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Hence, there is indirect demand for the students to speak English communicatively as the tool to equip students towards the current
condition. Speaking English communicatively is also functional to deliver local wisdoms to foreign people who visit around the environment. Being
able to speak English communicatively is also supported by the school that declares itself as a cultural school upholding culture side by side with
education. That would be supposed to get a solution for the highlighted
problems. The researcher considered that the solution is by improving grade VIII students’ speaking ability of SMPN 2 Sewon through
communicative activities. Therefore, the researcher offered a research that is Improving Grade VIII Students’ Speaking Skills through
Communicative Activities of SMP N 2 Sewon in Academic Year 20152016.
B. Identification of the Problem
Derived from the background of the study, the researcher underlines three chief problems. They comprised students, the English
teacher and speaking technique. The first problem was grade VIII students. The grade VIII students
of SMP N 2 Sewon had below average speaking skills because speaking was hardly carried out. Students tended to be passive in the classroom
because the English teacher used monotonous learning activities. Students also had different backgrounds of knowledge of English. That influenced
their motivation and self-confidence to learn English especially speaking. They then became less motivated to engage and unwilling to participate to
the lesson. Then they got less exposure to learn speaking. Secondly, the English teacher of grade VIII tended to use speaking
materials into the form of monotonous reading and writing techniques. The teacher did not use speaking materials as how they should be. The
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English teacher lacked some various activities in teaching speaking too. The teaching and learning processes were still teacher-centred where it
should be learning-centred to reach communicative competence as one of the goals to learn English in Junior High School.
The last problem was speaking technique. One of the goals of learning English in Junior High School is to develop the competence of
written and spoken communication in functional level based on Badan Nasional Standar Pendidikan BNSP. All elements of learning English
should be directed to reach that goal, including teaching technique. Speaking materials and tasks in the provided textbook are likely to be
repetitive like answering questions orally, practicing dialogues, and such repetitious activities, so that the English teacher tended to use those
materials into the form of monotonous reading and writing techniques. Mostly teacher asked the students to read the dialog, and the text then
answer the following questions in written form. There should be speaking technique to equip students to reach communicative competence as the
goal of learning English in Junior High School.
C. Limitation of the Problem
