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STUDENTS’ TURN-TAKING IN CLASSROOM DISCUSSION (A Study at English Department of STKIP PGRI SUMBAR)
Ardison
1), Dra, Yelliza. M. M. Pd.M.M
2), Armilia Riza, M.Pd
3)
1)English department student, college of teaching training and education (PGRI) West Sumatera E-mail: arsison1212@gmail.com
2)English department lectures, college of teaching training and education (PGRI) West Sumatera E-mail: Yelliza@gmail.com
3)English department lectures, college of teaching training and education (PGRI) West Sumatera E-mail: rizaridwan23@gmail.com
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ABSTRAK
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana turn-taking mahasiswa di dalam diskusi serta apa saja jenis strategi turn-taking yang digunakan selama proses diskusi berlangsung. Lebih lanjut, penelitian ini adalah penelitian kualitatif. Partisipan dalam penelitian ini adalah mahasiswa jurusan bahasa Inggris BP 2013 tahun ajaran 2016/2017 di STKIP PGRI SUMBAR yang diambil berdasarkan purposive sampling. Untuk mengumpulkan data, peneliti melakukan pengamatan dengan merekam proses belajar mengajar dan field note terhadap mahasiswa saat proses diskusi terjadi. Kemudian, peneliti mendapatkan beberapa data dari pengamatan yang telah dilakukan. Dalam proses diskusi terdapat tiga jenis strategi yang digunakan oleh mahasiswa yaitu taking the turn, holding the turn dan yielding the turn. Di dalam taking the turn terdiri dari starting up, taking over dan interrupting. disamping itu, holding the turn terbagi dalam beberapa strategi yaitu filled pause or verbal fillers, silent pause, lexical repetition dan a new start. Kemudian, yielding the turn terdiri dari prompting, appealing dan giving up. Masing-masing strategi yang digunakan mahasiswa tersebut tergantung pada pemahaman atau penguasaan terhadap materi yang sedang didiskusikan.
Kata kunci: Students’ turn-taking, Classroom discussion
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INTRODUCTION
The process of teaching and learning is a process that contains a series of actions or activity of lecturers and students or students and students in the classroom to achieve certain goals. This process can be done if they do interaction to share and find information during the teaching and learning process. The lecturer as a person who elucidates the materials in teaching not only requires with precise method but also provide enough opportunity for the students to share and ask questions. This condition is strongly suggested because if the students have enough opportunity to share their ideas and ask question to the lecturers about an obscure material, it will make the students get more information and knowledge from what they have already learnt.
The process of giving and getting information among lecturer and students, students and students always happen in classroom discussion. STKIP PGRI West Sumatera is one of College that frequently uses the classroom discussion especially for English Department students. The students are divided into several groups and they also get topic or material that must be presented in classroom discussion. In this case, classroom discussion is immensely used to share information, ask questions and try to find in order to reference what is being discussed. It is also decipherable that, especially, students and students develop in discussing to create more active and attentive.
Based on the researcher’s experience, when he was studying in classroom discussion, there were a number of problems that happened during the discussion.
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First, each of students wanted to give comment and question in same time. Second, the presenter could not handle the discussion so that most of the students spoke whenever they want. Last, group which explained material and collected opinion and questions must be able to read the turn while their friends share their opinions. If some students speak together, it will make the discussion process is not conducive. This problem related to the turn-taking in classroom discussion.
According to Sacks Harvey, et al (2006: 696) turn-taking refers to the speech exchange systems. Briefly, a turn-taking is everything the current speaker says before the next speaker takes over. Turn taking means that the speaker gives a chance to listener, who will be the next speaker, to give a comment of what the speaker says and this is repeating process in the classroom discussion.
From those explanations, it can be concluded that turn- taking is the changing role of speaker and listener.
REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE Discussion, in its study, refers to a modern method of assessing students’
personality in classroom. It usually happens when one topic is discussed by the students in group. At this point, they must be able to share their ideas and opinions during the discussion happen. Furthermore, they are also strongly hoped to be able not only in sharing ideas and opinions but also asking questions and giving feedback about their friends’ ideas.
In discussion, there is a group presentation that leads the discussion by explaining the topic given to the audience. In this case, they not only explain the material but also handle it so that the aim of teaching and learning through discussion can be achieved.
According to Salemi and Lee (2005:
1) discussion is a highly structured and carefully planned activity in which students investigate meaning. From this definition, teacher and students must plan and organize the discussion briefly and clearly in order to make the discussion run smoothly. The teacher can organize it by dividing students into group and giving topic in advance.
Furthermore, students who discuss in classroom will involve by delivering what they mean and what they do not mean related to the material. They also give comments, additional information and disagreement. At this point, they become personally involved in discussion and learn how to drawn a conclusion.
In line with that, Rinoshah, (2006:1) says that classroom discussion consists of preparation by the participants, leader’s material, goal, suggested time and homework.
Preparation by participant means the lecturer explains what group member needs to do before coming to the discussion session, such as topic to read from the book and after the discussion section there is a homework that should be completed. Leader’s materials mean group presentation brings the classroom discussion to the topic and control the process of discussion. Furthermore, goal means discussion has clear purpose and aims for each session, for instance, first session is time to explain, then second session is time for suggestion and collecting some questions and so on. Besides that, suggested time is activity designed to help the students to confirm and share their ideas so that they can meet to the goal of discussion. In addition, homework which is provided at the end of classroom discussion is to make students have long term memory or understanding about the topic and also to prepare classroom discussion for the next meeting.
In conclusion, classroom discussion refers to the opportunity in which the students share their ideas and do interaction with their friends. The students be a participant and the lecturer also can be a corrector and the one who will summarizes the result of discussion.
As a result, classroom discussion becomes the way how to share and develop the students’
engagement and participation in classroom that is what the researcher calls about turn- taking.
The definition of turn-taking seems straightforward. It can be seen from some definitions of turn-taking. According to Sacks Harvey, et al ( 2006:696) turn-taking refers to the speech exchange systems. It is obviously meant that turn-taking one of mechanism in all strategies of dialogues (conversations involving more than two people). At this point, each of speakers must know time for turn and taking in conversation. In here, they have their own opportunity to speak and also must know a durations of pauses during the conversation. It has become clear that turn- taking is the speech signal that correlate with the moment if turn changes.
In addition, Raux, Antoine and Eskenazi (2009:629) define that turn-taking, the process by which participants in a conversation alternate speech and silence, is an essential component of spoken interaction.
In this case, turn-taking means way to lead
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conversation efficient and avoid confusing because each speaker knows when to speech and silence. For instance, if a speaker A is speaking speaker B is listening, whereas, a speaker A know the time to silence and give the turn to speaker B to speak and the speaker A is silence. Clearly, turn-taking is a principles that focuses on participants’
intentions and obligation in take place in turn while the conversation and taking during the speaking.
It is also cleared up by Rymes on Zhang, Hoamin (2011:56) mentions that turn- taking pattern in classroom include initiation, response and evaluation. In initiation, students can begin the discussion by explaining the material. In order to make conversation there is a response that encompasses asking and answering information, providing feedback and encouraging the students to add some information. Moreover, evaluation means how the students look themselves during the conversation in discussion such as self- selected and control when they speak in classroom discussion.
From all the definitions and explanations above, it can be concluded that turn-taking refers to the process by which students in conversation decide who is to speak next and knowing when to take turn. It also elucidates about when to stop immediately upon interruption or continue, at least for a while, and how to handle conversation run smoothly.
People need to know when and for how long they have to speak to avoid monopolizing talks in classroom discussion.
In order to know it, people need to understand some common strategies for taking, holding onto, and relinquishing turn taking. Based on Hazel, Michael T (1998:94) there are three turn-taking strategies. Those are;
1. Current speaker selects next
At this point, the current speaker may select someone else to be the speaker by a question or other direction. She or he can select a student for asking or answering question as well as to add some additional information. The current speaker begins to talk with a student she or he invited.
Furthermore, after taking, the student usually will give a comment or answer.
2. Listener self-selects
It means if the current speaker has not selected another, any student may
self-select by beginning to speak. In here, the students take turn to engage in classroom discussion. The current speaker automatically gives a chance to the students, who will be next speakers without choosing or giving any direction. The students who have self-selected can give a comment of what current speaker said and this is the repeating process of discussion.
3. Current speaker continues
It happens when the current speaker continues her or his explanation after there is no response and feedback from her or his friends. It also happens when the current speaker repeat the explanation many times because the speaker wants to go on speaking.
Furthermore, Pipek, Vojtech (2007:10) argues that there are three turn taking strategies, those are: taking the turn strategies, holding the turn strategies and yielding the turns strategies. Taking the turn strategies is a strategy in which a person takes his/her turns. It happens when two or more people join together in a conversation, there is a person who takes the first turn, until the first speaker has finished with his/her talk, and the other person will take the turn.
1. Taking the turn
It involves starting up, taking over, and interruption.
a. Starting up
At this point, a speaker who has not done the proper planning before taking the turn will either have to play for time or give up the turn at once. It explains that to start the conversation can be difficult thing. That is why, the speaker usually uses hesitant start to start conversation such as: filled pause, for instance: uhm and aaam or verbal fillers, for instance: well, I mean, you know.
The speaker uses those filled pause or verbal filler to show that she/he intends to say something but needs more time to think and put it into words
b. Taking over
After the speaker talked, of course it will be followed by a response from the listener. The listener will take the position as the speaker. It is called a taking over in a conversation for instance: yeah, oh, well, ah, no, yes. Yeah and oh are usually used to respond utterance: you know.
Here the example in conversation:
A: It is very good, you know
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B: Yeah
From the example above, the speaker A uses “you know” to give the turn to listener B. The speaker B directly answers what the speaker A said.
c. Interruption
During the conversation, the speaker does not always finish with his/her talk.
Sometimes, the listener, interrupt at the beginning and or in the middle of the current speaker’s talk.
2. Holding the turn
Holding the turn strategies is a strategy in which the speaker carries on talking. It happens when the speaker cannot control or hold the turns all the time because it is quite difficult to plan what to say at the same time. It encompasses of filled pause or verbal fillers, silent pause, lexical repetition and a new start.
a. Filled Pause or Verbal Fillers Filled pause usually can be taken to indicate that the speaker has no intention to yield the turn, but it is actually planning what to say next. For instance: oohhh..yeehh..ummm.
b. Silent Pause
It is a sign that try to keep the listener wait until the current speaker has finished talking. A very long pause occurred in a different position, but silence immediately after conjunction and an adverbial not only makes it clear that there is more information to come, it also strongly emphasizes that information.
c. Lexical Repetition
It is used by repeating a single word many times because the speaker wants to go on speaking. For instance: I mean it does not make any difference if ifififif you get score six.
d. A new Start
To avoid getting completely lost the best solution is to make a new start. For instance, if a student has a hard time trying to put his thought into words by means of repetition, pauses and verbal before he finally realizes that the only way out of the troublesome situation is to start all over again.
In conclusion, the speaker usually holds the turn to continue to speak. However, to hold the turn is sometimes difficult. That is why, the speaker uses four devices in order other speakers do not take the turn in conversation.
3. Yielding the turn
Yielding the turn strategies is a strategy in which the speaker gives away the turn rather reluctantly, but usually the speaker will yield the turn without much protesting. The speaker might appeal to the listener for a response. Yielding the turn is divided into three;
a. Prompting
The student acts prompt the other student to respond more strongly than others. That turns can be greeting, question, apology, invite, object, offer, and request.
b. Appealing
Appealing means a turn which gives an explicit signal to the listener in order to give feedback such as: question, all right, right, ok, you know, you see. For instance:
A : Nova, you have done your homework, right?
B : Yes, I have
A uses utterance “right” in order B gives a respond directly.
c. Giving up
Giving up means that speaker realizes that he/ she has no more to say or he/ she thinks it is time the listener said something. Turns are yielded at completion point, however, if the speaker cannot share information what to say, then there will be pause, and the longer the pause, the stronger the pressure on the listener to say something. Those devices are used to give the turn to other speakers
Additionally, Maat, Mark Ter et all (2011:4) explain that there are two of turn- taking strategies; startup and overlap resolution strategies. Startup means a speaker who has not done the proper planning before taking the turn will either have to play for time or give up the turn at once. From the statement, it explains that to start the conversation can be difficult thing.
That is why, the speaker usually uses hesitant start to start conversation such as: filled pause, for instance: uuhm and amm or verbal fillers, for instance: well, I mean, you know. The speaker uses those filled pause or verbal filler to show that she or he intends to say something but needs more time to think and put it into words. Second, overlap resolution determines what to do when there is overlap. It happens
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when two persons are speaking at the same time. When there is overlap, a speaker can decide to stop speaking and a speaker can continue normally with speaking or a speaker can raise his or her voice to take a turn in classroom discussion.
In conclusion, three of turn-taking strategies are significantly better to have good conversation during the classroom discussion.
Knowing the strategies in turn-taking can organize turns in discussion so that more than one person has a chance to speak and the turn taking is orderly.
RESEARCH METHOD
The design of this research was descriptive study. According to Gay and Airasian (2000:275), a descriptive study determines and describes the way things are.
Descriptive study was chosen because the researcher wanted to describe the fact about the students’ turn-taking in classroom discussion at second year English Department students of STKIP PGRI West Sumatera in academic year 2015/2016. In this research, for answering the questions the researcher described the strategies of students’ turn-taking in classroom from the data collection. In this research, the researcher took 3 classes from all the offering subjects that must be taken by the second year students.
FINDINGS
It can be seen clearly below in the table that strategies of turn-taking used by the students and brief example;
Table: 11 N o
Indica tors of studen ts’
turn- taking strate gies
Sub-indicators for students’
turn-taking strategies
Expression
1 Takin g the turn
a. Startin g up
b. Taking over
c. Interru pting
Hhmm, ok, aaaa, ehemm m,ok .oaaaaa Yes. Ya. Oh
ok.
Blalallalala Chi
2 Holdi ng the turn
a. Filled pause or Verbal fillers
b. Silent pause
c. Lexical repetiti on
d. A new start
____oohhh..
aaaaa Daannnnnn.
Aaaaaa a mmm m Ow__ow__
Owww Disebelah__
Karena Buku__me
mang Ok..ok..
Ok ok Ow.ow Jadi
menur ut saya ow__o w__ow w jadi menur ut saya 3 Yieldi
ng the turn
a. Prompt ing
b. Appeal ing
c. Giving up
A. What is differen t betwee n Amerik a and Thailan d culture B. :hmm
m.aaa Ok. I will give explan ation about
….
Right. Yaa
Ada tambah an dari rekan saya
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Ok
From table above, we can see the kind of TURN- TAKING are used by students in classroom discussion, such as taking the turn, holding the turn and yielding the turn.
CONCLUSION
Based on the research questions and discussion of the data analysis, the following conclusion can be described dealing with the students’ turn-taking. Those are taking the turn;
starting up, taking over, and interrupting. For holding the turn, he uses filled pause or verbal filler, silent pause, lexical repetition, and a new start. And for yielding the turn, the adult use prompting, appealing, and giving up.
REFFERENCES
Gay, L. R &Araisan, Peter.(2000). Education Research, Competence for Analysis and Application, Sith Edition. New Jersey:
Prentice Hall, Inc
Mark Ter Maat and Dirk Heylen (2011). The effect of Context on Turn –Taking In Human to Human Conversation
.
Rinoshah, (2006:1). Some signals and rules for taking speaking turns in conversations. Journal of Personality andSocial Psychology. Bandung Press.
Raux, Antoine, (2005). A finite-State Turn-Taking Model for spoken Dialog System
Salemi, K. Michael. Lee Hansen. 2005. Discussing economics. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar,Ltd Sacks Harvey, et all (2006). A Simplest Systematics
For the Organzation of Turn-taking for Confersation
Vojtech. Turn-taking in social talk dialogues:
temporal, formal and functional aspects. Accessed
April, 24th 2017 from www.uni-
bielefeld.de/.../TenBosch_Oostdijk_DeRuiter_SPE COM_2004.
.
Zhang, Haomin (2011) Language anxiety in ESL classroom: Analysis of turn-taking patterns in ESL classroom discourse
