VOCABULARY TASK TYPES; AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ ENGLISH

TEXTBOOK

Serapion Diki Pramono

dickytilik213@gmail.com

UNIVERSITAS KATOLIK INDONESIA SANTU PAULUS RUTENG

Abstract

Two helpful points of view are provided by this research. First, this study includes a set of
vocabulary exercises from textbooks, in this case "English for Nusantara untuk SMP/MTs Kelas
VII, Chapter 4. My School Activities" and the most popular categories. A teacher must select
teaching tactics that are compatible in order to teach vocabulary tasks, and this can encourage
the teacher to be more selective in doing so. Second, the study can be used to the assessment of
already-published publications. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies are used in this
investigation. Because the data source that was retrieved was from English textbooks for seventh
graders, the qualitative method is characterized as a content analysis. This suggests that the
study's focus was narrowly focused on the terminology that was only included in the textbook as
written and not broadly. First, the results show that the vocabulary exercises and vocabulary
builders in the textbook were separated into two groups. There were 28 vocabulary tasks
overall, according to the researcher. With 9 total tasks, or 32.1% of the total, the Matching Task
topped these 28 tasks. Writing came in second with tasks, accounting for 28.5%, while sentence
completion came in third with 6 tasks, accounting for 21.4%. Speaking comes in at number four
with four tasks averaging 14.2% each, while multiple choice comes in last with just one task at
3.5%. Despite the fact that the textbook only had 28 vocabulary tasks, the new terms that were
explained in the vocabulary builder component were repeated throughout the grammar,
pronunciation/listening, speaking, vocabulary exercises, and reading texts.

Keywords ; Vocabulary Task, Content Analysis, Vocabulary Builder, Vocabulary Exercise

_____________________________________________________________________________

Introduction

Vocabulary is essential element to construct sentences. In order to be able to construct

sentences, it needs for students to improve their vocabulary. Ilinawati & Dharma (2019), referred
to how a vocabulary list is a collection of terms that is frequently displayed in alphabetical order.
We refer to the vocabulary used in conversations on topics pertaining to technical, medical, and
legal topics using the terms technical, medical, and legal vocabulary. The vocabulary of a person
is their collection of words. Additionally, people frequently have a passive vocabulary that they
can understand when they hear or read particular terms, as well as an active vocabulary that they
use when speaking or writing. Because speaking moves more quickly and there is less time to
deliberately recollect phrases when speaking, spoken vocabulary is lower than what we know
from reading and writing language. The collection of words and phrases used by a language,
group, person, or activity, as well as in a particular field of knowledge, is referred to as a
vocabulary. It can also refer to a list or group of words that are grouped and defined in an
alphabetical order. A wide range of words is necessary for speaking, reading, writing, and
listening in order to communicate effectively. It can be taught through deliberate education as
well as through regular exposure to speech and written language. Reading comprehension
depends on vocabulary, which is crucial to the reading process.

Studies of vocabulary are useful because they highlight how crucial information is to
comprehension. Research on language usage patterns is also highly helpful because it illustrates
the vocabulary skills required to comprehend various kinds of texts. Furthermore, vocabulary
research gives teachers and students specific vocabulary learning goals that they may work
toward and measure against their prior knowledge, Webb (2021). Vocabulary development is
important for overall success in the acquisition of a foreign language, Lucas (2022). In English
as a Second Language/English as a Foreign Language classes, high-frequency vocabulary must
be taught, and it is commonly acknowledged that students gain from doing so. It highlights how
task determinants, such as the amount of time spent needing, looking for, and assessing new
words, or task engagement load, can improve vocabulary learning, Alavinia & Rahimi (2019).
 English textbooks play an important role in helping students learn new vocabulary words,
Hamidi et al (2016). They typically include a variety of vocabulary tasks that are designed to
help students learn new words in a variety of ways. To assist word knowledge in a range of
circumstances, it is crucial to employ a number of tactics based on various theoretical
frameworks. Course books are essential for reading comprehension and vocabulary development.
The course book offers structure for teaching and learning, methodological support, and
opportunities for preparation and review. The course book complements the instructor's work
and provides information for additional research and revision. Vocabulary proficiency is the best
indicator of good reading comprehension because it has a significant relationship with reading.
For effective use of language, both receptively (listening and reading) and productively
(speaking and writing), it is essential to have sufficient lexical knowledge. Therefore, the use of
English textbooks, especially exercises in books, can improve vocabulary skills because they
help students improve their language skills. Through vocabulary exercises students can
concentrate on certain words. For learning vocabulary, students need various activities and
exercises.

There are some previous studies that investigated vocabulary task in students’ English
course book. First, Setiani (2021) Analysis Of Vocabulary Exercises In “Pathway To English”
found in Pathway to English textbooks focuses on word class, and family word. Second, Björk
(2022) investigate vocabulary activities provided in English workbooks for year 9 students in
Sweden. The study discovered that the vocabulary activities in the workbooks under examination
provide a strong emphasis on the meaning and form domains, particularly the written form and
aspect of form. Both books produced comparable results, indicating that the primary goal is to
establish a connection between form (such as spelling) and meaning. This is likely owing to the
standards set out by the CEFR and the Swedish National Agency for Education in order to
achieve the necessary knowledge level. The study also discovered that when focusing on
vocabulary knowledge parts that connect to the knowledge requirements for the Swedish
syllabus for English as an L2 in year 9, vocabulary exercises do offer possibilities to work
through both the receptive and the productive skills. Third, Kirana (2022) employed a corpus-
based approach, and the analysis was carried out using RANGE, computer software. The study
found that students who followed the course book’s instructions were exposed to 1,164 word
families. However, the pupils still need to focus on the remaining 836 word families because this
vocabulary size wasn't large enough to expose them to the top 2,000 English terms. The research
contends that in addition to the Nation's advice to concentrate on the 2,000 most popular terms,
language learners require broader exposure to vocabulary from other sources. Fourth, Le Thi
Minh et al (2022) analyzed the EFL textbook that was currently being used by those students
regarding the vocabulary coverage of the book. Fifth, Hare (2002) study the vocabulary items
used in the textbook for grade five in terms of parts of speech.

These are just a few of the many studies that have been conducted on vocabulary tasks in
English textbooks. These studies provide evidence that vocabulary tasks can be an effective way
to help students learn new vocabulary words. However, it is important to note that not all
vocabulary tasks are created equal. Some vocabulary tasks are more effective than others.
Therefore, teachers need to choose vocabulary tasks that are appropriate for their student's needs
and learning styles. From those previous studies, the writer tries to improve the research about
Analysis of Task Types in English Student’s course book. In this case, the writer uses “English
for Nusantara untuk SMP/MTs Kelas VII kurikulum Merdeka Belajar”. According to this, This
research gives two useful points of view. First, This research contains a list of vocabulary
assignments that can be found in textbooks, and what types are the mostly used. In order to teach
vocabulary assignments, a teacher has to choose teaching strategies that are compatible, and this
can help the teacher to be more careful in choosing teaching strategies. Second, This research
can be used to evaluate books that have been published.

Research Method

a. Research Design
This study uses both qualitative and quantitative methods. qualitative method is
categorized as a content analysis, because the data source that was retrieved came from
seventh-grade English textbooks. Content analysis is "a research technique for making
replicable and valid inferences from text (or other meaningful material) to the context in
which it is used". Quantitative content analysis is used when the data analysis deals with
the proportion of task types. Quantitative analytics classifies as research in which the
results express a percentage of a number and involves counting and comparison.
b. Data Source
As previously mentioned, this study discusses vocabulary activities in the Chapter 4 ;
My School Activities “English for Nusantara untuk SMP/MTs Kelas VII” written by Ika
Lestari Damayanti, et al and published by Pusat perbukuan Badan Standar, Kurikulum,
dan Assesmen Pendidikan, cetakan pertama 2022.
c. Data Collection
The data in this study is task vocabulary found in textbooks. The data was collected by
the researchers. To collect data step by step as follow:
 The researcher identified the task vocabulary found in the textbook
 Classified all activities into task vocabulary types
 The researcher reclassifies the vocabulary of each assignment to find the most
dominant one.
 The researcher uses a formula to calculate the dominant Frequency of each task
vocabulary.
 The researcher reported the most dominant percentage of assignment vocabulary.
d. Data Analysis
To answer the research question, the data collected from the textbook that approached
through descriptive analysis used by Butler (1985:38). The descriptive analysis included:
 Classifying all activities into kinds of tasks.
 Calculating frequencies of each type of task vocabulary used the formula.
 The percentages of each task were reported.
 The following formula will be used to determine which vocabulary task is the most
dominant.

Percentage (%) = Total kind of task_ x 100

Total kinds of tasks

Result and Discussion

As previously mentioned that the researcher identified the task vocabulary found in the
textbook and classified all activities into task vocabulary types. The following table describes the
results for the first research question, about what types of vocabulary assignments are found in
the textbook “English for Nusantara untuk SMP/MTs Kelas VII kurikulum Merdeka Belajar”.

Table 1.1. Types of Vocabulary Task

Page Task Type Instruction Explanation

155 Writing Answer the questions This type of assignment requires students to
write sentences or paragraphs that use new
vocabulary. It is called a vocabulary writing
assignment. In a vocabulary writing
assignment, students are given a list of new
words and asked to write sentences or
paragraphs that use the words in context. This
type of assignment allows teachers to see how
well students understand the meaning of the
words and how they can use them to
communicate. This type of assignment is good
for assessing students' ability to use words in
context.

155 Matching Draw a line to match the This task requires students to match words
Task category with the with given definitions of words. This is a more
examples challenging task that requires students to
understand the meaning of words in a more
abstract way. Students are presented with a list
of words and a set of definitions. They must
 match the words to the definitions that best
describe their meaning. This type of
assignment is great for assessing receptive
vocabulary.

156 Matching Listen to Audio 4.1. This task requires students to match words
Task Write down the names of with pictures that represent their meaning. This
class subjects under each is a simple and effective way to assess
picture. Number one has receptive vocabulary. Students are presented
been done for you. with a list of words and a set of pictures. They
must match the words to the pictures that best
represent their meaning. This type of
assignment is great for assessing students'
receptive vocabulary, or their ability to
understand the meaning of words.

158 Matching Listen to Audio 4.1. This task requires students to match words
Task Based on the dialogue, with given words. The task refers to a common
draw a line to match the activity in elementary school, where students
names of the day and the are asked to draw a line between the names of
school subjects. the days of the week and the corresponding
school subjects. For example, Monday might
be paired with math, Tuesday with science,
Wednesday with social studies, Thursday with
language arts, and Friday with art. This type of
assignment is great for assessing receptive
vocabulary.

159 Matching Based on the dialogue This task requires students to match words
 Task above, put a check if the with given definitions of words. Matching
information is correct or words with pictures is a receptive vocabulary
put a cross if the assessment activity in which students are
information is incorrect. presented with a list of words and a set of
Number one has been pictures. They must match each word to the
done for you picture that best represents its meaning. This
activity is simple to administer and can be used
to assess a wide range of vocabulary
knowledge. It is also a good way to introduce
new vocabulary words to students.

160 Matching Listen again to Audio This task requires students to match words
Task 4.4. Write the number to with pictures that represent their meaning.
match the times and the Receptive vocabulary can be assessed using a
pictures. picture vocabulary test. In this type of test,
students are presented with a list of words and
a set of pictures. They must match each word
with the picture that best represents its
meaning. This is a simple and effective way to
assess receptive vocabulary because it requires
students to demonstrate their understanding of
words without having to produce them
themselves.

161 Speaking Listen to Audio 4.6 This type of assignment requires students to
again. Practice asking speak sentences or paragraphs that use new
and giving information vocabulary. Practice using new vocabulary in a
about the class schedule. meaningful context. When students are
required to speak using new vocabulary, they
are forced to think about how to use the words
 in a way that makes sense. This helps them to
solidify their understanding of the words and
to learn how to use them correctly. This type
of assignment is good for assessing students'
ability to use words in conversation.

164 Writing Listen again to Audio This type of assignment requires students to
4.7. Answer the Answer write sentences or paragraphs that use new
following questions. vocabulary. When giving students instructions
Number one has been for a vocabulary assignment, it is important to
done for you. be clear and concise. This will help students to
understand what is expected of them and to
complete the assignment successfully. This
type of assignment is good for assessing
students' ability to use words in context.

164 Sentence Based on Monita’s class Sentence completion assignments are a good
completion schedule above, complete way to assess a learner's productive
the following sentences. vocabulary. Productive vocabulary is the
ability to use words in speech and writing.
When students are given a sentence
completion assignment, they are required to
use their knowledge of vocabulary to fill in the
blanks in a way that makes sense. This type of
assignment can help teachers identify students
who are struggling with vocabulary and
provide them with the support they need to
improve.
166 Speaking Work with a classmate. Students must speak phrases or paragraphs
Take turns to describe the using new words for this kind of task. The
class schedule based on students work in a group. Each person will
the following situations. have a different situation to describe their class
schedule. They will take turns describing their
class schedule to the other members of their
group. This kind of task is useful for
evaluating students' conversational language
skills.

166 Writing Work in a group of four. Students are expected to produce sentences or
Practice describing your paragraphs using unfamiliar vocabulary for
class schedule based on this kind of assignment. This kind of task is
the following situations. useful for evaluating students' contextual
language skills.

168 Speaking Work with a classmate. This type of assignment requires students to
Make a dialogue based speak sentences or paragraphs that use new
on the following class vocabulary. The students are talking about
schedule. their classes and their expectations for the
semester. This is a good way to practice using
unfamiliar vocabulary in a natural way. The
students are able to discuss their classes
without using too much formal language. This
type of assignment is good for assessing
students' ability to use words in conversation.

172 Matching Match the pictures with This task requires students to match words
with pictures that represent their meaning. A
 Task suitable activities. task that requires students to match words with
pictures that represent their meaning is a visual
matching task. This type of task is a good way
to assess students' visual-verbal association
skills. Visual-verbal association skills are the
ability to connect words with images. This is
an important skill for students to have, as it
allows them to understand the meaning of new
words and concepts.

173 Writing Answer the following This type of assignment requires students to
questions based on the write sentences or paragraphs that use new
text above. vocabulary. This type of assignment is good
for assessing students' ability to use words in
context.

175 Multiple Choose the best answer This type of assignment requires students to
choice for the following select the correct word from a list of options to
questions based one the complete the sentence or phrase. An
Ibu Ayu’s rules for assignment where students select the correct
online class. Number one word from a list of options to complete the
has been done for you. sentence or phrase is a type of multiple-choice
assignment. This type of assignment is often
used to assess students' knowledge of
vocabulary, grammar, or other academic
concepts. This type of assignment can be used
to assess receptive and productive vocabulary,
or a learner's ability to understand and use
words.
177 Writing Answer the following Students are expected to produce sentences or
questions based on Pipit paragraphs using unfamiliar vocabulary for
and Monita’s chat. this kind of assignment. This kind of task is
useful for evaluating students' contextual
language skills.

179 Sentence Put the words in each Students are expected to arrange words to
Completion number into the correct become complete and correct sentences. This
order to make requests. task is a type of word order exercise. In word
Number one has been order exercises, students are given a list of
done for you. words, and they must arrange the words to
create a complete and correct sentence. This
type of assignment is good for assessing a
learner's productive vocabulary.

179 Writing Write a request for each This type of assignment requires students to
situation. Use the write sentences or paragraphs that use new
underlined phrases. vocabulary. This type of assignment is good
Change the pronouns if for assessing students' ability to use words in
necessary. Number one context.
has been done for you.

182 Writing Based on Galang and Students are expected to produce sentences or
Andre’s info graphics at paragraphs using unfamiliar vocabulary for
Picture 4.5, answer the this kind of assignment. This kind of task is
following questions. useful for evaluating students' contextual
language skills.

182 Speaking Think of three learning This type of assignment requires students to
 tips to keep you focused speak sentences or paragraphs that use new
online. Then, make info vocabulary. This type of assignment is good
graphic about the tips. for assessing students' ability to use words in
Present it to your friends conversation.
in the class.

184 Matching Look at the picture Students must match words to pictures that
Task below. Write down illustrate how certain words are meant in this
words for the things you assignment. This kind of task is great for
can see at Monita’s study evaluating students' receptive vocabulary, or
area. Number one has their ability to comprehend word meanings.
been done for you.

185 Matching Look at each picture and Students must match phrases to pictures that
Task write a relevant activity illustrate how certain words are meant in this
under each picture. assignment. This kind of task is great for
Number one has been evaluating students' receptive vocabulary, or
done for you. their ability to comprehend word meanings.

186 Sentence Complete the text about Students are expected to arrange words to
Completion Monita’s study habits. become complete and correct sentences. This
Use the activities in the type of assignment is good for assessing a
Worksheet 4.25. See the learner's productive vocabulary.
Word box.

186 Matching Read the text again on This task requires students to match words
Task Worksheet 4.26. Write T with given informations. This type of
if the statement about assignment is great for assessing receptive
Monita is True or F if the
 statement is False. vocabulary.
Number one has been
done for you.

187 Sentence Read the text on This type of assignment requires students to
completion Worksheet 4.26 again. fill in the blanks in sentences or paragraphs
Complete the following with the correct words. This type of
sentences. Number one assignment is good for assessing a learner's
has been done for you. productive vocabulary.

189 Sentence Complete the text on With this kind of assignment, students must
Completion Worksheet 4.29 by use the appropriate words to complete missing
changing the verbs in the sentences or paragraphs. This kind of activity
brackets. is useful for determining the proficiency with
which a learner uses their language.

189 Writing Read the questions on This type of assignment requires students to
Worksheet 4.30, and then write sentences or paragraphs that use new
write down your answers. vocabulary. It means that means that the
assignment is designed to help students learn
new words and how to use them in their
writing. This type of assignment is good for
assessing students' ability to use words in
context.

192 Sentence Complete the following This type of assignment requires students to
Completion sentences by circling the fill in the blanks in sentences or paragraphs
most suitable adverbs of with the correct words. This assignment is a
frequency. type of assessment that requires students to
 complete a sentence or paragraph by filling in
missing words. The missing words are
typically related to the topic of the assignment,
and they may be nouns, verbs, adjectives or
adverbs. This type of assignment is good for
assessing a learner's productive vocabulary.

The first research question shows that both receptive and productive language skills are
present in vocabulary activities. Since the vocabulary knowledge aspects can be divided into
receptive and productive categories, almost every aspect present in the workbooks is targeted
through both a receptive and productive skill. The students acknowledge the written form by a
receptive skill and then a productive skill by spelling it out themselves when the activities
provide target words.

Speaking and writing are the two language abilities that are also featured in the
vocabulary exercises in the workbooks. Because the activities are located in a workbook where
everything is in a setting where speaking and writing are important, making it simpler to base the
activities on those abilities, it's possible that the writing and speaking skills are the most
prevalent. The listening skill is present in vocabulary activities. It is possible that listening
activities focusing on pronunciation, overall knowledge of the sounds of words, or understanding
spoken input are targeted in activities specifically for listening progression and not vocabulary
development. The course book activities show that oral production is viewed as a skill which
should receive attention in explicit vocabulary activities since the speaking skill is targeted in the
vocabulary activities more often than the listening skill.

Table 1.2. Proportion of each Vocabulary Tasks

Vocabulary Task Total Percentage

 Matching Task 9 32,14 %

Speaking 4 14,28 %

Writing 8 28,57 %

Sentence completion 6 21,42 %

Multiple Choice 1 3,57 %

Total 28 100%

This table describes the results for the second research question, about what types of
vocabulary assignments that mostly used in the textbook “English for Nusantara untuk
SMP/MTs Kelas VII kurikulum Merdeka Belajar”. The researcher reclassifies the vocabulary of
each assignment to find the most dominant one. The researcher uses the PERCENTAGE to
calculate a percentage in Microsoft Excel. The PERCENTAGE function takes two arguments:
the value that you want to calculate the percentage of, and the total number of values. The result
shows that Matching Task dominated these 28 tasks with 9 total tasks or 32.14 % of the total.
Writing was in second place with tasks or 28.57 %, Sentence completion was in third place with
6 tasks or 21.42 %. Speaking in the fourth sentence with 4 tasks at 14.28 % each, and multiple
choices is in the last place with only one task or 3.57 %.

Conclusion

The data dealing with vocabulary task in Chapter 4 ; My School Activities “English for
Nusantara untuk SMP/MTs Kelas VII” written by Ika Lestari Damayanti, et al and published by
Pusat perbukuan Badan Standar, Kurikulum, dan Assesmen Pendidikan, cetakan pertama 2022
indicates that There are two types of vocabulary tasks in the textbook, namely vocabulary
builder and vocabulary exercise. There were 28 vocabulary task in all. The fresh words (new
words) explained in the vocabulary builder component were repeated throughout the
pronunciation/listening, grammar, speaking, vocabulary exercises, and reading texts, despite the
fact that there were only 28 vocabulary activities in the textbook.

The answer to the first study question demonstrates that vocabulary exercises involve both
receptive and productive language abilities. Almost every part in the workbooks is addressed
through both a receptive and productive skill since the vocabulary knowledge aspects may be
separated into receptive and productive categories. When the activities supply target words, the
students recognize the written form by using a receptive skill before using a productive skill to
spell it out on their own. The vocabulary tasks in the workbooks most typically include the
language skills of reading and writing. Vocabulary exercises involve both receptive and
productive language abilities. Receptive skills are those that involve understanding language,
while productive skills are those that involve producing language. In the case of vocabulary
exercises, students use both receptive and productive skills to learn new words. For example, in
a vocabulary exercise that asks students to match pictures with words, students are using their
receptive skills to understand the meaning of the words. They are then using their productive
skills to write the words down. In another example, in a vocabulary exercise that asks students to
fill in the blanks with the correct words, students are using their receptive skills to understand
the meaning of the words in the context of the sentence. They are then using their productive
skills to write the words in the correct blanks.

The vocabulary tasks in the workbooks most typically include the language skills of
reading and writing. However, some vocabulary task also involves the language skills of
listening and speaking. For example, a vocabulary exercise that asks students to listen to a story
and then answer questions about the story would involve the language skills of listening and
reading. A vocabulary exercise that asks students to have a conversation with a partner about a
new word would involve the language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. By
including both receptive and productive language skills in vocabulary exercises, workbooks can
help students to learn new words more effectively.
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