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DRAFT OF THESIS

Name : Asdar

Reg. Number : 20401107030

Title : Improving the Second Grade Students’ Speaking Ability

through Engage, Study and Activate (ESA) technique at

Madrasah Aliyah DDI Alliritengae Kabupaten Maros

A. Background

Communication takes oral, written and gesture form. It must be

acknowledged that the most often used in communication is oral form or

speaking. Speaking is mean tools of communication to other or speaking is ways

to bring a message from one person to another interact with them. Communication

will not be running well without speaking and it is essential way in which the

speaker can express themselves through the language.

Many people are difficult to speak English, especially in discussion some

topic. It’s caused by some factors such as lack of information. Therefore, teacher

should help students much information and speaking opportunities to develop

their ability in speaking. Beside that the learning strategy is needed to stimulate

the student, so they can maximize their speaking ability to interact with their

friend or their teacher. No one doubts that interaction is the key to improve

speaking ability.

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Based on the statement above, the researcher will use a technique that can

be used by teacher to increase their way of teaching and can help students have

better understanding in learning English speaking. It is an Engage, Study and

Activate (ESA) technique. Engage, Study and Activate (ESA) technique gives

emphasis on usage of certain instructional structure designed to influence the

students’ interaction behavior. Engage, Study and Activate (ESA) technique will

help students to increase their speaking ability because this technique will make

students more active.

B. Problem Statements

Based on the previous description, the researcher formulates research

questions as follows:

1. To what extent is the effectiveness of Engage, Study and Activate (ESA)

technique in improving the second grade students’ speaking ability at

Madrasah Aliyah DDI Alliritengae Kabupaten Maros?

2. What is the students’ attitude toward the application of Engage, Study

and Activate (ESA) technique in improving the second grade students’

speaking ability at Madrasah Aliyah DDI Alliritengae Kabupaten Maros?

C. Objective of the Research

The main objectives of the research are:

1. Finding out the effectiveness of Engage, Study and Activate (ESA)

technique in improving the second grade students’ speaking ability at

Madrasah Aliyah DDI Alliritengae Kabupaten Maros.

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2. Finding out the second grade students’ attitude at Madrasah Aliyah DDI

Alliritengae Kabupaten Maros toward the use of Engage, Study and

Activate (ESA) technique in improving their speaking ability.

D. The Significance of the Research

The result of this research will be expected to be a piece of useful

information for teaching of English speaking, with a hope that using Engage,

Study and Activate (ESA) technique will improve the second grade students’

speaking ability at Madrasah Aliyah DDI Alliritengae Kabupaten Maros.

E. Scope of the Research

This research will focus on the use of Engage, Study and Activate (ESA)

technique to improve the second grade students’ speaking ability at Madrasah

Aliyah DDI Alliritengae Kabupaten Maros.

F. Operational Definition of Terms

The researcher will give the operational definition of the topics:

1. Engage, Study and Activate (ESA) technique

Engage, Study and Activate (ESA) technique are elements which are present

in a language classroom to help students to learn effectively. Jeremy Harmer

(1998) explains that During the Engage phase, the teacher tries to arouse the

students’ interest and engage their emotions. This might be through a task, a

game, the use of a picture, audio recording, video sequence, a dramatic story, or

an amusing anecdote. The aim is to arouse the students’ interest, curiosity, and

attention.
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The Study phase activities are those, which focus on language or

information and how it is constructed. The focus of study could vary from the

pronunciation of one particular sound to the techniques an author uses to create

excitement in a longer reading text. It could vary from an examination of a verb

tense to the study of a transcript of an informal conversation. There are many

different styles of study, from group examination of a text, to discovery related

topic vocabulary, to the teacher giving an explanation of a grammatical pattern.

The exercises and activities in the activate stage are designed to get students

to use the language as communicatively as they can. During the Activate, students

do not focus on language construction or practice particular language patterns, but

use their full language knowledge in the selected situation or task.

2. Speaking ability

Brown CT al. in Malayanti (2004) defines speaking as an interactive process

of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing

information.

Cornbelt and Carter in Samsu Alam (2007) said that speaking is combining

sound in a recognized and systematic way, according to language specific

principles, to form meaningful utterances. Speaking means the ability to utter or

express our idea and opinion. It will build a communication and talking about

interest, world and all of the things around us between listener and speaker.

The Etymology’s aspect, in Ardictionary.com, speaking means uttering

speech; used for conveying speech (Online: 17th September 2010). Same with it,

in Encyclopedia.com (Online: 17th September 2010) state that Speaking as noun is

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the action of conveying information or expressing one's thoughts and feelings in

spoken language and Speaking as adjective is used for or engaged in speech and

conveying meaning as though in words. Besides that in Yourdictionary.com

(Online: 17th September 2010) state that Speaking is the act or art of a person who

speaks.

According to Flores in Kathleen & Nunan (2005:2) Speaking is an

interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving

and processing information. Communication through speaking is commonly

performed in face to face interaction and occurs as part of dialogue or other forms

of verbal exchange.

Richard in Muh. Nurdin (2009) stated that a large percentage of the world’s

language learners study English in order to develop proficiency in speaking. This

is caused by the functions of speaking that cover many aspects of human

interaction, such as involved expressing ideas and opinions, expressing a wish or a

desire to do something, negotiating, solving a particular problem, establishing and

building social relationship and friendships, maintaining business or other

professional reasons. Those are just a few reasons why people may wish to speak,

and then it seems fair to assume that speaking skills play a large part in this

overall competence.

Based from definitions above the Researcher conclude that speaking means

the process of uttering words or sentences orally to conveying information.

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G. Research Method

1. Research Design

The research will use quasi-experimental design. This design is divided into

three, but the researcher will use the first kind, nonequivalent control group

design. One group is control class and other is experimental class. The design will

be with pre-test (X 1 ), treatments (T) and post-test (X 2 ). The pre-test and post-

test will be given to both control class and experimental class. The experimental

class will be given treatments and the control class will not given treatments, it

will be taught using conventional technique by the teacher. The comparison

between the pre test and post test score in experimental class depends on the

success of the treatment. The schematic representation for the design might be:

Pre-test Treatment Post-test

O1 X O2
O1 O2
Notes:

O1 = the result of the students’ pre-test.

X = the treatment

O2 = the result of the students post-test.

(Gay, 1981)

2. Variables
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This research has one dependent variable and one independent variable. The

dependent variable of this research is the students’ ability to speak English and the

independent variable of this research is Engage, Study and Activate (ESA)

technique.

3. Population

According to Suharsimi (2006) population is the total of the research

subject. The population also means as objective to get of collect of data. The

population of the research will be the second grade students of the Madrasah

Aliyah DDI Alliritengae Kabupaten Maros.

4. Sample

The researcher will use systematic sampling technique.

5. Instrument of the research

At present of the instruments of the research that the researcher will use in

this thesis as:

a. Speaking test

The speaking test will be given to the students to know their ability in

speaking. The test is divided in two types, they are pre-test and post-test. The pre-

test is the speaking test which will be given before treatment. In this test, the

students will deliver speech based on the topic. The second test is post-test which

will be given after treatments.

b. Questionnaire
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The questionnaire is to provide for the students in the form of close-ended

questions, asking about the students’ attitude towards the teaching speaking skill

through Engage, Study and Activate (ESA) technique.

6. Procedure of collecting data

In collecting the data, the researcher will use some procedures as

follows:

a. Pre-test: the pre-test will be given to the students to find out how the

students ability in speaking before doing the treatment. It will spend

time for 60 minutes. The test will be given to both the control class

and the experimental class.

b. Treatments, the researcher will give eight treatments to the students in

the classroom. The procedures will be:

1) Before giving the material, the researcher will explain about the

use of Engage, Study and Activate (ESA) technique.

2) The researcher will give the students engagement, like video,

games, and so on, to motivate them.

3) The researcher will give the students material about speaking.

4) After that, the researcher will give the students chance to speak.

5) The researcher will control while the students speak.

6) The same procedures will be conducted in the next meetings.

c. Post-test: The students will be given the same speaking topic to find

out the value of treatment whether or not the result of the post-test was
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better than the result of the pre-test. Both the speaking results of pre-

test and post-test will be recorded.

7. Technique of data analysis

a. The English speaking ability scoring classification

The data from the English speaking test will be given scores based on the

English speaking ability scoring classification. In this case the researcher will give

score on the students’ fluency, comprehensibility, pronunciation, grammar and

vocabulary (Sasmedi: 2006).

To make it clear the researcher describes all classification as follows:

1) Pronunciation

Classification Score Criteria

Use of vocabulary and idiom is like native
Excellent 5
speaker.
Always intelligible, through one is conscious of
Good 4
a definite accent.
Pronunciation problem necessitate concentrate
Fair 3
listening and lead to misunderstanding.
Very hard to understand because of

Inadequate 2 pronunciation problem. It must frequently be

asked repeated.
Pronunciation problem is so hard and difficult
Unacceptable 1
to understand.

2) Grammar

Classification Score Criteria

Make few noticeable errors of grammar and
Excellent 5
word order.
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Occasionally makes grammatical and word

Good 4 order error which do not however observe

meaning.
Make frequent error of grammar and word
Fair 3
order which occasionally observe meaning.
Grammar and word order error make
Inadequate 2
comprehension difficulty.
Errors in grammar and word order as severe
Unacceptable 1
as to make speech untellable.

3) Vocabulary

Classification Score Criteria

Use of vocabulary and idiom is like native
Excellent 5
speakers
Sometimes uses inappropriate term and must
Good 4
rephrase ideas because of lexical inadequacies
Frequently uses the wrong word;
Fair 3
conversation somewhat limited vocabularies
Vocabulary makes comprehension quite
Inadequate 2
difficult
Vocabulary limitations so extreme to make
Unacceptable 1
conversation virtually impossible
4) Fluency

Classification Score Criteria

Speech as fluent and effortless as that of a
Excellent 5
native speaker
Speed of speech seems to be slightly affected
Good 4
by language problem
Speed and fluency are rather strongly affected
Fair 3
by language problem
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Usually hesitant often force into silence by

Inadequate 2
language limitation
Speech unacceptable so make conversation
Unacceptable 1
virtually impossible
5) Comprehension

Classification Score Criteria

Appears to understand everything without
Excellent 5
difficulty
Understand nearby all the speech at normal

Good 4 speed although occasionally repetition may

be necessary
Understand most of what is said is lower than
Fair 3
normal speed with repetition
Has great difficulty following what is said,

Inadequate 2 can comprehend only social conversation

spoken slowly and with frequent repetition

Cannot be said to understand even simple
Unacceptable 1
conversation English

b. The rate scale scoring system

Based on the classifications above, the researcher will use the rate scale

scoring system as follows:

4.01 - 5.00 is classified as excellent

3.01 - 4.00 is classified as good

2,01 - 3.00 is classified as fair

1.01 - 2.00 is classified as inadequate

0.00 – 1.00 is classified as unacceptable

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(Hughes, 2006)

c. The mean score

Calculating the mean score of the students’ answer by using the following

formula:

x
x
N

Notation:

x = mean score

x = total row score

N = total number of students (Gay, 1981)

d. The value of t-test

Calculating the value of t-test to indicate the significant difference between

the mean score of pretest and posttest, the researcher uses the following formula:

D
t
2
 D 
D  
2

 N 
N ( N  1)

Notation:
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t = test of significant

D = the mean score difference

D = the sum of total score difference

D = the square of the total score difference

1 = test of significance

n = the total number of students

(Gay, 1981)

e. The questionnaire analysis

After giving the post-test, the researcher will give questionnaire to find out

the students’ attitude toward the using of Engage, Study and Activate (ESA)

technique. The answers of questionnaire will be collected and analyzed in

percentage. The questionnaire offers five choices namely:

1) Strongly Agree

2) Agree

3) Undecided

4) Disagree

5) Strongly Disagree

f. The rate percentage of the students’ score

Computing the rate percentage of the students’ score by using the

following formula:

fq
p x100%
n

Notation:

p = Percentage
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fq = Number of correct answer

n = The number of samples

(Gay, 1981)
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