Abstract

Talking Stick Technique (TST) is one of Cooperative Learning Techniques besides Jigsaw,
Think Pair Share, Student Teams-Achievement Division, Teams-Games-Tournament, and
Learning Together (Vitalia, 2016). Talking stick technique is a technique in the teaching and
learning process in which teacher gives stick(s) to students and those who get the stick must
speak up to share their ideas or answer question from the teacher (Berlin, 2015). Some
previous studies have been conducted on the implementation of talking stick technique
(Vitalia, 2016; Sari, 2016; Mustmaidah, 2018; Hui-Chuan, 2006; Quiin, 2006; and Nichols,
2006). Those studies have identified some problems faced by students in speaking English
such as students’ shyness, lack of motivation, low self-confidence, and afraid of making
mistakes. These studies have also suggested that talking stick technique of cooperative
learning is effective in helping students to solve students’ problems in sepaking English by
evaluating its effects on students’ speaking skill performance. However, a more
comprehensive investigation on the implementation of talking stict technique in senior high
school students have not been conducted yet as most research studies focused only on the
effects of TST on students’ speaking skill, but students’ perceptions on its implementation
have not been explored. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of
talking stick technique (TST) on students’ motivation and communicative competence, as
well as to exploring the students’ perceptions towards its implementation in the classroom.
This study is a mixed-method study with one group pretest – posttest experimental design.
Thirty students at eleventh grade of SMA Xaverius Bandar Lampung in the academic year
2019/2020 participate in the present study. As this study tries to find out the effects of talking
stick technique on students’ speaking motivation and communicative competence as well as
to explore their perceptions on its implementation, the data are collected by using tests,
questionnaire, and interview. The data gathered from tests are analyzed by using t-test
statistical analysis, while the data from questionnaire are analyzed using descriptive statistic.
Content analysis is also performed in analyzing the data from the intervie. The results from
the present study are expected to provide empirical evidences on the effects of TST towards
students’ motivation and communicative competence of SMA Xaverius Bandar Lampung.
The results will also provide explorations of students’ perceptions towards the
implementation of TST in the classroom.

Keywords: talking stick technique, cooperative learning, speaking motivation,

communicative competence, students’ perception.