sometimes includes multiple exchanges or participants. Interactive speaking is divided into transactional dialogue which aims at exchanging
information and interpersonal dialogue which aimed at maintaining social relationships. The assessment can be done through interviews, role plays,
discussions, conversation, and games.
e. Extensive Monologue
Extensive speaking task involve complex, relatively lengthy stretches of discourse usually in the form of various monologues with
minimal verbal interaction. The assessment can be done through speeches, oral presentation, and story-telling.
Based on the explanation above, before assessing speaking, the teacher needs to prepare students with sufficient pronunciation, vocabulary,
and language functions to be used in communication. Furthermore, the assessment used is based on its type of speaking performance itself as
mentioned above. Through those conditions, it is expected that students can speak fluently and accurately and stude
nts‘ achievements in speaking can be assessed optimally as well.
B. Related Studies
There are some previous research studies which show that various communicative activities in teaching speaking can improve students‘ speaking
skills. First, a study done by Huff, c. 2012 in which the researcher used role play activity in an adult ESL level one class successfully improved students speaking
skills. The researcher showed that progression from simple, more guided activities
to more advanced; less supported, can be an effective approach to teaching a communicative task in the low-level classroom. Second, Oradee 2012 conducted
a study using three communicative activities discussion, problem-solving and role-
playing to improve the students‘ speaking skills. In the study that the researcher conducted, two findings were found. It was proven that the students‘
speaking abilities after using the three communicative activities were significantly higher than before and that the students‘ attitude towards teaching English
speaking skills using the three communicative activities were rated as good. Those research studies show that communicative activities could be
effective activities which provide students with a lot of opportunities to practice their English in certain contexts of real life. These activities are suitable for
English learners in all level and age. Thus, I believe that by conducting communicative activities, the speaking skills of Grade VIII.II of SMP N 8
Yogyakarta can be improved.
C. Conceptual Framework
English is very important because it is considered the international language which people from all over the world use in order to communicate with
one and another. People are required to master English both in written form as well as the oral form. Many people study English for getting a better opportunity
in their future career. However, based on the background of the study and the identification of the problems, the students still found some problems in learning
English. One of the problems is the low mastery of speaking skills, whereas speaking is one of the skills that the students need to master. To develop speaking
skills, English teachers need to enhance communicative competence of their students. The communicative competence consists of discourse competence,
linguistic competence, sociocultural competence, actional competence, and strategic competence Celce-Muria et.al., 1995:10. They need to provide students
with a lot of opportunities for students to learn to use the target language for example by conducting various activities such as games, role plays, conversations,
discussions, and many others. Therefore, later students are able to speak English fluently and accurately.
Communicative activities are suitable to be conducted in speaking class to improve students‘ speaking skills. First, we need to notice the definition of
speaking skills which are skills in expressing oneself about what is in the mind and in the heart in a communicative situation. The situation can be said to be
communicative if there is a gap between the speaker and the listener. Thus, communicative activities will be suitable to improve students‘ speaking skills
because those activities provide gaps between the speaker and the listener. Besides, the activities encourage students in producing, comprehending, or
interacting in various use of target language to communicate with many purposes. It means that students can practice to use English to communicate during speaking
class through these activities. Communicative activities can be in the forms of information gap activities, games, role plays, conversation, discussion, debate, and
so on. These kinds of activities are believed to be alternative ways to develop students‘ speaking skills.
Efforts to improve students‘ speaking skills can be made through action research. The research participants including the manager, the English teachers,
and the researcher need to work collaboratively in order to reach the success of the research. There are four steps in conducting the action research. The first step
is identifying the problems in the English teaching and learning process in Grade VIII.II of SMP N 8 Yogyakarta. The second step is planning the feasible actions
to be carried out. The third step is implementing the planned action. The last step is evaluating the result of the implemented actions. The research will be stopped
when students‘ speaking skills at Grade VIII.II of SMP N 8 Yogyakarta can be improved through communicative activities.
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD
This chapter discusses the research method employed in the study. This is presented in six headings that are the research setting, the research design, the
research data collection, the validity and reliability of the data, and the research procedure. The description of each heading is presented as follows.
A. Research Setting
This action research study was conducted in Junior High School named State Junior High School 8 of Yogyakarta. It is located at Prof. Dr. Kahar Muzakir 2
Yogyakarta road. In this school, there are of 922 students. They are 298 students of VII grade, 310 students of VIII grade, and 314 students of IX grade. The
quality of the students is quite good proved by the achievement in the last three years both in academic and non academic field. SMP N 8 Yogyakarta is
considered as a good school. The school is supported by the teachers of good qualities in their fields. All of them had passed the undergraduate program. This
school has adequate facilities such as a language laboratory, a music room, science laboratory, library, etc. Each facility is used effectively and efficiently in
order to improve the students‘ practice. SMP N 8 Yogyakarta is a large school in size with each grade consisting of ten
classrooms. Each class was thirty students. It has a headmaster office, a vice headmaster office, a teacher
s‘ office, an administration office, a meeting room, a consultation room, a secretariat room, a laboratory, a computer laboratory, a
PKK
room, a health center, a hall, a library, a language laboratory, a mosque, a
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