Improving Students' Speaking Achievement Through Think-Pair-Share Learning Technique

Abstract

Speaking is one of the important skills in learning English because it enables students to communicate their ideas, opinions, and experiences orally. However, some students face difficulties in speaking English, such as limited vocabulary, lack of confidence, pronunciation problems, and low participation during classroom activities. These problems can affect students’ speaking achievement. Therefore, an appropriate learning technique is needed to encourage students to participate actively and improve their speaking performance. Think-Pair-Share (TPS) is one of the cooperative learning techniques that provides students with opportunities to think individually, discuss with a partner, and share their ideas with others. The objectives of this research were to improve students’ participation and the speaking achievement of ninth-grade students through the Think-Pair-Share learning technique. This research employed Classroom Action Research (CAR) based on the Kemmis and McTaggart model, which consists of four stages: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. The subjects of this research were 29 ninth-grade students at one of Islamic junior high school in Jember. The research focused on speaking activities using narrative texts, particularly fairy tales. The instruments used in this research were speaking tests and student participation observation checklist. The students’ speaking performance was assessed based on pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. The implementation of the Think-Pair-Share technique was conducted through three meetings. The first and second meetings focused on implementing the learning actions, while the third meeting was used for the final speaking test. In the Think stage, students were given opportunities to think about the story and prepare their ideas. In the Pair stage, students worked with partners to discuss, practice, and develop their speaking performance. In the Share stage, students presented or retold the story orally in front of the class. The learning activities emphasized speaking practice through monologue and dialogue activities rather than merely reading narrative texts. The findings of the research showed an improvement in students’ participation and speaking achievement after the implementation of the Think-Pair- Share technique. Student participation increased during the learning process, from approximately 55% in the first meeting to 79% in the second meeting. Furthermore, the final speaking test showed that 23 out of 29 students, or 79% of the students, achieved a score of at least 75. This result met the predetermined success criterion, which required at least 75% of students to achieve the minimum score of 75. The findings indicated that the Think-Pair-Share technique provided students with opportunities to practice speaking, collaborate with their partners, and share their ideas with greater participation. Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that the implementation of the Think-Pair-Share learning technique improved students’ participation and students’ speaking achievement in English learning. The technique supported students in preparing their ideas, practicing speaking with partners, and performing oral activities in front of the class. Therefore, Think-Pair-Share can be applied as an alternative learning technique for developing students’ speaking skills, particularly in learning narrative texts and fairy tales.