USING PICTURE SERIES TO IMPROVE THE SPEAKING ABILITY OF THE EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS AT SMP NEGERI 1 BEJI

ABSTRACT Pratiwi, Linda. 2014. Using Picture Series to Improve the Speaking Ability of the Eighth Grade Students at SMP Negeri 1 Beji. Sarjana’s Thesis, English Department, Faculty of Letters, State University of Malang. Advisor: Nur Hayati, S.Pd., M.Ed. Keywords: picture series, storytelling, speaking skill In learning English, there are four skills that should be mastered by the learners, namely listening, reading, speaking and writing. Among the four skills, speaking seems to be considered the most challenging skill. According to the preliminary study done by the researcher at SMP Negeri 1 Beji, it was found that most students have problems in speaking, which include the students’ feeling shy or reluctant to speak, and the students’ lacking vocabulary and coherence in speaking. To help overcome the students’ problems, the researcher conducted a study to implement the strategy of using picture series combined with story-telling activity in improving the students’ speaking skill. This research used Classroom Action Research design consisting of four major stages, that is, planning, implementing, observing,and reflecting. Before those four stages were conducted, the researcher did a preliminary study to find out the students’ problems in speaking. During the study, the researcher acted as the teacher who implemented the strategy in teaching and learning process, with the help ofthe classroom teacher as the observer. In collecting the data,there were some instruments used, comprising field notes, observation checklist, questionnaires, and students’ speaking rubric. The steps of the technique started with building knowledge of the field, followed by modelling of the text. The researcher asked the students to identify the story in the picture series entitled The Little Match Girlin pairs after the researcher gave brief explanation and a model in storytelling using picture series.After that, in the next meeting, the activity was joint construction of the text. The researcher gave the students picture series with the title The Little Red Riding Hoodto be performed in groups in front of the class.Then,the next step wasindependent construction of the text in order to observe the individual performance of the students.The researcher asked the students individually to examinethe picture series of Tangled, and then asked the students to perform telling a story based on the picture series in front of the class. The implementation of the strategy successfully improved students’ performance in speaking skills in terms of fluency, vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and coherence. The students’ speaking score met the criteria of success, that is,75 % of the students were able to pass the minimum passing standard. Therefore, the researcher stopped the study in the first cycle. Considering that this technique successfully improved the students’ speaking skill, the teachers are suggested to apply the technique in the teaching and learning process, in speaking or in the other skills. The future researchers are suggested to conduct a study on the implementation of the strategy in other contexts and for different skills