Improving students’ english speaking ability through role play

Oleh :
Aris Ratnawati - X2208503 - Fak. KIP

This research is conducted to know whether role play can improve students’ speaking ability. It also aims to give general description about the implementation of role play in the classroom and about the things happening in the class when it is implemented. The objective of this research is determined after identifying the problems during pre-observation in class X AK 3 of SMK Negeri 6 Surakarta, interviewing the students and the English teacher of that class, and investigating the teacher about her note dealing with the students’ score in daily evaluation especially speaking subject. The problems can be identified as follows the students are low in speaking ability, passive in joining the lesson, and unconfident to speak in public. Related to these problems, the writer proposes the implementation of role play that is conducted in teaching learning process especially for speaking activity. Besides facilitating students with a chance for communicating and interacting among friends dealing with speaking problems, the writer assumes that the role play technique is suitable enough to be implemented. Then, the writer makes an action hypothesis that role play can improve students’ speaking ability. This classroom action research concerns in solving the problems by identifying them, planning, implementing, and observing the action, reflecting the result of the observation, and revising the plan for the following steps. In collecting the data, the writer uses observation, interview, and test. During the implementation of the action, the writer is as the teacher and the observer is the English teacher herself. The writer conducts the interview to the teacher and students at the very beginning of the research to support the data found during the pre-observation research. The test is also conducted by English teacher at the very beginning the research and from that test we can see the students’ low speaking ability. In this research, the observer also observes all activities during action and writes them in the field notes. The data of the observer’s field notes at the end of cycle 1 is to know her comments and suggestions about the action of cycle 1. It is used as one of the basic considerations in revising plan for cycle 2. It is also conducted in the next cycle. In each cycle, the writer conducts the test namely post test. The students’ score of the post test are used to measure their improvement speaking ability besides the observation of their activeness in the lesson and confidence speaking in public during the action. The result of the research shows that role play can improve students’ speaking ability. Besides, their test achievement during the research is better than their score in the teacher’s note before the actions are implemented. The students’ mean score before the action is 4.4375, it improves up to 6.5625 in the second cycle, and improves again up to 7.8125 in the third cycle.