Abstract
Speaking is an activity in an English classroom in which students must integrate not only higher order thinking skills but also confidence. As a result, it can be problematic for students because they feel shy or reticent. This study aimed at finding out the cause of students’ reluctance in speaking activities. The study was framed by using classroom action research in which 2 cycles were employed. Each cycle consisted of four stages: planning, action, evaluation, and reflection. There were 40 students in the 7th grade of junior high school in Bogor as the participants of the study. The data was collected through documentation, observation, and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the causes of students' reluctance in speaking class were shy, lazy, afraid and ignorance. Giving more students’ talk time as a teaching strategy in English speaking activity can be done to reduce students’ reticence.
Highlights
Speaking is an important skill in an EFL setting (Van den Branden, Bygate, and Norris, 2009) because being able to speak in the classroom activities and to express ideas to strangers in their language which both speakers can understand is the goal of many learners or students (Luoma, 2004)
This paper aims to find out the reasons behind students‟ reticence and to increase their motivation and overcome reticence by determining more activities in speaking activities
The strategy of teachers who were still used the old method in learning activities in class added students to be passive in the speaking class
Summary
Speaking is an important skill in an EFL setting (Van den Branden, Bygate, and Norris, 2009) because being able to speak in the classroom activities and to express ideas to strangers in their language which both speakers can understand is the goal of many learners or students (Luoma, 2004). Some teachers admitted that some of their students chose to keep silent in the class than speaking English, even when they know the answer to the teachers' questions. This happened because they felt hesitate to open their mouths, they knew that they had to speak English in the classroom activities. This situation should have solutions in which teachers must help reticent students to improve their skill and confidence needed to take an active role in oral classroom lessons for the students (Liu & Jackson, 2009). Students should be assisted by teachers to work together in the classroom, so they can have the Dealing with Students’ Reticence in Speaking Activity in EFL Classroom (Amalul Umam & Jenal Aripin) opportunity in achieving their academic goals
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