Teachers' Strategies to Motivate Passive Students to Speak in Speaking Classes

Abstract

One of the important keys in learning something is motivation. To make the language learning effective; teachers are considered to have a significant role in motivating students and cannot avoid its importance. According to this research there are different types of students in the class; active students and passive students. Based on that, teachers should understand and be more aware of students’ different types in order to know how to handle the unmotivated students (passive students). The aim of this study is to investigate teachers’ strategies to motivate passive students to speak more in speaking classes. This study was conducted in Academic Speaking classes at English Language Education Program, Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana (ELE-UKSW), Salatiga. The researcher used a qualitative method, and the data for the study were collected through Semi-structured interviews and one time observations. Three lecturers who have experience in teaching speaking classes were interviewed. The finding of the study shows those lecturers have different strategies in facing or dealing with passive students in speaking class. The conclusion pointed out that their roles in motivating students could help passive students; such as creating a comfortable/relaxing class to motivate the students, giving appraisal to motivate the students, having individual talks to motivate the students, and saying encouraging words to motivate the students. Those strategies used by teachers may help passive students to be more motivated to participate actively in the class and they can be the solution to improve teaching and learning process.