The Method of Drilling in English Teaching

Balielah Alandalousiyyah
English Departement, STKIP Al-Maksum
Email : arisubalilah.cp@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
The role of pronunciation is quite significant in speaking skill as a measure for language
proficiency. Most teachers understand the theories of pronunciation, but in terms of teaching,
they often give little material about it because of the lacks of knowledge to apply how to teach
pronunciation effectively. To teach pronunciation to students, there are a lot of strategies and
supports for effective pronunciation teaching. One of those techniques is Drilling. Harmer
(2007) stated that drilling is a technique that has been used in foreign language classrooms,
which emphasises on repeatingstructural pattern through oral practice to demonstrate students’
ability in using specific language items in a controlled manner. In this study, the language items
are lexis (lexical items).This paper describes how to teach pronunciation effectively through
drilling technique and supported by some supporting strategies.
Keywords: drilling, technique, pronounciation.

INTRODUCTION
English language becomes the most important language to learn for communication.
Therefore, mastering English mastery can help people ready to face global competition. In
Indonesia, English language has been taught as one of the compulsory subjects for students
from the Junior High School up to the Senior High School and it may be the necessary to pass
an examination in English to enter a university. As Haycraft (1978, p.8) states, there are various
skills in mastering of language: listening (understanding the spoken language), reading
(understanding the written language), speaking and writing. To support the mastery of the four
language skills the students have to learn vocabulary first before understanding other skills.
According to Kirkpatrick (2007), all over the world, people in ever-increasing numbers
are using more and more varieties of English that has now become the language of international
communication. The majority of the respondents viewed English as a door to 2 better
employment and higher social status (Zacharias, 2003). Without mastering English, Indonesian
would be left behind and unable to compete. People nowadays should master English due to
global competition. Therefore, English should be introduced to the young generations for a
better generation. Moreover, it is a big chance to success if a foreign language is introduced to
children at an early age because according to Santrock (in Gunawan, 2014) children have faster
capability to learn foreign language than adults.
Learning a language is not only learning about its vocabulary, but also learning how to
mastery grammar. Grammar is one aspect in English which shows a system of rules that forms
words to be sentences (Brown in Hidayati, 2010). It means that mastering grammar can indicate
a student has a good English because grammar can help student to create a good and meaningful
sentence, both in written and spoken English.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Definition
In order to make the learning process becomes more attractive and innovative, a lot of
innovation need to be done. One alternative that can be use is by implementing attractive online
learning by using drilling method combined with liveworksheets, an interactive students’
exercises that can be done by students online. Drilling method is a learning method which is
done by practicing continuously in order to increase student’s ability (Sriyono in Wahyuni,
2016). Besides that, Hariono in Wahyuni (2016) also stated that drilling method can help
students to get good result, help students to obtain knowledge after practicing continuously,
make students more active in learning process, motivate students to increase their achievement,
and help students to spend their spare time to support their learning process.
Drilling is a technique that has been used in foreign language classrooms for many
years. It was a key feature of audio-lingual method approaches to language teaching, which
placed emphasis on repeating structural patterns through oral practice. Drilling means listening
to a model, provided by the teacher, or a tape or another student and repeating what is heard.
Drilling is a technique that is still used by many teachers when introducing new language items
to their students. Harmer states that drilling is mechanical ways if getting students to
demonstrate and practice their ability to use specific language items in a controlled manner.
At its simplest, drilling means listening to a model, provided by the teacher, or a tape
or another student, and repeating what is heard. This is a repetition drill, a technique that is still
used by many teachers when introducing new language items to their students. The teacher
says (models) the word or phrase and the students repeat it.
There are some type in drilling method :
1. The Repetition Drill The teacher says models (the word or phrases) and the students
repeat it.
Teacher : It do not rain, so I need do not take my umbrella
 Students :It do not rain, so I need do not take my umbrella
2. The Substitution Drill The teacher substitutes one or more keywords, or changes the
prompt, and the learners say the new structure.
Teacher : I go to school. He?
Students : He goes to school.
Teacher : They?
Students : They go to school.
3. The Question and Answer Drill The teacher gives students practice with answering
questions. The students should answer the teacher’s questions very quickly. It is also
possible for the teacher to let the students practice to ask question as well. This gives
students practice with the question pattern.
Teacher : Does he go to school? Yes?
Students : Yes, he does.
Teacher : No?
Students : No, he does not
4. The Transformation Drill The teacher gives students a certain kind of sentence pattern,
an affirmation sentence for example. Students are asked to transform this sentence into a
negative sentence.
Teacher : I clean the house.
Students : I do not clean the house.
Teacher : She sings a song.
Students : She does not sing a song.
5. The Replacement Drill Students replace a noun with a pronoun. It is the same drill as
substitution drill but it involves with a replacement.
Teacher : I like yoga.
Students : I like it.
Teacher : Baseball and volleyball are my favorite sports.
Students : They are my favorite sports.
Teacher : Michael doesn’t like comics.
Students : He doesn’t like comics.
6. The Expansion Drill This drill is used when a long line dialog is giving students
trouble. The teacher breaks down the line into several parts. The students repeat a part of
the sentence, usually the last phrase of the line. Then following the teacher’s cue, the
 students expand what they are repeating part at the end of the sentence (and works
backward from there) to keep the intonation of the line as natural as possible.
Teacher : My mother is a doctor.
Students : My mother is a doctor
Teacher : She works in the hospital.
Students : She works in the hospital
Teacher : My mother is a doctor. She works in the hospital.
Students : My mother is a doctor. She works in the hospital
Teacher : She take cares the patient.
Students : She take cares the patient.

The Steps Of Drilling Technique

Drilling can be done with a list of vocabulary items or phrases, a short text or a dialogue
at any level. According to Tice (2004), the steps to drill are simple. The students listen to a
model, provided by the teacher, or a tape or another student and then repeat what is heard. It is
almost same with the explanation of Larsen and Freeman (2000:48) about the steps of repetition
drill. The steps are only listening to the teacher as a model and then repeating what the teacher
say accurately and as quickly as possible. Larsen and Freeman (2000:48) also explain the steps
of backward build-up (expansion) drill. The steps are: a) The teacher breaks down the
line/paragraph into several parts, b) The students repeat a part of the sentence, c) The students
follow the teacher’s cue. d) The students expand what they are repeating part by part until they
are able to repeat the entire line.

The Effectiveness
According to Tice (2004), drilling remains a useful technique in the classroom if it is
used appropriately. For the learners, drilling can provide for a focus on accuracy.
It also can provide learners with intensive practice in hearing and saying particular word
phrases. They can help learners get their tongues around difficult sounds or help them imitate
intonation that may be rather different from that of their first language. The other effectiveness
of using drilling in teaching speaking are help students notice the correct form or
pronounciation of a word or phrase, can provide an opportunity to practice for several times
until achieve the goal of learning, and it also help memorization and automation of common
language patterns and language chunks might be good for oral communication learners.
The Disadvantages
Continuous drilling method makes students exhausted. The vocabulary needed to
be repeated by the students, so that continuous drilling method made the students exhausted.
Hence, the students might be exhausted if the teacher ask them to be over drilled in the class.
Monotonous drilling method makes students bored. Drilling method was
monotonous since the students needed to learn vocabulary repeatedly.
Too much drilling makes students lazy to practice the vocabulary outside the
classroom. The students lazy to practice the vocabulary because too much drilling by the
teacher in their learning process. In other words, drilling method would be not useful if the
students less practice outside the classroom, then the teacher should manage the time in
teaching process to minimize drilling continuously.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Method of Research
This interview study with a qualitative research based on Grounded theory. In their
book title Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques for Developing Grounded
Theory(2015), Corbin & Strauss described Grounded Theory as having the purpose to
construct theory grounded in data. Grounded theory was first introduced by Glasser and
Strauss in The Discovery of Grounded Theory (1967). The main purpose, first rationalizingthe
theory that is grounded, processed and developed by data processing activities during the
research process takes place. According to Glaser and Strauus, this type of theory "bridges the
gap between theoretical research and empirical research.
Data Collection Method
In this study, the writer used some jurnals, researches, and blogs to collect the data. We
gather all the data and then we combine the information from various source with Grounded
Theory Method.