PROBLEMS IN SPEAKING ENGLISH OF INTROVERT STUDENTS AND STRATEGIES TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS AT ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH YOGYAKARTA
Abstract
Speaking in English is very important for English learners because it is a vital communication skill. It is also a benchmark to demonstrate the learners’ skill. However, speaking in English presents some challenges for students, especially introvert students. The aims of this research were to explore the problems in speaking English of introvert students, to investigate the factors affecting problems in speaking English of introvert students, and to reveal the strategies to solve the problems in speaking English of introvert students. The participants were four students of English Education Department of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta batch 2014. To gather the introvert participants, an online personality test was employed. This research was conducted by using qualitative research method. The researcher used an interview to collect the data. The finding of this research showed five problems in speaking English which are faced by introvert students such as having lack of self-confidence, feeling shy, feeling hard to get opportunities for participation in the class, finding the difficulty in learning pronunciation, and lacking motivation. This research also found three factors affecting problems in speaking English. The factors are the affective factor, environment factor, and personality factor. The finding of this research also showed seven strategies to solve the problems in speaking English. The first strategy is conducting self-drilling to improve speaking skill such as practicing English speaking as much as possible, listening to English song, watching English movie/video, reading English book, and playing online games. The second strategy is speaking in front of the mirror. The third strategy is having more interaction with friends. The fourth strategy is having a good preparation for speaking performance. The fifth strategy is staying focused on speaking and thinking positive. The sixth strategy is trying harder to learn pronunciation. The seventh strategy is improving learning motivation.