The influence of snake and ladder game toward students’ speaking ability: An experimental study at the second grade of SMPN 5 Banjarsari

Speaking is an important skill for communication and self-expression orally. Hence, speaking is one of English skills should be mastered by students. However, some students are lack of speaking ability because they are not facilitated to practice their speaking, while mastering in speaking can be gained through practice. One of teaching strategies to encourage students in speaking is “Snake and Ladder Game”. This research is aimed to investigate and measure the influence of snake and ladder game at improving students’ speaking at the second grade students of SMPN 5 Banjarsari. Besides, it is also to reveal students’ ability in speaking with using snake and ladder game and using storytelling technique, and to analyze the differences between students’ ability in speaking using snake and ladder game and using storytelling technique. Therefore, the formulations of research are: 1) How is the students’ speaking ability by using snake and ladder game; 2) How is the students’ speaking ability by using storytelling technique; 3) How the significant difference between using snake and ladder game and storytelling technique is. This research is quantitative research used experimental design. Experimental research describes what will happen when certain variables are carefully controlled or manipulated. The sample of this research is the second grade students of SMPN 5 Banjarsari. The technique of collecting data used is oral test that consists of pre test and post test. They are used to know students’ ability in speaking before taught with using snake and ladder game and using storytelling technique; and students’ ability in speaking after taught with using snake and ladder game and using storytelling technique. Statistics is used to analyze data in some procedures; determining the normality of data, examining the homogeneity of two variances, and testing the hypothesis. The statistical result shows that the average score of experimental class is 18; it is on the range of 16 – 20, which is categorized as good while the average score of control class is 13, it is on the range of 11 - 15, which is categorized as sufficient. Besides, t- test shows that tcount is 6.64 while ttable is 2.01. It means that tcount is higher than ttable. In other words, the null hypothesis (Ho) is rejected and working hypothesis (Ha) is accepted. Thus, the students’ speaking using snake and ladder game is better than those are whose speaking using storytelling technique. Moreover, there are significant differences achievements between those are whose speaking using snake and ladder game and using storytelling technique. Therefore, it is suggested that teacher can improve students’ ability in speaking through snake and ladder. This is one of good ways to be applied in the second grade of junior high school to improve their ability in speaking