that it is a must to use the target language in presenting the new vocabulary and in communication, and the teacher must use the pictures, gestures, realia or by using the
target language that is familiar to the students in explaining the new words. In other words the Direct Method is regarded effective in teaching English speaking. Therefore,
in this thesis the researcher would like to identify the use of the Direct Method in teaching vocabulary in order to know its effectiveness in teaching speaking in the
language course.
B. Identification of the Problem
Many language learners regard speaking ability as the measure of knowing a language. That is why the main purpose of language learning is to develop
proficiency in speaking and communicative efficiency. They regard speaking as the most important skill they can acquire and asses their progress in terms of their
accomplishments in spoken communication. Speaking ability also becomes the main objective of language learning especially in every level of school in Indonesia.
Students are required to master speaking after graduating from their school in order to be able to communicate in English.
According to the researcher’s experience when she was studying English, speaking is the most difficult part for the students. The researcher finds out many
students in every level still have difficulty in speaking English although they are supposed to master it after graduating from their schools in order to be able to
communicate in the academic field. Although students have learned English for years,
many of them are still incapable to use English orally. These may be caused by the limitation of opportunity to practice, lack of vocabulary, psychological factors which
more concern to the fear of making mistakes when speaking English and also inappropriate method for the characteristic of the students. In addition, some parents
decided to take their children to study English more at a language course. The problem is what is the best method to conquer all of the problems above, in
general speaking. In order to be able to speak English well, students have to feel comfortable and confident in practicing their English. By feeling comfortable and
confident, students will not fear of making mistakes when speaking English. But on the other hand, many students always feel uncomfortable, unconfident, and fear of
making mistakes when speaking English. This fear and uncomfortable feeling can be caused by the inappropriate method that used by the teacher. In fact, there are many
teacher use inappropriate method in teaching speaking skill. They use teaching method that makes their students fell insecure, under pressure, and fear of making
mistakes. Therefore, as an additional class, learning English at a language course will help students to comprehend their skills. English teacher at a language course should
be able to encourage and motivate the students to learn the target language by using the appropriate method, especially for children. They should use an appropriate
method that makes their students feel comfortable, independent, autonomous, and responsible in learning English at the early age, so that they can experience of using
English directly.
Based on the problem, the researcher argues that the best method to be applied in teaching at a language course is the Direct Method. By using Direct Method in the
small group of the class, the students will experience English directly and naturally. It also can motivate students to speak more. In the teaching and learning process, the
teacher will drill English language from the first time, from the basic until the complex one, so that, students are not easy to forget the vocabulary or structure
related to the context, and they can generate the idea of situation in their mind using the vocabulary related to the idea. Beside that, students can directly know how to
pronounce words or sentences in a correct way.
C. Limitation of the Problem
