Improving Students’ Ability in Using Irregular Verbs in the Simple Past Tense through Flashcards

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of flashcards in improving students’ ability to use irregular verbs in the simple past tense. The research was conducted at SMA Negeri 2 Badar during the 2023/2024 academic year using a quantitative approach with an experimental method. A one-group pretest–posttest design was applied. The population of the study consisted of 49 students from grades X, XI, and XII, while the sample involved 18 students from class X selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through pretests and posttests to measure students’ mastery of irregular verbs in the simple past tense before and after the implementation of flashcard-based instruction. The data were analyzed using a t-test to determine the significance of the improvement. The results revealed that the mean score increased from 54.72 in the pretest to 80.55 in the posttest, with standard deviations of 3.89 and 3.68 respectively. The t-observed value (43.05) was higher than the t-table value (1.740) at a significance level of 0.05, indicating a statistically significant improvement. These findings demonstrate that flashcards are an effective instructional medium for enhancing students’ ability to use irregular verbs in the simple past tense. Therefore, the use of flashcards is recommended for English teachers to improve grammar instruction and learning outcomes.