CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background

Speaking is an essential skill used to communicate and to

share thought and mind. People speak to express themselves by

making statements, asking questions, or negating. Many people

have the potential to speak but there are lists of problems they are

facing when they want to speak, for example lack of confidence and

vocabulary as well.

Nowadays, English is the most worlds spoken language and it

is very important to be able to speak in English. It is difficult if

students do not have confidence, knowledge, and preparation to

speak in front of many people. It could be worst if it has to be in a

foreign language especially in English since English is the global

language. Many of colleagues from junior high school, senior high

school until college confront themselves that they have difficulties

in speaking English.

There are many factors of the difficulties in speaking such as,

the lack of confidence, nervous to be standing on stage, and lack of

vocabulary. For these reasons, many people could not express

themselves in front of other people despites of their bright mind.

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Sometimes people call other person smart if he or she is fluent in

speaking even though that other person is cleverer than the fluent

person might be.

Experiencing the learning teaching in the class a few years

ago is definitely become a strength to conduct an experiment

especially in speaking. Several years back, the teaching process

was 90% just focused on Reading and Writing only. Speaking and

Listening were so rare as if it were never existed. While the National

Examination were not just Reading, there was Listening as well

where I found out that it was very different from what we have

learned in the class.

At High School, most of the learning was just written

expression. Speaking was absolutely forgotten and from what we

have seen in the real world, we need to speak to be connected with

others. That is the whole point of language and then writing and

gesture come along. Even though that the students have a great

mark at structure but if they do not know how to speak it up, then it

is useless.

Many people admit that Speaking is very hard. Therefore, the

question for them is why. Their answers are all different but most of
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them because they were afraid of getting wrong. They do not have

the courage to say what they think because they are afraid being

misunderstood. From my perspective, they just need a little practice

on their speaking so they will get used to it and feel no longer

embarrassment.

Not only the English Education Department students or

English Literature students need to improve their speaking skill but

also the non-English majors such as Biology Science, Physics

Science, Mathematics, and other non-English majors. Due to the

fact that English is a global language, speaking in English is very

helpful because people can interact with many people all around

the world. People use English in international meetings,

conferences, symposiums, workshops, and other important

international events. Therefore, speaking is very important in our

lives.

Based on the experiences above, it is interesting to conduct a

research using Project-Based Learning to overcome the problem of

speaking specially in University. In the journal entitled A Review of

Research on Project-Based Learning written by Thomas (2000 p: 1),

it says that Project Based Learning is a model that organizes

learning and projects. Projects as stated in the journal are complex

tasks, based on challenging questions and problems, that involves

students in design, problem solving, decision making, or

investigative activities: give students the opportunity to work

relatively autonomously extended periods of time: and culminate in

realistic products or presentations. (Jones, Rasmussen, & Moffitt,

1997: Thomas, Mergendoller, & Michaelson, 1999).

Project Based Learning (PBL) is one of the models that suits to

improve the students speaking because it prepares the students to

speak in front of many people. Project Based Learning also suits in

any parts of the curriculum whether in the KTSP or in the K-13 or in

University Syllabus. Therefore, it can be taught in any subjects or

even out of the class hour, since this is an experiment.

A project is not a one-subject only. Two or three subject can be

in one project, therefore the students or the teachers can ease their

work and done their task in a group. For example, there are projects

in Art and English Class, what the teachers of both subject can do

are that they can combine their task through the project. The Art

Class teacher can give a singing task to all the students and to

combine with the English Class, the students will perform their
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singing in English. This is one of the ways of a project can be done

without making the students more stress out because there will be

many projects but the subjects can be combined in one project.

Based on the aforementioned definitions, Project-Based

Learning was a chosen model to improve the students speaking

skill. The project would be from the curriculum, depends on which

curriculum the university uses. The project would be presented in

front of the class with its miniature or picture of the selected

material. From the activity of presentation, students would be able

to speak fluently and communicatively in front of the class.

B. Research Question

The lack of speaking in English especially at Cokroaminoto

Palopo University is the main problem. In order to elaborate the

main problem, the research question is To what extent is Project

Based Learning effective in improving speaking skill of the second

semester students at Cokroaminoto Palopo University?

C. Research Objective

Identifying the effectiveness of Project Based Learning in

English at Cokroaminoto Palopo University is the main problem of

this research. The specific objective of this current research is To

find out the extent to which Project Based Learning is effective in

improving speaking skill of the second semester students at

Cokroaminoto Palopo University.

D. Research Significance

This research contributes significance both theoretically and

practically. It may contributes and become the benefits for all the

people especially those who work in the field of education.

1. Theoretical Significance
First contribution to this research is theoretical

significance. This significance of the research can contribute

one more theory of how effective Project Based Learning

towards the teaching and learning process, especially to

speaking skill.
2. Practical Significance

Second contribution to this research is practical

significance. There are many practical significance of the

research which can be useful for students, teachers, and for

the next researchers. First, for the students, this research will

be about the project-based learning where the researcher will

conduct the PBL model in learning so it will bring the

excitement in the class. Second, for the teachers, this

research will offer the information to the significance of the

Project Based Learning. Third, for the next researcher, this

research can be the reference of his or her related research.

E. Research Scope

To make this research clearer and specific, the limits of this

research is the effectiveness of using PBL in speaking skill. The PBL

here means a task of which the students will be given and present

their own work in the front of the class. The speaking criteria chosen

for this research are accuracy, fluency and comprehensibility. The

speaking skill is based on three aspects of speaking which are

fluency, accuracy and comprehensibility. Fluency in this matter is

how the students speak very clear and without any hesitation about

what they are talking. Accuracy here means that the students

present their work like a native, which means they have a good

pronunciation like a native-like and easy to understand of what they

explain. Comprehensibility means that what the students talk about

precise of which they are presenting.

For the place, the research will be conducted at

Cokroaminoto Palopo University. For the subjects, the chosen

semester is the second semester students of Cokroaminoto Palopo

University. The method that will be used in this research is Quasi-

Experimental Design, exactly the Non-Equivalent Control Group

Design.

F. Operational Definition of Terms

There are three main terms of this research; they are

Effectiveness, Project- Based Learning and the students speaking

skill improvement.

1. The first term is the effectiveness. Defining effectiveness as

the extent to which targeted problems are solved is what this

research is for. In this matter, the targeted problem is the

speaking and the models that we want to find the

effectiveness of Project Based.

students that have a long period to be done so the project

will be nicely prepared. The students will be given the project

that will be done outside the class and they will present their

project in the class by speaking English.

of Project Based Learning that can improve the students

speaking skill. Improve here means that the ability of the

students speaking skill becomes better or increase by

applying the Project Based Learning.