Strategies to Improve Students' Speaking Skills in English Class

Abstract

The ability to communicate in English, especially speaking skills, has become a very important need in the current era of globalization. English is no longer only a means of communication, but also as a bridge to achieve international opportunities, both in education, career and social. In addition, through the main discussion conducted in this study aims to be able to identify and analyze effective strategies in improving the speaking skills of students in English classes. In addition, this study also has another goal, namely to be able to explore the factors that support and hinder the implementation of these strategies in the school environment. And in addition, the Research Method section used in this study is to use a quantitative and qualitative approach (mixed methods) in order to identify problems in depth while measuring the results of strategy implementation. So based on this, this study shows several important findings that can be concluded, including the first conclusion, namely the success of speaking learning is highly dependent on a combination of interactive teaching methods that are relevant to students' needs. Strategies such as role-play, group discussions, and presentations are effective in creating an active and supportive learning environment. This activity not only helps students hone their speaking skills, but also builds their confidence in using English orally, then the second conclusion is that the active involvement of teachers in designing interesting and contextual learning materials has a significant influence on student motivation. Teachers who are able to present a fun and communicative learning atmosphere will encourage students to participate more in speaking activities. In addition, providing constructive feedback from teachers can increase students' awareness of their mistakes and improve their speaking skills gradually and for the last conclusion, namely, through the use of technology such as language learning applications, interactive videos, and online discussion platforms have also proven to be useful in supporting speaking learning. This technology provides additional access for students to practice outside the classroom, allowing them to improve pronunciation, grammar, and intonation through speaking simulations with native speakers or automated devices.