The Effect of Using TED Talks Application Into Students' Vocabulary Mastery At Tenth Grade of SMAS GKPI Padang Bulan

Abstract

This study examines the effect of the TED Talks Application into students' vocabulary mastery at tenth grade of SMAS GKPI Padang Bulan. The background of this study is students' difficulties in understanding and using English vocabulary effectively. TED Talks Application was chosen as a learning medium based on Mayer's Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML), which states that learning is more effective when combining words, visuals, and audio than using text alone. This study used the Experimental Quantitative method. The population of this study consisted of all tenth grade students at SMAS GKPI Padang Bulan. The sample consisted of two classes: X-3, the experimental class with 26 students, who were taught using the TED Talks Application, and X-1, the control class with 26 students, who were taught using conventional methods. Data was collected through a vocabulary test given to both groups in a pre-test and post-test format to measure students' vocabulary improvement. The results showed that students in the experimental class performed better in vocabulary mastery than those in the control class. The mean pre-test score in the experimental class was 40.76, increasing to 57.76 in the post-test. However, the effect size was small, indicating that while TED Talks had some impact, they were not highly effective in improving students' vocabulary mastery at SMAS GKPI Padang Bulan. The data analysis using the t-test revealed that the calculated t-count was 2.677, while the t-table value was 2.010 at a significance level of 0.05 (5%). Since t-count > t-table (2.677 > 2.010), it was concluded that the TED Talks Application affected students' vocabulary learning. However, its effect was relatively small, suggesting that TED Talks may not be suitable as the primary tool for vocabulary learning in this context. Nonetheless, it can still serve as a supplementary medium, particularly when integrated with interactive exercises that reinforce vocabulary repetition. Future studies are recommended to explore alternative multimedia applications that may be more effective in improving students’ vocabulary mastery.