A Thesis By Cornelya Citra Rizki Putri

A DESRIPTIVE STUDY OF ENGLISH TEACHERS’ STRATEGIES IN

QUESTIONING STUDENT WHILE TEACHING SPEAKING CONDUCTED AT
SMA N 9 KOTA BENGKULU

Aji Purnomo

English Departement Study Program

University of Bengkulu
Email: ajipurnomo178@gmail.com

Abstract
This research is aimed to find out the questioning strategies used by English teachers in SMA
N 9 Kota Bengkulu. This was a descriptive research. The subjects of this research were two
English teachers in SMA N 9 Kota Bengkulu. The data were collected by using observation
checklist, interview and record. The result shows that there were five questioning strategies
applied by English teachers in SMA N9 Kota Bengkulu. First, keeping all students on task
which became the most dominant strategy applied by the teachers 40%. Second, phrasing the
question clearly was 33%o. Third, providing waiting time was 10% Fourth, responding to
students answer positively was the least strategy occurred: in this research 7%. Last, probing
was 10%. It is important for English teachers to improve their ability in questioning the
students especially to respond the students positively.

Key Words: English Teachers' Questioning Strategies

INTRODUCTION

Speaking is one of the skills in English which is important and becomes the most
important skill because it is needed in daily life for communicating easily and effectively.
Besides that, speaking can be a reference of someone's ability in communication. But, the
point is that the speaking is as the message or information which is understood by other
people in communication. Meanwhile, English teachers want to help students in speaking
subject because in the teaching learning process of speaking skill, the students faced problem
in the class, for example when teachers pointed at students to answer the questions or explain
something related to the topic, they could not answer the questions because they did not know
the answer. Although the students know the answer and actually they could answer it, they
preferred to keep silent, so that no one answered it. It made the teachers repeat the question.
The students are reluctant to participate in the class and waited another student to speak.

In order to conduct the process of teaching effectively, teachers have to master some
basic skills. One of the most dominant and strategic skills that a teacher should be mastered is
questioning. Hussain (2003) stated that questioning is the single most influential teaching act
in the classroom. The reason for this is that questioning can influence the students'
involvement to participate in the classroom activity which will make the interaction between
the teacher and the students run well. Zhang and Patrick (20 12) also stated if teachers spend
their instructional time to ask questions to the students, students will have an opportunity to
actively participate in the learning process, engage in the lesson, i explore their own
questions, and develop higher order thinking skills.

This kind of research had ever been conducted by some previous researchers. Sibarani
(2016) conducted a research entitled "The Analysis of English Teachers' Techniques in
Questioning the Students conducted at SMKN 1 Kota Bengkulu", Marlina (2000) which is
entitled "Questioning strategies MKU English Teachers in Assisting Students to Formulate
Response in Universitas Bengkulu", Mahmud , et al (2016) which the tile is English
Teacher's Questioning Strategies in EFL Classroom at SMAN 1 Bontomarannu. The
researcher found that English teacher gave several questions during the teaching and learning
process. From all of the questions which are asked by the teacher, there are just few students
who responded to the teacher’s questions and also those questions are just responded by
certain students. This condition made interaction in the classroom during the teaching and
learning process did not run actively since many of the students are passive and silent when
the teacher phrased questions. It means that something wrong with the way that the teacher
used in questioning the students.

The researcher interested in finding what the dominant questioning strategies of

teaching speaking which are used by English teachers in SMAN 9 Kota Bengkulu and their
efforts towards students' achievement in English. The researcher chose this school beause this
school is a place where the researcher is an alumnus, so that the researcher has a good acess
to this school. Based on this reason the researcher tries to find out English teachers’ strategies
in questioning the students of teaching speaking to understand the quality of teaching
learning in class activities. Besides that, the researcher is also expected to be beneficial for
the teachers to use an effective questioning strategy in teaching and learning process and help
to get a good response from the students.