Datokarama English Education Journal Vol.
6 No.
e-ISSN: 2723-4967 Language Learning Strategies in Teaching Speaking:
A Case Study at SMK Negeri Nibaaf Pricila Ines Ua1.
Fransiska Densiana Luruk2.
Edmundus Bouk3 Timor University.
Kefamenanu.
Indonesia.
densianaluruk@gmail.
ABSTRACT
Received:
-09-2.
Revised:
-11-2.
Accepted:
-11-2.
Keywords:
Speaking Instruction.
Language Learning Strategies.
Teaching Speaking.
This study investigated the language learning strategies, defined as the intentional techniques used by teachers to facilitate studentsAo language development, employed by English teachers in teaching speaking at SMK Negeri Nibaaf.
The purpose of the research was to identify the strategies that the teachers used and the challenges that they faced.
descriptive qualitative method was employed, and two English teachers participated in the study.
Data were collected through classroom observations and interviews.
The non-participant classroom observation was employed in three meetings.
To support the observation, the semistructured interview was addressed to two English Teachers.
The data was analyzed in three stages: data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing.
Data reduction involved selecting and focusing on relevant information, data display was conducted through descriptive narrative, and the final stage involved drawing conclusions to answer the research The findings revealed that the teachers implemented several strategies, including showing and telling, setting clear lesson goals, providing flexible time, encouraging collaborative work, and giving feedback.
These strategies were effective in enhancing studentsAo speaking performance, as most students became more confident and willing to speak English.
However, some challenges persisted, such as limited vocabulary, shyness, and pronunciation difficulties.
The study concluded that effective strategies significantly improved studentsAo speaking skills, but teachers needed to continuously adapt their approaches to address learning problems.
Citation:
Ua.
Luruk.
, & Bouk.
Language Learning Strategies in Teaching Speaking: A Case Study at SMK Negeri Nibaaf.
Datokarama English Education Journal, 6.
, 17-30.
https://doi.
org/10.
24239/dee.
INTRODUCTION
Language is a fundamental means of communication that allows people to interact, share ideas, and express emotions.
Without language, individuals would not be able to communicate effectively in either spoken or written form.
English, as an international language, is widely used in education, science, business, politics, tourism, and many other fields (Edge.
For Indonesian learners, mastering English is essential for facing the challenges of globalization and improving the quality of life.
Although English is not the mother tongue in Indonesia, it is taught as a foreign Copyright A 2025 The Author.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.
0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.
Language Learning Strategies in Teaching Speaking.
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language at all levels of education, from elementary schools to universities, as well as in informal institutions such as language courses.
The teaching of English in Indonesia has changed significantly in recent years, particularly following the implementation of Kurikulum 2013, which places emphasis on communicative skills.
The curriculum expects students to engage in meaningful interactions in English rather than focusing solely on grammatical mastery (Kemendikbud, 2.
This orientation resonates with the principles of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), which prioritize real communication, negotiation of meaning, and learner-oriented activities (Richards, 2.
Speaking holds a central position in CLT, requiring teachers to design classroom practices that provide learners with abundant opportunities to communicate in authentic situations.
Among the four basic language skills, speaking is often viewed as the most challenging.
Richards .
described speaking as a core element of communication, while Hornby .
defined it as the ability to express ideas orally.
Nunan .
emphasized that speaking is more difficult than reading, writing, or listening because it occurs in real time and cannot be revised.
Brown .
similarly argued that speaking is complex as it integrates vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency, and accuracy simultaneously.
The success of teaching speaking therefore depends largely on the strategies employed by teachers.
Teachers not only transmit knowledge but also structure learning activities that promote participation and interaction.
Orazbayeva .
underscored the teacherAos role in creating a supportive classroom environment, while Brown .
defined strategies as specific classroom activities aligned with broader teaching approaches.
However, research indicates that many EFL teachers in developing contexts continue to rely on teacher-centered practices that limit studentsAo opportunities for interactive speaking (Littlewood, 2.
This gap highlights the need to examine how instructional strategies are enacted in real classrooms, particularly in Indonesian EFL settings.
Vocational school students possess learning profiles that differ from those in general academic programs.
They prioritize practical and technical competencies, have limited exposure to English media, and often report lower intrinsic motivation and confidence in speaking (Suryati, 2.
They also face persistent challenges related to vocabulary, pronunciation, and fluency, largely due to limited opportunities for authentic interaction and restricted access to learning materials (Widodo, 2016.
Arsyad & Sulfasyah.
These conditions require instructional strategies that are adaptable, contextual, and responsive to learner needs.
Yet, research that examines language learning strategies specifically within rural vocational schools remains scarce.
In addition to these contextual challenges, learner autonomy has become an increasingly important component of communicative pedagogy.
Although the national curriculum promotes student-centered learning, rural schools often maintain teacher-led routines that constrain opportunities for learners to plan, monitor, and reflect on their communication.
As Richards and Lockhart .
note, autonomy develops when students are supported Datokarama English Education Journal.
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in managing their own learning processes.
However, in vocational settings, autonomy-building opportunities are frequently limited by heterogeneous proficiency levels, compressed instructional time, and studentsAo perceptions of English as peripheral to their technical skills.
These conditions reinforce the importance of investigating how teachers operationalize languagelearning strategies to align curricular expectations with classroom realities.
Against this backdrop, the present study examines how English teachers in vocational schools select and implement language learning strategies to support the development of studentsAo speaking skills.
Understanding these strategies provides insight into teaching practices that enhance engagement, reduce anxiety, and improve oral performance.
Based on these considerations, this study investigated the language learning strategies used by English teachers at SMK Negeri Nibaaf, with two specific aims: .
to identify the strategies applied in teaching speaking, and .
to examine the challenges encountered during the teaching process.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Speaking as Language Skill Speaking is one of the four essential language skills, alongside listening, reading, and writing.
It plays a central role in communication as it enables learners to express ideas, share information, and interact meaningfully with others.
Richards .
highlighted speaking as a key component of communication, while Hornby .
defined it as the ability to use words in ordinary speech to convey thoughts and feelings.
Unlike reading and writing, speaking occurs in real time and cannot be revised, which makes it more challenging (Nunan, 2.
Brown .
similarly noted that speaking is complex because it integrates vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency, and accuracy simultaneously.
Teaching Speaking Teaching speaking requires more than knowledge of linguistic it involves creating opportunities for meaningful interaction.
Brown .
described teaching as guiding and facilitating learning by establishing the appropriate conditions.
Hughes .
emphasized that the goal of teaching spoken language is to develop learnersAo ability to interact successfully, encompassing both comprehension and production.
Teachers therefore need to provide authentic practice, encourage both fluency and accuracy, and design communicative tasks that mirror real-life contexts (Brown, 2004.
Santrock, 2.
Language Learning Strategies Language learning strategies (LLS) are deliberate thoughts, behaviors, and actions that learners use to enhance their understanding, storage, retrieval, and use of a language.
According to Oxford .
, these strategies consist of Auspecific actionsAy that make learning more effective, more enjoyable, and more self-directed.
OAoMalley and Chamot .
define LLS as conscious or semi-conscious activities that support language processing across listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
In the context of speaking.
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appropriate strategies can help learners reduce anxiety, build confidence, and improve oral task performance.
Many attempts have been made to classify LLS.
Oxford .
distinguishes between direct strategies .
emory, cognitive, and compensator.
and indirect strategies .
etacognitive, affective, and socia.
Direct strategies support language use through practices such as pronunciation drills, repetition, summarizing spoken input, and inferring meaning from context.
Indirect strategies assist learners in planning, monitoring their progress, managing affective factors, and interacting OAoMalley and Chamot .
similarly categorize LLS into cognitive, metacognitive, and socioaffective strategies, each facilitating different dimensions of language learning.
Language learning strategies are particularly important in speaking classes, where learners must respond in real time.
Brown .
emphasizes self-monitoring, self-correction, and communication strategies such as paraphrasing and negotiation of meaning.
Thornbury .
proposes three strategic stages in developing speaking: awareness-raising .
, noticing linguistic gap.
, appropriation .
, drilling, dialogue work, role-pla.
, and autonomy-building .
, discussions, presentation.
These strategies enable learners to internalize language patterns and gradually achieve In EFL contexts such as Indonesia, where exposure to English outside the classroom is limited, strategy use becomes essential for supporting oral fluency, confidence, and willingness to communicate.
Teachers, therefore, need to understand not only the categories of LLS but also their pedagogical implications.
Teaching strategies such as pretask planning, cooperative learning, and structured repetition can help shape learnersAo strategic competence and independenceAiboth of which are particularly important in vocational schools, where learners experience challenges such as restricted vocabulary and low confidence.
However, several studies also indicate that learnersAo ability to deploy strategies varies according to motivation, prior experience, and learning Oxford .
notes that explicit modeling and guided practice help students understand how strategy use relates to communicative outcomes.
OAoMalley and Chamot .
similarly argue that explicit strategy instruction enhances learnersAo metacognitive control, enabling them to plan, monitor, and evaluate their spoken output.
These insights underscore the relevance of examining how teachers incorporate strategy awareness into the teaching of speaking in low-exposure EFL settings such as rural vocational schools.
Teaching Strategies in Speaking Classrooms Strategies are systematic plans or actions that teachers use to achieve specific learning goals.
Brown .
defined strategies as particular methods of approaching a task or managing information.
In language teaching, strategies help teachers deliver content effectively and create an engaging learning environment (Hamruni, 2.
Teaching strategies in speaking classrooms refer to methods that support learners in improving their oral skills.
Brown .
emphasizes that strategies are planned instructional actions that guide learners toward Datokarama English Education Journal.
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communicative competence.
Teachers must not only ensure linguistic accuracy but also cultivate environments in which learners feel comfortable taking risks and interacting with peers (Hughes, 2.
Masitoh .
identifies several common strategies, including expository, cooperative, inquiry-based, problem-based, and active learning Thornbury .
similarly classifies speaking strategies into awareness-raising, appropriation, and autonomy-based activities.
Repetition and practice are foundational for developing fluency, while questioning strategies help scaffold learner responses (Richards & Lockhart, 2.
Collaborative work and feedbackAiboth corrective and supportiveAiplay significant roles in reducing anxiety and improving accuracy (Johnson & Johnson, 2009.
Lightbown & Spada, 2.
Together, these approaches enable learners to develop the linguistic and pragmatic skills necessary for effective communication.
Types of Speaking Activities Brown .
categorizes oral production into five typesAiimitative, intensive, responsive, transactional, and interpersonalAieach serving a different communicative purpose.
Imitative Speaking Imitative speaking involves repeating language forms with a focus on phonological accuracy.
Drilling and controlled repetition help learners internalize pronunciation patterns (Brown, 2.
Intensive Speaking Intensive speaking consists of short, controlled responses that target specific linguistic features such as grammar or vocabulary.
Activities include reading aloud, sentence completion, and structured Q&A (Richards & Renandya, 2.
Responsive Speaking Responsive speaking includes brief exchanges such as greetings, requests, and simple conversational turns.
These activities promote automaticity and prepare learners for more extended communication (Harmer, 2.
Transactional Speaking Transactional communication focuses on conveying and obtaining Activities such as interviews, information-gap tasks, and problem-solving discussions align well with vocational learning needs (Widodo, 2.
Interpersonal Speaking Interpersonal speaking aims to establish and maintain social relationships, requiring attention to pragmatic norms, turn-taking, and emotional expression (Thornbury, 2.
Activities such as role-plays and storytelling help students develop these socio-pragmatic skills.
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English Teaching in Vocational School Contexts Teaching English in vocational schools (SMK) presents unique challenges because students prioritize technical skills and often have limited exposure to English.
The curriculum positions English as a tool for communication in workplace contexts (Kemendikbud, 2.
, yet many studentsAiparticularly in rural areasAidemonstrate low motivation and confidence (Suryati, 2.
Restricted access to materials further limits opportunities for authentic interaction (Widodo, 2.
Vocational classrooms often contain large, mixed-ability groups, and many students struggle with vocabulary, pronunciation, and anxiety (Marhum, 2.
Effective teaching therefore requires strategies that address these challenges, such as collaborative learning, guided speaking practice, flexible time allocation, and feedback.
In under-resourced settings, teachers frequently rely on improvisational solutions to compensate for the lack of materials (Arsyad & Sulfasyah, 2.
Previous Studies Research on teaching speaking has examined various contexts.
Sujayani .
reported that extracurricular English teachers used games, discussions, and interviews to enhance comprehension.
Rahmawati .
found that story-writing supported hearing-impaired learnersAo expression.
Hendri .
identified recordings, dialogues, and informal conversations as effective strategies in Islamic junior high schools.
Recent studies in vocational schools highlight role-playing, collaborative learning, and project-based approaches as effective for improving speaking performance (Putra & Sihombing, 2023.
Sari & Pratama, 2.
Relevance of the Study The literature shows that teaching speaking requires strategies tailored to learnersAo needs and contexts.
While numerous studies address junior high schools and inclusive education, research on speaking strategies in rural vocational schools remains limited.
This study therefore examines the language learning strategies used by English teachers at SMK Negeri Nibaaf and the challenges they encounter in teaching speaking.
METHOD
This study employed a descriptive qualitative design.
Creswell defines descriptive qualitative research as a way of exploring and describing a social or human problem from participantsAo perspectives.
It seeks to provide a systematic account of an existing phenomenon by gathering and analyzing textual and observational data using techniques such as interviews and classroom observations.
The findings are typically presented in a detailed narrative form, with themes emerging from recurring patterns in the data (Creswell, 2.
This design was selected because it allows the researcher to document instructional practices as they naturally occur, maintaining close alignment with the studyAos focus on classroom-based speaking pedagogy.
The participants were two experienced English teachers who taught tenth-grade students at SMK Negeri Nibaaf during the 2021/2022 academic Datokarama English Education Journal.
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They were selected through purposive sampling, with the criterion that each teacher had more than two years of experience teaching English.
The data were collected through non-participant classroom observations and face-to-face interviews.
The observation sheet consisted of several sections, including lesson stages, teaching activities, teacherAestudent interaction patterns, and specific language learning strategies used during speaking instruction.
Field notes were also taken to document spontaneous classroom events, affective responses, and nonverbal behaviors that were not fully captured in the structured observation sheet.
This combination of structured and unstructured documentation enabled the researcher to analyze both planned instructional strategies and adaptive teacher behaviors that surfaced during classroom interaction.
The interview guides consisted of open-ended questions intended to obtain information about the teachersAo strategy choices and the obstacles they experienced in teaching speaking.
The interviews also served to clarify observational findings, allowing the researcher to cross-check initial interpretations and probe deeper into the pedagogical reasoning behind particular instructional decisions.
The dual-phase procedure ensured that the data captured both observable teaching practices and teachersAo reflective accounts of those practices.
The data analysis followed the framework described by Miles and Huberman .
, which includes data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing.
Data reduction entailed transcribing observations and interviews, selecting salient excerpts, grouping them into emerging categories, and organizing them according to the research focus.
Data displays were presented in descriptive narrative matrices, allowing the researcher to identify recurring patterns across the two participants.
Conclusion drawing involved interpreting these patterns to answer the research questions and verify emerging tendencies.
To ensure reliability, the study used triangulation of data sources .
bservations and interview.
, member checking, and extended field engagement to confirm the credibility of the findings.
In addition to these core analytical stages, the researcher conducted multiple iterative readings of the observational records to refine theme development and to ensure that the coding remained grounded in the data rather than in researcher assumptions.
This recursive process strengthened the alignment between teachersAo reported strategies and their enacted Triangulation was particularly crucial in confirming congruence between teachersAo stated instructional goals and the observable behaviors documented during lessons.
Finally, the trustworthiness of the study was enhanced by maintaining an audit trail of analytic decisions, including memos, coding adjustments, and reflections written during fieldwork.
These records ensured transparency in the analytic process and provided a clear rationale for the categorization of language learning strategies.
Taken together, these methodological procedures preserved the descriptive integrity of the study while offering a rigorous account of how speaking instruction unfolded in the vocational school context.
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RESULTS
The findings of this study are based on classroom observations and interviews with two English teachers at SMK Negeri Nibaaf.
Both teachers used multiple strategies in teaching speaking, although the scope and emphasis differed slightly between them.
Teacher A (Mr.
Yeremias Bolae.
Observation in class X ATPH showed that Teacher A followed the lesson plan structure, beginning with an opening, continuing with the main activity, and concluding with the closing stage.
During the opening, he conducted orientation, apperception, motivation, and reference-giving.
began with greetings, checked attendance, reviewed the previous lesson, and explained learning objectives and competencies.
In the main activities.
Teacher A implemented several strategies.
used showing and telling by presenting short dialogues and supporting pictures, guided students in practicing pronunciation and intonation, and checked understanding through questioning.
He also encouraged pair work to stimulate peer learning and scaffold dialogue creation.
The following strategies were observed:
Showing and telling .
Flexible time .
Questioning for understanding .
Collaborative work .
Repeated practice At the closing stage, he summarized the lesson and informed students about upcoming activities.
Based on a simple classroom evaluation, 80 percent .
of 15 student.
appeared more confident in speaking English, indicating that his strategies supported studentsAo oral Although this figure is descriptive rather than statistically derived, it provides an initial indication of how responsive students were to scaffolded speaking opportunities.
Teacher B (Mr.
Bonevantura Olas Kof.
Observation in class X TKSDH showed a similar three-part lesson Teacher B greeted students, checked attendance, reviewed previous content, and explained the learning objectives.
During the main activities, he modeled short dialogues, helped students identify the use of can and will, facilitated short interview tasks, and guided students to report their findings orally.
After student presentations, he provided direct feedback to address pronunciation issues and strengthen accuracy.
His strategies included:
Setting clear lesson goals .
Showing and telling .
Flexible time .
Repeated practice .
Providing feedback He concluded the lessons jointly with students and introduced the next topic.
Observation indicated that 66 percent .
of 15 student.
showed increased confidence in speaking English.
While this increase was more Datokarama English Education Journal.
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moderate than in Teacher AAos class, the pattern still suggested positive movement toward greater oral participation.
DISCUSSION