STUDENTS’ LEARNING STYLE IN SPEAKING SKILL AT THE EIGHT GRADE

OF SMPN 3 RAMBAH HILIR

Dwi Ayu1, Evi Kasyulita2, Batdal Niati3

Dwiayu0199@gmail.com1, eviyulita23@yahoo.com2, batdaln@gmail.com3,

English Study Program, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, University of Pasir
Pengaraian

ABSTRACT

This research was Students’ Learning Style in Speaking Skill at the eight grade of
SMPN 3 Rambah Hilir . The purpose of this research was To know the Students’
Learning Style in Speaking Skil at the eight grade of SMPN 3 Rambah Hilir. This
research was conducted at the SMPN 3 Rambah Hilir on March 8th until March 10th
2021 and the sample in this research was the 1 English teachers and 23 students at the
second years students of SMPN 3 Rambah Hilir

This research was descriptive qualitative research. The instrument that researcher
used in collecting the data are questionnaire : 15 statement and interviews : 3 question.
The collected data were analyzed using guttman scale in order To know the learning
styles do students like.

Based on the data analysis from the research, it could be concluded There were
22% visual learners, 69% are auditory learners, and 9% are kinesthetic learners. it is can
be concluded that Auditory was dominant learning style. From the results item of the
interview, the researcher get the result interview that the students apply two learning style
visual and auditory.

Keywords :Learning Style, Speaking Skil

 INTRODUCTION

Learning style is one of the main factors that help determine how and how well the
students learn a second language or foreign language which can influence their
comprehension both in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It means that learning
styles has an important role in English skill. Felder and Silverman (1988) preferences
Learning style is the characteristic difficulties in the process of an individual’s acquiring
knowledge, holding and processing it. The matching learning style with the methods that
are used to teach by teachers will increase their students’ achievement especially in
speaking skill.

Teaching speaking is a very important part of second language learning. It is because

the goal of teaching speaking is to improve students in communicative skill. As a result,
the teacher must be innovative to create good atmosphere in speaking class, because in
speaking class students are expected to communicate in second language clearly and
efficiently.

In this case the researcher assumes that the learning style is the way of students in
absorving and understanding the information or idea which they have got in learning
process and the researcher used speaking as one of the skill of English which has been
taught in school. For this assumption, the researcher is interested to do research. By
doing this research, the researcher expected that this research with the title “ Students’
Learning Style in Speaking Skill at the eight grade of SMPN 3 Rambah Hilir”

REVIEW OF RELATED THEORIES

Learning style is the way a person prefers to learn. Sometimes, this person enjoys
with her or his way in learning. She or he feels comfortable in absorbing the information
with her or his own way. According to Hilliard (2001), learning styles are the
characteristic ways in which an individual acquires, perceives, and processes information.
Learning style is the way in which each learner begins to concentrate on, process, absorb,
and retain new and difficult information (Dunn and Dunn, 1999).

Types and Characteristic of Learning Style

According to Joy M Reid there are three types of perceptual learning style.
Those types are :
1. Visual
Learn by seeing something. We prefer to see pictures and diagrams. We prefer to
see exhibitation, modeling, or warching video.
Reid (1999) states that students with visual learning style like to learn by seeing and
observing things. It includes seeing and observing books, pictures, diagrams,
demonstrations, display, handouts, films, flip-chart, etc.

2. Auditory
Learn by hearing something. We prefer to listen to audio cassette, causeri-
lecturing, discussion, debate, and verbal instruction.
Auditory Learning Style, Reid (2005) said that students with auditory style prefer to
learn by hearing and listening. They are easy to understand and comprehend lesson or
information by listening to the lectures, discussions, or recording.
 3. Kinesthetic.
Learn by physical activity and direct involvement. We prefer to move, touch, feel,
and experience by ourselves.
Kinesthetic Learning Style, Reid (2005) stated that in kinesthetic style, students have
orientation to do trial-error activity. They are brave to take a risk. In answering question,
they prefer to just answer than to read the instruction before. They also learn through
manipulation.

According to Reid (1995), matching learning styles with teaching styles gives all
learners equal opportunity in the classroom and in turn it may provide learners with a
feeling that their opinions are taken into account. Furthermore, Smith and Associates
(1990) confirms that an increased in learners’ level of awareness regarding their learning
styles will contribute positively to their knowledge of how to learn.

RESEARCH METODOLOGY
The design of this research was descriptive qualitative research. The research
conducted this research with the interview and questionnaire. The purpose of
descriptive qualitative research was to find out the result of data analysis that would
we want. The researcher want to know about the students’ learning style in speaking
skill was consisted 3 interview and 15 questionnaire. The population of this research
was 115 students, and the sample of this research was 23 students from all of students
at second year in SMPN 3 Rambah Hilir. To know the students’ learning style in
speaking skill, researcher used a questionnaire based indicator learning style in
speaking skill by D. Cohen, Rebecca L. Oxford, and Julie C. Chi. To know the score
answered, the researcher using the Guttman scale. The researcher saw for score of
statement and then the score change is percentage. To measure students’ learning style
in speaking skill, the researcher used the following table of learning style category. To
know the students’ learning style in speaking skill, researcher used the interview to the
teacher . From this technique, the researcher was able to describe students’ learning
style at the eight grade at the SMPN 3 Rambah Hilir.

FINDING AND DISCUSSION

Based on the data gained and its analysis, it was found the students’ learning styles in
speaking skill found by the researcher. It was explained bellow:
The Number and Percentage of Learning Style in Speaking Skill

No Learning style Frequency Percentage

1 Visual 5 22 %
2 Auditory 16 69 %
3 Kinesthetic 2 9%
Total 23 100 %

The students were devided into 3 types of learning style in speaking skill. Based
on the finding of this research, the researcher calculated the total score to find out the
average questionnaire score and classify it. The result of this study showed that the
students of the Eight grade of SMPN 3 Rambah Hilir tend to study by various learning
styles. Among the students of the Eight grade of SMPN 3 Rambah Hilir , 22% were
visual learner, 69% were auditory learners, and 9% were kinesthetic learners. It can be
concluded that the way the students learn are different. The researcher also found out how
the teacher accommodate the students’ learning styles in speaking skill. The teacher used
different method or strategies in English learning process to accommodate the different
learning styles of students. The teacher also accommodate the students’ learning styles
with using some media such as using pictures, and audio.
The result of this research is supported the statement by Rebecca L Oxford.
Oxford (2003) devided learning style into some dimension, it is possible to have high
scores on both, meaning that you do not have a preference one way or the other. If you
came out as more visual than auditory, you rely more on the sense of sight, and you
learn best through visual means (books, video, charts, pictures). If you are more auditory
in preference, you prefer listening and speaking activities (discussions, lectures, audio
tapes, role-plays). If you have a tactile/kinesthetic style preference, you benefit from
doing projects, working with objects, and moving around (games, building models,
conducting experiments).

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

Based on the formula “What are the students’ learning style at the eight grade of
SMPN 3 Rambah Hilir ?” The result of this study showed that the students of the Eight
grade of SMPN 3 Rambah Hilir tend to study by various learning styles. Among the
students of the Eight grade of SMPN 3 Rambah Hilir , 22% (5 students) are visual
learner, 69% (16 students) are auditory learners, and 9% (2 students) are kinesthetic
learners.
From the results, most of the students had visual, auditory and kinesthetic
learning styles. Thus the researcher calculated the total score of all of categories of
learning styles. It result showed that more than half of students had highest score on
auditory learning.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to say thank you to my advisors Evi Kasyulita, M.Pd and Batdal Niati,
M.Pd for the time, suggestion, guidance, motivation, support, soirit and help to finish
this final assignment. Thank you to gave a knowledge that I do not know before, then
now I know.

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