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reasons for choosing this technique are because: 1 it stimulates the students to speak English, 2 Students really practice the language for communication, 3 it
makes it possible for students to help each other to correct their own mistakes. Helgesen.2001.
The discovery-discussion activity is best applied to students who have relatively adequate knowledge of English Tarigan.1988. In the formal education,
students who are supposed to have adequate knowledge of English are those in senior high school level, because they have been learning English for at least three
years out of six-years learning they will have when they finish high school. Nevertheless, since there is not a specific speaking class in a formal education, -
only in an English department at universities-, and the class in a formal education is usually too big in the number of students, I choose a private English course as
my research place, where speaking classes or it is usually called ‘conversation program class are available. And the research subjects I choose are students who
are sitting in intermediate-two level because their English knowledge is similar to that of senior high school level students see chapter two.
1.2 Identification of the Problem
From the background of study, I identify some problems which are related to my research, they are:
English learners in Indonesia have difficulties in mastering speaking skill communicative competence because of some problematic factors such as that in
vocabulary.
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Inappropriate teaching techniques will make the learning objective hard to achieve.
Discovery-discussion technique is an alternative technique in teaching speaking and improving students’ vocabulary mastery.
Discovery-discussion technique is best applied in a small class, which means it is hard to be used in a formal school where the number of students are
usually forty, but possible to be used in private English courses.
1.3 Limitation of the Problem
From the problems identified above, I would like to limit the problems on the use of discovery-discussion technique to improve intermediate-two students’
vocabulary mastery in a conversation class of a private English course. The reasons for limiting the problems are because: 1 the lack of vocabulary
is the most serious problem in mastering speaking, compares to the problems in grammar and pronunciation, 2 the combination of discovery and discussion
techniques is a good combination to teach both speaking and vocabulary because it stimulates the students to speak English, makes it possible for students to help each
other to correct their own mistakes, and the students really practice the language for communication, 3this technique is likely best applied to intermediate-two students
in a conversation class of a private English course.
1.4 Formulation of the Problem
Based on the background, the identification and the limitation of the problem, the problems can be formulated into this following question.
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Does the discussion-discovery technique in conversation classes of a private English course have better effect than vocabulary-drill discussion
technique in improving intermediate-two students vocabulary mastery?
1.5 Objective of the Study
