THE USE OF SINGLE SLOT SUBSTITUTION DRILL TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE STUDENTS SPEAKING ABILITY AT ELEVENTH GRADE IN SMA JOSEPH KHATULISTIWA

Maria Santika. 2026. The Use of Single Slot Substitution Drill Technique to Improve Students Speaking Ability at Eleventh Grade in SMA Joseph Khatulistiwa. Thesis, English Language Education Study Program of STKIP Persada Khatulistiwa. Advisor I: Henry Elisa, M.Pd. Advisor II: Ferdinanda Itu Meo, M.Pd. Keywords: classroom action research, learning participation, single-slot
substitution drill, speaking skill. Speaking is one of the essential language skills that supports students’ ability to communicate effectively in English; however, many students still experience
difficulties in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, and confidence when speaking. This research aims to improve students’ speaking skills and learning participation through the use of the Single Slot Substitution Drill technique. The researcher employed Classroom Action Research, which was conducted in two cycles. The research was carried out at SMA Joseph Khatulistiwa with eleven eleventh-grade students as the research subjects. Data were collected through observation, interviews, documentation, and measurement. The instruments used
were observation checklists, field notes, interview guidelines, and speaking performance tests. The results showed that the implementation of the Single Slot Substitution Drill technique improved both students’ speaking skills and learning
participation. In Cycle I, students’ participation reached an average of 71%, while the total speaking score was 732 with an average score of 67, which did not meet the success criteria. In Cycle II, students’ participation increased to 91.5%, and the total speaking score improved to 828 with an average score of 75, which met
the success criteria. Improvements were also found in all aspects of speaking, including pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the Single Slot Substitution Drill
technique was effective in improving students’ speaking skills and learning participation. It is expected that the findings of this research can provide an alternative teaching technique for English teachers and contribute to improving students’ speaking performance and active participation in the classroom.