Rahayu : The comparison between… 21 THE COMPARISON BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE STUDENTS’ SPEAKING ABILITY Silpia Rahayu silviarahayu@gmail.com STKIP Siliwangi Bandung ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to investigate the male and female students‟ speaking ability. Particularly, this reserach has several aims: to know the male and female students‟ speaking ability at SMAN 1 Bantarujeg, and to know the differences between them. This research is presented in qualitative approach and comparative method to identify the male and the female students‟ speaking ability . In collecting the data, the researcher did some steps. Those were observation and recorded spoken test. Then, the data was analyzed based on four indicators including pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and fluency. The researcher got the result, the average score of male is 13.5 and female is 14.8. Thefirst indicator is pronunciation, the male students‟ score (35) is higher than the female students‟ score (34). The second is grammar, the male students‟score (31) is lower than the female students‟ score (38). The third isvocabulary, the male students‟ score (33) is lower than the female students‟ score(41). The last is fluency, the male students‟ score (36) is higher than thefemale students‟ score (35). Based on the analysis, it can be concluded that there was a significantdifference between the male and the female students‟ speaking ability. Keywords: speaking ability, teaching. A. INTRODUCTION According to Louma (2004) speaking skill has become the first priority to be taught between the four skills since communicative approach implementation has been influential in foreign language learning. Speaking is also one of the language skills that play an important role in communication human beings, especially in verbal communication. Speaking skill can serve the improvement and enhancement of other language skills. Speaking is an important section of the language syllabus in communicative language teaching. The sex differences‟ factor cannot be ignored in learning language, because it can influence the students‟ achievement and proficiency in learning. It is clear that the students may be grouped into two different sexes, male and female. Many linguists believe that there is a significant difference between the two sex groups in the acquisition of the language. According to Poynton (1985) female speak “better” (more “correctly” and with more “refined” accents) than male. It means that there is a difference between male and female in the way of their speaking. The researcher is interested in investigating the speaking ability of male and female students. Brown and Yule (1989) said that one of the main aims of most English teachers is to make their students able to communicate and convey information effectively in spoken English. The teachers not only should create active learning condition and develop their teaching techniques but also should attend the factor of sex differences of their students. In conclusion, many experts have researched language and gender especially in speaking ability. Male and female were mailto:silviarahayu@gmail.com ELTIN Journal, Vol 4/II , Oktober 2016 22 observed to have different speaking styles, they made different reading choices, they wrote in different ways and about different topics. Therefore, there is a difference in communication between genders which may lead sometimes to misunderstandings. Actually, male and female do not communicate in the same way because they interpret the same message differently, and that‟s what strikes one‟s attention concerning communication. It is interesting to investigate gender differences in speaking. Here, the researcher will try to investigate whether there are any differences between male and female students‟ in English speaking ability. B. LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Speaking Ability In learning EFL, students should master the foreign language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students usually measure their achievement in mastering foreign languages through how well they can practice their spoken skill. Speaking means to negotiate one‟s speech that intend to convey meanings and to give effect to the listener states (O‟Malley, 1996 in Rebecca 2002). From those statements above, the researcher can conclude that speaking is an activity involving two or more people in which the participants are both the listeners and the speakers having to act what they listen and make their contribution at high speed.It can be concluded that speaking ability is a skill, which is communicating the speech sound for expressing and conveying a messages or ideas. Therefore, speaking is not a simple skill; its complete mastery requires some experience and practice. Luoma (2004) argues that speaking is a very difficult skill that need much time to be improved. Speaking skill is not the same with writing and reading. First language speaking is different with second language speaking relating to the lack of learners in grammar and vocabulary knowledge that is the process to receive a word become note automatically in second language speaking (Thornbury 2009). 1.1. Definition of Speaking Skills Nunan (2003) states Speaking is a productive oral skill that consists of producing systematic verbal expression to transfer meaning. Speaking is a way to utter the feeling and mind by using language. Based on Harmer (2001) speaking skill view from the communicative aspect has two different aspects. First, accuracy, including the correct use of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation practiced through controlled and guided activities. Second, fluency that is the skill to make the speaker is going to speak. Hedge (2000) defines speaking as the ability in which the people are judged when thefirst impressions. It means that speaking is animportant skill which deserves more attention in both first and second language because it reflects people‟s thoughts and personalities. Rahayu : The comparison between… 23 1.2. Elements of Speaking Skills To speak a second language fluently and accurately, learners need to be able to know some elements which are very important to develop this skill. Harmer (2001) mentions these elements which refer to the language features that learners should have knowledge about. In addition to the processes of the language and information in the same time when an interlocutor interacts with them. 1.2.1. Language Features Harmer (2001) stated the following features are necessary for an effective speaking as follows : a. Connected speech is the ability that needs from the speaker of English to produce more connected sounds not only separated phonemes. These sounds may be modified, omitted, added or weakened in the connected speech. b. Expressive devices that is English native speakers use effectively the phonological rules which refer to the pitch, stress, volume, speed with the use of non verbal means. These devices help them to convey their intended meaning. Students, then need to have this ability of employing such devices if they want to be effective communicators. c. Lexis and grammar is when the learners produce some language functions, they often use the same lexical structures. The teacher‟s role then, is to provide them with different phrases which carry different functions so that they can use them in the different stages of communication with others. d. Negotiation language is when the learners get a lot of benefit from the use of negotiation language; they often ask clarification when they are listening to others talk. So, the teachers have to provide them with the necessary expressions they need when they ask clarification from other speakers. Learners also need to well perform their utterances if they seek to be understood especially when they can see that the other interlocutors did not understand them. 1.2.2. Social Processing According to Harmer (2001), there are several necessary processing skills of speaking as follows: a. Language processing refers to the ability of the learners or speakers to process the language in their minds through putting it in a coherent order so that the other interlocutors can understand it and get the intended messages. The speakers also should be able to retrieve words and phrases from their memories to use them when they are interacting with others. b. Interacting with others is when most of the speaking situations involve interaction between two or more interlocutors, that is to say an effective speaker needs to be able to listen and understand others talk then reacts through taking turns or keeping the others to do so. c. Information processing relates to the ability of processing the information in the mind rapidly, that is the time speakers get information, they should be ready to response to the others talk. 1.3. Teaching of Speaking Skills The mastery of speaking skillsin English is a priority for malesy second or foreign language learners. Learners consequently often evaluate their success in language learning as well as the effectiveness of their English course on the basis of how good they feel that they have improved their spoken language proficiency. In some countries, such in Indonesia, the people feel that speaking is the most difficult skill. According to Nunan (1989 ) there are two reasons why speaking is more difficult than listening, reading and writing. Firstly, speaking happens in the real time, people speak spontaneously and listener will be waiting for them to speak right then. It is impossible for the listener to wait for a long time so that the speaker has to think as ELTIN Journal, Vol 4/II , Oktober 2016 24 fast as possible. Secondly, when people speak, they can not revise and edit the conversation as people do writing. Speech is the foundation of language works. Hughes (2002 ) states that the other complicated factor is when the focus in the classroom activity is spoken language and the usual aims of the teacher for example assisting students to practice linguistic knowledge aspects (a grammatical rule, application of phonemic regularity) or to improve production skill (rhythm, intonation, and so on). What is mostly expected from teaching language is the ability to speak. Language teaching begins with the spoken language, and speech is the foundation of reading and writing, since we say to ourselves before we read or write the words, phrases and sentences. In the school, most students prefer to just listen the teacher whatever the teacher says and they do not have any efforts to speak English in the class. 2. Gender Differences in Speaking Ability Gender differences, which are socially and culturally constructed, are one of the interesting phenomena in contemporary society. Their impacts can not only be seen in political life, where females fight their political rights, or in households, in which females fight to reduce household harassment. Discourse on gender differences, in fact, also exists in the use of language for communication, highlighting that males and females are different in their ways of communication, and therefore they should be treated differently. This discourse had been hotly and creatively debated since Lakoff (1976) and Tannen (1990), in their study on English speaking countries, illuminated the concept of females‟ language which highlights the existence of males and females differences in communication. One characteristic of females‟ language as stated by Lakoff (1976) is the great tendency of females in using lexical hedges or fillers, tag questions, rising intonation on declaratives, empty adjectives, precise colour terms, intensifiers, hypercorrect grammar, super polite forms, avoidance of strong swear words, and emphatic stress. In fact, females are different from male not only in verbal communication but also in nonverbal communication. Tymson (1998) classifies differences on males and females in communication as seen in table 1: C. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The research questions starting from the background above, the researcher intends to investigate the phenomena as follows: How is the male students‟ speaking ability at SMAN 1 Bantarujeg?, How is the female students‟ speaking ability at SMAN 1 Male Style Female Style Focus on information Focus on relationship Report style of speaking Rapport style of speaking Goal driven Process oriented Single-task approach Multi-task approach Succinct language Storytelling style of speech Working towards a destination On a journey Need to know the answers Want to ask the right questions Rahayu : The comparison between… 25 Bantarujeg?, What are the differences between male students‟ speaking ability and female students‟ speaking ability?. The research uses comparative method. The researcher carries out the research to know whether there are any differences between two or more groups and the phenomenon which are being studied. As the descriptive method, in comparative method there is no manipulation of data. It describes the objective data that has been observed. This research focuses on the second grade of SMAN 1 Bantarujeg. This research will take 20 students as the sample from XI science II, XI science III, and XI science IV, 10 males and 10 females. D.FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION Based on the observation, the number of students at SMAN 1 Bantarujegg is 1217 students. The first grade consists of 503 students, the second grade consists of 367 students and the third grade consists of 347 students,the sample of the research consists of three classes; they are the students of XI Science II, XI Science III and XI Science IV. The researcher took 10 male students and 10 female students from those classes. Each class consists of 44 students. 1. The Process of The Research This stage will decribe the process of the research that consists of the observation and the test. 1.1.. Observation The observation here is to get the data about the school, the students, the teachers, the facilities and to get the information about the school that the researcher used to do this research. In this investigation, the researcher came to the school and observed the condition of the school directly. 1.2. Test In this research, the researcher used recorded spoken test to collect the data. The examination of the speaking skills consisting of pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and fluency as shown on the table below: Table 2 Speaking skills Component 5 4 3 2 1 Pronunciation Can pronounce correctly & articulate clearly Mostly correct pronunciati on & clear articulation Largely correct pronunciation & clear articulation except occasional errors Frequently unintelligible articulations and frequent phonological errors Insufficient accuracy in pronunciation ; many grammaticall y errors Grammar frequently uses complex forms and sentence structures; has enough vocabulary to express Demonstrat es ability to use complex forms and sentence structures most of the time; Sometimes uses complex forms and sentence structures; has limited vocabulary to/describe/expr ess new points Complex forms and sentence structures are rare; exhibits limited vocabulary to express new ideas and Uses very basic vocabulary to express viewpoints. struggles for appropriate words ELTIN Journal, Vol 4/II , Oktober 2016 26 himself/her self expresses with adequate vocabulary to express appropriacy on some of the topics Vocabulary Can express with some flexibility and appropriac y on a variety of topics such as family, hobbies, work, travel and current events Can express with some flexibility and appropriacy on most of the topics Communicates with limited flexibility and appropriacy on most of the topics Communicat es with limited flexibility Demonstrates almost no flexibility, and mostly Fluency Speaks fluently almost with no repetition & minimal hesitation Speaks without noticeable effort, with a little repetition Is willing to speak at length, however repetition is noticeable Usually fluent; produces simple speech fluently, but loses coherence in complex communicati on Noticeably/lo ng pauses; rate of speech is slow and frequent repetition and/or self correction This research was conducted to 20 students including male and female students taken from XI science II, XI science III, and XI science IV of SMAN 1 Bantarujeg. 2. The Data Analysis of the Research In this research, the data analysis was doing to answer the research by using deep analysis. The research findings were analyzed in accordance with the research question. 2.1 The Male Students’ Speaking Ability The speaking test is the main instrument to know the students‟ speaking ability; how the male students speak. The list of the male students‟ score of the speaking test can be seen on the table below: Table 3 The List of Male Students Score No Name Indicator Pronunc iation Vocbulary Grammar Fluency Total 5 5 5 5 20 1 Student 1 4 4 4 3 15 2 Student 2 3 2 2 2 9 Rahayu : The comparison between… 27 3 Student 3 4 4 4 3 15 4 Student 4 3 3 3 4 13 5 Student 5 4 3 4 5 16 6 Student 6 4 3 3 4 14 7 Student 7 3 3 4 4 14 8 Student 8 3 3 3 3 12 9 Student 9 4 3 3 4 14 10 Student 10 3 3 3 4 13 Sum 35 31 33 36 135 Average 3,5 3,1 3,3 3,6 13,5 Max 4 4 4 5 16 Min 3 2 2 2 9 The table shows the score of the male students. Each indicator is given score 1-5. It depends on the students‟ ability to speak. The male students get score 13.5 for average from the total scores in any aspects. The highest score is 16 points while the lowest score is 9 point. From the table above, the speaking ability of the male students can be described as follows: a. Student 1 1. Pronunciation : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student mostly had correct pronunciation & clear articulation. 2. Grammar : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student had an ability to use complex forms and sentence structures when he spoke. 3. Vocabulary : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student could express with some flexibility and appropriacy on most of the topics that was given by the teacher. 4. Fluency : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that the student was willing to speak at length, however repetition was noticeable. b. Student 2 1. Pronunciation : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that the student largely spoke with correct pronunciation & clear articulation except for occasional errors. He spoke clearly without any repetition. 2. Grammar : the score of the student is 2 points. It means that he rarely used complex forms and sentence structures. He had limited vocabulary to express new ideas. 3. Vocabulary : the score of the student is 2 points. It means that the student communicates with limited flexibility and appropriacy on some of the topics. 4. Fluency : the score of the student is 2. It means that the student usually fluent; produces simple speech fluently, but loses coherence in complex communication. c. Student 3 1. Pronunciation : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student mostly had correct pronunciation & clear articulation. ELTIN Journal, Vol 4/II , Oktober 2016 28 2. Grammar : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student had an ability to use complex forms and sentence structures when he spoke. 3. Vocabulary : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student could express with some flexibility and appropriacy on most of the topics that was given by the teacher. 4. Fluency :the score of the student is 3 points. It means that the student was willing to speak at length, however repetition is noticeable. d. Student 4 1. Pronunciation : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that the student largely spoke with correct pronunciation & clear articulation except for occasional errors. He spoke clearly without any repetition. 2. Grammar : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that he used complex forms and sentence structures sometimes. He had limited vocabulary to express new points. 3. Vocabulary : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that he communicated with limited flexibility and appropriacy on most of the topics that was given by the teacher. 4. Fluency : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student spoke without noticeable effort and with little repetition. He spoke fluently and clearly without any repetition. e. Student 5 1. Pronunciation : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student mostly had correct pronunciation & clear articulation. 2. Grammar : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that he used complex forms and sentence structures sometimes. He had limited vocabulary to express new points. 3. Vocabulary : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student could express with some flexibility and appropriacy on most of the topics that was given by the teacher. 4. Fluency : the score of the student is 5 points. It means that the student got the good score and he could speak fluently almost with no repetition & minimal hesitation. f. Student 6 1. Pronunciation : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student mostly had correct pronunciation & clear articulation. 2. Grammar : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that he used complex forms and sentence structures sometimes. He had limited vocabulary to express new points. 3. Vocabulary : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that he communicated with limited flexibility and appropriacy on most of the topics that was given by the teacher. Rahayu : The comparison between… 29 4. Fluency : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student spoke without noticeable effort and with little repetition. He spoke fluently and clearly without any repetition. g. Student 7 1. Pronunciation : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that the student largely spoke with correct pronunciation & clear articulation except for occasional errors. He spoke clearly without any repetition. 2. Grammar : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that he used complex forms and sentence structures sometimes. He had limited vocabulary to express new points. 3. Vocabulary : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student could express with some flexibility and appropriacy on most of the topics that was given by the teacher. 4. Fluency : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student spoke without noticeable effort and with little repetition. He spoke fluently and clearly without repetition. h. Student 8 1. Pronunciation : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that the student largely spoke with correct pronunciation & clear articulation except for occasional errors. He spoke clearly without any repetition. 2. Grammar : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that he used complex forms and sentence structures sometimes. He had limited vocabulary to express new points. 3. Vocabulary : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that he communicated with limited flexibility and appropriacy on most of the topics that was given by the teacher. 4. Fluency : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that the student was willing to speak at length, however repetition is noticeable. i. Student 9 1. Pronunciation : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student mostly had correct pronunciation & clear articulation. 2. Grammar : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that he used complex forms and sentence structures sometimes. He had limited vocabulary to express new points. 3. Vocabulary : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that he communicated with limited flexibility and appropriacy on most of the topics that was given by the teacher. 4. Fluency : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student spoke without noticeable effort and with little repetition. He spoke fluently and clearly without any repetition. ELTIN Journal, Vol 4/II , Oktober 2016 30 j. Student 10 1. Pronunciation : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that the student largely spoke with correct pronunciation & clear articulation except for occasional errors. He spoke clearly without any repetition. 2. Grammar : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that he used complex forms and sentence structures sometimes. He had limited vocabulary to express new points. 3. Vocabulary : the score of the student is 3 points. It means that he communicated with limited flexibility and appropriacy on most of the topics that was given by the teacher. 4. Fluency : the score of the student is 4 points. It means that the student spoke without noticeable effort and with little repetition. He spoke fluently and clearly without any repetition. 2.2 The Female Students’ Speaking Ability As explained before that speaking test is the main instrument to know the students‟speaking ability; how the female students speak. The list of the female students‟ score of speaking test can be seen on the table below: Table 4. The List of Female Students Score No Name Indicator Pronunci ation Vocbulary Grammar Fluency Total 5 5 5 5 20 1 Student 1 3 4 4 4 15 2 Student 2 4 4 5 4 17 3 Student 3 3 4 4 3 14 4 Student 4 4 5 5 4 18 5 Student 5 2 4 4 3 13 6 Student 6 4 3 4 4 15 7 Student 7 4 4 4 4 16 8 Student 8 3 4 3 3 13 9 Student 9 4 4 5 3 16 10 Student 10 3 2 3 3 11 Sum 34 38 41 35 148 Average 3,4 3,8 4,1 3,5 14,8 Max 4 5 5 4 18 Min 2 2 3 3 11 The table shows the score of the female students. Each indicator is given score 1-5. It depends on the students‟ ability to speak. The female students get score 14.8 for average from the total scores in any aspects. The highest score is 18 points while the lowest score is 11 points. Rahayu : The comparison between… 31 2.3 The Differencess between the Male Students‟ Speaking Ability and the Female Students‟ Speaking Ability The average score of the female students‟ (14.8) is higher than the average score of the male students‟ (13.5). The total score of the pronounciation of the male students is 35, the total score of grammar of the male students is 31, the total score of vocabulary of the male students is 33, and the total score of fluency of the male students is 36. Meanwhile, the total score of pronounciation of the female students is 34, the total score of grammar of the female students is 38, the total score of vocabulary of the female students is 41, and the total score of fluency of the female students is 35. For brief explanation from the composing will be presented in the table below: Table 5 The List of Male and Female Students’ Score From the figure above, the results indicated that there was a significant difference between the male and the female students in their speaking ability. It can be seen from the result of the score of each indicator between the male and the female students. The first indicator is pronunciation, the male students‟ score (35) is higher than the female students‟ score (34). The second indicator is grammar, the male students‟ score (31) is lower than the female students‟ score (38). The third indicator is vocabulary, the male students‟ score (33) is lower than the female students‟ score (41). The last indicator is fluency, the male students‟ score (36) is higher than the female students‟ score (35). Finally, based on the average score of the indicators got by the female students (14.8) and the male students (13.5). These result are also describe that females performed better than the males in listing words that all began with the same letter, or that were all related semantically. It was because females have a lot of word to express than males, female students were also have over confidence than male students. So, the female students were able to learn quicker than the male students, especially to learn English speaking ability. E.CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 1. Conclusion The male students‟ speaking ability at the second grade of SMAN 1 Bantarujeg is lower than that of the female students‟ speaking ability. The average of the score is taken from four indicators: pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and fluency is 13.5, the female students‟ speaking ability at the second grade of SMAN 1 Bantarujeg is higher than that of the male students‟ speaking ability. The average of the score is taken from four indicators: pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and fluency is 14.8, this research concluded that there was a significant difference between the male and No Indicator Male students score Female students score 1 Pronunciation 35 34 2 Grammar 31 38 3 Vocabulary 3 41 4 Fluency 36 35 Total 135 148 ELTIN Journal, Vol 4/II , Oktober 2016 32 the female students‟ speaking ability. It can be seen from their score of speaking including pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and fluency. The first indicator is pronunciation, the male students‟ score (35) is higher than the female students‟ score (34). The second indicator is grammar, the male students‟ score (31) is lower than the female students‟ score (38). The third indicator is vocabulary, the male students‟ score (33) is lower than the female students‟ score (41). The last indicator is fluency, the male students‟ score (36) is higher than the female students‟ score (35). 2. Suggestions Students, males and females, are expected to know that they have an equal ability in everything, especially in speaking ability. So, they all are expected to study hard and try their best to improve their speaking skill through speaking practice intensively. Students, males or females, have to be better in speaking with rich vocabulary. So, when they have rich vocabulary they can speak English more effectively with the vocabulary that they have. Language educator including the teacher should remember that while its good to be aware of these communication differences between male and female students, they must go beyond the assumptions and decide how to respond and interact based on actual behavior. In the end, as the teacher we can improve a student‟s achievements in language learning especially in speaking based on her or his gender. The more we know our students, their needs, goals, learning styles, considering their gender differences, the more we can help them to improve their learning achievements. F.REFERENCES Brown, G. & Yule, G. (1989). Teaching the Spoken Language. Cambridge University Press. Harmer, Jeremy. (2001). The Practice of English Language Teaching. Longman. Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hughes, Rebecca. (2002). Teaching and Researching Speaking. London: Pearson Education. Lakoff, R. T. (1976). Language and Woman's Place. New York: Octagon Books. Louma, Sari. (2004). Assessing Speaking. UK: Cambridge University Press. Nunan, David. (1989). Language Teaching Methodology: A Text Book for teacher. Sidney: Prentice Hall. Nunan, David. (2003). Practical English Language Teaching. New York: McGrawHill. O„Malley, J.M. & Valdez Pierce, L. (1996). Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners. MA: Addison-Wesley. Ponton, Cate. (1985). Language and Gender:making the difference. Victoria: Deakin University Press. Tannen, Deborah. (1990). You Just Don’t Understand Women and Men in Conversation. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc. Thornbury, Scott. (2009). How to Teach Speaking. Longman. Tymson, C. (1998). Gender Games: Doing Business with the Opposite Sex. Australia: Tymson Communication.