ENHANCING STUDENTS’ SPEAKING CONFIDENCE THROUGH CLASSROOM INTERACTION ACTIVITIES IN GRADE IX
Kata Kunci:
Speaking Confidence, Classroom Interaction, EFL StudentsAbstrak
Speaking confidence is a crucial affective factor that influences students’ ability to communicate effectively in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. However, many junior high school students remain reluctant to speak due to anxiety, fear of making mistakes, and limited opportunities for meaningful classroom interaction. This study aims to investigate how classroom interaction activities enhance students’ speaking confidence in a Grade IX EFL classroom at SMP Negeri 10 Kupang. A qualitative descriptive research approach was employed to explore students’ speaking behaviors during classroom interaction activities.The participants of this study consisted of one English teacher and Grade IX students. Data were collected through observation sheets of speaking activities and field notes. The observation focused on three indicators of speaking confidence: activeness, participation, and responsiveness. Field notes were used to document teacher–student and student–student interactions, classroom atmosphere, and changes in students’ speaking behavior throughout the learning process. The data were analyzed through data reduction, data display, and interpretation, and triangulation was applied to enhance the credibility of the findings. The findings revealed that classroom interaction activities contributed positively to students’ speaking confidence. Students demonstrated increased activeness in speaking voluntarily, higher participation in group and pair discussions, and greater responsiveness to questions and feedback. The interactive classroom environment reduced students’ anxiety and encouraged them to express ideas more confidently in English. This study concludes that classroom interaction activities are effective in fostering speaking confidence among Grade IX EFL students and provides pedagogical implications for English teachers to design interactive and supportive speaking activities in junior high school classrooms.
