CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Speaking
1. The Nature of Speaking
Speaking is a crucial part in human life in which it could carry
messages within the speech. It depends on how words are spoken and how
manner are used. Then, some experts have some interpretations of speaking.
According to Nunan (2003 : 128) speaking is using the language quickly and
confidently with few unnatural pauses, which is called as fluency.
Furthermore, Tarigan stated that speaking ability is an ability to say or
pronounce words and sounds articulation to express feeling, thought, and idea
(1981 : 15). By organizing thought and words to be spoken then the students
can easily tell their ideas, the students can also improve their speaking ability
2. The Importance of Speaking
The goal of language is communication and the aim of speaking in
language context is to promote communicative proficiency; teacher wants
student to actually be able to use the language as correctly as possible and
with a purpose.
Students often value speaking more than the other skills of reading,
writing, and listening. The students often feel more anxiety related to their
oral production.
Then, Dr.Blash stated that one of the benefits of increased
communicative competency is the opportunities to get the job easily,
education, and travel opportunities; it is always be an asset to be able to
communicate with the other people (2011).
In short, there are several facts which show the importance of speaking
English for students in academic career and community. The facts are as
following:
a. Speaking English properly is now used for official internal
communication.
b. Speaking English well is used in most cross-border
communication; it is needed as a common language.
c. English is used as the language of instruction in most school and
d. English has become a window of better opportunity for further
education and career path.
Speaking ability is important in language teaching and learning. We
communicate through our oral expression to gain more information.
According to Chenfield (1978 : 13), speaking is the oldest and most universal
way for human beings to express their thought and feeling by producing
utterance in oral communication with two or more people.
By speaking, people will be able to communicate with the other
because they can deliver their ideas, thought, and feeling. So, is not
exaggerating when called speaking as one of the important skill that students
have to master.
3. Speaking Skill
The main aim in teaching productive skill of speaking is to establish
students‟ speaking skill. Then, speaking skill is ability to raise voices to
express their feelings and ideas using appropriate language. It mean that
students can speak fluently, grammatically correct, and easy to understand by
the listener.
There are five components to measure speaking skill. It is stated by
a. Pronunciation
Pronunciation is the way in which a language or a particular
word or sound is pronounced (Hornby, 2000 : 1057). Therefore,
students with good pronunciation will be much more confident
because it sounds like native. Moreover, the way students speak will
be easier to understand.
b. Grammar
It concerns with how sentences and utterances are formed
(Carter & Mc Carthy, 2006 : 2).
According to Brown (2001 : 262) grammar is the system of
rules governing the conventional arrangement and relationship of word
in sentence. If the students‟ grammar is well mastered, then it can be
ensured that their speaking would be so much accurate.
c. Vocabulary
Students need to learn vocabulary in context and visual clues to
help them understand (Ybarra, 2003). By having a bunch of
vocabularies the students do not have to be worry in uttering their
d. Fluency
Fluency is the quality of being able to speak or write a
language, especially a foreign language easily and well (Hornby, 2000
: 516). Then, Nunan (2003 : 55) says that fluency is the extent to
which speakers use the language quickly and confidently, with few
hesitation or unnatural pauses, false starts, and word search. It refers to
one‟s ability to speak smoothly and easily.
e. Comprehension
Hornby (2000 : 263) stated that comprehension is the power of
understanding an exercise, it is aimed at improving or testing one
understands of a language in written or spoken. It tackles deep role
since without good comprehension it would be hard to have good
speaking.
4. Speaking Activity
There were several activities that would promote teaching learning
process in the classroom. The activities covered:
a. Group Discussion
A group discussion could be held for various reasons. The students
were aimed to arrive at a conclusion, share ideas about an event, or find
solutions in their group discussion. Before the discussion, it is essential
In this way, the discussion points should relevant to the purpose, so
that the students did not spend their time chatting with each other about
irrelevant things.
b. Role Play
One way of getting students to speak was Role-playing. The students
pretend to be someone in various social contexts and had some varieties of
social roles.
In Role Play activities, the teacher gave information to the students
such as who students were and what the students think or feel.
c. Presentation
Presentation was one of the speaking activities in this research. The
presentation activity could give the students an opportunity to shares their
idea in front of their classmates. Then, through presentation, the students
could build their confidence in speaking in front of other people.
d. Storytelling
Story telling could enhance the students‟ creativity of thinking. It also
helped the students express ideas in the format of beginning, development,
and ending, including the characters and sett a story had to have. The
As a result, speaking activities could be combined with the teachers‟
technique and media in which it would help the teacher in boosting the students‟
speaking skill.
5. The Types of Speaking Test
The kind of test that was used in this research was role play test. Here the
description of the test as follows:
a. Role Play Test
In a role play, the students and her/his pairs were given information on
which to base a role play, and the students were evaluated on their ability
to carry out the task in the role play. The role play required the students to
use various functions that he/she might need in real communication.
6. Media
In this research, the writer used some kinds of media as follow:
a. Pictures
Pictures was used to stimulate the students to get the main point of one
topic, and pictures could made the students be interested to follow the
lesson.
b. Situational card
In this research, the writer also used situational card to make the
the situational card that had been given, and it made the students be more
B. Group Investigation Technique
1. The Definition of Group Investigation Technique
Group investigation technique is one kind of Cooperative Learning
(CL) that is more than having students work in group; it is a fundamental
shift from teacher as information provider and sole source of truth. It
involves the use of tasks whose completion requires the combined efforts
and skills of the individual group members. Furthermore, Sharan stated
that group investigation is a technique which is explores students‟
individual interest and give them more control over their learning than
other cooperative methods do. In group investigation, the students are
requires to applying their interpersonal and research ability to design a
specific objective of learning (Sharan, 2012 : 166).
In group investigation, the students take an active part in planning
what they will study and how. They form a cooperative group according
to common interest in a topic. All group members help plan how to
research their topic. Then, the members divide the work among
themselves, and each group member carries out his or her part of the
investigation. Finally, the group synthesizes and summarizes its work and
2. The Main Component of Group Investigation
The unique characteristic of group investigation is on the integration
of four fundamental components such as investigation, interaction,
interpretation, and intrinsic motivation (Sharan, 2012 : 167).
The further explanation about those four components of group
investigation as follow:
a. Investigation
The first component of group investigation is the Investigation
which refers to the general orientation of learning that taken by
teachers and students. The class is a community of research when the
students having their group investigation project. Then, the students‟
role is a researcher that coordinating their research with the learning
objectives. In the same way, Thelen in Sharan stated that the class can
be called as a community of research or community of researcher
(2012 : 167).
The investigation starts when the teacher gives a challenging
problem to the students. While doing their research, the students
building their knowledge, instead of receive the information from the
teacher. The investigation process emphasize on the students‟
The students design their own investigation by making some of
questions dealing with the topic, finding the resources of the topic and
summarizing the result of their work. In the stage of investigation, the
students cooperate with their partner to find the information. Then, the
students will process the information and ideas into a new knowledge
through the interpretation process.
b. Interaction
Group investigation taken place in a class which is deal with
social context including the process of having conversation, helping
each other and supporting each other. In every steps of the
investigation, each student has the same opportunities to have an
interaction with the others. The students discuss their research plan,
compare their information and ideas, and decide how to summarize
and merging their findings.
Then, the students plan how they will present the result of their
woks in front of the class.
Interaction is effective in small group discussion that needs the
knowledge of the nature of group work and discussion skill.
Through interaction, the students are able to support each other,
evolving their ideas, and helping each other to focus on their work.
The students process their ideas and information through
social and intellectual interaction while doing the investigation
(Thelen in Sharan, 2012 : 170).
c. Interpretation
The next characteristic of group investigation is the
interpretation. The students are cooperating with their partner to make
an interpretation of their investigation result. The interpretation of the
investigation result is a negotiation process between their personal
knowledge and the new knowledge that they learned. In this context,
the interpretation process is a real social – intellectual process.
The interpretation process is in line with constructive approach
which is developed by Piaget (Sigel & Cocking in Sharan, 2012 : 171).
The approach was explained that most of individuals developing their
ideas based on reality, experience, opinion, and information.
Furthermore, the group investigation technique gives the students
more opportunities to interacting with the other member group that
The cooperative interpretation of the information is improving
the students‟ research skill.
The students are expected to be able designing, clarifying and
presenting the result of their research.
d. Intrinsic Motivation
The group investigation is motivating the students to be active
in deciding what they will learn and how. In this case, the students are
free to make individual choices and group choices based on the
problems that will be observed.
The students sharing their experience in school, so that they
dispose to give more efforts in learning than when they are required to
learned something and informed how to learn it (Sharan&Shaulov in
Sharan, 2012 : 172). The group investigation technique is enhancing
the students‟ interest to find the information what they need.
3. Teaching Speaking Using Group Investigation
According to Sharan (2012 : 172), there are six steps of group
investigation as follow:
a. Step 1 : Identifying The Topic to be Investigated and Organizing The
In this stage, the teacher presents a broad topic to the whole
class. The topic may be the part of the curriculum or may stem from
the students‟ interest or from a current issue.
The teacher should phrase the topic into a question; instead of
directly present the topic. The phrasing serves two purposes: it helps to
divine the scope of the investigation, and it sets the tone for inquiry.
The topic should be multifaceted one, so that it will trigger a variety of
reactions from the students.
At this point, the students are not expected to show what they
know but what they want to know. Some students will ask questions
based on their reading, other may ask question related to their past
experiences. If the teacher encourages diverse reactions, everyone will
participate. Then, the teacher should avoid imposing their own
suggestions or rejecting students‟ questions. The teacher can further
stimulate inquiry by having students scan a variety of sources: films,
texts, picture books, magazines, articles, and so on. These materials
might be displayed on a table so that students can examine them
whenever they have free time.
Furthermore, the teacher writes the general topic on the board
Then, the teacher will limit the number of a group; each group
consisting four to five students.
The teaching learning process and teachers‟ roles in step 1
could be summarized as:
Table 1.1
The Teachers’ Roles in the Teaching Learning Process
Teaching Learning Process Teachers’ Roles
Identifying the topic Lead the research discussion Relating the problem to
the students‟ Sets the main topic
Deciding the subtopic Guide the subtopic arrangement
b. Step 2 : Planning The Investigation in Groups
Upon joining their respective groups, the students turn their
attention to the subtopic of their choice.
Together they formulate a researchable problem and plan their
courses of action. Group members determine which aspect of subtopic
they will investigate.
The members have to decide how to proceed and what
circulates among the groups, he/she can offer help to those who need
it.
Instead of insisting that the group stick to a plan that has
proven uninteresting to them, the teacher can discuss alternatives and
help them redirect their goal.
Through discussion, group members exchange views about the
scope of their inquiry. They clarify exactly what it is they want to
investigate.
c. Step 3 : Carrying Out The Investigation
In this stage, each groups carrying out the plans decided on in
the step 2. Group members gather information from a variety of
sources, analyze, and evaluate the data, reach conclusions, and apply
their share of new knowledge to solving the groups‟ research problem.
Each class period at this stage begins with the teacher and the groups
reviewing what it plans to do that day. Then, each group members
discuss their work and help one another.
The groups may choose to have the recorder note their
tentative conclusions, or each member may present a written summary
The Groups carrying their first investigation, especially in the
lower grades, may simply have each member present a short of
summaries or answer to the question that he/she investigated.
At this point, the experienced students will often „discover‟ a
new problem that evolves from their discussion of their findings.
d. Step 4: Preparing A Final Report
This stage serves as a transition from data gathering and
clarification on the presentation of the most significant result of the
inquiry. It is primarily an organizational stage, yet it entails such
intellectual activities as abstracting the main idea of the groups‟
project, pulling together all the parts into an integrated whole, and
planning a presentation that will be both instructive and appealing.
Some groups decide what their final report will be when they
begin their work. During the planning that groups conduct at this
stage, students assume a new role as main source of learning. Then,
they begin to plan how to teach their classmates, in an organized way,
the essence of what they have learned.
When the teacher notes that the groups are nearing the end of
their investigations, it is time to convene the members of the steering
committee. The committee hears each group‟s plan for its report. The
coordinates the schedule. With the teacher‟s guidance, the committee
members make sure that the ideas for presentation are varied and clear
and can indeed be carried out. The teacher continues in the role of
advisor, helping the committee where needed, and reminding them
that each group‟s plan should involve all its members.
e. Step 5: Presenting The Final Report
The groups are now prepared to present their final reports to
the class. At this stage, all the groups meet and reconstitute the whole
class as a social unite.
The schedule of presentation is posted, and each group knows
how much time it has for its presentation. After each group‟s turn, the
members of the audience voice their reactions to what they saw and
heard.
f. Step 6: Evaluation
Group investigation exposes students to constant evaluation, by
both peers and teacher. During the entire course of inquiry, the teacher
has many opportunities to form reliable judgment on the basis of
frequent conversations and observations of students‟ academic and
social activity (Sharan and Hertz-Lazarowits in Sharan, 1990 : 4).
In assessing learning in group investigation, the teacher
new problems, the use of inferences, and the drawing of conclusions.
In addition, the teacher evaluates the investigation process itself.
Alternatively, teacher and students can collaborate in order to
evaluate the learning. Each group can submit questions about the most
important aspects of their subtopic.
Students‟ affective experiences during their investigation are
also part of the evaluation. Students should reflect in how they feel in
the topic they investigated as well as about how they carried out their
investigation. The teacher might ask the students to write a short
summary of what they felt, they learned about the topic, and about
how to increase their effectiveness as investigators.
4. The Advantages of Group Investigation
There are several advantages of group investigation as follow:
a. Group investigation can enhance students‟ activeness in teaching
learning process. The students are given many opportunities to take
part of learning. Through Group Investigation, students can
determined what topic will they learned and how.
b. Group investigation can enhance students‟ opportunity for learning,
especially in relation to applying theory to practice. For example: the
students gained a lot of knowledge by discussing what was happening
with users and helping to relate the theory to practice.
d. Group investigation gives students opportunity to share their
experiences and to learn from others experience.
e. The students are able to compare the progress of learning each other.
5. The Disadvantages of Group Investigation
Group investigation also has disadvantages such as:
a. The difficulty in catering a range of experiences and needs in the
group. For example: there are specific issues that were relevant only to
individual placement and the difficulty in having session to suit all
students‟ concerned.
b. Losing out of individual time. Group investigation will take much
time. The students will concern study in group and the teacher just has
a little chance to give an individual explanation to the students.
c. The anxiety of being criticized in front of the class. Since group
investigation requires a direct evaluation both from teacher and
students so that make a few students feel afraid of being criticize in
C. The Previous Research on Group Investigation
Group investigation is a successful cooperative learning technique that
requires the students to be directly involved in the teaching learning process.
It is supported by some previous research which applied group investigation
as the teaching strategy in the teaching learning process.
Firstly, in 2010, Wihdatul Haqqi and Kusumarasdyati had conducted
their research titled „The Use of Group Investigation Technique in Teaching
Speaking News Item Text for the Tenth Grades of SMA Negeri 3 Sidoarjo‟.
The result of their research showed that the group Investigation Technique
could run well during the teaching learning process.
Its technique helped the students to be more active in class because
they could study by their experiences. The students also had same chance to
improve their speaking skill and to be confidence to speak in public area.
Then, Sirajudin in 2010 also held his research titled „Improving
Speaking Skill by Using Group Investigation Technique at the Grade Eight
Students of SMP Wahid Hasyim Malang‟. The result of his research showed
that there was an improvement in students‟ speaking skill after practicing
group investigation technique. The data showed that the students had made
some progresses. In the first cycle, the average of their score reached 69.27, it
Then, through the observation technique, the data showed that the
students were actively involved in the teaching learning process.
In the first cycle, the average of the students‟ writing score reached
65.71, it improved in the second cycle into 75. The result of her research
showed an improvement of students‟ reading ability. In the first cycle, the
average score of students‟ reading test reached 64.05, it improved in the
second cycle into 75.23.
Based on those previous research which showed some progresses and
improvement in the final result of the research, so the writer decide to
implement the group investigation technique to improve the students‟
speaking skill at the Eight Grade in SMP Muhammadiyah Banyumas in the
D. Basic Assumption
Speaking ability is essential element in learning English. It is one of
the results of learning English. For teaching speaking, the teacher should be
creative in using teaching learning technique to motivate the students, because
not all technique can be applied in a learning material.
Group investigation is one of the cooperative learning that is
interesting to lead the students to decide what they will study and how.
Furthermore, group investigation is requires students to take part in the
classroom. The students will give their all effort in doing the investigation. In
short, group investigation is make students cooperate with their team work in
