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CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD
A. Type of the Research
This research is categorized as action research, a research that becomes increasingly significant in contemporary professional teaching practices. There
have been numerous definitions of action research proposed by some experts. According to Kemmis and Mc Taggart 1992:24 action research is a form
of collective self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own social or educational
practices, as well as their understanding of these practices and the situations in which the practices are carried out.
According to Harmer 2001:344 action research is the name which is given to series of procedures teachers can engage in, either because they wish to
improve aspects of their teaching or because they wish to evaluate the success and or appropriacy of certain activities and procedures.
Here are some characteristics of action research as stated by Burns 1999:30 1.
Action research is contextual, small-scale and localized-it identifies and investigates problems within a specific situation.
2. It is evaluative and reflective as it aims to bring about change and
improvement in practice. 3.
It is participatory as it provides for collaborative investigation by teams of colleagues, practitioners and researchers.
4. Changes in practice are based on the collection of information or data
which provides the impetus for change. This research was conducted in a particular setting, that is, in the
classroom situations. For that reason, I collaborated with the English teacher to carry out the research. In order to be able to improve the speaking learning
process of seventh grade students, there were some steps to be followed. There are many different models of action research from many experts. I used from Kemmis
and McTaggart’s model. The steps are planning, action, observation, and
reflection Kemmis and McTaggart in Burns 1999:32. The figure of those steps is represented as below:
Figure 1: Action Research Model by Kemmis and McTaggart
B. Subject of the Research