Chapter I Ar Proposal

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background to the Problem Language is used for communication (Brown, 2000). Learning it means able to communicate in that language. We should be able to express our feeling, ideas, opinions, and desires through the language. Furthermore, teaching cannot be defined apart from learning because teaching is guiding and facilitating learning, enabling the learner to learn setting the condition for learning (Davies & Pearse, 2001). English is an international language that is learned and taught broadly in the world. In Indonesia, English is the first foreign language that is taught in many schools from elementary to senior high school. The major goal of English language teaching in Indonesia is to enable learners to use English effectively and as far as possible accurately in communication. However, many English classrooms in Indonesia failed to achieve this goal. It is because many classroom activities only focused on teacher-centered activities which caused the lost of student’s interest in learning English. Moreover, this problem also occurred in the class in which the researcher has observed. This class is class 1 A at SMA PIRI 1 Yogyakarta. Most of the students in this class did not pay attention to the lesson and it caused the English teaching learning process was no longer effective for students as well as for the teacher. The activities which are used in the English classroom could not lead the learners to take the opportunities to use English for communication in the classroom. Considering the fact that the researcher could find in this class, the researcher, then decided to conduct a research. The research will focus on the development of English learning teaching process in the class, that is, how to make it more attractive, enjoyable and satisfying for the learner through communicative activities. Thus, to follow up this demand, the researcher will conduct an action research. This action research will try to improve English language teaching process in class 1 A SMA PIRI 1 through communicative language teaching activities.

B. Identification of the Problem Learning English is not a set of easy steps that can be programmed in a quick do-it-yourself kit (Brown, 2000). Therefore, English learning teaching process in the class should help the learners to achieve the goal of language learning that is to communicate fluently and accurately. The materials which are used in the learning process should be based on the learners’ need and the objective of language learning. It will be difficult for the learners to understand the material if it does not meet the learners’ need. The material should be able to encourage learners by making it more interesting and adjusting it to learner’s level proficiency. The teaching learning process in English classroom should also provides some activities which engage the learners to participate in the teaching learning process. The learners should feel that every activity the teachers do with the learners is worthwhile, and not just become a time filler, so that the whole course is worthwhile. According to the English teaching learning process at SMA PIRI 1 Yogyakarta, the researcher has found the problems related to factors that influence the success of teaching learning process in English classroom, those are the lack of teaching learning materials and the unmotivated activities that are used by the teachers. The materials which are used by the teacher could not motivate the students’ and it caused many students lost their interest in learning English. Moreover, the activities which are used in the classroom also could not engage the students to practice real communication in English, so that the students failed to achieve the learning teaching language major goal, i.e. to communicate fluently and accurately in English. C. Delimitation of the Problem Based on the background and the identification of the problem above, the researcher takes one problem for this research that is the problem related to teaching learning activities. The English teachers of SMA PIRI 1 do not provide an activity that allows the learners to communicate in real English.

D. Formulation of the Problem Based on the background, the identification and the delimitation of the problem above, this research will be focused on how to improve English teaching learning process through communicative language teaching activities? E. Objective of the Study Based on the background, the identification, the delimitation, and the formulation of the problem above, the aim of this research is to describe the effort to improve English teaching learning process through communicative language teaching activities at class 1 A SMA PIRI 1. E. Significance of the Research Based on the background, the identification, the delimitation, the formulation of the problem above, the significances of the research are: 1. For the students, it will be an effort to improve their ability to communicate in real English 2. For the teachers, it will encourage them to become more reflective and effective in their professional practice in language teaching. 3. For the community of education and academics and schools who also have a concern about language teaching especially English language teaching, it will provide them with insight into practice in schools, which will in itself provide an impetus for policy directions which are sensitive to the situations of teachers at schools.

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW A. Theoretical Description 1. English Learning and Teaching Communication should be the main goal of all English learning and teaching, when the learners can actually communicate in English outside and inside the classroom, this will be say as a great achievement from the learners. As what Davies and Pearse (1998) proposed that a major goal of all English learning and teaching is to enable learners to use English effectively, and as far as possible accurately in communication. Therefore, as a teacher, it is very important to help the learners to achieve the goal in English learning and teaching. Employed some appropriate techniques such as task and activities in language teaching will be the best choice to do. Techniques include all tasks and activities are almost always planned and deliberate, they are the product of a choice made by the teacher and they can, for our purposes as a language teacher, comfortably refer to the pedagogical units or components of a classroom session (Brown, 2001). 2. Communicative Language Teaching Activities a. Communicative Language Teaching There are many definitions have been offered to describe communicative language teaching (CLT), one of them is as what Brown (2000) offered in its four interconnected characteristics: 1. Classroom goals are focused on all the components of communicative competence and not restricted to grammatical or linguistic competence. 2. Language techniques are designed to engage learners in the pragmatic, authentic, functional use of language for meaningful purposes. Organizational language forms are not the central focus but rather aspects of language that enable the learner to accomplish those purposes

3. Fluency and accuracy are seen as complementary principles underlying communicative techniques. At times fluency may have to take on more importance than accuracy in order to keep learners meaningfully engaged in language use. 4. In the communicative classroom, Students ultimately have to use the (target) language, productively and receptively, in unrehearsed contexts. In addition, CLT as an approach emphasized communicative activities in its development. As what is Littlewood (1981) in Applebaum (2007), stated that the CLT approach that one of the most characteristic features of communicative language teaching is that it pays systematic attention to functional as well as structural aspects of language. In reaction to the grammar-translation and audiolingual methods, the CLT approach emphasizes the communicative activities that involve the real use of language in daily life situation. b. Communicative Activities Davies and Pearse (1998) proposed that communicative activities inevitably mean that the teacher relaxes control over what the learners hear, say, read, write - and think - and so the learners have to take some control over their own learning. They also stated that a communicative activity is an activity in which there is: •

a desire to communicate

•

a communicative purpose

•

a focus on language content not language forms

•

a variety of language used

•

no teacher intervention

•

no control or simplification of the material Furthermore, Applebaum (2007) stated, there are many activities

that the teacher can incorporate into CLT. He/she can find then on websites, in activity books or from other teacher sat conferences and workshops. However, when choosing or creating an activity the teacher must keep three things in mind.

The activity must: 1. Use authentic language, materials and language situations; 2. Have a purpose that the teacher can state and be achievable; and 3. Allow for freedom and unpredictability (Xioaju, 1990 in Applebaum, 2007). B. Conceptual Framework As what David and Pearse (1998) proposed that the major goal of English language teaching is to enable learners to use English effectively, and as far as possible accurately in communication, it is very important for the teacher to note that their choice in applying technique in the classroom could determine the success of learning teaching process in the class. Communicative Language Teaching as one of the approach which is used broadly in language teaching context, emphasized the communicative activities in its development (Littlewood, 1981 in Applebaum 2007). Therefore, to incorporate CLT in the activities which will be used in the class, the teacher needs to keep three things in mind, i.e. the activity must use authentic language, materials and language situations; have a purpose that the teacher can state and be achievable; and allow for freedom and unpredictability (Xioaju, 1990 in Applebaum, 2007).

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD A. Type of the Research The type of the research is qualitative research. The teacher acts as the researcher of her own practices, collecting the data, refining her concern and monitoring changes as she takes action to address the concern of the research. B. Research Setting The research will be held in SMA PIRI 1 Yogyakarta. It is located on Jl Kemuning, Yogyakarta. the school provides 15 classes that consist of three grades. Each grade consists of five classes. Physically, the building of this school consists of three floors. The first floor is used for the school health unit room, the headmaster office, teacher office, administration room, guidance and counseling room, computer laboratory, canteen, and parking area. The second floor is used for classroom of grade X and XI, OSIS room, and music studio. The third floor is used for classroom activities of grade XII, library, biology laboratory and physic laboratory. B. Subject of Research The research will involved the head master, English teachers, and the students of class XA in the academic year of 2008/2009 and the researcher herself. C. Time of the Research The researcher will conduct this action research in first semester of the 2008/2009 academic year. The action will be conducted from Augustus 1st 2008 t

o October 30 2008. The actions will be conducted according to the schedule of English subject of XA of SMA PIRI I Yogyakarta. D. Data Collecting Procedure The data needed are ideas or opinions from research members so that the action can be implemented to improve the English learning teaching process. The research members are the headmaster, the English teachers, the students, and the researcher herself. The data of this research are qualitative. The research will use observation and interview as the data collecting procedure. She will interview the students of class XA, the English teachers, and other teachers to get information concerning the research. The researcher will observe the process of English learning teaching and will make questionnaire as will to obtain the data. The questionnaire will be distributed to students of class XA. It will be used to find out students difficulties in the English learning teaching process. The forms of the data are interview transcripts, field notes and questionnaires. Those will be obtained from some resources, i.e. the English teacher and the students. The validity of the data will be obtained by making sure that careful records of the proceedings are kept at all stages, so that a clear documentation of the process can be made which represents the views of all the participants. These notes will provide an accurate record of what has been taking place, when looking back over a period of some time at a later stage. They can also become part of the final report. E. Procedure of the Research 1. Determining the Thematic Concern – Reconnaissance The researcher will do reconnaissance step to find out information concerning the English learning teaching process in the class. Based on the interview and observation in the field, the researcher will identify the existing problems and the she will determine the thematic concern. The problems will be identified from the information of the research

members, i.e. the English teachers and the students. Next, those problems will be grouped based on the possibilities to be overcome. In grouping them, the research members are considered the scale of priorities and the feasibility to solve the problems. From the result of the survey, it will be found the problems in the field related to the English learning teaching process in the class. 2. Planning After the researcher identified the problem, she will make some planning to choose the actions that are feasible to be implemented. In planning some actions that will be implemented, the researcher will cooperate with the English teachers. They will discuss the possibility and the scale of priorities of the implementation in the field. This research will involve the English teachers, the students and the researcher. 3. Action and Observation After the planning has agreed together, actions will be implemented in the class. The English teacher of class XA will perform the actions. The teacher will be demanded to observe and record the reactions of the students during the activities. The researcher herself will observe and note anything that is found in the field. 4. Reflecting The last process is reflecting. After the teacher takes the action and the observation, she will reflect the result according to theories. She will analyze the result of the research. She will explain whether using communicative language teaching activities in the English classroom will improve the teaching learning process in the class.

REFERENCES Applebaum, Bruce. (2007). Communicative Language Teaching: Theory, Practice, and Personal Experience. “Mandiri Journal”, 4(9), 26670 Brown, H. Douglas H. (2000). Principles of language Learning and Teaching (4th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Brown, H. Douglas H. (2001). Teaching by Principles An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Davies, Paul & Pearse, Eric. (1998). Succes in English Teaching. Oxford University Press.