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b. Conducting Various Activities
The research would be conducted in several meetings. The activities in every meeting would be based on the lesson plans. In
addition, the activities would be in the form of group work, individual work, information-gap activities, discussions, role plays, and other
activities. The main purpose of the activities was to improve students’ speaking skills through cooperative learning. Thus, they should practise
to speak English and apply cooperative learning to maintain the communication.
c. Using Media
When conducting the action, we would need supporting equipment to make students understand the task and material more contextually and
easily. Therefore, there would be pictures, recordings, cards, and many other media to assist the instructional process. Pictures would be used to
assist the learning process that includes visualization as the input. Recordings would be used to assist the learning process that includes
sound as the input. Other media would be used to help the rundown of the action for some different purposes.
d. Using classroom English
Since the action research was about improving students’ speaking skills in English through cooperative learning, the classroom language
would be English itself. The purpose was to create real English-use environment in the classroom for the students. Thus, the students should
learn and practice to use English as their main language in the class.
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However, it would be allowed to use mother tongue to overcome very difficult proposition that they could neither express nor understand in
English. Still their main language in classroom would be English.
3. Action and Observation
If the planning was agreed together, actions would be implemented in the class. During actions, observation was also conducted. Every cycle
consisted of 6 meetings.
4. Reflection
Every time after each cycle of actions was completed, the reflection would be done. The purpose was to analyze and deepen our understanding
on what really happened in the classroom; whether the evidences during the action in terms of teaching and learning process and outcome implied the
level of success of the research. Those findings would be used as input or basis to make next planning and action.
F. Data Collection
The research data were in the form of qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data were in the form of field notes, videos, recordings,
interview transcripts, and photos. The quantitative data were in the form of students’ scores and questionnaires. The data were gathered both during the
class hour and outside the class hour. The field notes described the actions. They revealed the class situation,
media, materials, students’ responses, teacher’s actions, and the technique alongside with the activities. The recordings contained audio data. They were
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gathered by conducting interviews or conversations. In the interview session, we interviewed the students individually or in pairs. In conversation, we got
the data by evaluating the conversation process among the students. The photos contained visual data. The recordings of interviews and conversations
were converted into conversation and interview transcripts. The videos contained visual and audio data. They recorded the real situations of the class
and the process of interviews. We took notes to describe the situations of the class during the actions.
We conducted interviews both during the class and outside hour the class hour. We recorded the real situations of the class and interview processes in
the form of videos both whilst and outside the class hour. We got the data of conversations among students during the class process. We got the data of
students’ scores and questionnaires in both whilst the class and outside the class.
Thus, in order to gather the data, we used papers and mobile phones. The papers were used to gather the data in the written form. The mobile
phones were used to gather the data in the visual and audio form. G.
Data Analysis
After conducting the research, we analyzed the data from the field notes of the observation, interview transcripts, questionnairessurveys, and
students’ scores. The field notes, interview scripts, and questionnaires were analyzed according to qualitative data analysis. The students’ scores were
gathered from students’ speaking performances. The scores appeared after the speaking performances were assessed with a speaking rubric. Then the scores
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were accumulated and divided to get the means. The means were used as the quantitative data and they were compared to get some findings of the research
study.
H. Data Validity and Reliability
According to Anderson et al. in Burns 1999: 161-162, there are five validity criteria that should be fulfilled to get the data validity in an action
research. They are democratic validity, outcome validity, process validity, catalytic validity, and dialogic validity.
1. Democratic Validity
In order to build this validity, I allowed the ones who involved in the research to voice their opinion or view. I conducted discussions with
the teacher and my collaborator about how the classroom would run according to the lesson plans. We discussed our job in the class. I invited
the teacher’s and collaborator’s critics and suggestions to plan, implement, evaluate, and reflect the action. In addition, I accepted any
comment from the students to deepen my understanding about what really happened and students’ expectations were during the action.
Furthermore, I used those participants’ inputs to avoid bias when conducting the action and analyzing the data. After the actions are
implemented, I asked for my collaborator’s help to collect and analyze the data.
2. Outcome Validity
In order to validate the outcome, I evaluated periodically whether the objectives of the actions were suitable with the existing problems,
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