The Use of Student Talk to Teach Pronunciation to Eight Graders in SMPN 7 Salatiga

Abstract

Pronunciation is very important to have good communication in English. Some problems may happen if people communicate using wrong pronunciation. For example, miscommunication can have the consequences of information not being transferred to other people. As teachers, we might find difficulties in teaching pronunciation because we have to deal with students’ native language which might influence the students’ English pronunciation (Zhang & Yin, 2009). Moreover, insufficient students’ knowledge of English also becomes one of the problems in learning English pronunciation(Zhang & Yin, 2009). The objective of this study was to understand teacher’s perception toward the use of student talk to teach pronunciation to eight graders students in SMPN 7 Salatiga. Student talk is one of activities that is used to teach pronunciation (Griffith, 2004). Moreover, this study used interview and observation to obtain the data and also used qualitative research to analyze the result. The findings were grouped into several themes. First, was the concept of student talk as an activity which gave a chance for students to practice their pronunciation in pairs or in groups. The second theme related to the differences and similarities of its application in class. Third, were the perceived advantages of student talk in helping students improve their skill in pronunciation through practicing and correction. Student talk is limited since it cannot reach all types of students. The last theme was related to the teachers’ belief on the way correction was given and how the students responded to the teachers’ correction.