PROPOSAL: IMPROVING STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL THROUGH PUPPET

INTRODUCTION

A.  Background of Study

English becomes the most essential language in the world. Almost all of people from many different countries around the world use it to communicate. “The Objective of teaching-learning English is to develop for language skills, namely speaking, listening, reading and writing” (Nababan, 1993 : 19). “In the international relationship, English speaking ability is very important to be able to participate in the wider world of work. The speaking skill is measured in terms of the ability to carry out a conversation in the language” (David, 2001 : 89). People who know a language are referred  to as “speakers” of that language. This reality makes teachers and parents think that speaking ability should be mastered by their students and children.

Based on oral test which was given on 21  November 2016  to students of SMPN 2 Mesjid Raya in the seventh grade showed that many of them have difficulties in speaking activity.  In learning speaking skill, the students often find some problems. English as foreign language becomes one of  problems for them. Other reasons are because of motivation lack to practice the second language in daily conversation, they are also too shy and afraid to speak to their teacher or their friends who better in speaking, then they usually do not know what to say and usually just keep silent when they have their turn to practice in front of the class. Their confidences are very low. Teachers have responsibilities to guide the students during the learning process and to give motivation to them to improve their English especially in speaking skill.

Many techniques can be applied to solve the problems above including by using Puppet. Puppet is important in teaching speaking because students will be interested to speak with a doll without shyness and anxious. So, using this kind of media might help them to perform speaking confidentially. Then, it also help the teachers in teaching speaking to the seventh grade of junior high school students, teachers may use an interesting media to present their teaching materials that also help them in creating fun class and fun activities.

For these reasons, the writer is interested in analyzing the use of Puppet in teaching speaking for seventh grade of junior high school students in SMPN 2 Mesjid Raya, and this study has been entitled “Improving Students’ Speaking Skill Through Puppet”

B.  Research Questions:

1.)    Is Puppet effective to improve students’ speaking skill?

2.)    What  is student s’ perception about Puppet activity?

C. Hypothesis

1.) Ha:  Teaching speaking by using Puppet is effective to improve students speaking  skills through technique: speaking in pairs.

2.) Ho: Teaching speaking by using Puppet is not effective to improve students speaking skills through technique: speaking in pairs

D. Significance of study

There are some significances of this research:

1.)      It is good for teachers, it helps the teachers in teaching speaking, teachers may use an interesting media to present their teaching materials that also help them in creating fun class and fun activities. Then, hopefully this thesis gives teachers some references in applying this methode.

2.)      For the students, by knowing this method help them in increasing their speaking ability, they can learn speaking in fun way and motivate them for speaking bravely, through Puppet activity in English class or practice with their friends out of the classroom. In addition, the students’ ability in speaking significantly increase.

E. The aim of study

The main purpose of this study are:

1.)      To find out whether Puppet activity is effective or not in increasing speaking ability.

2.)      To find out the students’ perception about using Puppet in speaking

  

F. Research Methodology

1.      Research Design

This study is a field research, and the data will be collected at a school in Banda Aceh. In this research, the writer will use three data collection techniques, namely: Experimental teaching, pre-test and post-test, and questionnaire. The perpose of collecting the data is to acquire information needed to answer questions posed above.

           In experimental teaching, the writer will use pre-experimental method by using “one group of pre-test and post-test design” where the writer will do an experiment in a single group only.

The design of this research is as follow:

Experimental group : R          O1        X         O2

Where:

R        : Subject are taken randomly

O1       : Treatment

X        : Pre-test of experimental group

O2         : Post-test of experimental group

2.      Research Instruments

In this study, the writer will use the result of the tests or achievement tests, namely pre-test and post-test as the instrument of the study. To know the effectiveness of teaching speaking by using puppet, the writer will give oral test to the students. Because the test is oral, the writer will devide the score into five criteria; grammar, vocabulary, pronounciation, fluency and comprehension scores. Each criteria, then, will rated into five scale of rating scores, which is based on David P. Haris’ scale rating score (1968 : 84-85). Then, the writer adopted this rating score was to make easier in data collecting, and the data will be interpreted and explained descriptively.

After that, to get the mean, the scores from all criteria will be added up and devided into five. The pre-test was given before the treatment. Morever, the post-test will be given after the writer give the treatment to the class.

In addition, questionnaires are also will be distributed to the students at the end of the experimental teaching. The questionnaire consist of 10 questions, and each of these questions ask their perception about puppet after the writer teach speaking by using puppet techniques.

3.      Data Analysis

Having got the data from pre-test and post-test, they will be analyzed and processed by using statistic calculation of T-Test formula with significance degree 5% and 1 %. (Sugiyono, 2004). The formula as follows:

to       : Test Observation

MD     : Mean of the difference; the average score from the differences   gained scores between I variable and II variable, which are calculated with the formula:

MD = ∑

∑D      : Total variable between I variable (X variable) and II variable (Y variable), and D is gained with the formula: D = X - Y

N         : Number of cases

SEMD   : The standard error from mean of differences that is gained with the formula:

    SEMD =

SDD      : the standard deviation from the differences between score of X   variable and Y variable, which is gained with the formula:

SDD = ²

4.       Data Collection Prosedure

In this study, the writer need the data from the students. In getting and collecting the data the writer use some techniques. they are: Experimental teaching, test and questionnaire.

a.       Experimental Teaching

An experiment involves two groups of subjects. An experimental group and a control or a comparison group. In the control group, writer would teach by using the traditional techniques and in the experimental group, writer would teach by using the puppet techniques.

b.      Test

The test is a method of measuring a person’s ability, knowledge, or performance in a given domain (Brown, 2003:3). In this study the writer will conduct some tests namely pre-test and post-test to measure students’ ability before and after teaching learning process. The first one is pre-test. The pre-test is done before teaching learning process. In the doing the test, The writer gives students some oral questions. Then, the scores are devided into five criteria, which are the scores of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency and comprehension. Then, to get the mean, the scores from all criteria are summed up and divided into five. The second one is post-test. The procedure of doing post-test is similar to the pre-test. The post-test will be given after the treatment by teaching speaking using Puppet. The scores are devided into five criteria, which are the scores of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency and comprehension. Then, to get the mean, the scores from all criteria are summed up and divided into five.

b.      Questionnaire

Questionnaire is one of the ways to achieve more concrete data concerning the students’ difficulties in interactive. It contains questions and the type of items designed to solicit information appropriate for analysis. Questionnaire is also one of the appropritate techniques to know all of information connected with the problem. In this case, the writer used open questionnaire which enable the respondent to give alternative answer or opinion out of the answer determained by the writer. In this study, the writer used questionnaire to get additional information about the students’ perception toward the learning speaking activities by using puppet.

5.      Population and sample

a.       Population

The population of this study is the seventh grade students of SMPN 2 Mesjid Raya. There are 125 students are devided into eight classes. They are VII 1, VII 2, VII 3, VII 4, VII 5.

b.      Sample

The sample is the students of class VII 3 as the experiment class consisting of 25 students which is given the treatment by using puppet. Therefore, VII 2 as the control class consisting of 25 students which is given no treatment. The study choose the sample by using technique cluster random sampling.

G. Terminology

To make the topic of this thesis clear, it is vital to explain the terms of tittle according to the valuable references:

1.      Improving

According to Oxford Dictionary, the word ‘improving’ means make a significant improvement or something better.

In this study, the word improving means to make speaking ability of seventh grade students in SMPN 2 Mesjid Raya increase significantly by using puppet.

2.      Speaking Skill

According to Collins (1986 : 766) The word “speaking” derived from the word “speak” which mean an oral communication between two or more persons to exchange ideas by talking together.

According to Chaney (1998 : 13) speaking is .the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts.

While another expert, Huebner (1960 : 5) said language is essentially speech, and speech is basically communication by sounds. and according to him, speaking is a skill used by someone in daily life communication whether at school or outside. The skill is acquired by much repetition; it primarily a neuromuscular and not an intellectual process. It consists of competence in sending and receiving messages.

From the above definition, it can be inferred that speaking means process in which a speaker sends information or message to a listener. In this research, speaking means the ability of students to express their ideas, opinion, or feelings to others by using words. Especially, the ability of seventh grade students in SMPN 2 Mesjid Raya. 

3.      Puppet

The definition of puppet based on Oxford Dictionary, “Puppet is a small figure of a person or animal that can be made to move,”

In this research, Puppet means a method of teaching speaking to improve English ability of seventh grade students in SMPN 2 Mesjid Raya.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A.    L. Chaney and T. L. Burke. (1998). Teaching Oral Communication in Grades K-8. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Brown, David. (2007). Teaching by Principles.New York: Longman.

Brown, D. (2003). Language Assessment Principle and Classroom Practice. New York:    Longman

Huebner , Theodore. (1960). Audio Visual Technique in Teaching Foreign Language. New York: Cambridge University Press.

J. Collins. (1986). Essential Dictionary. London: William Collins Sar.

Livingstone, Carol. (2005). Role Play in Language Learning. New York: Longman group limited.

Oxford Learner’s Pocket Dictionary. Fourth edition

p. Haris, David. (1969). Testing English as a Sacond Language. New york: Mc. Graw Hill

S.U.S., Nababan. (1993). Methodology Pengajaran Bahasa. Jakarta: PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama.

Sugiyono. (2004). Statistic Penelitian. Bandung: Alphabeta