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implementations of improving students’ speaking skills of grade VIII
students of SMP N 2 Sewon through communicative language teaching activities.
C. Research Subject
The subjects of the research were VIII D students of SMP Negeri 2 Sewon, Bantul, Yogyakarta consisting of 26 students, 13 males and 13
females in the Academic Year 20152016.
D. Research Instruments
Instruments used in this research were pre and post tests, observation checklist, interview guidelines, and speaking assessment
rubric. Pre and post tests were aimed to get scores of speaking tests. Observation checklist was in the form of checked lists conducted in
teaching and learning processes. Interview guidelines were used to conduct interviews in both planning and reflection. The results of
interviews were in the form of interview transcripts. Speaking assessment rubric showed scores of students for the guideline of the speaking tests.
E. Research Procedure
This research was conducted in two cycles, where each cycle consists of planning, action, observing, and reflecting as proposed by
Kemmis and Taggart 1988 in Burns 2010: 7-8.
Figure 1: Model of Action Research by Kemmis and Taggart
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1 Reconnaissance In reconnaissance, the researcher conducted
classroom observations and interviews to find the field problems. To find the field problems, there was
identification of the field problems. After the observations, researcher had interviews with the English teacher and
some students related to the teaching and learning processes of speaking. Researcher also conducted pre test in the
second observations in the class. Regarding to the results of observations, interviews and the pre test, there were found
some field problems in the teaching and learning processes. Then the researcher selected the field problems based on
urgency and feasibility. The feasible field problems were decided based on time availability and the ability of the
researcher and the English teacher as the collaborator. After that, the researcher decided actions to the selected field
problems. 2 Planning
Each cycle was conducted in four meetings. In planning, the researcher planned the plans and the selected
field problems to be solved. To support the planning, the researcher prepared lesson plan based on the curriculum,
course grid and selected materials. In this research, the researcher and English teacher discussed and decided to
choose narrative texts. The researcher then also selected the materials and made handouts.The feasible field problems
were decided based on time availability and the ability of the researcher and the English teacher as the collaborator.
3 Action and Observation After
planning, the
researcher implemented
communicative activities to improve speaking skills of the
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students with the actions. During the actions, the researcher also did observations through writing field notes to write
difficulties that might occur. The observation checklist was used to check the activities done.
4 Reflection In this step, the researcher did the reflection after
accomplishing each cycle which was done in four meetings. The researcher conducted interviews with the English
teacher and some representative students as the reflection in the end of each cycle. The results of interviews and field
notes done during the implementations were used to decide the next actions.
F. Data Collection Techniques
