A Descriptive Study on the Eight Grade Students’ Listening Ability Tested through Picture Files at SMPN I Tegaldlimo Banyuwangi inthe 2006/2007 Academic Year

Abstract

There are some activities that can be done in order to improve listening ability and using pictures in the teaching techniques is one of them. For that reason, this research was intended to describe the eight grade students’ listening ability tested through picture files at SMPN I Tegaldiimo Banyuwangi in the 2006/2007 academic year. The research design was descriptive quantitative. The respondents which has bccn determined by clustcr random sampling by lottery consist of 45 students. The primaiy data were obtained by listening test and the collected data were analysed by the percentage formula. Documentation and interview were used to collect the supporting data. From the data analysis, it could be concluded that the eight grade students’ listening ability through picture files was good (M - 68,4% ). Based on the indicators, the results are as follows. On the average, the eight grade students’ ability in understanding individual pictures was fair (50.3%), the eight grade students’ ability in understanding composite pictures was good (70.4%) and the eight grade students’ ability in understanding pictures in series was good (78,6%). Based on the results, it is suggested to the English teacher that she should use pictures consistently as media o f teaching listening ability. In this way, the teaching learning process of listening can be more understandable and interesting and give more exercises to the students to increa.se listening ability, especially in understanding individual pictures.