1.1 Background of the Study
English as a foreign language
in Indonesia is taught at Senior High school (SMA/MA) as a compulsory
subject. The implementation of English teaching at present is based on
the Content Standard. Its target is to have the students reach an
informational level of literacy. It means that the students are expected
to be able to access knowledge by using English (Depdiknas, 2006). It
is in line with the idea of Wells (1987, in Alwasilah, 2006:109) that
learning a language, basically, aims at developing ‘the four levels of
literacy, namely performative, functional, informational, and epistemic
levels’. These four levels of literacy respectively refer to the ability
to read and write, the ability to use the language in everyday
communication, the ability to access knowledge, and the ability to
transform knowledge. Alwasilah (2006:110) proposes that the four levels
of literacy are taught in stages in accordance with the levels of
education: the first level of literacy is taught to elementary school
pupils, the second level to junior high school students, the third level
to senior high school students, and the fourth level to university
students.
O’Malley and Pierce (1996) say that speaking seems to be an important skill that a learner should acquire. It
is very important in order to enable students to communicate
effectively through oral language because the disability of the students
to speak may lead them to be unable to express their ideas even in a
simple form of conversation. In addition, Burn and Joyce (1997: 54-55)
state that one of the aims of most language programs is to develop
spoken language skills and most programs aim to integrate both spoken
and written language. Learning a language means using it in
communication in oral or written form, and being able to express
feeling, thoughts, and experiences in various contexts. Lado (1964: 51)
states that to know the language is to use it. He further states that
students do not know a sentence until he can speak it.
In
fact, the English instruction in some Senior High Schools does not
demonstrate a satisfactory result. Many students fail to reach the goal
of the English teaching. They are not able to communicate with the
language either orally or in written form although they have learned
English for many years (Lestari, 2000:27). Many of the learners in a
speaking class are reluctant speakers. This reluctance is partly due to
their prior learning experience. Many of them were educated in a large
class in schools situated in noisy neighborhoods where opportunities to
speak are severely limited. Others were taught in schools where speaking
was simply not encouraged.
We
cannot deny the fact that this failure is caused by many problems
during the instructional process. The problems of English teaching seem
to be of particular importance. They have become interesting topics to
discuss and analyze, especially those who are directly involved with the
teaching of English. However, the most important thing is that we, as
the English teachers who are directly involved with the instructional
activities, must try to look for the best solution to overcome the
problems in order to reach the target of the teaching of English.
Based
on the preliminary study conducted at Madrasah Aliyah Sunan Drajat –
one private Islamic Senior High School in Sugio, Lamongan – on July 28th to August 16th
2008, the researcher found out some problems related to the
instructional activities in this school. Those problems are that: 1) the
students have low speaking ability; 2) the students have low motivation
in learning English; and 3) the teacher still uses monotonous and
inappropriate teaching techniques. Clearly, the description of the
students’ problems obtained through preliminary study can be seen at
Table 1.1.
Considering
the problems faced by the teacher above, it can be said that the
English teacher of MA Sunan Drajat Sugio – Lamongan still meets some
serious problems in teaching and learning process. The three
problems– the students’ low speaking ability, the students’ low
motivation in learning English, and the teacher’s monotonous and
inappropriate teaching techniques – are very close connected and
correlate one another. Referring to the result of the observations,
informal interview, document study, and analysis above, the researcher
supposes that the above unsatisfactory proficiency of the students’
speaking is not caused mainly by the students’ low motivation, high
anxiety, or limited vocabulary; rather, the primary cause of their poor
skill is the inapt technique the teachers utilize and the inadequate
“space” they provide to facilitate students’ speaking.
The
monotonous and inappropriate teaching technique used by the teacher
might cause low motivation on the students in learning English which
affect their ability in speaking. Most students are unmotivated in
learning as the result of the teacher’s monotonous teaching techniques. The students soon get bored and uninterested in learning
Table 1.1 the description of the students’ problems.
No
|
Problems
|
Indicators
|
1
|
The students’ low speaking ability
|
- The students just spoke a few words when they were asked to introduce him/her self.
- The students just smiled when the researcher tried to converse with them out of classroom.
- The students just gave a little response when they were asked in English.
- When the students were asked to describe the pictures orally, they just spoke a few words.
|
2
|
The students’ low motivation in learning English
|
- The students did not pay attention to the teacher and were not enthusiastic to the subject matter.
- The students seemed get bored soon and uninterested in English subject.
- The students did not participate actively in the instructional activity.
- Some students look sleepy during the instructional process.
|
3
|
The teachers’ monotonous and inappropriate use of teaching techniques
|
- Classroom activities were mostly based on the students’ worksheet.
- The
teacher just explained about the language, translated word by word,
gave written task, and asked the students to look for the meaning of
new words in the dictionary.
|
when
they are always exposed to the monotonous instructional activities; and
therefore, they do not participate actively. This instructional process
happens even though the students are not showing their interest in this
kind of classroom activity. Theoretically, it is impossible for the
students learning English with low motivation to have good speaking
ability if they are inactive during the instructional process. For
example, the students with low motivation will be defensive to use their
English in oral communication while monotonous classroom does not
stimulate them to participate in classroom interaction. In fact, whether
or not the students’ speaking ability improves is greatly influenced by
the intensity and frequency of their participation in oral
communication. So, it can be said that the root of the three problems
above is the monotonous and inappropriate teaching technique used by the
teacher. Hence, it needs to propose the appropriate technique to
overcome the students’ low speaking ability. It is the responsibility of
the teacher to find out effective techniques for presenting the
materials in order to stimulate the students’ positive attitude toward
the speaking class (Burns & Joice, 1997:10)
Comparing to other techniques, role-play seems the most
interesting one for the students. In role-playing technique, the
students act or pretend to be someone else in the actual world situation
that is brought into the classroom. Utilizing the technique, peer
learning is also encouraged and sharing of responsibility between the
teacher and the learner in the learning process takes place. Besides,
for the shy learners, for instance, role play helps them by providing a
mask where learners with difficulty in conversation are liberated.
Based on some reasons mentioned above, the researcher implemented
the use of role-playing technique at the eleventh year students of MA
Sunan Drajat Sugio – Lamongan. Hopefully, it will be useful to be used
by the English teachers at this school or other people as one of
teaching strategies among many other strategies in improving students’
speaking ability.
Role-playing
technique is one of the strategies to teach speaking skill to the
students. Huang (2008), in her study, concludes that role play is really
a worthwhile learning experience for both the students and the teacher.
Not only can students have more opportunities to "act" and "interact"
with their peers trying to use the English language, but also students'
English speaking, listening, and understanding will improve. Role play
lightens up the atmospheres and brings liveliness in the classes.
Students learn to use the language in a more realistic, more practical
way. Thus they can become more aware of the usefulness and practicality
of English. Role play is indeed a useful teaching technique which should
be experimented and applied by ESL/EFL teachers more often in the
ESL/EFL classrooms.
Based
on the theoretical background and the findings of some previous studies
about the effectiveness of role-playing, the researcher chooses this
technique to be used to improve the speaking ability of the eleventh
year students of MA Sunan Drajat Sugio – Lamongan. This technique is
chosen to improve their speaking competence since it provides the
students with practices in using English and encourages them to make use
of the language naturally.
1.2 Problem of the Study
Based on the background of the study, the researcher formulates the research problem as follows:
How
can the speaking ability of the eleventh year students of MA. Sunan
Drajat Sugio – Lamongan be improved through role-playing technique?
1.3 Objective of the Study
The objective of the sudy
is intended to describe how the speaking ability of the eleventh year
students of MA. Sunan Drajat Sugio – Lamongan be improved through
role-playing technique.
1.4 Significance of the Study
The result of this study is expected to give practical
contribution to the teaching of English, particularly at MA Sunan Drajat
where the research is conducted. It is hoped that the use of
role-playing technique will be profitable source to the English teacher
as a reference of using role-playing technique to improve the students’
speaking ability and a valuable technique for teaching speaking to be
applied in the classroom. The findings of this study will be the
procedures or guidelines in implementing role-playing technique so other
English teachers in different school can implement the strategy to
teach their students.
II. Related Literature
2.1 The Nature of Speaking
The terms ‘speaking’,
according to Brown (2001:267), is an interactive process of
constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and
processing information. Its form and meaning are dependent on the
context in which it occurs. We generally use speaking as a means of
communication in daily interaction. The presence of speaker and listener
is a must to build up a mutual communication in speaking activity.
Thus, speaking is considered to be inseparable to something we call
communication. Communication is the way individual can show the
feelings, tell the thoughts, ask questions, ask for help, argue,
persuade, explain, and give order each other.
Richard
(in Nunan, 1992) provides characteristics of communicative competence
including: a) knowledge of grammar and vocabulary of the language, b)
knowledge of rule of speaking e.g., knowing how to begin and end
conversation, knowing what topics that can be talked about in different
types of speech events, knowing which address forms should be used with
different persons one speak to and in different situations, c) knowledge
of how to use and respond to different types of speech acts such as
request, apologies, thanks, and invitation, and d) knowledge of how to
use language appropriately.
Spoken language is the most familiar form of language that
is used by members of society in order to build relation. As a means of
communication, spoken language fundamentally occurs within a context. In
some social contexts, spoken language is used as the dominant form of
communication (Burns and Joyce, 1997:13). In addition, Burns and Joyce
state that even in other contexts where written language is given ‘more
status,’ such as in educational context, spoken language is still
needed.
Mastering the spoken language is not merely mastering its
articulation and forms. The ultimate aim of mastery of spoken language
is to communicate. This means that mastery of rule of speaking and
conversational skill is necessary. In other words, the students must be
able to use English for either interactional or transactional purposes.
Therefore, the students must be taught about the acceptable expression
of language functions and formulaic expressions when opening,
responding, and terminating a conversation. For this reason, the
teachers of English need to use teaching techniques by which the
students can be involved in the communication actively.
2.2 Role-Playing Technique to Improve Speaking Skill
Considering
how important a teacher should make his or her lesson classroom
activity enjoyable, active, secure, and full of more exposure to
language input and more choice to practice the languages, he or she
needs to develop his or her teaching techniques. One of the techniques
to be used in teaching the speaking skill is role-play. Role play allows
students to explore their inner resources, empathize with others, and
use their own experiences as scaffolds upon which credible action. As a
result, students can improve their ability to produce the target
language, acquire many of its nonverbal nuances, improve the ability to
work cooperatively in group situations, and effectively deal with
affective issues. Role play has high appeal for students because it
allows them to be creative and to put themselves in another person’s
place for a while (Richard-Amato, 2003:214, 222).
To
reach the objectives of the role-play technique, some important aspects
should be considered. Those aspects are learning and teaching
activities, role of instructional materials, the procedure of role-play,
the media and the setting of role-play, the students’ role, and the
teacher’s role. According to Brown (2001: 183), role-play minimally
involves (a) giving a role to one or more members of a group and (b)
assigning an objective or purpose that participants must accomplish. He
suggests that role-play can be conducted with a single person, in pairs
or in groups, with each person assigned a role to accomplish an
objective.
2.3 The Concept of Role-Play
Role-Playing
is “the act of imitating the character and behavior of a type of a
person who is very different from yourself, either deliberately, for
example as a training exercise, or without knowing it” (Collins Cobuild
English Language Dictionary, 1994:1526). In this sense, the students
pretend as someone else in the real world situation brought into the
classroom. As a kind of guided conversation technique that is essential
to the development of the speaking skill, role-playing provides
framework in which the students build their own sentences but they may
decide by themselves what they want to say (Valette and Disick,
1972:231, 235).
Some
teachers have students write their own dialogue, and students generally
like this because they can consider their own interactive needs. When
students act out their dialogue, they become skits, the idea being for
students to practice and then give a performance in front of the class.
Role play activities are similar to skits in that students are expected
to act. However, unlike skits, in role play, students are not provided
with lines but are given a situation and roles to play (Gebhard,
2000:176)
Shaftel
and Shaftel (1967, in Richard-Amato, 2003:223) proposed 11 steps in
implementing role-playing technique. Those are introducing the topic,
stimulating student interest, presenting new vocabulary, reading a story
that clearly identifies a problem, stopping the story at the climax,
discussing the dilemma, selecting students to play the roles, preparing
the audience to listen and later to offer advice, acting out the rest of
the story, discussing alternative ways of dealing with the problem, and
replaying the plays using new strategies if necessary.
Huang
(2008) applies six major steps in the procedure for the role play
activities in her classes. Those are 1) Deciding on the Teaching
Materials, 2) Selecting Situations and Create Dialogs, 3) Teaching the
Dialogs for Role Plays, 4) Having Students Practice the Role Plays, 5)
Having Students Modify the Situations and Dialogs, and 6) Evaluating and
Checking Students' Comprehension.
III. Research Method
3.1 Research Design
The
design of this study was classroom action research. This design was
chosen since this study dealt with the classroom setting and the study
was directed to implement the teaching technique in that specific class
in order to find out solutions to the classroom problems in the teaching
of speaking. In conducting this research, the researcher worked
collaboratively. It is in line with the characteristics of classroom
action research proposed by Kemmis and McTaggart (1988: 22-23) who state
that: 1) it is carried out by practitioner or a classroom teacher
rather than outside researchers, 2) it can be conducted collaboratively,
3) the aim of action research is changing things, and 4) action
research is group activity.
Considering
this idea, the researcher worked together with the collaborative
teacher. His collaborator was one English teacher of MA Sunan Drajat
Sugio-Lamongan who had been teaching in this school for more than 5
years. In this study, the researcher aimed at implementing the
role-playing technique to solve the problem of poor speaking ability of
the eleventh grade students of MA. Sunan Drajat Sugio-Lamongan. The
researcher implemented the action in the form of cycles that followed
Kemmis and McTaggart’s model (1988:11) namely, planning, implementation,
observation, and reflection. The visual illustration of the design of
this study can be seen at Figure 3.1.
3.2 Setting and Subjects of the Study
This
study was conducted at MA. Sunan Drajat Sugio-Lamongan, located on Jl.
Raya Sugio Lamongan Sugio district- Lamongan regency, East Java. It is
about 15
km from the center of the city, or it takes about 30 minutes to reach
this place from the center of Lamongan city by motorcycle. There are
only three classes in this school, each grade consisting of one class.
There were 24 students of the eleventh grade in the second semester of
2008/2009 academic year participating in this research. The researcher
chose the eleventh grade students as the subjects of the study.
3.3 Research Procedure
In
conducting the research, the researcher followed several steps. Those
were preliminary study or reconnaissance, planning the action,
implementation, observation, and reflection.
3.3.1 Preliminary Study
To
find out the factual problems in the teaching of English at MA Sunan
Drajat Sugio-Lamongan, the researcher conducted a preliminary study on
July 28th to August 16th, 2008. The preliminary
study was meant to know the real condition of the classroom problems in
the teaching and learning process so that the researcher can design the
appropriate action plan to solve the students’ problem. In this phase,
the researcher tried to have an informal conversation with the students.
The researcher also assigned the students randomly to describe the
pictures in his/her book and to introduce his/her self to others in the
classroom. The researcher also conducted three-day classroom observation
to obtain the data on the students’ problems.
3.3.2 Planning the Action
In
this stage, the researcher and his collaborator made a preparation for
the action. The preparation covered designing role-playing procedures
and preparing the lesson plan.
3.3.2.1 Designing Role-Playing Procedures
In
this study, the researcher implemented seven major steps in the
procedure for the role play activities. Those were 1) deciding on the
teaching materials, 2) organizing the group of the students, 3)
providing the situation and dialogue to be role played, 4) teaching the
dialogue for role plays, 5) having the students practice the role plays,
6) having students modify the situation and dialogue, and 7) having the
students perform the dialogue in front of the class.
3.3.2.2 Preparing the Lesson Plan
In
this study, it was agreed that the researcher acted as the practitioner
who taught the students and the collaborator or the English teacher
acted as the observer during this action research. At this stage, the
researcher and his collaborator designed the lesson plan as the guide to
conduct the instructional activities. It was developed based on the
syllabus of the School Based Curriculum and was focused on the
implementation of the role-playing technique in the speaking class. The
lesson plan covered instructional objectives, instructional strategy,
instructional materials and media, teaching procedure, and assessment
procedure.
3.3.2.3 Designing Instruments and Technique of Collecting Data
To
obtain the required data, it is very crucial for the researcher to use
the appropriate instruments. The selected and developed instruments were
based on the nature of the required data. The data were collected
during the instructional process and covered the performance of the
students during the instructional process. In addition, the data also
included the students’ responses to the teaching of speaking by using
role-playing technique. In this study, the researcher used observation
checklist, questionnaire, and field notes as the research instruments.
3.3.2.4 Setting the Criteria of Success
The
criteria of success were set in advance as a basis to determine whether
the action implemented was successful or not. In this study, the
researcher used two criteria of success. The action was considered
successful when: 1) 60 % of the students reach at least the level good
of speaking qualification for each language element when they performed
their play in front of the class, and 2) 60 % of the students fulfilled
5 of 7 indicators of high self-confidence students when they involved
in the instructional process as well as when they performed the
conversation.
Concerning
the first criterion of success above, the researcher needed to assess
the students’ performance. In assessing the students’ speaking
performance, the researcher applied an analytical scoring rubric.
Language elements that were assessed by the researcher and his
collaborator covered fluency, grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. In assessing the students’ speaking performance, the researcher used observation checklist. Because
this observation checklist was used to assess the students’ speaking
performance, then analytical scoring rubric was provided. The analytical
scoring rubric covered four language elements as shown in Table 3.1.
Table 3.1 The Analytical Scoring Rubric for Speaking Performance
From the scoring rubric of speaking performance, the computation of the students’ score used the following formula:
|
|
The Students’ Speaking Score =
|
|
Using
the computation above, the students’ score ranged from 1 to 5. The
researcher organized the students’ score into five categories. Those
were 1) grade 1 to 1.9 was categorized as poor speaking performance, 2) grade 2 to 2.9 was categorized as fair speaking performance, 3) grade 3 to 3.9 was categorized as good speaking performance, 4) grade 4 to 4.9 was categorized as very good speaking performance, and 5) grade 5 was categorized as excellent speaking performance.
3.3.3 Implementing the Action
In
this phase, all the procedures of role-playing technique designed in
planning the action were implemented in the instructional activities.
The implementation was adjusted with the English class schedule at the
school where this study was conducted. The implementation of the action
refers to the manifestation of the designed plan covering the seven
major steps in the procedure for the role play activities. The designed
plans were implemented in three meetings as stated in the previous
section. Among the 7 major steps of role-play, the first to the forth
step were implemented in meeting 1, the fifth and sixth step in meeting
2, and the last step in meeting 3.
In
implementing the action, the researcher acted as the practitioner
conducting the teaching in the class, while his collaborator acted as an
observer observing the students’ speaking performance and the
improvement of the students’ self-confidence during the implementation
of the action.
3.3.4 Observing the Action
At
this stage, the researcher and his collaborator observed the whole
aspects of the implementation of the action covering the students'
participation in the instructional activities and during the performance
in front of the class. The
observations were done during the teaching and learning process. The
observations which were done during the instructional process dealt with
the students’ involvement in classroom activities and their speaking
performance when performing the dialogs.
3.3.5 Reflecting the Action
The
data obtained through the observations during the implementation of the
action were then analyzed and the results of the analysis were
consulted with the criteria of success. The criteria of success of the
action reflect the area of concern the teacher wanted to emphasize in
the teaching and learning process. Since this study was aimed at
improving the students’ speaking ability through role-playing technique,
the criteria were set by considering some aspects related to the
objective.
The
criteria of success were set in advance as a basis to determine whether
the action implemented was successful or not. In this study, the
researcher used two criteria of success. The action was considered
successful when: 1) 60 % of the students reach at least the level good
of speaking qualification for each language element when they performed
their role-play in front of the class, and 2) 60 % of the students
fulfilled 5 of 7 indicators of high self-confidence students when they
involved in the instructional process as well as when they performed the
conversation.
The
reflection was done at the end of each cycle. The results of the
analysis of the implementation of the action were then evaluated to see
whether the next cycle was needed or not. In this research, the
reflection of the implementation of the action in each cycle was done by
the researcher and his collaborator. The decision to continue the
action in the next cycle was done when the criteria of success were not
fulfilled.
IV. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. Findings from Cycle 1
4.1.1 Findings on the Students’ Speaking Performance
From
the analysis of the students’ speaking performance, it was found that
they still made mistakes on some language elements being observed namely
fluency, grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. In terms of fluency in
speaking, most students were influenced by their mother tongue. They
had difficulties avoiding this since they seldom practice for several
times. 6 students (25% of 24 students) hesitated in speaking; therefore,
the message was not clear. They made a lot of repetition in the
sentences. Most of them (14 students or 58%) hesitated in almost every
sentences, ended sentences half-way, and then repeated them. Only 4
students or 16, 7% reached the level very good, which means that they hesitated at a few places and their fluency was not seriously affected. None of them could reach the excellent level.
In
terms of grammar, 2 students made a lot of grammatical mistakes that
meaning of message was not clear. 11 students (46%) reached the level fair, which mean that they made grammatical mistakes almost in every sentence. 9 students (36%) reached good level. They made one or two major mistakes which affected the meaning. Meanwhile, only 2 students reached very good
level, which means that they only made a few grammatical mistakes that
did not affect the meaning of the message they conveyed. None of them
could reach the excellent level.
In
terms of pronunciation, one student was very reluctant and shy to
speak. Every word she spoke was incorrectly pronounced. One or two words
mispronounced by 7 students (29%) made the meaning unclear. 11 students
(46% of all students) reached good level in pronunciation in
which they pronounced only a few words incorrectly and the meaning was
not affected. For example, the word ‘title’ is pronounced ‘titel’ not ‘/taitl/’. In using suffix ‘-ed,’ for example, most students get difficulty. Such as the word ‘liked’ is pronounced ‘laiked,’ not ‘/laikd/.’ 5 students made incorrect pronunciation in one or two words that did not affect the meaning.
In
the use of vocabulary, the students did not have a lot of problems when
they were going to use certain words, as the teacher had provided the
dialogue for them. They just studied the dialogues, made some changes or
modification, practiced them, and presented them in front of the class.
Based on the observation checklist, 5 students used very limited
vocabulary, 11 students (46%) used adequate vocabulary, and 8 students
(33%) reached very good level; they used varied vocabulary.
4.1.2 Findings on the Students’ Self-Confidence
Based
on the data obtained from observation checklist, the researcher had the
data about the students’ self- confidence during the instructional
process. Concerning the students’ self-confidence in the first cycle,
there were 16 students (67% of all students) who still hesitated in
speaking and they did not express themselves at ease. Six of them (25%
of all students) showed nervousness in speaking. 10 students (45% of all
students) did not reduce the use of mother tongue. They tended to speak
in bahasa Indonesia more than in English. The number of the students
who hesitated to give feedback to their peers was 11 students (46% of
all students). 15 students (65% of the students) thought too much about
form and rules of language. This condition caused hesitation for them in
the use of English in oral communication.
4.1.3 Reflection
The
data above then were used to measure whether the implementation of
role-playing technique had met the criteria of success or not. The level
of the students’ speaking performance in this study was grouped into
five categories; poor, fair, good, very good, and excellent. The implementation of this technique was considered successful if 60% of the students reached all good
level of language elements being observed: fluency, grammar,
pronunciation, and vocabulary. Based on the researcher’s calculation,
there were 14 students who reached fair level, 8 students reached good level, and none of the students reached poor and excellent level. This means that there were only 10 students (41, 7% of all students) who reached at least good level.
Related
to the students’ self-confidence, the criterion of success was 60 % of
the students fulfilled 5 of 7 indicators of high self-confidence
students when they were involved in the instructional process as well as
when they performed the conversation. The data obtained from the
observation checklist show that there were only 9 students (37, 5% of
all the students) who fulfilled 5 of 7 indicators used in this study,
which means that this percentage did not meet the second criterion of
success yet. So, it can be said that the implementation of the technique
was not successful in the first cycle.
Considering
the fact above, the researcher made some reflections to do in the next
cycle. First, the teacher had to change the way he delivered his
teaching from speaking quickly to speaking at the students’ phase of
understanding in order all of the stages in the instructional process
could be smoothly followed by the students. Second, the teacher had to
increase his guidance in every stage in order the students really
understand the material taught by the teacher. Third, the teacher had to
manage the students’ group; not allowing the students to choose the
members of their own group. Besides, the teacher had to give more
motivation in order they were not afraid in making grammatical mistakes,
so they would not be reluctant and shy to use their English. Third, the
researcher had to add the time for modifying the dialogue from 35
minutes to 50 minutes in the third meeting. It was because most of the
students complained about the short time provided for them to modify the
dialogue.
4.2.Findings from Cycle 2
4.2.1 Findings on the Students’ Speaking Performance
From
the analysis of the students’ speaking performance, it was found that
there was a very significant improvement of the students’ speaking
performance. Although some of them still made some mistakes on some
language elements being observed, namely, fluency, grammar,
pronunciation, and vocabulary, the number of those who did so had
decreased. In terms of fluency, there were13 students (54% of the
students) who could reach good level, 6 students (6% of the students) very good level, 2 students excellent level, and only 3 students stayed in fair level. None of them stayed in poor level.
In terms of grammar, 6 students still reached fair level, 15 students (63% of the students) reached good level, and 3 students reached very good level. None of them had excellent or poor score. These data show some improvement because in the first cycle, a half of them (11 students) still reached fair
level. The same thing happened in terms of the students’ pronunciation.
The observation checklist show that the quality of the students’
pronunciation improved significantly. 8 students could even reach above good level: very good and excellent.
In
the use of vocabulary, the students did not have serious problems when
they were going to use certain words, as the teacher had provided the
dialogue for them. They just studied the dialogues, made some changes or
modification, practiced them, and presented them in front of the class.
Based on the observation checklist, 12 students reached good level and 10 students (33%) reached very good level; they used varied vocabulary. It was far better from the previous cycle.
4.2.2 Findings on the Students’ Self-Confidence
Compared to the first cycle, there was a significant
improvement concerning the students’ self-confidence. The data show that
13 students (54% of the students) spoke without any hesitations and
could express themselves at ease. 17 of them (71% of all students) did
not show nervousness in speaking. 14 students (58% of all students)
reduced the use of mother tongue. They did not tend to speak in bahasa
Indonesia anymore and preferred using English in speaking class. Only 9
students (38% of the students) thought too much about form and rules of
language.
4.2.3 Findings from the Students’ Questionnaires
The
data were obtained through open-ended questionnaire distributed to the
students at the end of cycle 2. The data obtained from the students’
questionnaires show that 14 students (58.3% of the students) felt happy
when role-playing was implemented in speaking class. Most of them (19 or
79.2% of the students) stated that their ability in speaking had
improved after learning speaking using this technique. 16 students
(66.7% of the students) stated that they were braver to speak using
English after being taught using role-playing technique. Most of them
also stated that they felt more enthusiastic to use English orally if
role-playing technique was implemented. 17students wanted that this
technique could be implemented in the next speaking class.
The
data above show that most of them gave positive response to the
implementation of role-playing technique in speaking class for some
possible reasons. They might get bored when they were always exposed to
the monotonous teaching technique and this role-play was new for them.
They stated that they got bored when the teacher always explained and
asked them to do the task during instructional process. They also could
express various expressions in different situation in learning speaking
utilizing this role-play.
4.2.4 Reflection
After
all stages of role-playing procedures were implemented in the second
cycle, the researcher and the observer collaboratively evaluated the
instructional process that had been conducted in the classroom.
The
researcher used the data obtained in cycle 2 to measure whether the
implementation of the role-playing technique had met the criteria of
success or not. Based on the calculation, there were 16 students (66.7%
of all students) who reached at least good level. The data
obtained from the observation checklist show that there were 15 students
(62.5% of all the students) who fulfilled 5 of 7 indicators used in
this study.
Referring
to the data above, it can be inferred that the implementation of the
role-playing technique could improve the students’ speaking performance
as well as students’ self confidence. In preliminary study, there were 4
students stayed in poor level, 14 students fair level, and 6 students good level. None of them reached very good or even excellent
level. After role-playing technique was implemented, their speaking
performance improved significantly. The number of the students who
reached fair level decreased from 14 students in the first cycle
to 8 students in the second cycle. On the other hand, the number of the
students who reached good level increased from 8 students in the first cycle to 13 students in the second cycle as well as 2 students who reached very good level in the first cycle to 3 students in the second cycle. None of the students reached poor and excellent level (see the figure 4.1).
Figure 4.1 the improvement of students’ speaking performance
This means that the students’ speaking performance improved from 41.7% of all students who could reach at least good
level in the first cycle to 66.7% of all students in the second cycle.
The students’ self-confidence also improved from 37.5% of all students
who could fulfill 5 of 7 indicators in this study in the first cycle to
62.5% of all students in the second cycle. Since the criteria of success
were 1) 60 % of the students reached at least good level of
speaking qualification, and 2) 60 % of the students fulfilled 5 of 7
indicators of high self-confidence, so it can be said that the
implementation of role-playing technique was successful and met the
criteria of success.
Since
the students’ speaking performance and their self-confidence for every
meeting show significant improvement and at the second cycle had met the
criteria of success, then the study can be stated as a successful
research project, and accordingly, the action research was stopped.
4.3 Discussion
Based
on the findings of the study, it was shown that the appropriate
procedure of role-playing technique gives beneficial contribution both
in improving the students’ speaking performance and improving students’
self-confidence during the instructional process. Role-playing technique
implemented in this study consists of seven steps. Those are 1)
deciding on the teaching materials, 2) organizing the group of the
students, 3) providing the situation and dialogue to be role played, 4)
teaching the dialogue for role plays, 5) having the students practice
the role plays, 6) having students modify the situation and dialogue,
and 7) having the students perform the dialogue in front of the class.
The findings
of this research show that the students’ skill in speaking had improved
significantly from one meeting to the next meeting, from one cycle to
the following cycle. This can be seen from the result of each cycle. The
students’ speaking performance improved from 41.7% of all students who
could reach at least good level at the first cycle to 66.7% of
all students in the second cycle. Another finding shows that the
students enjoyed performing role-play because of its challenging nature.
It could be seen from their performance in front of the class. The
classroom atmosphere became more alive and all the students were
actively involved in teaching and learning process. They laughed at
other group members who made any mistakes. They seemed relaxed and
excited during the performance period. This means that there is an
improvement on the students’ self-confidence. The findings show that the
students’ self-confidence also improved from 37.5% of all students who
could fulfill 5 of 7 indicators in this study at the first cycle to
62.5% of all students in the second cycle. This improvement might be due
to some benefits of role-play technique. Since the criteria of success
are 1) 60 % of the students reach at least good level of speaking
qualification, and 2) 60 % of the students fulfilled 5 of 7 indicators
of high self-confidence, so it can be said that implementation of
role-playing technique was successful and met the criteria of success.
The
improvement of the students’ speaking performance in this study might
be due to some benefits of role-play technique and this result appeared
to confirm the result of a previous studies. Furness (1976, in Huang,
2008) states that a student can enjoy and profit from a role play
experience “in terms of improved communication skills, creativity,
increased social awareness, independent thinking, verbalization of
opinions, and development of values and appreciation of the art of
drama”. It is in line with the statement of Siwu (2005) that the
implementation of the role-playing technique had improved the students’
speaking skill. It is revealed through the improvement of the students’
speaking performance and their self-confidence.
V. Conclusions and Suggestions
5.1 Conclusions
In this study, the researcher implemented 7 (seven) major steps in the procedure for the role play activities. First, the teacher decides on the teaching materials. The second
step is organizing the group of the students. The third step is
providing the situation and dialogue to be role played. The forth step
applied by the researcher in implementing role-playing technique is
explaining the situation in the cue card as well as the dialogue. The
fifth step is having the students practice the role plays. The sixth
step is having students modify the situation and dialogue. The last step
is having the students perform the dialogue in front of the class.
5.2 Suggestions
Based
on the findings of this study, the strengths, and the weaknesses of
this technique, then the suggestions are made. The suggestions are
directed to other Senior High School English teachers whose students
have similar classroom problems, characteristics, and situations with
this school, and to the future researchers.
It
is suggested to other Senior High school English teachers whose
students have similar classroom problems, characteristics and situations
with MA. Sunan Drajat Sugio-Lamongan that the Role-playing technique
could be used as an alternative approach to teach speaking skill at
SMA/MA level. Therefore, the English teachers are expected to socialize
this approach through teachers’ forums such as in-service training,
workshop like MGMP (which stands for Musyawarah Guru Mata Pelajaran), KKG (which stands for Kelompok Kerja Guru), or seminars.
Nevertheless,
the English teachers should consider some aspects in implementing the
technique. First, the English teachers should set the time as effective
as possible by considering the length of time allotted in every
activity. Second, the English teachers should deliver the explanation
using clear voice, not too slowly and not too quickly. Third, the
English teachers should use Indonesian language if the students find it
hard to understand the explanation. Fourth, the English teachers should
provide the students with lists of vocabulary or ask them to always
bring dictionary since they still have poor vocabulary. Fifth, the
English teachers should distribute high achiever students in each group
that they can help their low achiever friends in their group. Sixth, the
English teachers should approach and guide students when they work on
their tasks. And seven, the English teachers should be patient since
this technique employs a lot of time and activities at every stage.
REFERENCES
Alwasilah, A. C. 2006. Pokoknya Sunda: Interpretasi untuk Aksi. Bandung: PT Kiblat Buku Utama.
Brown, H.D. 2001. Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy (2nd ed.). New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.
Burns, A. & Joyce, H. 1997. Focus on Speaking. Sydney: Macquire University Press.
Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary, 1994:1526
Depdiknas, 2006. Standar Isi untuk Satuan Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah: Peraturan Menteri Pendidikan Nasional No. 22 tahun 2006. Jakarta: Direktorat Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah.
Gebhard, J. G. 2000. Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language: A Teacher Self-Development and Methodology Guide. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.
Huang, I. Y. 2008. Role Play for ESL/EFL Children in the English Classroom. Retrieved September 26th, 2008 from: The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. XIV, No. 2, February 2008 (http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Huang-RolePlay.html)
Kemmis, S. & McTaggart, R. 1988. The Action Research Planner. Victoria: Deaken University Press.
Lado, R. 1964. Language Teaching: A scientific Approach. New York. McGraw-Hill, inch.
Lestari, L. A. 2000. Permainan Bahasa: Salah Satu Alternative untuk mengaktifkan Siswa Berbicara dalam Bahasa Inggris. Jurnal Genteng Kali Edisi IV. Jawa Timur: Proyek Perluasan dan Peningkatan Mutu SLTP Kanwil DIKBUD.
Nunan, D. 1992. Designing Task for the Communicative Classroom. Sidney: Cambridge University Press.
O'Malley, J.M., & Pierce, L.V. 1996. Authentic Assessment for English Language Learner: Practical Approach for Teacher. Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley.
Richard-Amato, P. A. 2003. Making It Happen: from Interactive to Participatory Language Teaching: Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. New York: Longman.
Siwu, M. 2005. Improving the Students’ Speaking Skill of SLTPN Manado by Using Role-Play. Unpublished Thesis. Malang: Graduate Program, State University of Malang.
Valette, R.M. & Disick, R.S. 1972. Modern Language Performance Objectives and Individualization. New York: Harcourt Brace Javanovich, Inc.
