Problem Faced by the Rural Area Students in Learning English Speaking

Abstract

Speaking is the process of expressing ideas between interlocutor and locutor. People cannot say anything if they do not have any skill in these language components: grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, hence to be able to speak, students should have the capability in those three main components of English. This research focuses on students who live in rural areas in learning English speaking. The objective of the research is to find out the problems in speaking skills and to find out the causes of speaking problems in speaking skills encountered by the eighth-grade students of MTs.Muhammadiyah Tolitoli. MTs Muhammadyah School was located in Baolan district, Toli-Toli regency, in Central Sulawesi. The research method used in this research is mixed method research by integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches. The sample of this research is the eighth-grade students of MTs. Muhammadiyah Tolitoli was chosen by convenience sampling. Observation, interviews, and Questionnaires were the tools of data collection. The observation was conducted to know the process of teaching and learning speaking conducted in two meetings and students’ problems and the cause of the problem in learning to speak, to support the data of observation, it was employed an interview with the teacher to investigate the cause of problem faced by the students during the process of teaching and learning English speaking, and the questionnaire was applied to the students in order to support the data of observation and interview. Based on the data collected from questionnaires, interviews, and observations, it was found that skill factors are the most dominant problem than knowledge factors (the learners do not yet know aspects of language that enable production). Skills factor (the students’ knowledge is not sufficiently automated to ensure fluency. As a result, it may also be affective factors that influence such as lack of confidence which might inhibit fluency). In line with this problem, it was found that 80% were problems with lack of confidence, 60% were problems with less motivation, and 60 % had problems with feeling shy in learning English speaking. It is followed by the knowledge factor which means a percentage of 72% the aspect of knowledge in learning speaking, 56% pronunciation, and 52% lack of vocabulary. The causes of speaking problems encountered by the eighth-grade students of MTs. Muhammadiyah Tolitoli is inhibition, environment, and mother tongue used. It can be concluded that the lack of skill factors is the most dominant problem encountered by the eightgrade students of MTs. Muhammadiyah Tolitoli. Therefore, it is expected that the English teacher should have teacher competence and be able to apply it in the instructional process.