Using story games to improve students' speaking competence to the eighth year students of SMP Kemala Bhayangkri 1 Surabaya

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Qur'ana, A'yuni (2010) Using story games to improve students' speaking competence to the eighth year students of SMP Kemala Bhayangkri 1 Surabaya. Undergraduate thesis, IAIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya.

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Abstract

English is one of the international languages, taught in elementary school as a local content subject and in junior high schoo1 ••until universities as a compulsory subject. The ability of using it in speaking becomes the objective of most English teaching nowadays. But in fact, the students are often reluctant and discouraged to speak English because they hesitate to talk and many teachers still get difficulties in finding strategy or techniques to encourage the students to speak. Games, which facilitate the students to learn and practice the language they learn in comfortable atmosphere, may be an alternative to be applied to improve students' speaking competence. The researcher used Story Games in her research. The objective of this study can be stated as an attempt to describe how 'story games' is implemented to the eighth year students in speaking class, describe whether the use of 'story games' improve students' speaking competence or not and to find out the students' responses toward the application of this technique. Based on the study above, the researcher used descriptive qualitative design to obtain some information concerning the students' speaking competence. The subject of the study was the eighth year students of SMP Kemala Bhayangkari 1 Surabaya. This study was a collaborative action research, which took four cycles in order to find the most effective techniques to play the game. Each cycle contains four steps. First step is planning the action. In this stage the researcher prepared the form of lesson plan, which contained formulated objectives, elected materials and organized the class. Then she implemented what she had planned in the implementing the action. The next step was observing the action. In this action, she observed the implementation of her modified techniques as well as assessed the students' speaking ability while they were playing the games in the speaking class. The last step was reflection. In this action, the researcher evaluated and explained what should be changed for further planning, implementing and so on for the next cycle. This kind of activity was repeated four •times until the expected result was obtained. The data from the observation checklist result, field notes, and assessment of the students' speaking ability then were compared with each other to see which technique gave the best score. After conducting the research for almost a month, it can be seen that the story games technique could assist the students to practice their speaking competence in an expected atmosphere to learn, i.e. relaxed but still controlled. The assessment showed that the students' speaking ability was improved in their accent, grammar, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. In the first meeting it was only 1+ level which means that the students were able to ask and answer questions on topics which were familiar to them and they can understand and participate in a simple conversation. While in the last meeting it reached level 2 to 3+ which means that the students were able to participate actively in speaking activity covering many issues. In addition, the students were not afraid of making mistakes and they could speak up freely and confidently to express their ideas than the first meeting. Based 'on the explanation above, it can be concluded that 'story games' can be used as a means of teaching speaking for the students of Junior High School students especially in the eighth year students. The games can give enjoyment, motivation and fun to the students. The topics given to the ••students are accordance with the curriculwn. Story games have been proved to be able to activate the students to speak in front of the class.