Participants of the Research Research Instruments

learning, such as their feelings about the use of particular classroom activities or the content of classroom materials. Burns 2010:74 states that interviews are a classic way in research to conduct a conversation that explores your focus area. Burgess in Burns 2010:74 has described them as “conversation with a purpose”. Interviews were used to gain information which cannot be gained through questionnaire. The data were gained personally since the type of interview is depth-interview. 3. Questionnaire Dornyei in Burns 2010:81 notes that questionnaires can get you three types of information: factual or demographic who the interviewees are and their backgroundexperiences, behavioural what they do, or did in the past, attitudiual attitudes, opinions, beliefs, interests and values. 4. Documentation Burns 1999:101 cites that in action research, the use of photograph is under- explored. Photographic data give a way of richly illuminating numerous aspects of the classroom quickly and relatively in expensively and providing new angles on the context being researched. Photographs are a way of enhancing classroom analysis and providing visual stimuli which can be integrated into reporting and presenting the research to others, used with other qualitative techniques. Recording through the videotape andor audiotape was done to monitor and to evaluate the actions. Meanwhile, the quantitative data were gained through pre- test, progress test and post-test to measure the improvement of students’ speaking skills. 5. Tests To see the students’ progress in term of their speaking skills, the researcher will use tests as the instrument. A pre-test will be given to measure the students’ current ability, while a post-test will be given to measure students’ speaking skills development. The test was conducted twice, in the last meeting of each cycle. The researcher asked them to do a conversation in a pair, in the form of role play for testing the students.

F. Data Analysis Technique

The data were in the form of field notes, interview transcripts and students’ speaking scores. The researcher used the qualitative and quantitative descriptive analysis to analyze the data. There are some useful steps to get an overall framework for the analysis according to Brown 1999:157-160: 1. Assembling the data Collect all the data you have as well as any ongoing reflections you have made about them. Review your initial andor your revised questions. Start going though your data and look for broad patterns, ideas or trends that seem to answer your questions. 2. Coding the data Based on the broad picture you have developed, start refining it by coding your data into more specific patterns or categories coding is discussed in more detail in the next section. Identify which of your data sources you can code quantitatively e.g. questionnaires. 3. Comparing the data Once your coding is complete, compare the categories or patterns across your different sets of data e.g. interviews compared with surveys to see whether they say the same thing or whether there are contradictions that you can highlight. Develop tabs, barpie charts or sets of quotes to set the data out and display them in a concise form. 4. Building interpretations Think deeply about what the data are saying by reflecting beyond the immediate surface details. Look for more abstract ‘big picture’ concepts and not just step-by-step descriptions of what you have found. Pose questions, identify connections, and develop explanations about what the research means at the broadest level of your understanding of it. Refine your own ‘personal theories’ about the meanings of this research. 5. Reporting the outcomes Think about how you can present your research and what you have found to tell others. Consider how you will organize the whole ‘story of your research’ from beginning to end and not just the analysis and findings. By using quantitative descriptive analysis, the quantitative data obtained from speaking performances were analyzed. The quantitative data were presented in the form of tables and mean scores. The mean was used to represent the central tendency of the scores. It was also used to know the improvement of the students after the cycles were done.

G. The Research Procedure

According to Kemmis and McTaggart 1988 in Burns 2010, there are some steps in conducting the research. They are: 1. Determining the thematic concern on the reconnaissance The first step in conducting this research is determining the thematic concern. The researcher observed the teaching and learning process in class VIII. Then, the researcher discussed with the English teacher about the existing problems. 2. Planning To improve the students’ speaking skills, the researcher worked together with another researcher, and the English teacher. The aim of the action is to improve the students’ speaking skills using audio-visual aids to support the communicative teaching. The action plans were planned as follows: a. using audio-visual aids in teaching speaking, b. reviewing the materials and media, c. testing the students’ speaking skills. 3. Action and Observation Some action plans were implemented in the classroom in some cycles, depend on the research study itself. Each cycle was done in about three meetings. Besides implementing some action plans, the researcher and the collaborator observed and recorded the teaching and learning process, and did the interview with some students of grade VIII C after the action had been done. All the members involved in the research discussion based on the actions analysis. The result of the discussion was important to serve as an evaluation for the implementation of the action plans to improve the next actions.