Student Registered Number (NIM) 3213093020. Investigating Students’ Speaking Learning Strategies at STAIN Tulungagung.

Keywords: Learning Strategy, Speaking Strategy, Speaking skill. In learning foreign language, speaking is the most demanding for students. Speaking has been major focus in the last 30 years. It is also widely known that the ability to function another language is generally characterized of being able to speak that language. Certain learners seemed to be successful regardless of methods or techniques of teaching. In addition, learners who are taught the strategies underlying their learning is highly motivated than those who are not. Then it implies that learning strategy is very important in learning language, especially in learning speaking as one of foundation and consideration to be successful English learner. The research problem in this study: 1) What are the learning strategies used by students in speaking at STAIN Tulungagung? 2) How are the learning strategies used by the students in speaking at STAIN Tulungagung contributive to their speaking? Then the purposes of this study are: 1) To describe the learning strategies used by the students in speaking at STAIN Tulungagung. 2) To explore the contribution of students’ learning strategies used in their speaking. The findings of the study are expected to give both theoretical and practical contribution. Firstly, theoretically the result of this study is expected to give contribution for the science in teaching and learning speaking. The information about the speaking strategies can give people information about the various learning strategies used by students who are good in speaking. Secondly, practically it can be useful for students and English teacher. For students, they can apply and develop learning strategies used by the students who are good in speaking. Meanwhile for English teacher, this research can enable them in designing appropriate material and activities. Besides, teacher can teach students strategies to tackle and develop language. The research design of this study is descriptive research using qualitative approach. The purpose of qualitative is to picture out phenomenon. The researcher wanted to know the strategies used by the selected students. Since qualitative research studies more typically used nonrandom selection technique based on particular criteria, the researcher chose subjects from some criteria. The data of this study are the students’ strategies in learning speaking and its contribution for their speaking improvement. And the data source is from the selected students. The methods of collecting data in this research are interview, observation, and documentation. The methods of data analysis are reduction, display, and conclusion. By employing all of the methods above, relevant data are collected. The research findings: 1) Students have various strategies in learning speaking that are suitable with their interests, characteristics, and needs. The speaking strategies they apply are: learning and practicing English components, viii correlating the new information with the other concepts, using various activities for getting language inputs, writing the language down in the form of story or notes and working directly in L2 (include in cognitive strategy), identifying lack of language, taking ones who are good in speaking as a model and ones successful in learning to be followed the suggestions, making speaking outline, checking and verifying their friends’ performance or comprehension, managing language produced (include in metacognitive strategy), plugging into English community and managing psychological matters (include in socio- affective strategy). 2) The contribution of students’ speaking strategies are: a) Learning English components such as grammar, vocabulary and its pronunciation, memorizing it, and practicing it, writing the language down in the form of language diary or notes and story, correlating information in their mind to the other concept, making outline, and working directly in L2 without translating were contributive toward their speaking skill, writing and reading skill improvement, b) checking and verifying friends’ performance, managing language produced, watching movie, listening to music, and reading books are contributive toward students’ speaking, listening and reading skill also English components (vocabularies, grammar and pronunciation) improvement, c) identifying lack, taking someone who are good speaking to be the model and ones successful in learning language to be followed their suggestions, managing psychological matters, plugging into English community are contributive toward students’ speaking skill improvement, reduces the reluctance of speaking and increases the motivation in learning. Then, it is contributive to the improvement of English in general. The speaking strategies give contribution toward both English components and English skills, especially for improving students’ speaking skill. . i