Socio-Affective Strategies Used by Good Students to Improve Their English Achievement: A Case Study at SMP Muhammadiyah 4 Sambi Boyolali

This research aimed at (1) the types of Socio-affective strategies used by good students to improve their English achievement in SMP Muhammadiyah 4 Sambi Boyolali and (2) the students’ preference types of socio-affective strategies which used by good students to improve their English achievement in SMP Muhammadiyah 4 Sambi Boyolali. The study was descriptive qualitative research in the format of a case study. The data were from open-ended questionnaire and in-depth interview to the good students at SMP 4 Muhammadiyah Sambi Boyolali on period 2019. The data source were six good students who had test score above 80 as the informants. In collecting the data, the researcher used open-ended questionnaire, in-depth interview and document analysis. The data were analysed by using Miles and Hubberman, (1994) steps, they are: the data reduction, the data display and the drawing conclusion / verification. The result of this study showed that 14 of 16 types of socio-affective strategies which used by students to help them in improving their English achievement. The types are: using relaxation, deep breathing or meditation, using music, using laughter, making positive statements, rewarding yourself, listening to your body, writing a language learning diary, discussing your feelings with someone else, asking for clarification, asking for correction, cooperating with peers, cooperating with proficient users of the new language, developing cultural understanding and becoming aware of others’ thoughts and feelings. This research also found the variation of the students’ preference types of socio-affective strategies. The various types are using progressive relaxation, deep breathing or meditation and cooperating with others or peers