IMPROVING CLASS VIII-D STUDENTS’ LISTENING COMPREHENSION ACHIEVEMENT BY USING MOVIE CLIPS AT SMPN 1 JEMBER IN THE 2010/2011 ACADEMIC YEAR

Abstract

In this global era, English plays an important role in international relation in every kind of fields. It becomes an important thing to get wider community or society. By using language, they can communicate or socialize each other although they come from different countries with different languages. It is shown that the main function of a language is as a means of communication. In this modern world, the communication develops rapidly that makes the need of English mastery can not be delayed anymore. That is why the English students must be able to master the language in order that they will not be left behind with the tremendous development of science and technology. Considering its importance, English has been taught in Indonesia as a foreign language for quite a long time. In English teaching, there are four language skills, namely: listening, speaking, reading and writing that must be mastered. All of these language skills are interrelated. It means that each skill relates to one another. Among the other skills, listening is considered as the primary skill because children learn listening skill unconsciously and naturally first, before learning the other skills. In learning English as a foreign language, learners still face many problems in mastering listening skill. This condition also happens to Indonesian learners, particularly at Junior High School level. The problems they face are distinguishing between sounds, interpreting stress and intonation, recognizing words and understanding the meaning and catching ideas from the spoken language. The same problem is also faced by the second year students who study at SMPN 1 Jember. The students often find difficulties in catching the ideas from the spoken language. From the result of the preliminary study in the form of interview with the English teacher of SMPN 1 Jember, it was revealed that the second year students of SMPN 1 Jember, especially the class VIII-D, still faced some problems in listening comprehension. It was shown by the students’ listening score that was 26 of 42 students (62%) could reach the standard score requirement of the school (70). It means that the students’ listening achievement was still low. The teacher informed that the common listening activities were done by using textbooks and cassettes as the source of the materials. The way the teacher taught listening was still monotonous and used “old fashion” method. That was why the students were passive during the teaching learning process of listening. In response to this challenge, the writer did a classroom action research to improve the students’ listening comprehension achievement by using movie clips as audio visual media and material at SMPN 1 Jember in the 2010/2011 academic year. This classroom action research was intended to improve the students’ listening comprehension achievement. There were two cycles in this classroom action research. In the first cycle, the action was teaching listening by using movie clips 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. In the second cycle, the action was teaching listening by using movie clips 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19. The research subjects were class VIII-D students of SMPN 1 Jember in the 2010/2011 academic year. The primary data were collected from the result of observation and the students’ listening test. Meanwhile the supporting data were collected from documentation. The primary data were analyzed by using the percentage formula to find the percentage of students who were active in the listening activities, while supporting data were analyzed by describing them based on the real facts. In the first cycle, the results of the action showed that the use of movie clips in teaching listening could not improve the students listening achievement because some technical problems occurred. In the second cycle, the results of the action showed that the use of movie clips in teaching listening could improve the students’ listening achievement because there were 33 of 42 students (79%) achieved the standard score required of the school, that is 70. Meanwhile, both in the first and second cycles, the use of movie clips in teaching listening could improve students’ active participations. There were four indicators of active participations: asking questions, answering the teacher’s questions, concentrating during listening to the material, and actively involved in the individual or group activities. The students were considered active when they fulfilled at least three indicators of four indicators provided. From the results of the observations, 23 out of 42 students (55%) in meeting 1 and 26 out of 42 students (62%) in meeting 2 were active in the teaching and learning process of listening, and 32 out of 42 students (76%) in meeting 3 and 36 out of 42 students (86%) in meeting 4 were active in the teaching and learning process of listening. Based on those results, it can be concluded that teaching listening by using movie clips could improve class VIII-D students’ listening comprehension achievement at SMPN 1 Jember in the 2010/2011 academic year.