USING INFORMATION GAP ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE SPEAKING SKILLS OF GRADE VIII STUDENTS AT SMP N 7 YOGYAKARTA

The objective of this research was to improve the speaking skills of grade VIII students by using information gap activities. The research was conducted in two cycles, held for four meetings in the first cycle and two meetings in the second cycle. The data were quantitative and qualitative. The qualitative data were obtained through observations and interviews. The data were in the form of field notes and interview transcripts. The quantitative data were obtained from tests (the pre-test, the progress test, and the post-test). The actions implemented in this research were applying information gap activities in the learning process, using classroom English during the teaching learning process, improving students’ vocabulary, retelling a story in front of the class, and giving rewards to the best performance. The result of the research showed that the use of information gap activities was able to improve the students’ speaking skills. The students were more confident to speak in English. They could retell the story fluently and their vocabulary also increased. Furthermore, the students were actively engaged in the teaching learning process. They were enthusiastic in doing the activities and their motivation also improved. Based on the quantitative data, the students’ mean score for the speaking skills improved from 1.36 in the pre-test to 3.06 in the posttest