EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English Vol. 4, No. 1 (2019) Page 18 – 24 EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka): Culture, Language, and Teaching of English Journal homepage: http://jurnal.unmer.ac.id/index.php/enjourme Increasing mechanical engineering students’ speaking skills using guided conversation 1 Syaefani Arif Romadhon, 2 M. Taufik Qurohman 1,2 DIII Teknik Mesin, Politeknik Harapan Bersama, Jl. Dewi Sartika No.71, 52117, Tegal, Indonesia Corresponding author: syaefani1984@gmail.com A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Article history: Reviewed 28 May 2019 Received in revised form 07 June 2019 Accepted 20 July 2019 Available online 30 July 2019 The study aimed at describing the implementation of guided conversation at Harapan Bersama Tegal Polytechnic. The method used was a classroom action research in two cycles. The participant of the study was 30 mechanical engineering students who took English courses 2. The improvement of students’ speaking fluency was 65% in the first cycle. However, it was categorised as failed because only 13 students got a minimum score of 74 or above 74. Thus, the second cycle needs to be done. In the second cycle of learning there has been a percentage increase in the results of fluency speak 20% of the average value of 65% to 85%. All in all, students’ speaking fluency has been improved by the using Guided Conversationes. © 2019 EnJourMe. All rights reserved. Keywords: Speaking, guided conversation, fluency DOI: 10.26905/enjourme.v2i2.3252 How to cite this article: Romadhon, S., & Qurohman, M. (2019). Increasing mechanical engineering students’ speaking skills using guided conversation. EnJourMe (English Journal Of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, And Teaching Of English, 4(1), 17 - 22. doi:10.26905/enjourme.v4i1.3252 1. Introduction There are four skills that should be mastered in learning English. There are listening, speaking, reading, writing. Those four skills typically come up in every English class, including English as a Foreign Language class (Khameis, 2007). The ability to speak English in Mechanical Engineering students at Harapan Bersama Tegal Polytechnic is generally lacking due to the diverse backgrounds of students’ previous high school or vocational school. The English language study program also includes general courses so that students' interest in language is less. The material taught is also about ESP mailto:syaefani1984@gmail.com Romadhon, S., & Qurohman, M. / EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English, 4(1) 18 – 24 19 (English for Spesific Purpose). The lecture time in English was also felt to be inappropriate because it was conducted in semesters 5 and 6. Unlike the other study programs, the average lecture was conducted at the beginning of the semester with the duration of 4 semesters of English so that students' English skills could develop well. Because English is not their first language, students experience limitations in terms of grammar and vocabulary. The limitation of vocabulary mastery results in the difficulty to express ideas and intentions of expressions towards certain goals. The limitation of grammar causes students to have difficulty compiling sentences to be delivered so that students are worried about making mistakes. The learning process is the core of the formal and informal education process, in which interactions occur between various components of learning. These components are teachers, content or subject matters, and students. In order to transfer the knowledge, it is necessary to employ convenient teaching methods which has specific learning objectives and outcomes (Ganyaupfu, 2016). Thus, to improve students’ learning outcomes, it is necessary to have an appropriate teaching method. Guided conversation known by several names, they are: focused conversation method, art form method, discussion method, and basic conversation method (Stanfield, 1997). Guided conversation defined as a method that apply guided interaction to a certain subject matter. The purpose is to enhance learners’ communication skills, critical thinking skills, and so forth (Omwirhiren, 2015). Based on Stanfield (1997) the questions used in this method is through a series of questions at four levels, namely: 1) the objective level, 2) the reflective level, 3) the interpretative level, 4) the decisional level. Table 1 gives brief description and example of the level of questions in guided conversation method. Table 1. The level of questions used at guided conversation method Level of questions Aims Questions asked objective Presents data, facts, and external reality What is your opinion about our campus? reflective to elicit direct personal reactions to data, internal responses, emotions or feelings, hidden images and associations with facts What is your favorite subject (MK)? Why do you like it most? interpretative Draw out meaning, values, significance, insights, learnings and implications Could you explain to me the meaning of “Witing Tresno jalaran soko kulino”? decisional Bring the conversation to a close, eliciting resolution and enabling the group to make a decision about the future What is your plan after completing your study? Based on preliminary observations carried out in the English language courses, the sixth semester students of mechanical engineering study program encountered several things including; 1) Lecturers are less skilled in teaching English because they are ESP-based. Thus, they tend to teach more emphasis on theory and memorization. 2) The teaching method used by lecturers in teaching English is monotonous so that students get bored easily. 3) There are a lot of students who being passive in class. 4) Teaching centre. The lecturer dominate the Romadhon, S., & Qurohman, M. / EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English, 4(1) 18 – 24 20 teaching and learning process. 5) Students still lack confidence, less fluent and do not use the correct language structure in speaking English. Some studies have been done to investigate the effectiveness of guided conversation to improve students’ achievement in learning English. Herlina & Holandyah (2016) conducted experimental study to investigate whether or not there are significantly difference students’ speaking ability who are taught using guided conversation technique through pair taping compared to those who are taught using conventional teaching strategy in SMP PTI Palembang. The result showed that guided conversation technique through pair taping has improved students’ speaking ability. There was significant improvement as indication on students pretest to posttest scores. According to the writers, through this method, the students started to speak English in real situation not only in theory but also practical or communication. This strategy can make students more active in learning speaking. Hence, it can improve students speaking achievement. Based on that, the researchers are interested and have the notion that the Guided Conversation is an alternative solution to the problems in the English in mechanical Engineering class.Therefore researchers are interested in conducting research with the title "The Increasing of Speaking Using Guided Conversation for Mechanical Engineering Student at Politeknik Harapan Bersama Tegal". Based on the background above, the formulation of the problem in this study is: how the application of the Guided Conversation can improve English speaking skills in the sixth semester students of Mechanical Engineering study program and whether the application of communicative methods can improve Speaking skills of Mechanical Engineering students? 2. Method This study employed Classroom Action Research in which consist of 2 cycle. The technique of collecting data used was using instruments research that can be used to obtain information and data needed include: observation, questionnaires, documentation and test. The research conducted is one of the efforts made to see the effect of using Guided Conversation on student learning outcomes. The basic competencies conveyed to students in this study are material taken based on the syllabus in class VI semester and adjusted to the time of the research in Mechanical Engineering. The steps in learning are as follows: 1) The lecturer distributes question sheets to students to be chosen randomly by students. 2) Students take the question sheet 3) The lecturer gives students 10-15 minutes to answer the questions correctly 4) Students discuss with their group friends the questions they get 5) Students appear in front of the class to discuss answers from each student 6) Lecturers as facilitators give responses to the answers of each participant, but still provide opportunities for other groups or students to provide additional other answers. 7) The lecturer gives conclusions on the activities carried out The subject of this research is Mechanical Engineering students in the sixth semester of Politeknik Harapan Bersama Tegal in academic year 2018/2019 which consists of 30 students. Table 2 gives the details of a list of questions about everyday and phenomenal things. Romadhon, S., & Qurohman, M. / EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English, 4(1) 18 – 24 21 Table 2. List of questions No Questions 1 What is your opinion about our campus? 2 What do you prefer, hot tea or ice tea? Why? 3 Do you agree if we speak English every day?Why? 4 Could you tell me where is Transmart from our campus? 5 Do you know Mecca? Please tell me about it! 6 Do you like English? Why? 7 What is your favorite song? Why do you like it? 8 Could you explain to me the meaning of “Witing Tresno jalaran soko kulino”? 9 What is your favorite artist? Why do you like him/her? 10 What is favorite food in your town/city? Could you tell me about it? 11 Do you like sport? What sport do you like most? Why? 12 We must bring dictionary in our class, do you agree? Why? 13 Have you ever gone to Prambanan temple? Please tell me about this temple? 14 Many people from other country said that Bali is the beautiful island. Could you tell me the reason? 15 Do you know about the story of SUMANTO? Please tell me about him! 16 Have you watched the opening of Asian Games? What is your opinion about it? 17 Please explain about Tegal City? 18 Could you help me to explain about Brebes City? 19 What is your plan after completing your study? 20 What is your favorite subject (MK)? Why do you like it most? 21 Some people said that LOVE IS BLIND, Could you tell us about it? 22 Which one do you choose LOVE or MONEY? Why? 23 What do you prefer visit USA or JAPAN? Why? 24 Could you tell me why we should clean our hand before we eat something? 25 Which one do you choose; shopping at Traditional market or Mall? Why? 26 Have you ever watched “Dilan”? What is your opinion about this character? 27 What is the most interesting destination in your town? 28 Do you like watching TV? Why? 29 If you were a businessman, What business you will run for? Why? 30 What is your opinion about Mr Prof BJ Habibie? 31 Have you ever done SELF Hipnotherapy? Please give comment! 32 Do you know MAMA LAUREN? Please tell us about her! 33 Have you ever known about TOEFL? What is it? 34 Do you have horror story? Please tell us 35 What is your favorite animal? Why do you like it most? Romadhon, S., & Qurohman, M. / EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English, 4(1) 18 – 24 22 3. Results and discussion Fluency Results of Student Speaking Using Guided Conversation. Based on the results of the action research conducted on 30 students of Mechanical Engineering Study Program in speaking learning through a Guided Conversation, it can be seen that the student's speaking fluency improvement results in each cycle. In the first cycle the percentage of students' speaking fluency value was 65% with student learning completeness reaching 50% or 13 students declared complete learning. But learning in the first cycle has not achieved classical mastery learning even though learning runs smoothly and without significant obstacles. It is said that it has not been completed in a classical manner because students who get a minimum score of 74 or above 74 are only 13 students. So that, that the second cycle needs to be done. In the second cycle of learning there has been a percentage increase in the results of fluency speak 20% of the average value of 65% to 85%. Classically, students of Mechanical Engineering have achieved 100% learning completeness with an average score of 85.90% of students' speaking ability. This shows that English language learning especially in speaking with Guided Conversationes can improve the fluency of speaking by 30 students. Results of Speech Loudness of Students with Guided Conversation The Guided Conversation that has been implemented in speaking learning students of the English language study program at mechanical engineering students have shown an increase in speaking skills in the loudness aspect of speech. In the first cycle the percentage of the average student speaking loudness was 68% with student learning completeness 50% or 13 students from 26 students were declared complete learning. But classically learning in the first cycle has not achieved learning completeness because the percentage of students who get a score of 74 or above 74 is still 50 percent. In the second cycle of learning, there was a percentage increase in the results of loudness talking by 20% from an average value of 68% to 88%. Classically learning in cycle II has achieved mastery learning that is reaching 100% with an average speaking ability of 85.90% students. This shows that learning to speak English using a Guided Conversation can increase the loudness of speech by 26 students of Mechanical Engineering. Results of Prosecution Talking to Students with a Guided Conversation Based on the results of research conducted by researchers in learning to speak English by using a Guided Conversation can be seen an increase in the results of student suicide in each cycle. In the first cycle, the percentage of students' speaking speaking average score was 70% with the completeness of students 50% or 13 students from 26 students were declared complete learning. The average speaking wrestling reaches 70% but classically has not achieved mastery learning because students who complete only 50%, so learning is carried out in the second cycle so that students' speaking skills can be improved. In the second cycle the percentage of students' mastery learning outcomes in terms of suitability spoke of experiencing a 16% increase from the average value of 70% to 86%. 26 1st semester students in the 2018/2019 academic year of mechanical engineering students have achieved 100% learning completeness with an average score of 85.90. Improved learning outcomes in the assessment of speaking skills with the Guided Conversation in each action can not be separated from the interesting way of learning lecturers and the selection of appropriate and varied methods to improve student speaking skills, learning that is designed with good preparation, with suitable media will make students more interested and motivated so that learning outcomes increase. Romadhon, S., & Qurohman, M. / EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English, 4(1) 18 – 24 23 To sums up, the application of Guided Conversation method can improve students' speaking skills. The improvement in these skills occurred both in terms of fluency in student speaking, student loudness, and student speech. Likewise with learning English, especially in learning speaking, in this case students are also required to be able to communicate in everyday life not only by learning the theory of language itself but using it will be more meaningful and useful for achieving maximum learning outcomes. 4. Conclusion and suggestions Based on the results of research improvements that have been made, it can be concluded that the results of speaking using Guided Conversation in cycle I percentage of speaking fluency of students of Cycle I is 65%. In cycle II learning there has been an increase in the percentage of speaking fluency results by 20% from an average value of 65% to 85%. Classically the students of Engineering Study Program have achieved 100% mastery learning with an average score of 85.90% students' speaking ability. In terms of the results of Loudness Speaking using Guided Conversation in cycle I the percentage of students' average loudness value was 68% with student learning completeness of 50%. While in cycle II learning, an increase in percentage of loudness results in 88%. Hence, The Result of Speech Speaking Complications using Guided Conversation in cycle I the percentage of students speaking speech average was 70%. In cycle II so that students' speaking skills could be improved. In the second cycle, the percentage of students' mastery learning outcomes in terms of speaking disorder was 86%. Based on the research that has been carried out, there are a number of things that need attention: 1) Lecturers are expected to be able to use appropriate learning media in order to anticipate all the deficiencies that exist so that the material can be conveyed properly; 2) Lecturers in delivering learning material are expected not to use just one learning method. By using a variety of learning methods that are expected to create a good learning atmosphere, fun, and able to improve student learning outcomes; 3) This research is only limited to one learning material using the guided conversation method, therefore it is expected that other researchers will be able to try different learning media to be able to improve student learning outcomes. (4) Researchers also suggest further researchers to conduct research with different designs, for example, to determine the effectiveness of the guided conversation method on the ability to speak English in the same study program or different study programs, for example, to examine the effectiveness of the guided conversation method on the ability of accounting, midwifery, computer, informatics, electrical, DKV, etc. -other. 5. References Ganyaupfu, E. M. (2013). Teaching methods and students’ academic performance. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention, 2(9), 29-35. Herlina, H., & Holandiyah, M. (2015). Teaching Speaking Skill by Using Guided Conversation Technique through Pair Taping to the Seventh Grade Students of SMP PTI Palembang. Edukasi: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pengajaran, 2(2), 107-120. Khameis, M. (2007). Using creative strategies to promote students’ speaking skills. Romadhon, S., & Qurohman, M. / EnJourMe (English Journal of Merdeka) : Culture, Language, and Teaching of English, 4(1) 18 – 24 24 Omwirhiren, E. M. (2015). Enhancing Academic Achievement and Retention in Senior Secondary School Chemistry through Discussion and Lecture Methods: A Case Study of Some Selected Secondary Schools in Gboko, Benue State, Nigeria. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(21), 155-161. Stanfield, R. (1997). The art of focused conversation. Toronto: Canadian Institute of Cultural Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.theshoopgroup.ca/articles-of-interest/The Art of Focused Conversation.pdf