CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1

Background of the Research

Human being needs each other. As a social culture, human needs to
communicate with language as a means of communication with other people. There
are many kinds of languages used by people such as English, Dutch, India, French,
Spanish, Arab, Indonesia, etc. It depends on where the people live. English is a
foreign language in Indonesia.
One of the ways of communication is through speaking. For most people,
mastering the art of speaking is the single most important aspect of learning a second
or foreign language, and success is measured in terms of the ability to carry out a
conversation in the language (Fauziati, 2008: 126).
Nowadays English is an important language. It is the key to international
currency of technology, science, as well as commerce. As an international language,
English has gained its popularity all over the world including Indonesia. In the past
English was only teaching in high school. In current years, the teaching of English is
expanding into primary schools. English consists of four basic skills that students
mastery, they are speaking, writing, reading and listening. The first skill is speaking,

it controls to learn and to develop of an individuals personality. The second one is

writing, it is a partial representation of units of language expression. It is means by
which thought, ideas and knowledge are preserve. The third is reading, it is to grasp
language patterns from their written representation. The fourth is listening; through
listening, we build knowledge by taking in new information (Robert Lade, 1983:
143).
Speaking is in many ways an undervalued skill. Perhaps this is because we
can almost all speak, and so take the skill too much for granted. Speaking is often
thought of as a popular form of expression which uses the prestigious colloquial
register: literary skills are on the whole more prized. The fact that speaking is
transient and improvised, and can therefore be viewed as facile, superficial, or glib
(By gate, 1987: 1 ). Speaking is a skill that deserves attention every bit as much as
literary skills, in both first and second languages. It is also a medium through which
many languages are learnt, and which for many is particularly conducive for learning.
Perhaps, then, the teaching of speaking merits more thought (By gate, 1987: 1 ).
Mastering speaking is not easy. The main problem faced by the students of
senior high school when they speak is the difficulty in composing the words or
sentences. When they are speaking, they constantly estimate the listener, knowledge
and assumption, in order to select the language that will interpreted in accordance
with our intended meaning (Littlewoods, 1984: 3).

Students taught by using direct method could associate the meaning, the
spelling and the target language directly. To do this, the teacher introduces new target
language words or phrases by demonstrating their meaning (Richard and Rodgers,
1986: 10). Finally, based on the whole explanation above the writer is interested in
this study. Furthermore, the writer carries out the research THE EFFECTIVENESS
OF USING DIRECT METHOD TO IMPROVE STUDENTS SPEAKING ABILITY
FOR THE TENTH GRADE STUDENTS OF SMA N 1 BETUN IN THE
ACADEMIC YEAR OF 2014/ 2015 as well as to train the students to speak well.
1. 2 Problems of the Research
Based on the background of the study, this research is aimed at giving answers on the
following problems:
1. How is the profile of students speaking ability before implementation of
direct method at the tenth grade students of SMA N 1 Betun?
2. How is the profile of students speaking ability after implementation of direct
method at the tenth grade students of SMA N 1 Betun?
3. How can the effectiveness of using direct method improve speaking ability at
tenth grade of SMA N 1 Betun?
1.3

Purpose of the Research

Based on the problems of statement, the objectives of this study are:
1. To describe the students speaking ability before implementation of direct
method at the first year students of SMA N 1 Betun.

2. To describe the students speaking ability after implementation of direct

method at the first year students of SMA N 1 Betun.
3. To describes the improvement of students speaking ability by using direct
method.
1.4

Limitation of the Research

This thesis will be restricted of using direct method to improve students speaking
ability of the tenth grade of SMA N 1 BETUN in academic years of 2014/ 2015.

1.5

Significance of the Research

This study expected to give practical and theoretical benefits.
1. Practically
a. For the writer
The findings of the research can be used as a starting point in improving the writers
teaching ability, especially teaching speaking.
b. For the students
This research can add the students interest in English learning, so English is not
boring lesson for them anymore.

c. For the English teachers

By teaching speaking using direct method, it will motivate the student to speak
English effectively and the finding of this research can be used as a consideration in
selecting the appropriate methods or techniques implemented in SMA N 1 Betun.
d. For the other researches
The findings of the research can be used as one of the references in conducting a
research on English language teaching, especially in the implementation of direct
method.
e. For SMA N 1 Betun
The result of this research will improve the institution quality especially in the
English teaching learning process.
2. Theoretically
a. The result of research paper can be used as input in English teaching learning
process especially for speaking using direct method.
b. The result of research can be used as the reference for those who want to
conduct a research in English teaching learning process.
c. The results of the study hopefully strengthen the knowledge of the theory of
direct method in speaking.

1.6

Definition of the Key Terms

Avoiding some incorrect interpretation of this research title, the writer wants to
clarify and explain the term used.
a. Effectiveness
According to Hornby, the effectiveness is having an effect; able to bring about the
result intended (Hornby, 1974: 277).
b. Direct method
The direct method is the learning of language in relevant setting. The direct method
of teaching, sometimes called the natural method. Not limited to but often used in
teaching foreign languages, the method refrains from using the learners' native
language and uses only the target language. It was established in Germany and France
around 1900 (Krause, 1916).
c. Improve
We can find the word of improve which has the meaning of improve to make better in
quality or to make more productive (Danbury, 2004: 487).
In other words improves as the activities to rise on the productivity or value of land or
property.

d. Students

Student is a person attending an educational department, for example high school,

one studying anything, one devoted to careful and systematic study (Grolier, 1974:
972).
e. Speaking
Speaking is method of transcribing the sounds of language. The sounds of language
can be described in three principal ways: according to their composition, their
distribution and their function (Francis P. Dinesen, 1966: 20).
f. Ability
The ability to do something well (Manse, 1991: 387).