THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’

SPEAKING ABILITY IN ENGLISH AT MTSN 3 MATARAM

 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION TO IMPROVE STUDENTS'
SPEAKING ABILITY IN ENGLISH AT MTSN 3 MATARAM

1.1 Background of Study

It is undeniable that in real life, humans cannot be separated from communicating. As
social beings, humans certainly need other humans in terms of realizing some of their desires,
and of course those desires can be realized through communication. With good
communication, people can understand what the people want, in education, work, society and
so on.
Speaking skills are defined as the ability to express opinions, ideas, facts, and feelings
for others (Gani, Fajrina & Hanifa, 2015). This is an indication of whether some people are
able to speak well or not. One of the main goals of language learning is to be able to speak
properly and correctly because it is one's ability to clearly transfer ideas to others. So, we can
say that someone can communicate ideas well to others. Imam Fauzi (2017) stated that active
speaking skills can be developed gradually by having proper and effective listening skills.
So, it can be said that discussion requires the participation of at least two or more people,
both of whom must speak and listen.
At MTsN 3 Mataram, in learning English, especially speaking, many students of the
eight grade students experienced low speaking skills; this was evident from their responses,
as they were unable to answer when asked by their teacher about a learning topic. In addition,
it appears that the class is not interactive when the teacher is teaching, which is due to their
low knowledge and ability to speak. Another thing that also causes students to be less
interactive in learning is that they lack the confidence to express themselves, whether
toexpress opinions or answer teacher questions. When the teacher said their name to talk,
they were scared and nervous, and their voices stuttered softly.
Despite the fact that speaking is critical for students in practicing their ability to
produce words, sentences, and ideas in English, there are many obstacles that can make
students uncomfortable and lack confidence in speaking the language.
The first is about the lack of students’ vocabulary. A person's speaking ability is
measured by how much vocabulary he has; when he has a lot of vocabulary, it is not
impossible that his speaking ability is good, and vice versa. Second, the students have
difficulty understanding grammar. The accuracy of grammar in writing and speaking greatly
determines the credibility of students; by mastering grammar, they are able to understand and
present ideas to the audience properly and correctly. Third, it is about the students'
motivation. Learning motivation is very necessary to help students have a high level of
enthusiasm for learning; this can be obtained from the surrounding environment, both from
parents and the playing environment, as well as from the school environment. The last is the
students’ mindset: "English is difficult." This also slightly affects the students' brain filters in
accepting English learning. As (Nurhalizah, Sujana & Wardana, 2021) said Students find it
challenging to communicate since there aren't enough opportunities for practice, there isn't
enough language input (vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation), and the instructional strategies
chosen don't allow students the chance to practice communicating.
In teaching, a teacher is required to be good at understanding the students’ conditions
and needs. The teacher must apply techniques or teaching strategies that do not make
students feel bored and must be good enough to make students interested in the lesson. Based
on the experience of researchers during the practical field experience, the teacher often
teaches English without making students' learning interesting, such as by explaining the
material mostly using the lecture method while taking notes on the material on the
blackboard, then asking students to take notes on the material given; after that the teacher
does practice, namely by asking students to repeat what he said with the aim that students are
able to pronounce words or sentences in English properly and correctly; then the teacher
gives some questions related to the material being taught and continues with exercises with
related material; and finally, the teacher closes the learning activity by giving assignments as
student learning materials while at home.
This method continues to be carried out, but game interludes involving teaching and
learning activities are very rarely carried out. When the teacher is unable to teach, students
are only assigned to work on questions in a student worksheet. The problem is the gap
between the current situation and the expected reality. These obstacles must be able to be
wisely resolved so that there is no difference between theory and practice.
In MTsN 3 Mataram, when teachers teach and learn English subjects, teachers
sometimes apply several methods or techniques to teach English, such as the jigsaw method,
discussion, direct role-play method, audio-lingual method, etc. The teacher also uses the
discussion method in learning English and divides the students into several small discussion
 groups. They often use small group discussion in their work, such as when making dialogue,
writing, translating texts, and reading. However, in teaching speaking, small group discussion
is rarely used, and when teachers do use it, they rarely follow the rules of the technique,
which is why it is not optimally used. Small group discussions will be more optimal when
used in speaking classes. The students in a speaking class are more likely to engage in
conversation, whether it is between two persons or in a group setting (Aropi & Lestari,
2022).
In small group discussions, students are placed as the main actors in the learning
process. Students can be more flexible and active in asking questions, conveying ideas,
giving opinions, and observing. Teachers also have an important role to play in making
students more accustomed to asking questions, giving ideas, and giving opinions. Students
should also be self-focused and investigate an open question or problem. They identified a
problem, found a solution based on it, and used creative problem-solving strategies to reach
a conclusion, so that when students are given space to express themselves, they are more
confident.
According to Antoni (2014), Small-group discussions can help students become more
fluent speakers. We can use small group discussions to improve our public speaking skills for
three different reasons. The teacher and students speak more aloud to the class during the
first conversation. The second conversation is intended to promote deep interpersonal
communication and learning. Procedures, attitudes, or talents may be learned. Thirdly, it is
used to teach students how to become more independent and responsible students.
According to the explanation above, I am interested in conducting research under the
title "The Effectiveness Of Small Group Discussion To Improve Students’ Speaking Ability
in English At MTsN 3 Mataram.” Many other researchers may have contributed to this study,
but the average research project uses a mixed method, whereas in this research, the
researcher used a quasi-experimental design.

1.2 Research Questions

Is small group discussion effective to improve students’ speaking ability at MTsN 3
Mataram?

1.3 Research Objectives

 To measure the effectiveness of using small group discussion in improving students'
speaking ability at MTsN 3 Mataram.

1.4 Significance of Study

In this part, the researcher discusses the theoretical significance and practical
significance which will be explained as follow:
1.4.1 Theoretical Significance
Theoretically, the finding of this study can be used as a reference for other research for
future researchers conducting research similar to this research
1.4.2 Practical Significance
This research provides benefits for students, English teacher, other research and
school.
a. For students
To motivate students and help them in learning English, their speaking skills will
improve, so that English learning can be active.
b. For English Teachers
With this research, English teachers gain additional knowledge to develop their learning
strategies by teaching speaking ability using techniques that are not boring for students
and this research can improve teachers' abilities, especially regarding the implementation
of Small Group Discussion in English. It can be used as a solution in dealing with the
development of modern education models, as a step to improve students’ critical
thinking.
c. For other Researcher
The results of this research can be used as a reference in contributing to research on
teaching English, especially to improve their English speaking ability.
d. For School
The results of this research can be used as a method to improve students' speaking skills
in school. The results of this research can be used as information and references for
further researchers related to the field, and also as a reference consideration for
developing the same strategies in other subjects.

1.5 Scope of Study

 The scope of this research is only to find out the effects of small group discussion on
the students' speaking skills in English in the eight grade of MTsN 3 Mataram in the
academic year 2022-2023.
1.6 Definition of Key Terms
The researcher specifies certain terms used in this research in order for readers to
understand it:
1. Speaking
Speaking is the ability to articulate thoughts using both verbal and nonverbal
symbols (Purnama, Sujana & Apgrianto, 2022). Speaking, according to Idayani (2019),
is classified as a group process of creating meaning that comprises creating, receiving,
and processing information. Speaking was defined by Brown and Yule (2012) as the
capacity to orally express or convey thought, ideas, and feeling through the
pronunciation of language sounds.
2. Small Group Discussion
According to Argawati (2014), in small groups discussion students can take on greater
responsibility for their own learning, develop social and leadership skills, and participate in an
alternative educational style by breaking up a large classroom into small groups to accomplish
specific goals. A group discussion is any conversation among more than two people about one
or more issues in a more relaxed setting. Students are given more responsibility for completing
tasks, and small group discussions allow them to share with friends, find solutions to problems,
and develop their courage

CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter discusses some theoretical background related to the research topic. Several
definitions, components, advantages and disvantages of several related topics will also be
discussed in this chapter, also about some related previous research.

2.1 Speaking
2.1.1 Definition of Speaking
One of the most difficult aspects of learning English is speaking (Putera, Nurtaat &
Chrysty, 2022). According to Rauf (2017), speaking is the easiest and most natural form of
communication. Speaking is defined as conveying ideas, opinions, or feelings to other
people through words or sounds of articulation in order to enlighten, convince or entertain.
The most significant and frequently used form of communication is speaking. As social
beings in particular, people have a need to make sense of their surroundings. To be accepted
in social circumstances, we must also share our thoughts, opinions and feelings.
Laratu (in Hidayati, 2019) states that speaking requires both ability and knowledge.
Knowledge is what we are aware of. To understand it, it must be put into practice. The
capacity to apply knowledge is known as skill. Both talent and information can be learned
and memorized. Only skill, nevertheless, can be imitated and practiced.
Speaking is a skill that requires daily practice for someone to master. Learners have
to understand grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, accuracy, and tempo in order to
speak well. Students must also have courage and confidence when speaking (Mufianti,
2015). There are two criteria that must be considered in determining whether students are
speaking in the correct sense of the words: the students must pronounce the words in a way
that is mutually understood and have a working knowledge of the meanings of the words
they use. (Fahrurrozi, Waluyo & Soepriyanti, 2019).
Based on the foregoing expert view, the researcher comes to the conclusion that
speaking is the natural language produced by a human to express their intention. As a tool
for communicating with others, speaking skills are very important to have. Speaking is the
act of creating sound and conveying meaning from one person to another while also
allowing one to express their needs and provide information. Speaking is an interaction
between individuals used to convey ideas or needs, and it takes constant practice to become
a skilled speaker.
2.1.2 Components of Speaking
Speaking is composed of the following three elements: Both speakers, The audience,
the statements. The ones who create the sound are called speakers. They are helpful as a
means of communicating feelings or opinions to the instructor. Therefore, if there is no
speaker, no viewpoint, feelings, or feelings will be expressed. The audience, People who
absorb or understand the speaker's opinion or feeling are known as listeners. If there are no
listeners present, the speaker will write down their thoughts. The statements, The speaker's
words or sentences that express their opinion are known as an utterance. Both the speakers
and the listeners will employ sign if there is no utterance. Speaking involves many different
elements.
There are five elements of speaking proficiency (Harris, 2014) as follows:
1. Pronunciation: When speaking, pupils can produce understandable language by
pronouncing words correctly. It implies that when kids have strong pronunciation and
intonation, they can communicate successfully. Although they have a restricted
vocabulary and grammar, pronunciation encompasses a wide range of elements, such as
articulation, rhythm, intonation, and phrasing, as well as gesture, body language, and eye
contact on a more sporadic basis.
2. Grammar: Students must understand grammar in order to construct appropriate phrases
in written and spoken conversations. Grammar is characterized as a methodical approach
to measuring and projecting an ideal speaker's linguistic competence.
3. Vocabulary: The knowledge of words and their meanings is also referred to as
vocabulary knowledge because the understanding of a word includes not just its
definition but also how it functions inside other words. Vocabulary suggests not just a
definition but also that a word should fit into a phrase, a sentence, and have consistency.
4. Fluency: The capacity to talk accurately, fluently, and in a communicative manner.
Speaking clearly and constantly is referred to as being able to speak with fluency. The
instructor should provide the students complete freedom to express themselves if the
teacher wants to evaluate their fluency during the teaching and learning process. Clear
and comfortable communication amongst students is the aim. The idea being that too
much correction prevents immediate correction by the teacher.
5. Comprehension: Comprehension is a skill that pupils need to speak English. In order to
minimize miscommunication and to let the listeners readily take in the speaker's
information, comprehension is defined as the speaker's understanding of what they are
saying to the listeners.
Speaking comprises five different parts, including pronunciation, grammar,
vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Pronunciation is the production of clear language,
grammar is the proper sentence in a discussion, vocabulary is the knowledge of the term,
fluency is the capacity to talk communicatively, fluently, and accurately, and comprehension
is the students' ability to speak English.
2.1.3 The Problems of Speaking in Language Learning
The speaking assignments should not be overly demanding or too boring in order to
avoid overwhelm the students. Many foreign language learners find it difficult to talk in the
target language because, in addition to understanding, learning to speak a foreign language
also necessitates mastering its grammatical and semantic rules. Consequently, it is essential
for a teacher to be able to commit attention to a specific topic or skill, close the gap between
the challenge of the task and the learners' proficiency, and put the knowledge and skills
largely within the learners' experience. According to Ur (in Nadia, 2022) as follow:
1. Inhibition
Students who study English as a foreign language have less opportunity to use English in
social situations. To speak in English can provide certain challenges. The students are
reluctant to practice their English because they are afraid of making mistakes with their
pronunciation and grammar usage. When the teacher corrects them in front of their
peers, they may feel humiliated or lose their composure.
2. Nothing to say
Students usually criticize their inability to speak, or to express themselves. They are less
willing to talk or express themselves. It's because they don't understand what's being
taught or can't pronounce the words.
3. Low or uneven participation
Students don't have enough time to communicate, therefore they can't contribute
effectively. It is specifically brought on by the tendency of some students to dominate
group discussions while others speak very little or not at all. It is important to
differentiate background information and student contributions while teaching foreign
languages to students.
4. Mother tongue use
The students feel that it is simple to use native language to understand the subject
because they are less motivated and disciplined to maintain contact with the target
language, and the teacher does not give the students any restrictions. When students
communicate in their mother tongues, they may choose to do so since it is simpler and
does not make them feel uncomfortable.
 2.2 Small Group Discussion
This section contains the definition of small group discussion, types of small group
discussions, advantages and disvantages of small group discussion, all of which will be
explained in detail as follow:
2.2.1 Definition of Small Group Discussion
A small group is a collection of people working together to accomplish a common
objective through interaction with one another (Putri, Suparman and Suka, 2016). In other
words, the students can collaborate to solve their issues or they can respond to a teacher's
question. According to Argawati (2014), students are given the opportunity to take more
ownership of their learning, develop social and leadership skills, and engage in an alternate
instructional strategy through small-group discussions, which divide the main classroom into
smaller groups of students to accomplish certain goals.
Small-group discussion is a face-to-face activity that makes use of nonverbal cues
like gaze and gesture. A group discussion occurs when there are more than two individuals
present and they are conversing informally about one or more issues while they are together,
such as when seated around a table. Small group discussion, also known as working in a
small group, is the division of students into smaller groups for the purpose of engaging in a
variety of activities to develop thinking or complete a practical task. Small-group discussion
will create a safe and active learning environment for the students to freely participate in the
educational process.
Group work typically denotes small-group work. In other words, there must be two or more students
in a group discussion; for example, there should be at least two and no more than five. In a small
group setting, students can discuss a task with a friend or a group member. Small group discussions
are a useful method for teaching speaking in the classroom, and using this method with students can
help them obtain better grades, better stress management and better work completion.

2.2.2 The Type of Small Group Discussion

According to Khaerunisa (2022), there are several types of small group discussions:
1. Cooperative Learning Groups
This group works together to accomplish a common objective. The objectives of
this group are to promote direct communication between participants, individual
 responsibility within the group, and the growth of interpersonal and small-group skills.
This teaching strategy encourages cognitive growth.
2. Problem Solving Group
This group will encourage students to collaborate, learn, ask questions and think
critically during the group discussion. This group's objective is to apply strategic
thinking to resolve practical issues.
3. Group Investigation
The speaker separates the audience into smaller groups according to each person's
particular area of interest. Each group concentrates on a certain category and gathers
information to be used in data analysis. The objective is to enhance peer interaction and
group dynamics.
2.2.3 Advantages and Disvantages of Small Group Discussion
There are several advantages and disadvantages to group participation. The
advantages including the fact that everyone in the group can actively participate in
discussions, the ability to raise interest in a topic among participants, an increase in
interaction and socialization among participants, the possibility that group members
comprehend another participant's explanation more readily than a presenter's, the speaker's
ability to distinguish between different perspectives on the subject, and the fact that it aids
the participant in recognizing connections between theories or concepts associated with the
subject. The disvantages of Small Group Discussion are it is time-consuming and demands
a lot of time, which is not necessarily planned as extensively as discussion on the issue;
certain group members may end up doing all the talking. The presenter is less involved than
with other techniques, and the debate can easily veer off course.
Besides that, Stewart (in Hidayati, 2019) also mentioned the advantages of small
group discussion as follows:
1. Developing self-awareness
2. Managing personal stress
3. Solving problem analytically and creatively
4. Coaching, counseling, and establishing supportive communication
5. Gaining power and influence
6. Empowering and delegating
 7. Managing conflict
8. Building effective teams and team works
As stated above, small group discussions have more advantages than disadvantages,
however, when used under the guidance of a presenter, these discussions focus on reaching
understanding and agreement after carefully considering the opinions and views of others.
This suggests that grouping students to teach speaking in class is an effective strategy,
which is a useful technique to adopt since it encourages students to consider all alternatives,
makes a distinction between facts and opinions, and can stimulate them both
psychologically and communicatively.

1.3 Previous Study

This research is not the first, but there have been several related studies using the
Small Group Discussion (SGD) method. In this section, several similar studies that have
been carried out and the research conducted by the author be presented.
The first study was a descriptive qualitative method conducted by Fanny Selvia
Rosadi (2020) with the title "The Use of Small Group Discussion Strategy in Teaching
English Speaking." The objective of this research is to answer the question of how a small
group discussion strategy could improve the students' speaking skills. The seventh grade
students of SMPN 3 Ciawi served as the research sample and the result of this research
indicated that a small group discussion strategy could build students' speaking ability. By
engaging students in work group discussion communicatively, the students have the
opportunity to improve their speaking skills.
The similarities in the research are that both of them want to see an improvement in
the SGD method. The difference between the two studies is that the previous research used
a descriptive qualitative method, while this research uses a quasi-experimental design. This
research focuses on finding out the impact of SGD on students' speaking ability and self-
confidence in English class.
Lalu Bohari (2020) also conducted a research with the title "Improving Speaking
Skills through Small Group Discussion at Eleventh Grade Students of SMA Plus Munirul
Arifin NW Praya." The purpose of this study was to determine whether small group
discussions may enhance the speaking abilities of SMA Plus NW students in their eleventh
 year. The eleventh-grade students from SMA Plus Munirul Arifin NW Praya were the
population of this quasi-experimental study, which was undertaken. The findings of this
study demonstrated that employing small group discussions to teach speaking improves
students' speaking abilities. A quasi-experimental design is used in both of these studies.
The difference between the two studies is in the previous study, the research sample
was high school students, while in this study, the sample was from students at a lower level,
namely junior high school students.
Crisianita S. & Mandasari B. (2022) conducted research entitled "The Use of Small-
Group Discussion to Improve Students' Speaking Skill." The purpose of this study is to
identify students’ improvement in their speaking mastery after learning through small group
discussion in the classroom. The participants in this study are senior high school students in
the province of Lampung, and the data was gathered through a questionnaire. According to
the findings of this study, using small group discussions to enhance speaking ability is
successful because children learn best in settings where they feel comfortable expressing
their ideas and receiving constructive criticism.
The similarities in the research are that both of them want to see an improvement in
the small group discussion method on students’ speaking skills. Besides, the difference
between the two studies is that the previous research used a questionnaire to gather the data,
while this research uses a quasi-experimental method.

2.4 Theoretical Framework

The researcher's conceptual framework outlines how the research will be organized. The
purpose of this study is to ascertain the impact of small group discussions on students' speaking
abilities in English class. It implies that the idea behind this research is to combine both
conventional methods and small group discussion as a treatment for the purpose of teaching
speaking.
2.5 ACTIONAL HYPOTHESIS
 CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 RESEARCH APPROACH

Briefly speaking, Creswell [16] proposes six key characteristics of action research as: A
practical focus; ● The educator-researcher's own practices; ● Collaboration; ● A dynamic
process; ● A plan of action and; and ● Sharing research.

As John Elliott says, action research is “the study of a social situation with a view to improving
the quality of action within it” (Elliott, p. 69).

Kurt Lewin's Action Research Model is a problem-solving approach that involves collaboration
between researchers and practitioners to identify, analyze, and address real-world issues. It
consists of a cyclic process of planning, action, observation, and reflection

3.2 SUBJECT AND RESEACH SETTING

This research was conducted on grade 8 students at

MTSN 3 MATARAM

3.3 RESEACH VARIABLE

action variable = using small groups

expection variable = able to improve the speaking
skills of grade 8 junior high school students
3.3