Developing English Speaking Learning Materials for Grade VII Students of Saturday English School (SES) Program at SMPIT Abu-Bakar Yogyakarta

This study aims at (1) identifying the target needs, and learning needs of grade VII students, (2) developing appropriate English speaking learning materials for grade VII students of SES Program at SMPIT ABY. This research was a research and development study consisting of seven steps: needs analysis, developing course grid, developing first draft, getting the expert judgment, trying out the materials, evaluating and revising the materials, and writing the final draft. The subjects were grade VII students of SES Program at SMPIT ABY. The data were collected using questionnaires and an interview guide. There were three kinds of questionnaire: a questionnaire for the needs analysis, a questionnaire to get feedback from the expert, and a questionnaire to evaluate the materials. The data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while those obtained from the interview were analyzed qualitatively. The results of this study are as follows. The target needs of grade VII students of SES program at SMPIT ABY are the English speaking learning materials which are related to Islamic contents. Their learning needs are related to the goal, input, setting, procedure, teachers’ role, and students’ role. Four units were developed based on the target and learning needs. They are Do you know about the five pillars of Islam?; I enjoy learning the Islam & Prophet Muhammad PBUH history; Good Muslims; and I love wearing hijab. Each unit has the same part; Unit Title, Overview Paragraph, Get Ready, Lets’ Do. Let’s Check, Let’s Make a Reflection, Let’s Make a Summary, and Vocabulary List. This research showed that the interval mean value of each task component in all units of the developed materials is between 2.52< Ẍ ≤ 3.27and 3.28 < Ẍ ≤ 4.03. This indicates that, the materials are appropriate to grade VII students of SES Program at SMPIT ABY. An appropriate task has the following features: related to goal and input, improving the students’ speaking skill related to their background as SMPIT students, comprehensible, fit the students’ needs, relevant to the goals, and motivating the students to speak in English. The appropriate settings in the four units are working individually, in pairs, and in small groups. The materials provide opportunities for students to be active participants. The teacher can play relevant roles to help the students complete their tasks well, as an observer, a feedback provider, a prompter, and a tutor