THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DISCOVERY LEARNING MODEL IN IMPROVING STUDENTS' VOCABULARY MASTERY AT MTsN 9 BANYUWANGI

Discovery Learning is a learning method that encourages students to ask
questions, formulate temporary answers, and conclude general principles from
examples or practical experiences that they find independently so that it can be
believed to create an active learning atmosphere and involve students in the
process of finding vocabulary meaning independently, so that learning becomes
more meaningful and sustainable. researchers found that the benefits of
discovery learning in developing students' vocabulary mastery are that students
are able to conclude the vocabulary that has been learned and use it in real
sentences or situations. They not only know the meaning of the word, but also
understand how to use it. From the entire process, researchers found that the
Discovery Learning model not only significantly increased students' posttest
scores, but also fostered an active attitude, curiosity, and independent learning
abilities. Each step encourages students to be more involved in building their own
knowledge. This study aims to measure the effectiveness of the implementation of
the Discovery Learning learning model in improving vocabulary mastery of class
VIII students of MTsN 9 Banyuwangi in the 2024/2025 academic year. This study used a quantitative experimental approach with a quasi- experimental design of the pre-test and post-test control group design type. The
study population was class VII students of MTsN 9 Banyuwangi, and the samples
used were two classes selected purposively, each consisting of 27 students. The
experimental class used the Discovery Learning model, while the control class
used conventional learning methods with a lecture approach. The instruments
used were multiple-choice objective tests consisting of 20 questions and essays
consisting of 5 questions that had been validated and tested for reliability. The results of the data analysis showed that there was a significant
increase in the average value of vocabulary mastery of students in the
experimental class. The average pre-test value of the experimental class was
61.26, increasing to 74.07 in the post-test. Meanwhile, the average value of the
control class increased from 61.11 to 68.85. The results of the paired sample t-test
of the experimental class showed a Sig. (2-tailed) = 0.000, which means that
there is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test results. Furthermore, the results of the independent sample t-test on the post-test values
between the experimental class and the control class showed a Sig. (2-tailed) = 0.001 <0.05, which means that there is a significant difference between the two
groups. Thus, it can be concluded that the application of the Discovery Learning
model is significantly more effective in improving students' English vocabulary
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mastery compared to conventional methods. This study recommends the use of
the Discovery Learning model as an innovative and effective learning alternative
in teaching English, especially in the vocabulary aspect.