ABSTRACT
This study is based on the needs to
describe the students' speaking ability, especially the students with high self
confidence. Therefore, it is designed to describe the students' speaking
ability through the use STAD technique. In this technique, the students are
divided into several groups. Heterogeneous teams of four or five students study
together in preparation for individually taking a quiz on the material
presented by the teacher. This technique is believed to improve the students'
speaking ability and their involvement in the teaching and learning
process.This study constitutes a case study research. It was conducted by the
lecturer in observing the implementation of the STAD technique. The subjects of
the study were the class 02 students of the third semester of English
Department, Teacher Training and Education Faculty, UNISRI Surakarta. The
instruments utilized were questioner sheet, observation checklist, field notes,
audio recording, and students' self-assessment sheets. The criteria of success
were determined by the students' scores on their speaking product. The success
of this technique was also determined based on the students' attitude toward
the implementation of the technique and their involvement in the teaching
learning process. The findings show students’ positive attitude towards group
work activities in class. This contributes to a significant increase in
students’ participation in their groups. The general results obtained also
indicate some improvements in students’ speaking when they are assessed
individually. Hence, STAD technique which include group work activities could have
significant pedagogical implications and could be a practical technique if they
are carefully planned to teach speaking skills among the students.
Key
words: Speaking, STAD Technique
