Journal of English Teaching and Learning Issues 41

Journal of English Teaching and Learning Issues, 4 (1), 2021

ISSN: 2615-3920 EISSN: 2685-4473
DOI: 10.21043/jetli.v4i1.11155

Use of Hands Up Media to Improve Students' Speaking

Ability in English

Ani Agustiyani Maslahah1

1
English Education Department, STKIP PGRI Bangkalan, Indonesia

Contact: Ani Agustiyani Maslahah [email protected]

ABSTRACT
This study involved 30 students consisting of 15 students from the KEYWORDS:
Class X IIS and 15 students from the Class X MIA. Data were Hand Puppet,
collected through observation and documentation. The analysis of Media,
the research data was used descriptive quantitative methods with Speaking Ability.;
percentages. The percentage results are then consulted with keywords4;
predetermined criteria. The results show the effectiveness of hand keywords5
puppet props in learning and improving students' abilities. Also,
students become more active and motivated by the presence of ARTICLE HISTORY:
hand puppet props. Props can increase students' learning Received dd mm yyyy
motivation, thus supporting a learning atmosphere for students. Accepted dd mm yyyy
The evaluation of learning activities is generally good, as seen from
the aspects of material suitability, understanding, analysis and
synthesis, and learning intensity. This means that students can
increase their courage and ability to learn. The evaluation results in
cycle 1 increased by 30%, namely from the percentage of pre-cycle
completeness 33% to 63% in cycle 1. In comparison, the average
student test scores increased from pre-cycle 55.7 to 64.7 in cycle
1. The average understanding of the material presented by the
teacher. The results of the evaluation are in a good category, an
average of 81.7 in cycle 2 and 90% of students have complete
scores. The results of the observations also showed an increase in
student activity from 64.7 in the pre-cycle to 74.83 in the first cycle
and the average satisfactory result was 86.4 in the second cycle.
This data shows that learning with visual aids can increase
students' understanding and courage of the material so that
student learning outcomes and activities were increased
significantly.

Introduction

The quality of Human Resources (HR) is a benchmark for the progress of a

nation. Education is very necessary for the framework of the formation of
HR. Education is the influence of the environment on individuals to produce
permanent changes in habits of thought, attitudes, and behavior
42 Ani Agustiyani Maslahah

(Thomspson, 1957). Referring to the opinions of these experts, teachers

have an interest in the success of education and the development of the
potential of students through a learning approach that is in accordance with
the curriculum, educational goals, student abilities, learning psychology and
resources.
The English curriculum in education at Madrasah Aliyah (MA)
emphasizes more on students to learn more actively and flexibly. Learning
English emphasizes four aspects, namely aspects of writing, reading,
listening, and speaking. For the speaking aspect, the material for the
National Examination and Madrasah Examination is not included. So that
students think English is said to be successful if they can work on written
scores on the English exam. Language is a means of communication,
namely through speaking. So far, data from class X students at MA
Roudlotusysyubban, odd semester of the 2019/2020 school year, of 30
students, psychomotor scores (skills) in speaking are above the KKM about
11 people. Around 19 people (67%) have not completed. This data
encouraged the writer to think that there needs to be an effort to improve
students' speaking skills in English in speaking material using hand puppet
media, in even semesters, so that students feel interested and don't feel
ashamed to have a dialogue or tell a text or dare to express feelings in
English.
Hand puppets (hand puppets) are dolls usually made of cloth/sarong
and there is a hole to insert our hands at the bottom. Hand puppet opera
can be played by hand puppet players by inserting their hands into the doll.
Puppet players can move the doll's head, hands, and body according to what
the puppet player wants and wants to convey according to the storyline that
will be played. For example, if a player wants to say yes or no, it is enough
to move the doll's head down, meaning nodding, and to the right or left, it
means rejecting or not. To say a word or voice, the player can change the
voice according to the role played.
 Journal of English Teaching and Learning Issues 43

In teaching English, especially for the speaking aspect, there are

obstacles motivating children for being confident to speak, whether it is just
getting acquainted, expressing feelings, or telling experiences. Therefore, it
is important to use methods and media that can be interesting and
motivating children to speak in English. Teaching English to children and
adolescents requires a planned strategy so that they are motivated to enjoy
learning by creating things that make them visually interested because one
way to get children's attention focused on learning is the use of appropriate
teaching aids. This hand puppet can be used in teaching speaking for
introduction material, telling names, ages, hobbies, experience, storytelling,
and so forth. If children have the courage to play themselves with hand
puppets to talk, they will be more developed to engage in dialogue and be
able to talk about experiences or stories or fairy tales.

Media and Props

One of the factors supporting the success of student learning is the

existence of teaching aids and learning media that are in accordance with
the material to be taught. Learning Media is defined as everything that can
be used to channel messages (messages), stimulate the thoughts, feelings,
attention and willingness of students so as to encourage the learning
process (Sumiati, 2008)
Understanding teaching aids according to Kurt (2012) is a component
of learning resources in the student environment that can stimulate
students to learn. According to Gagné, Briggs, and Wager (1992), teaching
aids are physical vehicles that contain learning materials. According to
Halpern and Hakel (2003), macro teaching aids in the entire education
system are defined as anything that can stimulate the learning process. It
can be concluded that teaching aids are something that can be an
intermediary for teachers to make it easier to convey material to students.
44 Ani Agustiyani Maslahah

There are several purposes of using teaching aids in teaching speaking

in English subjects, including: Clarify information or learning messages, with
collaboration through dialogue; Attracting students to arouse interest,
activity, and creativity in learning; Make it easier and faster for teachers to
present speaking lesson material; Clarify the teaching structure; Motivating
students to dare to speak in English.

Methods in Learning English at Madrasah Aliyah

The learning method used by the teacher allows students to learn the
process (learning by process), not just learning the product (learning by
product) (Sumiati, 2008). To learn the process does not only involve
cognitive values but also includes affective and psychomotor values.
Hamzah (2009) in his book, “Learning Model”, said that the learning method
is defined as the method used by the teacher in carrying out his duties. It is
a tool to achieve certain learning goals for the learning method using certain
stages. These are the types of methods in learning English as follows.

Assignment Method
The assignment method is one of the methods used by teachers to teach
English by giving assignments that are not time-bound. As an example: The
aspect of writing, the teacher assigns students to write texts, self-identity,
and others; The aspects of reading, the teacher gives the task of students
to read the text observantly and analyze the content of the text; The aspect
of listening, the teacher gives students assignments to answer questions
from the questions that are heard either directly or using the media. The
aspect of Speaking, the teacher gives the task of students to give
storytelling, dialogue, and monologue.

Discussion Method
In learning English, the discussion method is often used because:
Democratic in nature; It is an effective way to raise problems; Enhance the
 Journal of English Teaching and Learning Issues 45

role of students; Encourages a sense of unity and develops a sense of

sociality; Develop leadership.

Lecture Method
This method is the most frequently used by teachers. In learning with a short
time and a lot of material, this lecture method is effectively used. However,
if it is not varied with other methods, students will be bored because they
seem monotonous, and students are passive. In order for the lecture to be
effective, it must be balanced with questions and answers and students are
asked to read first before the lecture so that students actively respond to
questions according to their knowledge. For learning English, this lecture
method is used to explain the content of the material, grammar/grammar
and others, especially aspects of reading and writing.

Simulation Method
Simulation can be interpreted as a way of learning by doing an artificial
behavior process (Sumiati, 2008). In learning English, the simulation
method is often used for the Speaking aspect, such as using a
sociodrama/social drama simulation, psychodrama, or role-playing.

The Use of Hand Puppets for Learning English in Madrasah

Aliyah

English education is an important lesson at all levels of education. Based

on the objectives listed in the English learning curriculum at the secondary
schools or Madrasah Aliyah (MA), it was intended that students have the
following abilities; developing communication competence in spoken and
written form to reach the level of informational literacy, and having an
awareness of the nature and importance of English to improve the nation's
competitiveness in a global society that develops students' understanding
of the relationship between language and culture. After that, there are many
types of learning media, there are positive aspects of using hand puppet
46 Ani Agustiyani Maslahah

media or props to teach children to speak fluently, this is based on the

results of research that the author has done for some time, which are as
follows.

Description
The implementation of the action began with conducting initial
observations carried out, the aim was to find out more deeply the condition
of the schools or madrasa, as the class that will receive treatment. These
conditions included the physical condition of the class, the condition of
students, teachers, the learning process and teaching and learning activities
in the classroom as well as educational facilities and infrastructure in the
classroom. In the initial observation, the learning activities consist of 3
stages, 1) Initial Activities, 2) Core Activities, and 3) Closing.
In the initial activity in the form of apperception, students are invited to
ask questions about the material to be discussed, which ultimately relates
to the core material, while the core activities in learning mostly use the
lecture method without using any media except English textbooks. The
teacher explained more using the lecture method and monotonous dialogue
in explaining the concept so that it seems that students only get abstract
concepts, do not dare to express feelings and teaching and learning
activities are focused on the teacher. In addition, student involvement still
seems less than optimal, this can be seen from the passivity and confusion
of students in following and answering teacher questions. As for the closing
activity, students were given the task of working on questions or
evaluations. In the initial reflection through observation, several advantages
and disadvantages can be found in learning activities. These advantages
include: The learning process has been carried out in a structured and
systematic manner following the teaching design, as well as the teaching
program; The teacher conveys a lot of information about the concept of
material, dialogue using the lecture method in every learning activity.
 Journal of English Teaching and Learning Issues 47

While some of the shortcomings in the learning process found are:

Learning seems monotonous, one-sided because students are afraid and
embarrassed to answer the teacher's questions. This makes students
bored. Because it only explains verbally a concept without being assisted
by adequate supporting facilities and or media; Students tend to be passive
only to answer the teacher's questions without giving any feedback. During
this initial observation too, students have not shown the expected behavior.
Indeed, students occasionally answered the teacher's questions by
rephrasing what the teacher has said, but this was because conventional
methods do not provide many opportunities for students to obtain more
varied and long-lasting information. After all, they did not emphasize
process skills and lack of vocabulary. As a result, students have difficulty
understanding the material presented by the teacher.
The advice given was to be able to master the material and provide
explanations with teaching aids that attract students' interest so that the
learning process runs conducive. From the results of research and
observations of student activities and teacher activities, it can be seen the
shortcomings as well as the advantages of the learning process. The value
of the students' evaluation results in the first cycle got an average score of
64.7, or the absorption level of mastery of the material was 65%. Of the 30
students there are still 11 students who have scores below the Minimum
Completeness Criteria (KKM: 65) or 63% of students still need
improvement.
The suggestions given were that the teacher must be able to provide
various media, this is by providing various media techniques designed by
the teacher, so students would easily remember what has been given in the
learning process. In cycle 2, the props used were Hand Puppets which were
more varied. Observer and rater 2 observed the learning that takes place.
The children are very interested and motivated to follow the lesson by
following the steps from the teacher to do storytelling using hand puppets.
48 Ani Agustiyani Maslahah

The results of the evaluation scores in the second cycle show an

increase in students' understanding of the material, namely the class
average value had reached 81.7. The percentage of completeness scores
reached 90%. It proved that natural teaching aids have helped their learning
process. Students' attention to the teacher's explanation increases, student
activity in practice is more evenly distributed, and understanding of
terms/language is clearer. But there were still 3 students who have scores
below the KKM, namely 3 students who have had a score of 60.

Reflection
In the first cycle, the attention of class X students at MA Roudlotusysyubban
to the teacher's learning or explanation was still lacking, it was proven that
the value of the student evaluation results in the first cycle of the number of
students was 30, 11 students scored above 65 (65 = KKM score), and 11
students received the value is below the KKM (Minimum Completeness
Criteria), meaning that 11 people must have their scores corrected. As for
the average grade, the score is 64.7, slightly below the KKM.
In the second cycle, the use of hand puppets has aroused enthusiasm
for learning and helps teachers in delivering subject matter, so that student
learning outcomes also increase. This can be observed from the value of
the evaluation results in the second cycle there is an increase. The
percentage of students who reached the KKM is 90%. Student activity in
cycle I was not maximized, there were still many students who relied on
other people in discussion or group work. Only students who became group
leaders and students who record the results of active discussions.
Moreover, there is one group whose all members actively participate in
solving problems, expressing their opinions. All students actively involved
in the discussion because they even work in groups but have individual
tasks for the results of the discussion. Besides that, the teaching aids
brought by students are very supportive of students in learning, so that it
 Journal of English Teaching and Learning Issues 49

directly motivated students to learn competitively. Students' understanding

of the material began to increase in cycle II. It was proven that they were
more active in expressing their opinions, answering questions, or asking
and responding to the opinions of other students or other groups.
The results of observations in the pre-cycle of students who got an A
score were 2 students, 6 children got B and 10 children got a C score. While
children who got a D score were 12 students. This result shows the low
motivation and activity of children. In cycle 1 there was a good increase with
the value of C being the lowest for 13 children and the others getting B and
A. An amazing increase in activity in cycle 2 where children did not get D
and C scores. 14 children got A and B scores for 16 children. Students are
active in the learning and discussion process, and they are motivated by
hand puppet props that the teacher has prepared.

Conclusion

The learning outcomes in cycle I which were still below the target showed
that the learning process was less active, and the teacher had not been able
to deliver the material optimally. Besides that, the overall behavioral aspects
of learning objectives according to Bloom (1996) which can show a picture
of learning outcomes, including cognitive, affective, and psychomotor
aspects have not emerged positively, permanently, and thoroughly.
Learning outcomes in cycle II showed progress. The use of hand puppet
props has helped students to interact directly, arouse learning motivation,
and present messages simultaneously for all students. In classroom
management, the teacher has helped students feel the freedom to do what
students want (Hall, 1981). An increase in the value of the evaluation results
shows that teachers have begun to understand that when teaching for
improvement, teachers should start with a reflection by asking themselves,
“What do children need? And how to meet the needs of children? (Kohn,
1996). As a result, 80% of the students felt that the time allocated for
50 Ani Agustiyani Maslahah

participating in the lesson was adequate. This shows that the development
of English learning by using an environment in the form of hand puppets as
a learning resource can create a conducive climate to improve the quality
of learning. This result is also supported by a good forum setting so that the
atmosphere of the learning room is so pleasant. In the aspect of mastery of
materials and methods, the facilitator stated that in terms of the suitability
of the educational background to the materials and methods used, all of
them stated that they were appropriate. In relation to the suitability aspect
of the methods and media used for successful learning according to the
indicators of success.

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