusiasme, mudah bosan, dan rendahnya rasa percaya diri. Kegiatan pengabdian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan motivasi belajar anak melalui strategi edukatif yang interaktif dan menyenangkan. Metode yang digunakan meliputi pemberian pre-test dan post-test menggunakan instrumen motivasi belajar yang terdiri atas 24 butir pernyataan, mencakup delapan indikator motivasi belajar yang masing-masing terdiri atas tiga butir pernyataan. Instrumen tersebut diukur menggunakan skala Likert empat poin dengan empat alternatif jawaban, yaitu Sangat Setuju (SS), Setuju (S), Tidak Setuju (TS), dan Sangat Tidak Setuju (STS), yang diberikan kepada 13 anak usia 7-13 tahun, terdiri atas 11 anak laki-laki dan 2 anak perempuan. Program intervensi meliputi kegiatan mewarnai, penyusunan personal activity schedule, presentasi cita-cita, permainan tebak gambar, pembelajaran kosakata bahasa Inggris menggunakan flashcard, seminar strategi belajar efektif, serta permainan edukatif word scramble dan word search. Hasil analisis menggunakan Paired Samples Test menunjukkan rata-rata skor motivasi belajar meningkat dari 77,00 menjadi 78,69, meskipun peningkatan tersebut belum signifikan secara statistik (p = 0,651 > 0,05). Walaupun demikian, anak-anak menunjukkan antusiasme dan keterlibatan yang lebih baik selama kegiatan berlangsung. Program ini dapat menjadi langkah awal yang potensial dalam menumbuhkan motivasi belajar anak di lingkungan panti asuhan serta menjadi bahan pertimbangan untuk pengembangan program pendampingan belajar yang lebih efektif dan berkelanjutan.

Vocabulary acquisition constitutes a fundamental component in learning English as a foreign language; however, traditional teaching methods do not always promote motivation or long-term lexical retention. In this context, the present study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of storytelling with urban legends in teaching vocabulary to young English learners. The re-search was developed under a quantitative approach and a quasi-experimental pretest and posttest design with a single group. The sample consisted of 48 students from the National and Foreign Languages Pedagogy major at the Technical University of Cotopaxi, and for data collection, a 30-item multiple-choice vocabulary test was used, which was applied before and after a pedagogical intervention based on four storytelling sessions using urban legends, de-signed for this research and validated through the judgment of three expert professors from the National and Foreign Languages Pedagogy major. The data were analyzed using descrip-tive statistics in Microsoft Excel, and the results showed an increase in the mean scores, which went from 20.27 in the pretest to 24.94 in the posttest; likewise, the minimum score increased from 5 to 11 points and the standard deviation decreased from 5.79 to 5.03, evi-dencing a more homogeneous performance after the intervention. In conclusion, the findings suggest that storytelling with urban legends constitutes a pertinent pedagogical strategy to strengthen English vocabulary learning by providing meaningful narrative contexts that favor the comprehension, retention, and use of new words.