IMPROVING ENGLISH SPEAKING ABILITY THROUGH CLASSROOM DISCUSSION

Sari

ABSTRACT

Speaking is one of important parts in teaching language because it includes one of four basic language skills. Nevertheless, in MA NU BANAT Kudus, the writer found that most of students there still get the difficulties in studying speaking. It may be caused by the method used in teaching English, especially speaking. Classroom Discussion is a method that can be applied in teaching English, especially to improve the ability of speaking. In this method, hopefully, the students get a big opportunity to express their own ideas and it can arouse their motivation to speak in the classroom. The purposes of this research is to find out if there is a significant difference between the speaking ability of the English department students of the first semester in the academic year 2009/2010 at Amuslim University taught by and without using Classroom Discussion. To answer the research questions, the writer holds an experimental research to apply Classroom Discussion in teaching English speaking. The population is the first semester students of Amuslim University in the academic year 2009/2010 and the sample are two groups of students placed in experiment and control groups. Using oral test as the instrument, the writer collected the data of the students’ speaking ability. The report of the research concludes that Classroom Discussion is effective in improving the English speaking ability of the first semester students in the academic year 2009/2010.

Keyword: Classroom Discussion in Speaking Class

INTRODUCTION

Language is a system for expression of meaning. The primary function of language is for interaction and communication. English as one of the international languages in the world should be mastered by people from many countries in the world to communicate each other. They may know and understand what they speak communicatively because of English. Because of the reason, English becomes the first foreign language that is taught in Indonesia from elementary school up to college. Speaking is one of the four basic language skills: listening, writing, reading and speaking. Teaching English speaking is the process of giving the English lesson, from the teacher to the students based on the material from the syllabus of the certain school, in order that the students are able to absorb it and they will be able to communicate by using English orally.

According to the writer’s experience, most of the students still get the difficulties in using English for communication. It is caused many factors including the limited students’ vocabularies and knowledge of grammar, even the method may be used by the teacher in teaching English. The other factor that may influence the students speaking ability is the lack of practicing English in their daily life. Even though English has been taught for several years, but the writer cannot be proud of the result yet.