Research Setting and Subject Data and Data Sources

B. Research Setting and Subject

Setting in this research includes research place, time, subject and object of research, and the role of the study. 1. The subject of the study The subject of the study is the students in the seventh grade of YMJ Yayasan Miftahul Jannah Junior High School, Ciputat - South Jakarta, and academic year 20102011. The numbers of students consist of 45 people. It is chosen because of the observation, unstructured interview and questionnaire result with the English teacher and the students at that class. 2. The object of the study The object of the study is communication games technique to improve students’ speaking ability. 3. The time and places of the study The research was done for almost four months starting from March up to May 2011. The time is decided based on the school academic calendar because classroom action research needs some cycles to do in order the teaching-learning process will be effective in the class and gain the action success. 4. The writer’s role on the study In this role, the writer is not only as the practitioner of action based upon the lesson plan that has been made but also she makes a lesson plan and the assessment or test before CAR pre-test and after CAR post-test in the final cycle. Furthermore, the writer also collects and analyzes the data then reporting the result of the study.

C. Research Procedure

In this procedure of the research, the writer has done a number of steps from the CAR Design. That is a preliminary study or reconnaissance which is used as a basic consideration in planning the action to be applied. It is followed by planning the action, implementing the action, observing, analyzing, and reflecting. As Mills said “reconnaissance or preliminary information gathering is taking time to reflect on your own beliefs and to understand the nature and context of your general idea. 4 So the preliminary study is useful to analyze if there is any unsatisfactory condition or what the real condition of the students and teacher problems at the school is. Furthermore, the researcher can analyze and identify the problems faced by the students in learning speaking that needed to be solved. In conducting the preliminary study, the writer carries out several activities to find out the real condition of teaching speaking in the classroom, such as; observing the process of teaching learning speaking activities, interviewing the English teachers, giving questionnaire to the students regarding of learning speaking English, and assigning the students to rehearsing some expression of speaking skill pre-test in order to know their ability in communicating by using English during learning activities with their real teacher. After carrying out the preliminary study, the writer goes on to the next phase. That is beginning the first cycle of action which is done involving planning, acting, observing and reflecting. It is carried out in repeated cycle.

1. Planning the Action

After finding the real condition of speaking problem from the preliminary study, the writer and the teacher planned the intervention that would be given to the students in the classroom. This session is very important part in the classroom action research because it formulates the suitable action and activities in the research process. In order to solve the speaking problem, the writer is planning and preparing several preparations for doing action as follows: a determining the teaching technique, b designing the lesson plan, c setting the criteria of success, and d preparing the instrument. To make it clear the writer explains the activities in planning the action as following: 4 Geoffrey E. Mills, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher. 2 nd ed, New Jersey: Merril Prentice Hall, 2003, p. 26. a. Determining the Technique The researcher thought that the suitable technique to be applied in this action research is Communication Games. It becomes the focus of this study to be prepared, to be analyzed, to be reflected, and to be used again until it proves effective to solve the problems of students in learning speaking. b. Designing the Lesson Plan The writer makes the lesson plan based on the school based curriculum or KTSP related to the seventh grade for the second semester. It was developed on the basis of English syllabus which includes the following items: 1 the instructional objectives, 2 instructional material and media, 3 the procedures in teaching-learning activities, and 4 assessment. c. Setting the Criteria of Success Criteria of success were set up to determine whether the action in the research was successfully completed or not. The criteria of success for Classroom Action Research are derived from the classroom problems to be solved and the classroom goals to be achieved. Students’ academic achievement is one criteria of success. The minimum mastery of criterion KKM considering English subject gains score

65. So this study is regarded successful if 1 70 of students attain

the score equal or greater than 65 as the minimum mastery criterion for English subject 2 if 75 students participate in teaching-learning activities actively. If the study meets those criteria, thus the study is called successful, but if it has not met those criteria, it is called not successful yet and need improvement to meet the targets. The successful action is proven by the test, observation, interview, and questionnaire. d. Preparing the Instruments To gain the data, the researcher provided the research instrument, with such observation notes, questionnaire, and test. They were used to know the students achievement in the classroom.

2. Implementing in Action

In this second step, both the researcher and the teacher collaborate to carry out the planned action. The researcher as a practitioner, she implemented the instructional activity the communication games in teaching speaking in the class based on the planning that has been prepared before, while the collaborator acted as an observer who observed the students’ activities and participation during the teaching and learning process of speaking through communication games activities by making observational note which would be analyzed as a reflection for the next cycle. This action involved three meetings in each cycle, two meetings for implementing the action and one meeting for posttest. The time table of the implementation of the action can be seen in the following table: Table 3.1 The Schedule of implementing the Communication Games in Teaching Speaking Activity Meeting Date ThemeSub Theme Communication Games Cycle I 1 March 31 st , 2011 Opinion poll Matching Game 2 April 1 st , 2011 Famous things Guessing Game Cycle II 1 April 8 th , 2011 Sports and Hobbies Matching Game 2 April 14 th , 2011 Routine and Leisure Activities Mil Drill Game

3. Observing the Action

Observing is the process of collecting data indicating the success of the strategy in solving the classroom problems. The focus of the observation is on the data related to the criteria of success that have been decided. It was used to explore the implementation of communication games to improve speaking ability. In this phase, the observer uses observation notes for gathering the result of observation dealing with the teacher performance, the students’ participation, the result of evaluation, the real situation and condition in classroom when implementation of the action. At this observing stage, which aims to collect data, the researcher and the collaborator have to define the type of data to be collected, the data sources, the instrument to collect the data, and the technique of data collecting.

4. Reflecting

In this phase, the researcher and the teacher analyze data to determine how far the data collected have shown the success of the strategy in solving the problem. If there still be found some problems it need to goes on the next cycle with same. Then, they revised the lesson plan to find out some weakness in the instructional activities that have been done. This reflection is aimed to improve the instructional activities in the class and as a basis to formulate the lesson plan in the next cycle. Reflection is the process which is done by both teachers also the writer. They are analyzing Reflection also shows what factors support the success of the strategy or what other problems may occur during the implementation process. The discussion on data analysis is done under the reflection stage. The analysis of the result of observation is done by comparing the data collected with the target or the criteria of success. The reflection stage is aimed at evaluating which criterion or target of success has been achieved, which one has not been achieved, and what are the possible reasons that those targets are not achieved yet. The result of the reflection is used to determine what part of the strategy needs improvement. The strategy is examined to find out how maximum improvement can possibly be made so that when implemented again all the targets of success can be achieved. The revised strategy planning is then implemented again, the result is observed, and then reflected in the second cycle. The cycle is repeated until the implementation of the strategy can achieve all the targeted criteria of success. Below is the brief explanation of what the writer does within these four phases in two cycles. To solve the new problem, the researcher moves on to the next cycle until she gains success. We can see the cycles at the following figure below: Figure 3.2 Problem solving cycles activities of CAR modified by the writer 5 5 Supardi, Penelitian Tindak Kelas, Jakarta: Bumi Aksara, 2009, p. 177 Planning Revised Planning Reflecting Observing Re-acting Acting Re-Reflecting Re-observing Below is the brief explanation of what the writer does within implementing the Classroom Action Research: Figure 3.3 Research Procedures of CAR

D. Data and Data Sources

E. PLANNING - Designing lesson plan - Preparing the model of communication games - Preparing the materials and media - Setting the criteria of success. ACTING - Give expressions and vocabularies needed - Explain the instruction for practicing - Practice sharing information with restricted cooperation - Students Performing game in speaking class OBSERVING - Observe the class condition - Observe the teacher perform - Observe students’ participation. REFLECTING - Evaluate teaching and learning process - Analyze students’ achievement - Revise the action planning for the next cycle RE-ACTING - Explain the instruction for practicing of group working - Group work sharing and processing information - Discuss and evaluate a group decision to the whole class REVISED PLANNING - Identify the problem in cycle 1 - Revise the lesson plan - Reselect the topic and teaching aid which will motivate students - Strengthen students’ motivation to speak English - Develop the activities toward spontaneous speak. RE - REFLECTING - Analyze students’ progress in speaking English based on their score in the test. - Make a report of research. RE- OBSERVING - Observe students’ participation. - Observe students’ achievement. - Observe students’ achievement in group work. PRELIMINARY STUDY - Observing the class - Interviewing the English teacher - Giving questionnaire to the student - Carry out Pretest ANALISYS AND FINDINGS Analysis : Analyzing the result of preliminary study Finding : Result of students’ problem in speaking skill - The students have difficulty to express their ideas in using English - The students lack of practicing English speaking. - The students felt doubtful to pronounce the word and sentence - The students lack of vocabulary - The students were passive in teaching learning speaking process - The teacher seldom created some instructional media - The students have low motivation to speak. Data and source of data in classroom action research consist of some resources: 1. Students The writer gets the data about students’ achievement. Besides that the researcher has to record all students’ activities in teaching learning speaking process. 2. Teacher The teacher here is the writer. She has to see the improvement of teaching speaking through communication games technique and the result of students’ achievement and also students’ activity in teaching learning process. 3. Collaborator Collaborator in this research is the real English teacher of SMP Yayasan Miftahul Jannah YMJ, he is Mr. Misbahuddin, S.Pd. He acts as an assessor or observer, to see the implementation of classroom action research comprehensively, both from teacher and students’ side.

F. Instruments and technique of data collection