ROLE PLAY STRATEGY IN TEACHING SPEAKING

ROLE PLAY STRATEGY IN TEACHING SPEAKING

Pipit Rahayu 1
1
Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan
Universitas Pasir Pengaraian; e-mail: darariau2010@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kemampuan berbicara Mahasiswa
Semester II Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris dengan strategi role play
menggunakan metode penelitian tindakan kelas (PTK) yang bertujuan untuk
mengatasi masalah pada kemampuan Mahasiswa dalam berbicara bahasa Inggris.
Penelitian ini dilakukan dalam 2 siklus, setiap siklus terdiri dari perencanaan,
tindakan, observasi, dan refleksi. Data kualitatif didapatkan melalui observasi dan
catatan harian, sedangkan data kuantitatif didapatkan melalui tes. Hasil dari
penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa penerapan strategi role play telah sukses sejak ada
peningkatan pada kemampuan berbicara Mahasiswa. Hasil dari penelitian
menunjukan adanya peningkatan kemampuan berbicara Mahasiswa dari rata-rata
siklus I hingga pada siklus II.

Keywords: Kemampuan Berbicara, Strategi Role Play

INTRODUCTION speaking II, speaking III and Speaking
Language is a very important tool in IV. All speaking levels are intended to
the lives of children, as language to encourage the students to practice the
communicate with others. It is also very language that they have already known.
important in order to enable students to Sometimes when they want to state their
communicate effectively through oral ideas, it is not easy for them to utter in
language because the disability of the the correct words of the language.
students to speak may lead them to be Moreover, if speakers do not know how
unable to express their ideas even in a to use its structure, vocabulary, and
simple form of conversation. Learning a pronunciation in their speaking,
language means using it in communi- misunderstanding will happen Brown
cation in oral or written form, and being and Yole in Hormailis (2003:5) supports
able to express feeling, thoughts, and this viewpoint that “one needs to master
experiences in various contexts. English rules of speaking, usage of vocabulary
as a foreign language in Indonesia taught and pronunciation”. In addition, Haris
at Junior High school as a compulsory (1981:81) defines speaking as a complex
subject. The implementation of English skill requiring the simultaneous use of
teaching at present based on the Content different abilities. Five components were
Standard. Its target is to have the generally recognized in speaking. They
students reach an informational level of were pronunciation, grammar,
literacy. It means that the students vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.
expected to be able to access knowledge Then, there are some objectives of
by using English. speaking II based on curriculum and
The students of English Department syllabus in English study program. First,
in University of PasirPengaraian have the students are expected to be able to
learnt many English subjects. One of develop their fluency and confidence in
them is speaking. Speaking subject is speaking activity. Second, they enjoy
decided into three levels; speaking I, learning English by providing variety

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 ROLE PLAY STRATEGY IN TEACHING SPEAKING

activities that is given by the lecturer. because there is a proverb which says that
Third, the students can express their own we learn to read by reading and we learn
views clearly and regularly. However, in to speak by speaking. Speaking is a
classroom, most of the students do not language skill or means of
use English, as Syllabus required. They communication in which one can express
are not self-confident to say what they his/her idea, feeling and information to
want to say something important others orally. Speaking skill needs direct
expected in the subject. interactions, in which someone speaks to
As explained above, speaking is a someone directly. Furthermore, speaking
complex skill. In oral communication, in shows cap skill to use a language.
terms of speaking skill, most of people Hornby (1989:27) supports this
face some problems. They cannot speak viewpoint by stating that to speak is to
clearly because their skill in using some reproduce words or to use words to utter
accurate components, such as the words by using conversation.
pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, Speaking is the process of building
fluency and the like. Furthermore, some and sharing meaning with verbal and
of students of English Study Program in non-verbal symbols, in a variety of
University of PasirPengaraian still get contexts, Chaney in Kayi (2006). Its form
difficulties to apply this language in and meaning are dependent on the
classroom. In this case, the variety of context in which it occurs, including the
technique and strategy in teaching participants themselves, their collective
speaking in the classroom are needed. experiences, the physical environment,
Dealing with the problem stated in the and the purposes for speaking. It is often
description above, the researcher spontaneous, open-ended, and evolving.
conducted this research in order to know Speaking is a meaningful interaction,
how good is the skill of the second forms a part of the shared social activity
Semester students in University of of talking (Bachman: 2002). It is mean
PasirPengaraianthrough Role Play two or more people talk to each other
strategy. about things that they think are mutually
interesting and relevant in the situation.
DISCUSSION Their aim can be to pass the time, amuse
A. Speaking each other, share opinions or get
English is one of the foreign something done. Each participant is both
languages in Indonesia. The single most a speaker and a listener. The point in their
important aspect of learning a language interaction is that they do these things
is mastering the art of speaking and together.
success as measured in terms of the skill The terms of speaking, according to
to carry out a conversation in the Brown in Umam (2009), is an interactive
language. process of constructing meaning that
According to Riversin Erwadi involves producing and receiving and
(2004:7), what the students need in a processing information. Its form and
target language is the skill to use thee meaning are dependent on the context in
language in acts of communication, which it occurs. The speaker generally
because speaking is a very complex and uses speaking as a means of commu-
different skill to learn especially by the nication in daily interaction. The presence
foreign language students. In other of speaker and listener is necessary to
words, learning to speak a foreign build up a mutual communication in
language will be facilitated when speaking activity. Thus, speaking is
students are active to communicate, considered to be inseparable to something

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 ROLE PLAY STRATEGY IN TEACHING SPEAKING

we call communication. Communication information to other people orally.

is the way individual can show the Speaking skill needs a direct interaction,
feelings, tell the thoughts, ask questions, in which someone speaks to someone
ask for help, argue, persuade, explain, else directly. Furthermore, Wilkin in
and give order each other. Erwadi (2004:7) suggests that in
According to Thornbury (2005), speaking, the skill to compose a sentence
speaking is a skill, and as such needs to is needed but it is not the only one needed
be developed and practiced indepen- because oral communication takes place
dently of the grammar curriculum. when someone makes use of sentences to
Speaking also interactive and requires perform a variety of different acts of
the ability to co-operate in the essential.
management of speaking turns. It is also It can be concluded that speaking is a
typically takes place in real time, with language skill or a means of communi-
little time for detailed planning. In these cation in which one can express his ideas
circumstances, spoken fluency requires or information in a good logical order and
the capacity to marshal a store of master the convention mechanics of
memorized lexical chunks. speaking (pronunciation, grammar, voca-
According to Chastain in Yossi bulary, fluency, and comprehension). In
(2004:6), speaking is a productive skill other words, the purposes of speaking or
since it produces ideas, messages, and communication in English, besides being
suggestions and we need to practice it. able to describe things, peoples, places,
To increase our skill in communicating and sequences of even orally, we should
in English, it is not enough in the be able to express our ideas, opinions,
classroom but practice outside of the feelings simply and to encourage our-
classroom it will be influenced our selves to communicate to other people.
speaking skill.
When people speak, they do more B. The Components of Speaking
than just exchanging information. They There are four aspects below have a
use language to make social interaction great influence in speaking skill, there
possible. This involves the skill to carry are:
out the different kinds of conversational Vocabulary
tasks and speech function, such as to Vocabulary is one of the extreme
greet and acknowledge people, to open aspects that support speaking activity. It
and close conversation comfortably, to deals with the right and appropriate
introduce and develop topics naturally. words. Ur in Hormailis (2003:6)
According to Richards (1985:12), when Grammar
we speak to people we do not only say Warriner in Ramli (2003:6) believes
things, we do such things as describe that communication in speaking runs
events, feelings, things, ideas, plans, and smoothly if its grammar can be
accomplishment; we make request, offer understood. Therefore, speakers must be
suggestions and recommendation; we aware of the grammar that they use in
respond and react to suggestions, speaking. In other words, grammar is the
opinions, requests, orders and so on. It rule by which we put together meaning-
means that when we communicate we ful and part of words of a language to
not only speak but we need the communicate massages that are
comprehension of what we are talking comprehensible.
about, therefore speaking is a language Fluency
skill or means communication in which Speaking is an activity of reproducing
we can express our ideas, feelings, and word orally. It means that there is a

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 ROLE PLAY STRATEGY IN TEACHING SPEAKING

process of exchanging ideas between a prepare together. They then form new
speaker and a listener. Therefore, it is groups to carry out thediscussion (Lucy
important to have fluency as having the Pollard, 2008: 36).In playing their role
cap skill or other components of for the first time the students’ will be
speaking. Longmanin Hormailis nervous when they have to perform in
(2003:7) states that the fluency is the front of others, especially the teacher, but
quality or condition of being fluent. It is with time, the more role-plays that they
the cap skill to use the language do, the more proficient and confident
spontaneously and confidently and they willbecome.In the end, they might
without undue pauses and hesitation. actually get to like it, especially if they
Pronunciation imaginethemselvesto be rehearsing for a
Nunan (1999) states that role, just as they would if they were
pronunciation still obviously influences playing asmall part in a movie or TV
by L1 though clearly intelligible. In this series. This is an attitude that the teacher
case, the students who are able to shouldcultivate (David Holmes,
pronounce correctly will be marked 2004:134)
has a foreign accent. According to Dananjaya (2013) role
play is an activity in learning process
C. Role Play Strategy which is the students should not be
Getting students to talk about their worry, because in this role play activity,
feelings is not always easy. There are the real situation of live will be create.
many issues that are hard for them to This activity differ with drama, the
talk about because they may be afraid of duration is very short. The teacher only
ridiculer dismissal. Students need to be gives short scenario and the students feel
given permission to play and explore. free to modify or improve the situation
Role play can help them play with and character.
personal problem. It allows them to be Role-playing clearly promotes
spontaneous by releasing creative effective interpersonal relations and
energy. Role play, on the other hand, can social transactions among participants.
be a quite simple and brief technique to "In order for a simulation to occur the
organize. It is also highly flexible, participants must accept the duties and
leaving much more scope for the responsibilities of their roles and
exercise of individual variation, functions, and do the best they can in the
initiative and imagination and role situation in which they find themselves"
playalsoincludedin simulation as well. (Tompkins in Diyah, 2002). To fulfill
Role play is a technique that involves their role responsibilities, students must
students taking on a role and carrying relate to others in the simulation, utilizing
out a discussion with each personplaying effective social skills. Role play can
their role. For example, the local council improve learners' speaking skills in any
wishes to introduce a new system situation, and helps learners to interact.
andlocation for dumping waste. Some As for the shy learners, role play helps by
students play local councilors ,others are providing a mask, where learners with
localresidents, others are members of an difficulty in conversation are liberated. In
environmental organizationand others addition, it is fun and most learners will
aremanagers and employees of the agree that enjoyment leads to better
company being asked to carry out the learning.
work. Theteacher 11describes and sets From those explanation above, the
up the situation. The students prepare in researcher views that role play is a
groups, thoseplaying the same roles strategy which involves fantasy or

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 ROLE PLAY STRATEGY IN TEACHING SPEAKING

imagination to be someone else or to be pictures. The teacher selects the

ourselves in a specific situation for a material ahead of time. The teacher
while, improvising dialogue and creating can also create his or her own
a real world in scenario. It aims at the authentic teaching materials for role
students to encourage thinking and play activities. The teaching materials
creativity, lets students develop and should be decide based on students'
practice new language and behavioral level and interests, teaching
skills in a relatively non-threatening objectives and appropriateness for
setting, and can create the motivation teaching.
and involvement necessary for learning 2. Select situations and create dialogs,
to occur. then a situation or situations to be role
played should be select. For every
D. Role Play Procedure in the role plays situation, should be
Classroom providing (by the teaching materials
Role play in this distance learning or by the teacher) or created by the
class allows the objectives of the course students themselves.
to be met in the limited time, through an 3. Teach the Dialogs for Role Plays, the
integrated approach which allows the teacher needs to teach the vocabulary,
practice of language skills, content and sentences, and dialogs necessary for
interaction skills and strategies.The the role play situations. The teacher
teacher's role in giving clear instructions needs to make sure the students know
was equally important. The learners how to use the vocabulary, sentences,
were asked to get into groups of five and and dialogs prior to doing the role
choose a leader for each group. All the play activities, otherwise, the teacher
reports were given to the leaders who should allow students to ask how to
assigned individual roles to each group say the words they want to say.
member. They were asked to improvise 4. Have Students Practice the Role Plays,
the message in the reports which were students can practice in pairs or in
not too structured and to find a structure small groups. After they have played
that fits into a real life situation.Apart their own roles a few times, have
from that, the learners were asked to jot them exchange roles. That way,
down in a diary, journal or log book, students can play different roles and
their feelings, comments, thoughts and practice all of the lines in the role
perceptions about a particular learning play. When students are confident
experience related to the role play. Such enough to demonstrate or perform in
entries could provide opportunities to the front of the class, the teacher can ask
learners for self-reflection and self- them to do so for their classmates.
observation. 5. Have Students Modified the
There are six major steps in the Situations and Dialogs, once students
procedure (Huang: 2008): have finished and become familiar
1. Decide on the Teaching Materials. with an original role play situation,
The teacher must decide which they can modify the situations and/or
teaching materials will be used for dialogs to create a variation of the
role play activities. The teacher can original role play.
take teaching materials from 6. Evaluate and check students'
textbooks or non-textbook teaching comprehension, the teacher shall
materials such as picture books, evaluate the effectiveness of the role
storybooks, readers, play-scripts, play activities and check if students
comic strips, movies, cartoons, and have successfully comprehended the

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 ROLE PLAY STRATEGY IN TEACHING SPEAKING

meanings of the vocabulary, of their presentation means because there

sentences and dialogs. There are were some weaknesses in term of
several ways to do student speaking skill. In the second meeting of
evaluations. Students can be given cycle I, the researcher give more chance
oral tests relating to the role plays. for the students to discuss about the topic
Example oral tests can include to improve their comprehension and the
students are asked to answer some result of their speaking test was not really
simple questions relating to the role increased. In the third meeting in cycle I,
plays or students are asked to act the the researcher still tried to improve their
role plays. understanding about the topic and their
skill in speaking, because the result of
CONCLUSION their speaking test still low.
Based on the purpose of the research, The Average of Students Speaking
this classroom action research was Skill in Cycle I
conducted to find out whether the NO Indicators of Percentage
students’ speaking skill better improved speaking (%)
by applying the role plays strategy. This 1 Accent 59,57
strategy was applied at second semester 2 Grammar 67,43
of English Study Program in University 3 Vocabulary 67,27
of PasirPengaraian. It was conducted in
4 Fluency 67,67
two cycles; each cycle had three
meetings; each meeting was in 2 x 40 5 Comprehension 69,30
minutes. Based on the table of students'
Each cycle in this classroom action speaking skill average above, the
research consisted of four phases; following is the diagram of students'
planning the research, acting the speaking skill average.
research, doing the observation and
reflecting to what was found in three
previous phases. The reflecting phase
was as the base to go to the next cycle.
Some finding started from what were
found before the classroom action
research, in cycle 1 and cycle 2.
Ladousse (2007) suggested about the
using of Role Play strategy that help 2. In the second cycle also consists
many shy students by providing them of three meetings. In the first meeting in
with a mask. This Role play strategy let cycle II, in order to improve the student
the students have more opportunities to speaking skill in another indicator, the
build up their speaking moment researcher ask the students to hear to
naturally. Based on the findings teachers’ pronunciation about the
throughout the observation, field note material so it could be increased their
and speaking test it can be concludes accent in their presentation. In the second
that: meeting in cycle II, the researcher
1. In the first meeting in cycle I, focused in their fluency in speaking skill.
most of the students could not focus to Here, the researcher asks the students to
teaching and learning process in practice aloud in their group discussion
speaking by using Role play strategy. It even in their home. In the last meeting on
was because most of them still confused the second cycle, the researcher could
and could not know what does the topic find the improvement of the students

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 ROLE PLAY STRATEGY IN TEACHING SPEAKING

speaking skill based on the each Improvement of the students speaking

indicator by using Role play strategy. indicators in every Cycle
The Average of Students Speaking
Test in Cycle II
NO Indicators of speaking Percentage (%)
1 Accent 70,50
2 Grammar 76,13
3 Vocabulary 85,37
4 Fluency 78,23
5 Comprehension 82,77
From the data in the tables and
Based on the table of students' diagram above, it can be understood that
speaking skill average above, the their accent became better from the
following is the diagram of students' average of speaking test in cycle I (59,57)
speaking skill average. to (70,50) in the average of speaking test
in cycle II. It can be read that the
students’ mastery on grammar better
improved from (67,43) in the average of
speaking test in cycle I to (76,13) in the
average of speaking test in cycle II.
According the data above there was an
increase on the students’ mastery in
vocabulary: from (67,27) in the average
of speaking test in cycle I to (75,37) in
The increase of the students’
the average of speaking test in cycle II.
speaking indicator in percentage from
Their fluency in pronouncing words and
the average in every cycle can be seen in
sentences became better: from (67,67) in
form of diagram below:
the average of speaking test in cycle I to
Improvement of the students speaking
(78,23) in the average of speaking test in
indicators in every Cycle
cycle II. The last, the student’s
No Indicator Speaking Cycle 1 Cycle 2
comprehension throughout the three
1 Accent 49,57 60,6 meetings showed an improvement: from
2 Grammar 57,43 66,13 (69,30) in the average of speaking test in
3 Vocabulary 57,27 75,37 cycle I to (72,77) in the average of
4 Fluency 57,67 68,23 speaking test in cycle II.
After the researcher did the research
5 Comprehension 59,30 72,77
and found the improvement of the
students speaking skill, the research
Improvement of the students speaking
found some factors that indicate the
indicators in every Cycle
NO Indicator of Cycle 1 Cycle 2
improvement of students speaking skill
speaking through the field note and interview.
1 Accent FAIR AVERAGE There are some factors influences the
2 Grammar AVERAGE AVERAGE improvement of students speaking skill.
a) Materials
3 Vocabulary AVERAGE GOOD
The materials that they have also take the
4 Fluency AVERAGE AVERAGE influences in the Improvement of
5 Comprehension AVERAGE GOOD students’ proficiency. In this case,
because all of the students are eighth

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 ROLE PLAY STRATEGY IN TEACHING SPEAKING

grade students, the materials were also There were some factors that
the topic that related to their background influenced the improvements of students
knowledge. Therefore, the Role Play speaking skill:
strategy that the researcher conducted 1. Materials
was really helped the students to The materials were one component
increase their skill in speaking and it can in the improvement students’ speaking
be seen from the improvement of their indicators. In this case, the materials
speaking indicator in every cycle. were also the topic that related to their
b) Discussion background knowledge. Therefore, the
The improvement of students’ speaking Role Play strategy that the researcher
skill in every cycle also influenced by conducted was really helped the students
the discussion that the students did in to increase their skill in speaking and it
their group of work. In this discussion, can be seen from the improvement of
the students discuss about the material their speaking indicator in every cycle.
means until they try to increase their 2. Discussion
comprehending about the material by The improvement of students’
asking the question related to the speaking skill in every cycle also
material. influenced by the discussion that the
c) Practicing students did in their group of work. In
The Improvement of the students’ this process, the students discuss about
speaking skill in every cycle also the material means until they try to
influence by practicing. From interview, increase their comprehending about the
that the researcher did to the students it material by asking the question related to
can be seen that the students’ always the material.
practicing their topic was not only in 3. Practicing
classroom but also in their home, and Practicing is one important part in
sometimes they ask their friends to listen speaking. From interview, that the
to their dialog before their presented in researcher did to the students it can be
front of the class. seen that the students’ always practicing
d) Teacher their topic was not only in classroom but
In this case, the teacher tried to give a also in their home, and sometimes they
model to the students to present their ask their friends to listen to their dialog
performance, and how they pronounce before their presented in front of the
some difficult words. class.
Based on the result of the research or 4. Teacher
findings, it can be concluded that: In this case, the teacher tried to give a
1. Role plays strategy helpful teaching model to the students to present their
and learning process and made the performance, and how they pronounce
students motivated and actively some difficult words.
involved in speaking activity. This research discovered that the
2. Role play strategy helped the implication of this Role play strategy
students develop better group could better improve the students’
work activities and made the speaking skill at second semester of
students has high motivation to English study program in university of
speak. pasirpengaraian. The improvement of the
3. Role play strategy also could students’ speaking skill can be gained
minimized the students’ passiveness after applying Role Play strategy within
in the process of teaching and six meetings in two cycles. The
learning to speak improvement can be seen from the

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 ROLE PLAY STRATEGY IN TEACHING SPEAKING

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