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Assessing Young Learners' Speaking Ability in the Fifth Grade of Three Elementary Schools in Padang

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Assessing Young Learners' Speaking Ability in the Fifth Grade of Three Elementary Schools in Padang
PTW - Assessing Young Learners ' Speaking Ability in The Fifth Grade of Three Elementary Schools in Padang CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Problem
Communicative view development in English learning makes the focus on English teaching changed. What once became structurally focused, it now moves toward meaningful language-focused. Students are not asked to memorize structure-based dialogues without knowing the meaning anymore. There are no more grammatically controlled sentences for students’ meaningless repetition. Dialogues, if used, center around communicative functions and are not normally memorized (Richards & Rodgers, 1986). That makes the teaching of speaking becomes the core part of English teaching.
Just like the adults, young learners today are also taught speaking meaningfully and communicatively. However, young learners have distinctive characteristics compared with adult learners. One of them is children are still developing cognitively, linguistically, socially, emotionally, and physically (Teaching Knowledge Test Young Learners: Handbook for Teachers, 2010). In other words, in teaching speaking to them, teachers need to consider children’s development of skills in the native language first. Young learners also enjoy rhythmic and repetitive language more than adults do. They are more likely to play with language than adults are, and they can be more effectively engaged through stories and games (Peck, 2009).
The different techniques and approaches in teaching speaking to young learners lead to different ways in the speaking assessment. This is the problem faced by Indonesian young learners’ teachers nowadays. Most teachers do not know how they should assess their young learners’ speaking ability; some finally choose to skip the speaking assessment and focus on pencil-paper-tests. Thus, this research is conducted to discover and reveal ways of assessing young learners’ speaking ability.

B. Identification of the Problem



Bibliography: Assessing Young Learners. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2012, from METU Open Course Ware: http://ocw.metu.edu.tr/ Best, J Douglas, B. H., & P. A. (2010). Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices. New York: Pearson Education. Harries, M., & McCann, P. (1994). Assessment. Oxford: McMillan Publishers Ltd. Hasil Akreditasi. (2008). Retrieved April 29, 2012, from Badan Akreditasi Nasional: http://ban-sm.or.id/provinsi/sumatera-barat/akreditasi Kurikulum KTSP 2006 Linse, C. T. (2005). Practical English Language Teaching. New York: Mc-Graw Hills Companies. Noonan, F. J. (2003). Helping EFL Students Improve Their Spoken English. 1-6. Peck, S. (2009). Developing Children 's Listening and Speaking in ESL. 13-149. Richards, C. J., & Rodgers, S. T. (1986). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press. Santrock, J. W. (1998). Child Development. New York: Mc-Graw Hills Companies. Speaking Skills. (1998, October 23). Retrieved April 5, 2012, from Lingua Links: http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/languagelearning/otherresources/gudlnsfralnggandcltrlrnngprgrm/SpeakingSkill.htm Sugiyono (2010). Teaching Knowledge Test Young Learners: Handbook for Teachers. Cambridge: University of Cambridge. Verne, U. o. (n.d.). What is An Empirical Study? Retrieved May 1, 2012, from La Verne Library: http://library.laverne.edu/empirical-research.php

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