SPEAKING IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL 1

Running Head: TECHNIQUES OF SPEAKING IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

A Critical Evaluation of Different Techniques in Teaching Speaking at Junior High School

Rahmat

21113033

Muhammadiyah University of Kendari

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Abstract

Speaking is very important because speaking and human being cannot be separated from
each other. Speaking is used to express their ideas and to communicate to people in civilized
world. That is way speaking is important. This essay critiques three different techniques of
teaching speaking: Role play, Board games, and information gap activity. Research evidence
indicates role play is the best technique to we apply in junior high school because it has many
variety teaching in speaking class such as drama performance, drama dance, and teatherical show
and this this activity can used in small scale although the role play activity need the long period.
Whereas, board game techniques only can use it in small scale with a bit variation . And the last
technique is information gap activity technique only can apply in small scale with distribution be
small group and interaction only two person make the student do not experience show off their
speak up in front of many people. Therefore, the third technique is suitable to use to teach
speaking in Junior high school.
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A Critical Evaluation of Different Techniques in Teaching Speaking at Junior High School

There are four skills in learning English they are listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Speaking is very important because speaking and human being cannot be separated from each
other. Speaking is used to express their ideas and to communicate to people in civilized world.
That is way speaking is important. But the students of SMP or graduated of it still get hard to be
a good speaker. The problem because the teachers do not using variety of teaching speaking such
as with visual aids, and also the they has to motivate the students to learn English in the class,
and create the techniques of teaching. So the students will feel relaxed, and freely in using
English in the classroom. The teacher must make afford to understand the material well. In
learning English, The students are expected to reach four skills. Among those, speaking is the
most difficult to master. Some of techniques that help the students to master English especially
speaking are by using role play, Board games, and Information gap technique.

Concerning with Role Play activity, Adamblatner (2002) state, “Role playing, a
derivative of a socio drama, is a method for exploring the issues involved in complex social
situations. It may be used for the training of professionals or in a classroom for the understanding
of literature, history, and even science”. Through role play activities the students learn how to
express ideas, opinions, or feeling to others by using words or sounds of articulation. Larsen
Freeman explained that role plays are important in the communicative approach because they
give learners an opportunity to practice communicating in different social contexts and different
social roles. A role play is a highly flexible learning activity which has a wide scope for variation
and imagination. According to Ladousse, role play uses communicative techniques and develops
fluency in the language, promotes interaction in the classroom and increases motivation. Here
peer learning is encouraged and sharing of responsibility between teacher and the learner in the
learning process takes place.

Role play can improve learners, speaking skills in any situation, and helps learners to
interact. As for the shy learners, role play helps by providing a mask, where learners with
difficulty in conversation are liberated. In addition, it is fun and most learners will agree that
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enjoyment leads to better learning. Several reasons for using role play in teaching speaking
quoted from Ladousse as follows:

1. A very wide variety of experience can be brought into the classroom and we can train our
students in speaking skill in any situations through role play.

2. Role play puts students in situation in which they are required to use and develop those phatic
forms of language which are so necessary in oiling the works of social relationships, but which
are so often neglected by our language teaching syllabuses.

3. Some people are learning English to prepare for specific roles in their lives. It is helpful for
these students to have tried out and experimented with the language they will require in the
friendly and safe environment of a classroom.
4. Role play helps many shy students by providing them with a mask.
5. Perhaps the most important reason for using role play is that it is fun.
The finding of the research Titiek Setyani (2013) revealed that English Role-Play
Strategy successfully improved the students’ ability in speaking at SMP Negeri 1 Kanigoro. In
Cycle I, the researcher found that 85% (27 students) scored more than the predetermined criteria
of success with average score 77.66. It showed that it has met one of criteria of success. Finally it
is suggested that English teachers apply English Role-Play Board Strategy since it has been
proved that it can increase the students’ speaking ability and it can make the teaching of speaking
more interesting and enjoyable for students.
To increase the speaking skill we need technique with visual aids to be used. One of them
is game. The definition of game is an activity that you do to have some fun (Hornby, 1995, p.
486). One of game in teaching speaking English is Board Game. The effort of the linguist has
strong basic because the learner entertained with their everyday life, give chances to the student
to more creatively because Board Game as method in teaching speaking English is very effective
and more interested because the students will be memorized the vocabulary and, the enjoying the
picture in the board. So that using Board Game in teaching speaking will give achievement
acquiring English. Board Game can increase motivation to learn the English for the students.
They also have to add advantage of being memorable the words much less likely that the
students will forget the words, and therefore the language practice in it, whereas language
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practice in even well constructed drill is usually very quickly forgotten and finally, Board Game
which helps to bring the students memorize more words.
Dwi Nurul Fajariyah(2009)researched this technique in SMPN 2 Baki, Sukoharjo At
class VIII E and The research finding shows that students’ speaking proficiency improved in the
term of ability in: 1) answering the teacher’s questions orally 2) identifying the words and
grammar used in the expression 3) making sentences using appropriate grammar and vocabulary
4) expressing their idea. Besides, the classroom situation is also more alive in terms of the
students’ activeness in: 1) joining the activities 2) asking the teacher about their difficulties 3)
discussing the task with their friend 4) increasing their motivation to learn.
In information gap activity, one person has certain information that must be shared with
others in order to solve a problem, gather informationor make decisions (Neu & Reeser, 1997).
These types of activities areextremely effective in the L2 classroom. They give every student
toopportunity to speak in the target language for an extended period of timeand students
naturally produce more speech than they would otherwise. Inaddition, speaking with peers is less
intimidating than presenting in front ofthe entire class and being evaluated. Another advantage of
information gapactivities is that students are forced to negotiate meaning because they mustmake
what they are saying comprehensible to others in order to accomplishthe task (Neu & Reeeser,
1997: 156). Information gap is useful activity in which one person has informationthat the other
lacks. They must use the target language to share thatinformation. For instance, one student has
the directions to a party and mustgive them to a classmate. With information gap give each
student has anopportunity to speak in the target language for an extended period of timeand
students naturally produce more speech than they would otherwise andin this activity the
students must make what they are saying comprehensibleto others. As a result, such a technique
can improve students’ speaking mastery.
This technique had researched by Syahari (2011), in SMPN 2 Kecamatan Slahung,
Ponorogo from September to December 2011. The subject of the research is students of eighth
grade in the first semester in the academic year of 2011/2012, consisting of 8 males and 12
female students. The research findings show that: (1) IGA can improve students’ speaking
competence in term of: (a) raising achievement in speaking; (b) improving of ability to answer
questions; and (c) improving of ability in expressing and sharing ideas in appropriate vocabulary
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and grammatical form; and (2) IGA can improve classroom situation, in term of: (a) making the
students’ motivation high; (b) improving students’ interaction with the teacher and other
students; (c) improving the students’ involvement in learning process; (d) improving students’
confidence to speak English; and (e) offering more chances for speaking practice.
The research findings of this study imply that IGA gives a reason for every student to
concentrate on the communication for information and to keep thinking during the process of
learning. It also gives an equal opportunity for every student to speak in the target language for
an extended period of time. And IGA makes students naturally produce more speech than they
would otherwise. IGA helps move the students from working in a more structured environment
into a more communicative environment. IGA gives students opportunities to use English
appropriately inside and outside the classroom.
Above all, Throughout this essay the different techniques to teach speaking at junior high
school have been brought forward which Every technique has different result in its
implementation in class room. Based on the research result, CIRC only successful if it used in
small scale, whereas Jigsaw II can used in middle scale, and Group Investigation can used in
both of them. Based on the result, the best technique to teach speaking in Junior High School is
role play, because it has many variety teaching in speaking class such as drama performance,
drama dance, and teatherical show although the role play activity need the long period. Whereas,
board game techniques only can use it in small scale with a bit of variation . And the last technique
is information gap activity technique only can apply in small scale with distribution be small
group and interaction only two person make the student do not experience show off their speak
up in front of many people. Therefore, the third technique is suitable to use to teach speaking in
Junior high school.
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