AN ANALYSIS OF THE SOFT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN ENGLISH TEACHING AND LEARNING AMONG THE SECOND YEAR STUDENTS OF SMA 2 WATES

AN ANALYSIS OF THE SOFT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN ENGLISH TEACHING AND LEARNING AMONG THE SECOND YEAR STUDENTS OF SMA 2 WATES By Winanti 06202241030 ABSRACT This research is aimed to describe the support of English Teaching and Learning process towards the soft skills development by analyzing the implementation of English Teaching and Learning in SMA 2 Wates in the academic year of 2010/2011. Employing both qualitative and quantitative methods, the participants involved in this research were three English teachers and 25 students of Class XI IPA 3, engaged in the classroom observations, questionnaires, and semi-guided interviews. The main research instrument was the researcher herself, conducting the research procedure which has been done respectively: analyzing data gained from the field notes, categorizing, choosing and deciding focuses of the research, sharpening and strengthening the focus through interviews and the last, distributing questionnaires to select categories to be formulated in the finding. The development of soft skills cannot be measured statistically but using the Likert- Scale, the quantitative data were used to get the information on students’ responses (the percentages and frequencies) on the four sections of questionnaires: English Teaching and Learning in SMA 2, Social Interdependence, Group Cohesion, and Communication Behavior. The findings indicate that the implementation of English Teaching and Learning where the teacher’s procedures were intentionally aimed to emerge active learning (centered on the learner as the doer) gives significant support towards the students’ soft skills development. Cooperative behavior shown by the students in responding to teacher’s procedures has successfully resulted in the acceptance of differences within group and the appreciation both from the teacher and among the students. The average from each category of social interdependence indicates that most of the students positively responded to cooperative category, with the highest average 90 followed by 77.5 average of competitive category and the least average of individualistic category, 56. It means that the students already search outcomes that are beneficial to all group members in learning as in group-work where students prefer to learn with peers rather working alone or in competitive condition that they like to be involved in the process of transferring knowledge and sharing ideas within the groups. Thus, cooperative condition can lead to greater interaction which results in less tension, less boredom, and more enjoyable classroom