THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL.

(1)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING

TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

(A Classroom Action Research at One of Elementary Schools in Bandung)

A Research Paper

Submitted to the English Education Department of FPBS UPI as a Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

Fitria Lathufirdaush

0908875

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

INDONESIA UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION

(2)

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING

TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

(A Classroom Action Research at One of Elementary Schools in Bandung)

Oleh

Fitria Lathufirdaush

Sebuah skripsi yang diajukan untuk memenuhi salah satu syarat memperoleh gelar Sarjana pada Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni

Januari 2014

Hak Cipta dilindungi undang-undang.

Skripsi ini tidak boleh diperbanyak seluruhya atau sebagian, dengan dicetak ulang, difoto kopi, atau cara lainnya tanpa ijin dari penulis.

(3)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu PAGE OF APPROVAL

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

(A Classroom Action Research at One of Elementary School in Bandung)

A Research Paper

Fitria Lathufirdaush 0908875

Approved by:

Main Supervisor,

Ika Lestari Damayanti, S.Pd., M.A. NIP. 197709192001122001

Co-Supervisor,

Iyen Nurlaelawati, S.Pd., M.Pd. NIP. 197709062009122002

Head of English Education Department Faculty of Language and Arts Education

Indonesia University of Education

Prof. Dr. Didi Suherdi, M.Ed. NIP. 196211011987121001

(4)

Abstrak

Penelitian ini memberikan penjelasan tentang implementasi pengajaran bahasa Inggris menggunakan Theme-Based Teaching untuk meningkatkan keterampilan berbicara pelajar muda. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi: (1) peningkatan keterampilan berbicara pelajar muda dari implementasi Theme-Based Teaching, dan (2) tantangan yang dihadapi oleh guru dalam mengajar keterampilan berbicara kepada pelajar muda menggunakan Theme-Based Teaching. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan menggunakan desain penelitian tindakan kelas yang melibatkan 32 siswa dari kelas II sebuah Sekolah Dasar di Bandung. Penelitian ini dilakukan menggunakan dua siklus yang terdiri dari perencanaan, tindakan, observasi dan refleksi. Sedangkan data dari penelitian ini dikumpulkan melalui observasi, penilaian berbicara dan wawancara. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa ada peningkatan keterampilan berbicara siswa yang meliputi beberapa aspek, yaitu meliputi kosa kata , pengucapan dan tata bahasa. Selain itu, ditemukan pula bahwa ada beberapa tantangan dalam proses implementasi Theme-Based

Teaching untuk mengajar berbicara. Tantangan tersebut dikategorikan berdasarkan

karakteristik berdasarkan teori Pinter (2006), diantaranya pengabaian siswa, keegoisan siswa, rasa ingin tahu siswa dan hiperaktivitas siswa. Semua tantangan ini terjadi terutama dalam kegiatan awal dan kegiatan inti pada penelitian ini. Oleh karena itu, dianjurkan kepada guru yang akan mengimplementasikan Theme-Based Teaching untuk merencanakan kegiatan dan media dengan sangat hati-hati guna menghadapi tantangan dan membuat proses belajar mengajar lebih efektif.

Kata kunci: pelajar muda, Sekolah Dasar, keterampilan berbicara, Theme-Based Teaching

Abstract

This research gives an account on the implementation of Theme-Based Teaching to improve young learners’ speaking skill. The aims of this research are to identify: (1) the improvement of young learners’ speaking skill toward the implementation of Theme -Based Teaching; and (2) the challenges faced by the teacher in teaching speaking to young learners using Theme-Based Teaching. This research was conducted using classroom action research design which involved 32 students of a second grade of an Elementary school in Bandung. A two-repeated cycle was conducted in this research which consisted of planning, acting, observing and reflecting. Furthermore, the data of this research were gathered through observations, speaking assessments and interview. The findings reveal that there was improvement of the students’ speaking skill which covered some aspects, including vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. It was also found that there were some challenges in the process of implementing Theme-Based Teaching to teach speaking. Those challenges were categorized based on young learners’ characteristics suggested by Pinter (2006), including students’ ignorance, students’ selfishness, students’ curiosity and students’ hyperactivity. All of these challenges occurred mostly in the pre and main activities of this research. Thus, it is recommended for teachers to plan the activities and media very carefully before implementing Theme-Based Teaching in order to deal with the challenges and make the process of teaching and learning more effective.

(5)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE ... i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... ii

ABSTRACT ... iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... iv

LIST OF TABLES ... vi

LIST OF FIGURES ... vii

LIST OF CHARTS ... viii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ... 1

1.1 Background ... 1

1.2 Research Questions ... 4

1.3 Aims of the Research ... 4

1.4 Scope of the Research ... 4

1.5 Significances of the Research ... 4

1.6 Clarification of Terms ... 5

1.7 Organization of the Paper ... 6

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FOUNDATION ... 7

2.1 The Characteristics of Young Learners ... 7

2.2 Teaching Speaking to Young Learners ... 10

2.3 Theme-Based Teaching in Language Learning ... 16

2.4 Teaching Speaking to Young Learners Using Theme-Based Teaching.. 19

2.5 Concluding Remark... 22

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ... 24

3.1 Statement of Problems ... 24

3.2 Research Design ... 24

3.3 Site and Respondents... 31

3.4 Data Collection ... 31

(6)

3.4.1.1 Video Recording ... 32

3.4.1.2 Field notes... 32

3.4.2 Speaking Assessments ... 34

3.4.3 Interview ... 37

3.5 Data analysis ... 38

3.5.1 Data Reduction ... 38

3.5.2 Data display ... 40

3.5.3 Conclusion... 41

3.6 Reliability and Validity ... 41

3.7 Concluding Remark... 41

CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ... 42

4.1 The Implementation of Theme-Based Teaching to Improve Students’ Speaking Skill ... 42

4.1.1 Vocabulary ... 44

4.1.2 Pronunciation... 53

4.1.3 Grammar ... 60

4.2 The Challenges in the Process of Teaching And Learning ... 67

4.2.1 Students’ Ignorance ... 67

4.2.2 Students’ Selfishness ... 69

4.2.3 Students’ Curiosity ... 71

4.2.4 Students’ Hyperactivity ... 72

4.3 Concluding Remark... 75

CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ... 76

5.1 Conclusions ... 76

5.2 Suggestions ... 77

REFERENCES ... 79 APPENDICES

(7)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu1

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

This chapter briefly presents the overall research outline. It includes the background of the research, the research questions, the aims of the research, the scope of the research, the significance of the research, the clarification of related terms, and the organization of the paper.

1.1Background

English in Indonesian context takes its status as a foreign language (EFL) which is only learnt and used by students in any different levels of education. Since 1994, primary school students have been taught English as a subject at school. It proved that the government considered English as important to be familiarized to students in early age (Hawanti, 2011).

From the time when English was started to become one of the subjects in the primary schools in Indonesia, the government has made some changes to the national curriculum, namely 1994, 2004, curriculum of KTSP 2006 (School Based Curriculum) and the latest one is 2013 national curriculum (Taufik, 2013). Based on the curriculum of KTSP 2006, the status of English in elementary schools in Indonesia was local content subject in which each school had full authority to decide whether English would be taught as subject or even omitted. It is supported by Hawanti (2011) who states that the consideration of teaching English in

primary schools depends on the schools’ readiness, particularly with the teacher

resources, learning resources and curriculum. In spite of this, according to Ministry of Education and Culture (2012), the latest national curriculum which is thematic integration changes the previous status of English subject in primary school into extracurricular. It means that English is no longer a subject that is officially taught to students in the classroom.

However, according to Ministry of Education and Culture (2013), it is revealed that 2013 national curriculum is implemented only in 2% from the total 148.695 elementary schools in Indonesia, specifically 2.598 pilot schools

(8)

(Sumadi, 2013 as cited in Aziz, 2013). It indicates that English is still taught as a local content in 98% elementary schools. As the preparation of the total implementation of this latest curriculum in the whole schools, there is an approach that accomplishes the educational policy of applying thematic integration curriculum, namely Theme-Based Teaching approach.

In accordance with Cameron (2001, p. 180), “the essential notion of

theme-based teaching is that many different activities are linked together by their contents; the theme or topic runs through everything that happens in the classroom

and acts as a connecting thread for pupils and teacher.” It is a similar idea with the

thematic integration curriculum which requires the teaching and learning activities to integrate each other under one theme with the intention that students can acquire in-depth study of the content (“What are thematic”, 2012). Thus, instigating Theme-Based Teaching can also be defined as instigating thematic integration curriculum.

Additionally, based on Cameron’s viewpoint (2001), Theme-Based Teaching approach suits the way young learners naturally learn. It provides lots of linked activities that allow students who commonly have high enthusiasm to participate actively in the teaching and learning process. Hence, it is teachers’ responsibility to design the whole activities as meaningful and attractive with the

purpose of stimulating learners’ curiosity to be involved within something rather

than only keep silent and listen to their teacher’s explanation (Harmer, 1991). In the case of teaching EFL to young learners, speaking is assumed as the most important skill to master for the reason that a new language is largely introduced orally, understood orally and aurally, practised and automatised orally. (Cameron, 2001 and Nazara, 2011). However, foreign language learners lack of exposure to use English in communication or interaction (Damayanti, 2010). This is an obstacle that should be faced both by the EFL teachers and learners. This reality is supported by the following statement of Cameron (2001).

(9)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu

The central characteristics of foreign language learning lie in the amount of exposure to the language: there will be very little experience of the language outside the classroom, and encounters with the language will be through several hours of teaching in a school week.(p. 11).

Since this research was done in Indonesian context which English has status as foreign language (EFL), a classroom observation was accomplished before implementing Theme-Based Teaching in order to find out the real condition of the site and respondents in learning English. As a result, it was revealed that students usually learn English through textbook with some unsystematic themes and without sufficient exposures to really speak up in the classroom.

Therefore, Theme-Based Teaching is an appropriate approach to be implemented to teach speaking to EFL young learners, especially in this research. The teachers can invent various linked activities which offer lots of opportunities for students to speak up in the classroom. It is important since classroom is young

learners’ primary source of language learning (Cameron, 2001).

A prior study about the implementation of Theme-Based Teaching had been done by Yang (2009) in English as Second Language (ESL) young learners’ English course in Hong Kong. The result of his study proves that most students gave positive responses toward the implementation of Theme-Based Teaching approach because they found many new vocabularies (Yang, 2009).

This research adapts Yang’s study in case of implementing the same

approach to teach English to young learners with some different features. Firstly, this research is done in more formal context of Education, which is second grade of elementary school. Secondly, the degree of English in Indonesia is a foreign language (EFL). Lastly, this research focuses only on speaking skill of the respondents.

As a final point, this research represents the implementation of Theme-Based Teaching to young learners in an elementary school in Bandung. This

research addresses to find out the improvement of students’ speaking skill and the

(10)

1.2Research Questions

Based on the background of the problem that has been mentioned above, therefore the issues of this research are formulated as follow:

1. To what extent can Theme-Based Teaching improve students’ speaking skill? 2. What are the challenges faced by the teacher in implementing Theme-Based

Teaching to teach speaking to young learners?

1.3Aims of the Research

In accordance with the research questions, the aims of this research are to identify:

1. The improvement of students’ speaking skill toward the implementation of Theme-Based Teaching.

2. The challenges faced by the teacher in teaching speaking to young learners using Theme-Based Teaching.

1.4Scope of the Research

This research focuses on identifying: (1) the improvement of students’

speaking skill which covers some aspects including vocabularies, pronunciation and grammar; and (2) the challenges faced by the teacher in teaching speaking to young learners using Theme-Based Teaching.

1.5Significances of the Research

This research is expected to give input to teaching and learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to young learners. Theoretically, the result of this research is expected to contribute to the theories of English language teaching to young learners. Furthermore, this research can be a reference for the future studies. Practically, this research is expected to give an alternative approach for EFL teachers in teaching speaking to young learners since it gives the description of the process of implementing Theme-Based Teaching approach started from the planning, action, and reflection.

(11)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu 1.6Clarification of Terms

The followings are some terms which are frequently used in this research. In order to avoid the misunderstanding about the terms, the researcher provides the clarification below:

1. Foreign language (FL)

Foreign language is a second language that is not widely used in the

learners’ immediate social context, but rather one that might be used for future

travel or other cross-cultural communication situations, or one that might be studied as a curricular requirement or elective in school with no immediate or necessary practical application (Saville-troike, 2006, p. 188).

2. Young learners

In the field of this research, the terms young learners only refer to children who are in the second grade of elementary school whose age ranging from seven to eight years old.

3. Theme-based teaching

Theme-based teaching (also termed theme-based instruction or topic-based teaching) is one of the approaches within the broader model of content-based instruction (CBI) 4 in which the emphasis is on exposing students to a “highly

contextualized” second language environment by using the subject matter as the

content of language learning. It is an approach in which different areas of the curriculum are integrated instead of being separated into different subjects (Wesche & Skehan, 2002, p. 220 as cited in Yang, 2009, p. 162).

4. Speaking skill

Speaking skill in this research refers to one of two productive skills in a language teaching which is used to build and share meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts (Chaney, 1988 as cited in Kayi, 2006 and Harmer, 2007).

(12)

1.7Organization of the Paper

This paper has been organized into five chapters, as follow:

Chapter I Introduction

The first chapter presents a brief overview on background of the research, the research questions, the aims of the research, the scope of the research, the significance of the research, the clarification of related terms, and the organization of the paper.

Chapter II Theoretical Foundation

This chapter begins by describing the theoretical features of the research, which are: (1) the characteristics of young learners; (2) teaching speaking to young learners; (3) theme-based teaching in language learning; and (4) teaching speaking to young learners using theme-based teaching.

Chapter III Research Methodology

This chapter elaborates the methodology of the research including the statement of problems, the research design, the site and respondents, the data collection, the data analysis, and the reliability and validity.

Chapter IV Findings and Discussion

Chapter IV conveys the result of the research in form of the description of the findings and discussion.

Chapter V Conclusions and Suggestions

Finally, chapter V displays the conclusion of the research and suggestions for the teacher and future research based on the results found by the researcher.

(13)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu24 CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the methodology of this research. It covers the statement of problems, the research design, the site and respondents, the data collection, the data analysis, and the reliability and validity.

1.1Statement of Problems

This research is intended to answer the questions below.

1. To what extent can Theme-Based Teaching improve students’ speaking skill? 2. What are the challenges faced by the teacher in implementing Theme-Based

Teaching to teach speaking to young learners?

1.2Research Design

Classroom Action Research (CAR) is employed as the design of this research. It is deemed suitable for this research since it allows the researcher to examine practically the improvement of students’ speaking skill as a result of her own educational practice in implementing Theme-Based teaching in the second grade of Elementary school (Ferrance, 2000 and McNiff & Whitehead, 2002). This statement is supported by Hult and Lennung (1980) and McKernan (1991, pp. 32-33) as cited in Cohen, et al (2007, p. 299) who suggested that action research “seeks to improve the quality of human actions.”

This research was conducted using Kemmis and McTaggart’s model of action research that involves four stages in a cycle of research. The cycle consists of self-reflective spirals of planning, action, observation, and reflection. It is recursive in nature in which the cycle can be repeated until the researcher achieves a satisfactory outcome and feels it is time to end (Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988 as cited in Burns, 2010). This model of action research is illustrated by the following figure.

(14)

Figure 3.1. Action Research Spiral

(Kemmis & McTaggart, 2000 cited in Koshy, 2005, p. 4)

In action research, every personnel should have their own role and status (Carr & Kemmis, 1986; Marshall & Rossman, 2006 as cited in Emilia, 2008). Hence, this research used participant observation where the researcher took role both as teacher and observer. It corroborates the function of action research which is designed to bridge the gap between research and practice (Somekh, 1995, p. 340 as cited in Cohen, et al, 2007). This statement is in line with O’Brien’s view shared by Dick in Hien (2009) who says that action research is a natural way of acting and researching at the same time. Meanwhile, there was also second researcher provided in this research whose task was to observe the teaching learning process. This second observer was the previous English teacher of the

respondents’ class. Her existence in this research made non-participant

observation took place since she observed the classroom activities without directly being involved in the situation being observed (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2006).

(15)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu

In order to answer the problems of the research, a two-repeated cycle was conducted in this research. Each cycle consisted of some steps, including planning, actions, speaking assessments, observations, reflection. The details of the steps are explained specifically below.

1. Planning

Planning was the first step which was carried out before conducting the research. In this step, plans for actions were developed including selecting a theme, developing lesson plans and designing scoring system for the speaking assessments. In terms of selecting a theme, the SKKD given by the school was the main consideration in drafting some possible themes. Finally, “Best Friend” was assumed as the most appropriate theme for the reason that the materials could be accessed also from students’ textbook.

After that, the lesson plan for each action was developed based on the selected theme, SKKD and students’ textbook. The lesson plans were interrelated each other since they were designed based on sub themes taken from the main theme, that is “Best Friend”. Those sub themes were including “He is tall”, “He is seven years old”, “He likes drawing”, and “He lives in Bandung”.

Lastly, for the reason that the speaking assessments were conducted along with the actions, the scoring system was also designed in the planning step. There were three aspects of speaking which were assessed to the students, namely

vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. The scoring system was adapted from

Linse (2005) with some modifications in the criteria of the scores which were

made based on students’ real condition. (See table 3.3. to access the detail of the

scoring system).

2. Action

In this step, the plans that had been developed in the planning step were implemented in the teaching and learning processes. The actions in this research were conducted twice in each cycle. The activities conducted in each action were divided into three steps, including pre activity, main activity and post activity.

(16)

In the pre activity, students were prepared before starting the lesson. The teacher checked students’ attendance and asked their condition. In the first meeting, students and teacher made a regulation together about what they should and should not do during the learning process. While in the next three meetings, students were reminded about the regulation they had made. After that, they were invited to sing a song entitled “good morning song” for the reason that the lesson was started in the morning. Singing activity helped teacher and students to create pleasurable atmosphere in the classroom. To finish, students were told about the material of the day.

Next, main activity was divided into three parts, namely exploration, elaboration and confirmation (“Peraturan Menteri”, 2007). In exploration, students were given a context in order to create meaningful learning which is one of the principles of Theme-Based Teaching (Brown, 2001). They were familiarized to the theme of the lesson by doing brainstorming activity with the teacher. It was intended to connect students’ prior knowledge with the material. This brainstorming activity resulted the key words and expressions they would use during the lesson. Then, teacher guided the students to drill the key words and expressions. Afterwards, the elaboration was started by playing games which required the students to speak up using the key words and expressions introduced before. The games were group work in the first cycle. However, due to the fact that there were some challenges occurred by doing group work, in the second cycle students were asked to work in pair. Finally, in the confirmation, teacher asked students to describe their friend using the key words and expressions they learnt individually.

The last activity of the action is post activity. At this point, teacher and students reviewed the material together and discussed about students’ favorite activity. Then, teacher ended the lesson by greeting the students. (See appendix I to access the detail of lesson plans).

(17)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu 3. Speaking Assessment

The next step is speaking assessment. The speaking assessments in this research were conducted every meeting together with the actions at the end of the teaching and learning processes. Students were asked to describe their friend orally and individually using the key words and expressions they learnt. Then, the teacher with the assistance of second observer gave score for students’ performance using the scoring system adapted from Linse (2005). The speaking assessments were done in order to measure students’ speaking improvement toward the implementation of Theme-Based Teaching.

4. Observation

Observation was conducted where the action and speaking assessment were in progress. In this step, the action and speaking assessment were recorded using video recorder and field notes. It was conducted with the intention of observing the implementation of the plans made in the planning step. The focus of the observations was on the challenges occurred in the implementation of Theme-Based Teaching in teaching speaking to young learners. (See appendix III to access the detail of video transcription and appendix IV for the field notes).

5. Reflection

The last step is reflection. In this step, the data gathered from the previous steps were analyzed to find out whether there should be any changes and revisions for the next cycle.

The steps explained above were repeated in the second cycle of this research. The process of conducting the research was done in two months from August to September 2013. The schedule of the research is presented in Table 3.1. below.

(18)

Table 3.1. Time Schedule No C yc le Plan Activity

Time (Month & Week)

August ‘13 September ‘13

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1. Classroom Observation x

2. C Y C L E 1 PLANNING

Choosing a theme: Best Friend x

Choosing sub-themes: - He is tall

- He is seven years old

Designing lesson plans using

Theme-Based Teaching approach x Preparing instruments and instructional

media for the teaching process x

ACTION AND OBSERVATION

Action 1 & Speaking assessment 1 x

Action 2 & Speaking assessment 2 x

4. REFLECTION x

5. C Y C L E 2 PLANNING

Choosing new sub themes from the previous theme (Best Friend): - He likes drawing

- He lives in Bandung

Designing lesson plans using

Theme-Based Teaching approach x Preparing instruments and instructional

media for the teaching process x

ACTION AND OBSERVATION

Action 1 & Speaking assessment 1 x

Action 2 & Speaking assessment 2 x

7. REFLECTION x

8. Interview

In addition to the time schedule above, the details of the materials delivered in each cycle is presented specifically in the following table.

(19)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu Table 3.2. Lesson Schedule

Cycle Actions

Sub-themes

Learning Objectives

Vocabularies Communication Objectives Language

Objectives

Action 1

(27-8-2013) He is tall

1.To mention at least four keywords related to physical appearance correctly;

2.To use expressions “He is... / She is...” correctly.

 He is...

 She is...

Tall Short Slim Fat Action 2 (3-9-2013) He is seven years old

1.To mention at least four keywords related to physical appearance correctly;

2.To mention at least ten keywords related to numbers correctly; 3.To use expressions “He

is... (years old) / She is... (years old)” correctly.

 He is...

 She is...

 He is... years old.

 She is... years old. Recycled vocabularies: Tall, Short, Slim, Fat New vocabularies: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve. 2 Action 1 (7-9-2013) He likes drawing

1.To mention at least four keywords related to physical appearance correctly;

2.To mention at least ten keywords related to numbers correctly; 3.To mention at least five

keywords related to hobbies correctly; 4.To use expressions “He

is... (years old) / She is... (years old) / He likes... / She likes...” correctly.

 He is...

 She is...

 He is... years old.

 She is... years old.

 He likes...

 She likes...

Recycled vocabularies: Tall, Short, Slim, Fat One – Twelve . New vocabularies: Singing Dancing Drawing Reading Swimming Action 2 (11-9-2013) He lives in Bandung

1.To mention at least four keywords related to physical appearance correctly;

2.To mention at least ten keywords related to numbers correctly; 3.To mention at least five

keywords related to hobbies correctly; 4.To use expressions “He

is... (years old) / She is...(years old) / He likes.../She likes.../He lives in... / She lives in...” correctly.

 He is...

 She is...

 He is... years old.

 She is... years old.

 He likes...

 She likes...

 He lives in...

 She lives in...

Recycled vocabularies: Tall, Short, Slim, Fat One - Twelve Singing Dancing Drawing Reading Swimming

(20)

1.3Site and Respondents

This research was conducted in a primary school located in Bandung. This school was chosen as the site of the research due to the fact that it has a good partnership with Indonesia University of Education (UPI). A number of 32 students of Class 2B of this school were chosen as respondents of this research. They belonged to younger children group in pertain to their age, which were 7 to 8 years old (Harley et al., 1995 as cited in Cameron, 2001) and were in the concrete-operational stage as suggested by Piaget as cited in Nunan (2011). Additionally, the students of this grade had learnt English in the previous level. It was supposed that they had been ready to be introduced to the activities that could improve their speaking skill.

Furthermore, the students’ previous English teacher was interviewed in order to get the specific information about their prior speaking skill. The results of the interview are explicated below.

1. The students had recognized the English alphabets from A to Z; 2. The students had recognized the English numbers from zero to twenty; 3. The students had basic vocabularies related to animals and colours;

4. The students had not learnt about simple language features such as “I am...,

this is..., that is...”

5. The students had not recognized teacher’s instructions such as “Stand up” and “Sit down”

1.4Data Collection

With the intention of gathering objective data, this research applied triangulation to combine some instruments in collecting the data. It was chosen to enable the researcher to compare, contrast and cross-check if the data from one source was backed up by other evidence and construct a more reliable picture (Burns, 2010 and McNiff & Whitehead, 2002). Furthermore, according to Campbell and Fiske (1959, as cited in Cohen, et al, 2007, p. 141), “triangulation is a powerful way of demonstrating concurrent validity, particularly in qualitative

(21)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu

research.” Thus, the instruments utilized in this research were observations, speaking assessments, and interview.

3.4.1 Observations

Observation is an important instrument both in qualitative and quantitative research method. It was conducted in this research in order to enable the researcher to gather data directly at what is taking place in situ in a natural way and appraise educational experience first-hand rather than depend on the information stated by the respondents (Cohen, et al, 2007 and Scott & Morrison, 2006). Additionally, according to Hatch (2002, p. 72), observation also enables the researcher to understand the culture, setting, or social phenomenon being studied from the perspectives of the participants.

3.4.1.1Video Recording

Video recording was used in this research in order to gather the real and authentic data related to students’ participation and attitudes during the observation (Koshy, 2005). Additionally, as stated by Hatch (2002), video recording can be used to ensure the accuracy of the data since it can be replayed over and over again. By means of employing this instrument, the researcher was able to examine the improvements of students’ speaking skill on the use of Theme-Based Teaching and discover the problems that occur in the process of teaching learning in the classroom.

In this research, the video recording was conducted in every meeting of the cycles, including actions and observations. The data was transcribed to reduce the process of analyzing data. (See Appendix III to access the details of the video recording transcription).

3.4.1.2Field notes

In view of the fact that one of the aims of this research was to identify the problems that occur in teaching speaking by using Theme-Based Teaching, the researcher made use of field notes to make the process of collecting data easier. It

(22)

is in line with Cohen, et al (2007) who state that field note is one of some techniques that can be used to gather data. As the video recording and observation forms, the field note was also used in each meeting of the cycles in this research. The field note focused on two main points, including problems and recommendations. Furthermore, the information taken from field notes was used to support the data from other instruments of this research. (See Table 3.3. to access the example of the field notes).

Table 3.3. Field Notes

No. Challenges Challenges

Pre activity Main Activity Post Activity

1. Students’ ignorance

2. Students’ selfishness

3. Students’ curiosity

(23)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu 3.4.2 Speaking Assessments

Speaking assessments were applied in this research in order to record the data of students’ speaking improvement. It is done in form of formative

assessment since the data of students’ score were used to check students’ progress

in mastering the aspects of speaking assessed, including vocabulary,

pronunciation and grammar (Hughes, 2003). Additionally, according to Brown

(2001, p. 402), formative assessment is assumed as “assessing students in the

process of “forming” their competencies and skills in order to help them continue

that growth process.” It suits the purpose of the implementation of Theme-Based

Teaching in this research, which is to improve students’ speaking skill.

The speaking assessments in this research were conducted in every meeting alongside the actions. In order to avoid the subjectivity in collecting the data, the previous English teacher of the respondents and a colleague of the researcher were involved in the process of assessing students’ speaking skill.

The aspects speaking assessed to the students were including vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. The range of scoring system for each aspect was started from one to five points. It means the minimum score that could be achieved by students were three points and the maximum score were 15 points from the three aspects assessed. The scoring system of the speaking assessments was adapted from The English Learner Knowledge Base (2004) as cited in Linse (2005). (See Table 3.4. to access the details of the scoring system).

(24)

Table 3.4.

Scoring System Adapted from The English Learner Knowledge Base (2004) as cited in Linse (2005)

Aspects Criteria Score Notes

Vocabularies

Students cannot mention any single

keyword at all 1 Mention at least one keyword with

teacher’s help 2

Mention more than one keyword without

teacher’s help but still misuse the words. 3

Mention and use the keywords

appropriately with teacher’s help. 4

Mention and use the keywords

appropriately without teacher’s help. 5

Pronunciation

Students cannot say a single word clearly at

all. 1

Very hard to understand because of

pronunciation problems. 2 Mispronounce the words that lead to

misunderstanding. 3 Pronunciation is intelligible although the

listeners are conscious of a definite accent. 4 Pronounce the words without any mistakes

and internationally acceptable. 5

Grammar

Students cannot use any single language

feature at all. 1 Grammar and word order errors make

comprehension difficult. Must often rephrase and/or restrict him/herself to basic pattern.

Makes frequent errors of grammar and word order that occasionally obscure the meaning.

Occasionally makes grammatical and/or

word order errors that not obscure meaning. 4

There isn’t any error of grammar and word

order. 5

In addition to the scoring system above, the procedure of the assessment in each cycle is presented in detail below.

(25)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu Table 3.5. Procedure of Speaking Assessments

Cycle Assessments Procedures

1

Assessment 1 (27-8-2013)

- The class is divided into eight groups

- Students are asked to individually describe one of the members of a group they belong to.

- Students are allowed to choose a group member they want to describe. - Students are required to describe the physical appearance of the group

member they have chosen appropriately using the following vocabularies and expressions.

Vocabularies: Tall, Short, Slim, Fat Expressions:

• He is... / She is...

Assessment 2 (3-9-2013)

- Students are asked to work in the same groups that had been made in the previous meeting.

- Students are given worksheets to complete the information about the group members (physical appearance & age).

- Students are asked to individually describe one of the members of a group they belong to using the worksheets they have completed. - Students are allowed to choose a group member they want to describe. - Students are required to describe the physical appearance and age of

the group member they have chosen appropriately using the following vocabularies and expressions.

Vocabularies: Tall, Short, Slim, Fat // One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve.

Expressions: • He is... / She is...

2

Assessment 1 (7-9-2013)

- Students are asked to work in pair.

- Students are given worksheets to complete the information about their pairs (physical appearance, age and hobby).

- Students are asked to individually describe their pairs using the worksheets they have completed.

- Students are required to describe their pairs using the following vocabularies and expressions.

Vocabularies: Tall, Short, Slim, Fat // One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve // Singing, Dancing, Drawing, Reading, Swimming

Expressions: • He is... / She is... • He likes... / She likes...

Assessment 2 (11-9-2013)

- Students are asked to work in pair.

- Students are given worksheets to complete the information about their pairs (physical appearance, age hobby, and address).

- Students are asked to individually describe their pairs using the worksheets they have completed.

- Students are required to describe their pairs using the following vocabularies and expressions.

Vocabularies: Tall, Short, Slim, Fat // One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve // Singing, Dancing, Drawing, Reading, Swimming

Expressions: • He is... / She is... • He likes... / She likes... • He lives... / She lives...

(26)

3.4.3 Interview

Interview was incorporated in most qualitative research alongside the other

data collection methods in order to explore more deeply participants’ perspectives

on the focus area (Burns, 2010 and Hatch, 2002). Besides, Koshy (2005) claims

that “in some cases, adults and children give more honest responses in a one

-to-one situation.”

This research used semistructured interview with the aim of gathering the additional information from students. The researcher prepared a list of questions to ask but did not stick with them. This type of interview allowed the researcher for flexibility to probe beyond the protocol according to interviewee’s responds (Burns, 2010 and Lodico, et al, 2006).

The interview consisted of some questions related to students’ points of view toward the implementation of Theme-Based Teaching in their class. The following list is the outline of the interview.

1. Do the students feel the improvement in their speaking ability after learning English using Theme-Based Teaching?

2. What are the evidences of students’ speaking improvements? (Asking

students about the lesson that had been taught)

3. What makes them interested or uninterested in learning English using Theme-Based Teaching?

4. What kind of learning activity they like the most?

5. Do they concern about others in learning? (Asking students their favorite way of learning (group, pair or individual)

6. What are students’ opinions about the media?

The interview involved 5 students from the total of 32 students. With the intention of avoiding misunderstanding among the researcher as interviewer and the students as interviewees, the questions were delivered in Bahasa Indonesia. It also comforted students in responding each question. The researcher recorded the interview process to capture the detail information from the interviewee and simplify the process of data analysis. (See Appendix III to access the details of the interview transcription).

(27)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu 1.5Data analysis

The data in this research were gathered through observations, speaking assessments, and interview. In the preparation of analyzing data, the researcher needs to ensure that the data are in a form which is available to be analyzed and can be communicated to others (Hatch, 2002 and Lodico, et al, 2006).

Miles and Huberman (1994 as cited in Koshy, 2005) suggested a model of data analysis which can be used for qualitative research to both make sense of the

data and to share the researcher’s interpretations with the audience. This model

consists of three steps which are interrelated each other; those are data reduction,

data display, and conclusion. The followings are the descriptions of each

component of this model.

3.5.1 Data Reduction

In this step, the unnecessary data which did not have relation to the research questions were reduced to simplify the analysis process. It is supported by Koshy’s (2005, p. 113) believe which says that “data reduction refers to the process of selecting, focusing, simplifying, abstracting and transforming the data that appear in the written up field notes or transcriptions.”

After selecting the significant data related to the research questions, the data were coded into some groups. The transcription of the video recording were analyzed and coded based on the theory of young learners’ characteristics by Pinter (2006). (See table 3.6. to access the details of transcription codes and Excerpt 1 for the example of video transcription.

(28)

Table 3.6.

Transcription Codes Based on Young Learners’ Characteristics Theory by Pinter (2006)

Characteristics Categories Codes

Students have lower levels of awareness about themselves as language learners as well as about process of learning.

- Students ignore teacher’s

instructions. _Ss’

ignorance

Students are more concerned about themselves than others.

- Students want to do certain things

only for their sakes. Ss’ selfishness Students have a limited

knowledge about the world.

- Students are curious to something

new in the learning process. Ss’ curiosity Students enjoy fantasy,

imagination, and movement.

- Students give irrelevant responses.

- Students move around the class. - Students overact teacher’s

instructions.

Ss’ hyperactivity

Excerpt 1

(Example of Video Transcription) (Action 1, Cycle 1)

T : So, stand up please! Stand up! You know stand up? Like me, stand up. Stand up. Berdiri, berdiri. [Stand up,

stand up]

(Some students stand up on their chairs)

T : No, no, no. Bukan di atas bangku, di lantai. [Not on

the chair, on the floor.]

No, Dzaky no.

(Some male students stand up in front of the class)

T : No, di tempat kalian masing-masing. Di tempat

masing-masing berdiri.

[in your own position. In the place where you are

standing up]

Stand up in your place! Ssstt... Hello.

...

T : Sit down please. Girls... Girls...

Okay, now, sekarang Miss mau bagi kelompok. Satu

kelompok empat orang.

[Now, I want to make groups. One group consists of four persons]

Ss : Aku sama ini... [I am with her...] (overlapping)

T : Bisa bagi sendiri atau Miss yang bagi? [Can you make

it or Miss will make it (the groups)?]

Students’ ignorance

(29)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu

Next, the field notes were analyzed to discover the challenges faced in the process of teaching and learning. Then, the data from the achievement speaking assessments were analyzed using the scoring system adapted from The English Learner Knowledge Base (2004) as cited in Linse (2005). To finish, the interview transcripts were used to complete data from observations and speaking assessments.

3.5.2 Data display

As this research is qualitative, the result of the data analysis were mostly described in form of text using descriptive technique in order to ease the researcher in describing the data and avoid the misinterpretations of the audience. However, some data were also presented systematically using charts to serve clearer description of the data. (See Chart 3.1. to access the example of charts presented as data display)

Chart 3.1.

Students’ Mean Score in Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

2.38 2.53

3.95

3.77

2.03 2.28

3.23 3.29

2.22 2.41

2.82 _2.74

Assessment 1 (Cycle 1) Assessment 2 (Cycle 1) Assessment 1 (Cycle 2) Assessment 2 (Cycle 2)

(30)

3.5.3 Conclusion

The last step of this data analysis was drawing conclusion from the obtained data that had been analyzed in the previous steps. The conclusion was taken based on the findings related to the research questions; (1) to what extent can Theme-Based Teaching improve students’ speaking skill?; and (2) what are the challenges faced by the teacher in implementing Theme-Based Teaching to teach speaking to young learners?

1.6Reliability and Validity

In accordance with Bogdan and Biklen (1992, p. 48 as cited in Cohen, et

al, 2006), the reliability in qualitative research can be regarded as a fit between what researchers record as data and what actually occurs in the natural setting that is being researched. On the other hand, Cuba and Lincoln (1985 as cited in Scott & Morrison, 2006) interpreted reliability as dependability and confirmability. However, the reliability of this research was determined by observing and describing the data in depth without manipulating anything.

As this research uses classroom action research design, validity is attained by a sound and robust data collection and the compromise of accurate interpretations (Koshy, 2005). The use of triangulation in qualitative research is claimed as a powerful way of revealing concurrent validity (Campbell & Fiske 1959 as cited in Cohen, et al, 2006). This research made use of triangulation by correlating three instruments, including observations, speaking assessments, and interview. By employing triangulation, this research is expected to have the precise interpretations of data.

1.7Concluding Remark

This chapter illustrates the statement of problems, research design, site and respondents, and also the process of collecting and analyzing the data and the reliability and validity. The following chapter will illustrate the findings and the discussion of the research.

(31)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu76 CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

This chapter displays the conclusion of the conducted research and suggestions for the teacher and further research related to the implementation of Theme-Based Teaching to improve young learners’ speaking skill.

1.1Conclusions

This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the implementation of Theme-Based Teaching in young learners’ classroom. Specifically, this research focuses on identifying: (1) the improvement of students’ speaking skill which covers some aspects including vocabularies, pronunciation and grammar; and (2) the challenges faced by the teacher in teaching speaking to young learners using Theme-Based Teaching. The data of this research were gathered through observations, assessments and interview. In relation to the data analysis, the conclusions can be drawn as follow.

This research shows that the implementation of Theme-Based Teaching improved students’ speaking skill. Based on the data from speaking assessments, it was revealed that students’ scores increased gradually in every meeting. The improvement was related to the aspects of speaking assessed in this research, including vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar.

In terms of vocabulary, Theme-Based Teaching obviously enhanced students’ vocabularies through the activities conducted in the learning process, especially the repetition drills and vocabulary games. Students could memorize the words they found from the games and use them appropriately to describe a friend. In terms of pronunciation, it is also found that students could pronounce the expressions better and better as the effect of drilling that was done in every meeting. Students were given examples of pronouncing words and expressions before being asked to use them. They can pronounce consonant (∫) in “she” and “short” and diphthong (aɪ) in “likes”. In terms of grammar, students have been

(32)

able to differ the use of pronouns “he” and “she” in describing a friend. They were not confused to use “he” for describing a boy and use “she” for describing a girl.

In spite of this, according to the data of observation, there were also some challenges faced by the teacher in the teaching and learning process. Those challenges were categorized based on Pinter’s (2006) theory of young learners’ characteristics, including students’ ignorance, students’ selfishness, students’ curiosity and students’ hyperactivity. All of these challenges occurred mostly in the pre and main activities of this research.

In the teaching and learning process, some students often ignored the teacher’s instruction and kept doing their own business since they were not aware that they were learning. They also preferred to make their own groups in playing game rather than being associated by the teacher. Furthermore, the students’ curiosity to the media that they found interesting made the process of teaching and learning ran slower because almost all of them wanted to work with the media. In addition, their hyperactivity appeared as the effect of their fantasy and imagination in doing the activities and they loved to move around. However, everything occurred in the lesson can be taken as the consideration for the better teaching.

1.2Suggestions

Based on the findings of this research, some suggestions related to the implementation of Theme-Based Teaching to improve young learners’ speaking skill are elaborated for English teachers and further research.

For the English teacher who will teach speaking using Theme-Based Teaching in young learners’ classroom, it is suggested to select the appropriate themes which are familiar with students. Additionally, the activities should be planned very carefully in order to create the exposure of speaking English during the teaching and learning process. It is better not to design group activities for young learners for the reason that it can cause conflicts among the students. Then, teachers also should be able to choose the practical media in order to deal with students’ characteristics.

(33)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu

Next, since this research focuses only on improving young learners’ speaking skill in terms of vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar, it is suggested for the further research to focus on all aspects of speaking by adding fluency and

comprehension. In addition, the further research can be done in more than two

cycles in order to examine deeper about young learners’ speaking improvement. Moreover, Theme-Based Teaching can also be implemented in young learners’ classroom in order to investigate other skills of English.

(34)

REFERENCES

Aziz, F. (2013, November). Hanya 16 Persen Sekolah Terapkan Kurikulum 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.lensaindonesia.com/2013/07/18/hanya-16-persen-sekolah-terapkan-kurikulum-2013.html.

Brown, H.D. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to

Language Pedagogy, Second Edition. New York: Addison Wesley

Longman Inc.

Burns, A. (2010). Doing Action Research in English Language Teaching A Guide

for Practitioners. New York: Routledge.

Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching Languages to Young Learners. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Cohen, L, Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research Method in Education

Sixth Edition. USA: Routledge.

Damayanti, I. L. (2010). A Child-Friendly Way to Teaching Young Learners The Implementation of M-U-F Framework. FPBS UPI: Unpublished.

Emilia, E, Hermawan, B. & Tati, D. (2008). Pendekatan Genre-Based Dalam Kurikulum Bahasa Iggris Tahun 2006: Penelitian Tindakan Kelas di Sebuah SMP Negeri di Bandung. FPBS UPI: Unpublished.

Ferrance, E. (2000). Themes in Education: Action Research. United States: Brown University.

Fraenkel, J. R & Wallen, N. E. (2006). How to Design and Evaluate Research in

Education: Sixth Edition. New York: The McGraw-Hill Company.

Halliwell, S (1992). Teaching English in the Primary Classroom. United Kingdom: Longman Group UK Limited.

Harmer, J. (1991). The Practice of English Language Teaching, New Edition. United Kingdom: Cambridge.

Harmer, J. (2007). The Practice of English Language Teaching. United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited.

Hatch, J. A. (2002). Doing Qualitative Research in Education Settings. USA: State University of New York Press.

Hawanti, S. (2011). Teaching English In Indonesian Primary Schools: The Missing Link. Leksika Vol.5 No.1 – Feb 2011: 62-69.

(35)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu

Hien, T. T. T. (2009). Why Is Action Research Suitable for Education?. VNU

Journal of Science, Foreign Languages 25 (2009) 97-106.

Hughes, A. (2007). Testing for Language Teachers: Second Edition. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Kayi, H. (2006). Teaching Speaking: Activities to Promote Speaking in a Second Language. The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. XII, No. 11, November 2006. Klancar, N. I (2006). Developing Speaking Skills in the Young Learners’

Classroom . The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. XII, No. 11, November 2006.

Koshy, V. (2005). Action Research for Improving Practice A Practical Guide. London: A SAGE Publication Company.

Lewis, G. and Bedson, G. (1999). Games for Children. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Linse, C. T. (2005). Practical English Language Teaching: Young Learners. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc.

Lodico, M. G., Spaulding, D. T., & Voegtle, K. H. (2006). Methods in

Educational Research From Theory to Practice. United States of America:

Jossey-Bass.

McNiff, J & Whitehead, J. (2002). Action Research: Principles and Practice

Second Edition. London: RoutledgeFalmer.

Moon, J. (2000). Children Learning English. Oxford: Macmillan Heinemann. Nazara, S. (2011). Students’ Perception on EFL Speaking Skill Development.

Journal of English Teaching, Issn 2080 9628, Volume 1, Number 1, February 2011

Nunan, D. (2011). Teaching English to Young Learners. USA: Anaheim University Press.

Peraturan Menteri Pendidikan Nasional Republik Indonesia. (2007). Standar

Proses Untuk Satuan Pendidikan Dasar dan Nasional. Retrieved from:

http://akhmadsudrajat.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/standar-proses-_permen-41-2007_.pdf

Pinter, A. (2006). Teaching Young Language Learners. New York: Oxford University Press.

Scott, W. A. & Ytrberg, L. H. (1990). Teaching English to Children. New York: Longman.

(36)

Saville-Troike, M. (2006). Introducing Second Language Acquisition. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sundayana, W. (2011). Kurikulum Terpadu Dalam Pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris Berbasis Tema Bagi Pembelajar SD. FPBS UPI: Unpublished.

Taufik, M (2013, June). Sembilan Kali Kurikulum Pendidikan Berubah. Retrieved from: http://www.merdeka.com/khas/sembilan-kali-kurikulum-pendidikan-berubah-perubahan-kurikulum-3.html

What are Thematic Teaching and Curriculum Integration. (2012, June). Retrieved

from: http://www.todaysteacher.com/ThematicTeaching.htm.

Yang, C. C. R. (2009). Theme-based Teaching in an English Course for Primary ESL Students in Hong Kong. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language

(1)

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

1.1Conclusions

students’ speaking skill which covers some aspects including vocabularies,

pronunciation and grammar; and (2) the challenges faced by the teacher in teaching speaking to young learners using Theme-Based Teaching. The data of this research were gathered through observations, assessments and interview. In relation to the data analysis, the conclusions can be drawn as follow.

This research shows that the implementation of Theme-Based Teaching

improved students’ speaking skill. Based on the data from speaking assessments,

it was revealed that students’ scores increased gradually in every meeting. The

improvement was related to the aspects of speaking assessed in this research, including vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar.

In terms of vocabulary, Theme-Based Teaching obviously enhanced

students’ vocabularies through the activities conducted in the learning process,

especially the repetition drills and vocabulary games. Students could memorize the words they found from the games and use them appropriately to describe a friend. In terms of pronunciation, it is also found that students could pronounce the expressions better and better as the effect of drilling that was done in every meeting. Students were given examples of pronouncing words and expressions

before being asked to use them. They can pronounce consonant (∫) in “she” and “short” and diphthong (aɪ) in “likes”. In terms of grammar, students have been

(2)

Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEME BASED TEACHING TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia | repository.upi.edu | perpustakaan.upi.edu

able to differ the use of pronouns “he” and “she” in describing a friend. They were

not confused to use “he” for describing a boy and use “she” for describing a girl.

characteristics, including students’ ignorance, students’ selfishness, students’ curiosity and students’ hyperactivity. All of these challenges occurred mostly in

the pre and main activities of this research.

In the teaching and learning process, some students often ignored the

teacher’s instruction and kept doing their own business since they were not aware

that they were learning. They also preferred to make their own groups in playing

game rather than being associated by the teacher. Furthermore, the students’

curiosity to the media that they found interesting made the process of teaching and learning ran slower because almost all of them wanted to work with the media. In addition, their hyperactivity appeared as the effect of their fantasy and imagination in doing the activities and they loved to move around. However, everything occurred in the lesson can be taken as the consideration for the better teaching.

1.2Suggestions

For the English teacher who will teach speaking using Theme-Based

Teaching in young learners’ classroom, it is suggested to select the appropriate

themes which are familiar with students. Additionally, the activities should be planned very carefully in order to create the exposure of speaking English during the teaching and learning process. It is better not to design group activities for young learners for the reason that it can cause conflicts among the students. Then, teachers also should be able to choose the practical media in order to deal with

(3)

Next, since this research focuses only on improving young learners’

speaking skill in terms of vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar, it is suggested for the further research to focus on all aspects of speaking by adding fluency and

comprehension. In addition, the further research can be done in more than two cycles in order to examine deeper about young learners’ speaking improvement.

Moreover, Theme-Based Teaching can also be implemented in young learners’ classroom in order to investigate other skills of English.

(4)

79 Fitria Lathufirdaush,2014