CONCEPT-BASED INSTRUCTION: A THREE-STAGE TEACHING STRATEGY FOR THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING CLASS

A mastery of English-speaking skills is a necessary ability for language learners. However, it is found that there is a treatment of oversimplifying talk found in the English learning materials, such as English textbooks, which creates a situation for the learners to fail in placing and applying the right expressions for a wider interaction in the real-life situation. It is vital for teachers to implement a teaching strategy to initiate an innovative English learning situation. Hence, this research suggests for the implementation of Concept-Based Instruction involving three stages, the orientation stage, execution stage, and control stage, within the English-speaking class. In specific, this research intends to (1) examine the implementation of CBI strategy to improve the speaking performance of language learners, and (2) identify the language learners’ perceptions towards the implementation of CBI strategy. The methods used in this paper were quantitative and qualitative designs involving the records of learners’ speaking performance as well as the researcher’s written notes. The results of the research reported that the CBI strategy can be considered a significant method to assist learners in obtaining the courage and confidence to actively engage in English-speaking activity.


INTRODUCTION
The implication of English as an international language affects the whole aspects of human life in almost every country in the world, including Indonesia.In fact, the aspect of education in Indonesia has also been affected by English.As it is crucial for learners to have an excellent mastery of four language skills, especially speaking skills, English education in Indonesia needs to provide proper English materials which are able to enhance their speaking ability.Nevertheless, many English textbooks for learners are often found to be oversimplifying talk into lists of simple phrases or expressions that lack sociocultural context (Nicholas, 2015).The learning materials, such as English textbooks, view a number of expressions and statements only as single utterances or pairs of utterances can be considered as a treatment of oversimplifying talk.LoCastro (2012) criticizes the treatment of oversimplifying talk as it fails in placing English phrases and expressions in the context of wider interactions.Even though textbooks are often considered as essential English learning material, the treatments of oversimplifying talk found in several textbooks bring up a certain concern in which the learners are unable to communicate in English as a whole talk.
Pertaining to teaching speaking in English learning classes, there have been several research studies carried out.The first research was conducted by Garcia (2013) in which the research solely focused on developing the sociolinguistic competence of the learners.Another research was carried out by Ahmadi, Ghaemi, and Birjandi (2016).The research primarily focused on investigating the effects of output-based task repetition conducted within three instructional groups.Nevertheless, the research merely aimed at the accuracy as well as the appropriacy of the learners related to the production of statements and expressions.Also, there was no investigation on the effect of the output-based task repetition pertaining to the speaking fluency of the learners.
The teaching strategy used within the English-speaking class is essential as a guide to encourage the learners to achieve the goal of learning, especially to master the knowledge of framing the English expressions where it is appropriate and suitable within the proper situation.A three-stage teaching and learning strategy of Concept-Based Instruction, namely orientation, execution, and control stages, is significant to be conducted within the English-speaking class since it emphasizes helping the language learners develop a deep and conceptual understanding of the knowledge to be applied to various real-life situation (Nicholas, 2015).
As the aforementioned study solely aimed at investigating the accuracy and appropriacy of language learners in speaking activities and rarely aimed in determining fluency; henceforth, the present study primarily intends to seek the beneficial impacts of employing Concept-Based Instruction as a strategy in teaching speaking within the English-speaking class in accordance to five aspects of speaking, namely fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, content, and performance.Specifically, this study focuses on two research questions that find out the possibility of CBI strategy to improve the speaking performance of language learners.The second question is to find out the language learners' perceptions towards the implementation of CBI strategy.

LITERATURE REVIEW The Notion of Concept-Based Instruction
Speaking skill is commonly considered as an important ability people need to possess.In addition, since English has already been implemented in almost all aspects of humans' lives, including education, it is critical for language learners to be more proficient in English particularly in order to improve their speaking skills in English.There are numerous strategies employed within English language classes in order to improve the speaking skill of the language learners, and one of which is Concept-Based Instruction (CBI).Even though CBI has several similarities to Task-Based Learning (TBL), since both of the meaningful strategies provide the language learners with meaningful language tasks (Nicholas, 2015), however, TBL offers the language learners with a language which focuses in noticing the gap in their prior knowledge so that the teacher may work with the language learners to complete the knowledge gap.On the other hand, CBI requires the teacher to introduce the target concept of language learning before the learners applying the conceptual knowledge to complete the language task (Nicholas, 2015).
Additionally, CBI represents a significant movement from traditional language teaching method in which it encourages the language learners to master the target language, especially English, by employing the language as a real means of communication.That is to say, the main purpose of CBI is empowering the language learners to be independent learners so that they are able to continue the learning process beyond the classroom.Moreover, CBI is also closely linked to Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) since CLIL provides cognitively challenging tasks for the language learners in which both the contentlearning and language learning are included within the task.Nevertheless, CLIL is a description of a concept encompassing a broad area of situations related to the experience of learning non-language subjects with a foreign language as a medium (Marsh, 2012).For instance, CLIL is employed in order to create a learning environment for acquiring geography-related content, using English language as a medium (Dourda, Bratitsis, Griva, & Papadopoulou, 2012).Therefore, although both CBI and CLIL offer the total integration of language learning and content-learning, there is also one noticeable difference between them as CLIL creates an experience in learning non-language subjects with English as the medium while CBI focuses on learning language subjects and materials.
Furthermore, CBI also functions as: (1) subject-matter core, (2) authentic language and texts, and (3) appropriate to the needs of specific groups of language learner (Stryker, 1997).As a subject-matter core, CBI appears as the basic course since it is extracted from the subject matter, rather than from functions, situations, forms, and ability matters.In other words, the implementation of CBI within English language class is expected to be able to improve communicative competence of the language learners which is also in relevance with certain purposes, such as greetings, offering, inviting, and asking someone to go somewhere.In carrying out CBI strategy in speaking classes, there are three stages suggested including orientation stage, execution stage, and evaluation stage.In the orientation stage, instruction within primary concepts regarding interactional competence is discussed.It means, the learners are, at first, introduced to the fundamental notions of interpersonal competency.The intention here is to enhance awareness and comprehension of fundamental topics.Then, in the execution stage, the learners were routinely assigned strategic interaction assignments to complete.Moreover, in the control stage, the learners were prompted to evaluate their performances in light of their comprehension of the essential topics.
As an authentic language and text, the implementation of CBI within English language class is supposed to provide authentic learning materials which are obtained directly from the certain language topic being contemplated.By providing authentic materials, the teachers are able to effectively use the materials and make it accessible to the language learners at their level of proficiency (Stryker, 1997).Furthermore, as the appropriate strategy to the needs of specific language learners, CBI is acknowledged as dynamic and regularly changing strategy acting in accordance to the needs of the language learners.
Research pertaining to CBI was once conducted by Nicholas (2015) in which the research solely focused on the disputes confronted by the teachers in teaching pragmatics, and suggested several regulations to create an effective concept-based speech act instruction within the English learning process.With a concern of context in requesting, the suggested research also fragments interactional competence into numerous specified elements, including the turntaking system, the organization of conversation, the non-linguistic behaviours, and the effects of understanding context on conversation.
To sum up, CBI requires the language learners to master the target language, particularly English, by moving through three stages, namely orientation, execution, and control stages.By carrying out the three stages of CBI within English learning class, the language learners are expected to learn English progressively from the easy part of the knowledge and move to more complex part of the knowledge.As CBI requires the language learners to learn the target language independently, CBI is recognized as a facilitator to improve the communicative competence of the language learners so that it is likely for the learners to be able to improve their speaking skill in English.

The Importance of Mastering Speaking Skill
It is a definite fact that people are involved in numerous speaking activities within their everyday lives.For some people who already have the ability to speak accurately and adequately in English, being included in various speaking activities using English is seemingly effortless.Nevertheless, a deep investigation discloses that, in fact, the social interactions containing some speaking activities are exceptionally considered as complex activities for a few people (Vanderveken & Kubo, 2001).In other words, even though a speaking skill is treated as an essential ability that humans need to possess, yet it is also treated as a complex ability since one of the crucial roles of speaking skill is to empower people with an ability to express their conceptual thoughts and desires as systematically and efficiently as possible.
In the process of speaking activity, a speaker asserts specific words along with the respect to the audience or the interlocutors (Ballmer & Brennenstuhl, 1981).In addition, in the process of speaking activity, the speakers are expected to be able to express all sort of feeling without restriction, such as showing happiness, showing care, showing an agony, and other notable feelings as well since the theory of speech acts concentrates to the act of communication, not to the form.
One of several researches related to teaching speaking was executed by Ahmadi, Ghaemi, and Birjandi (2016).The research included several British English native speakers and EFL learners to take part in the research, including ten British English native speakers consisting of seven males and three females, and ten EFL learners consisting of 4 males and 6 females.By employing two instruments, namely the Oxford Placement Test and a Written Discourse Completion Test, the research focused on examining the effects of output-based task repetition organized within three instructional groups, which are the group of explicit task-repetition (ETR), the group of implicit task-repetition (ITR), and the group of no-input task repetition (NTR).The research results indicated that the performance of ETR and ITR groups relatively increased from the pre-test to the post-tests, but not with the NTR group.Additionally, the ETR status displayed a significant condition than the ITR and NTR conditions in terms of embellishing the ability of language learner's speech act production.
The importance of mastering speaking skill is considered as one vital aspect that the speakers need to understand in the process of speaking activity, since the speakers also need to understand how to perform a certain idea of speech act in a particular situation.In other words, it is necessary for the speakers to be familiar with the topic as well as the goal of the topic being carried out on a precise situation in order to interact properly in the process of speaking activity.

RESEARCH METHOD Research Design
In carrying out the research, a research plan had been set up as formulated in Figure 1.The present research's data were examined quantitatively as well as qualitatively.The quantitative data were acquired from the learners' completed speaking performance scores, which demonstrated their increase in speaking competence.The score was calculated and obtained from the orientations and control stages.In addition, qualitative data were gathered through the researcher's written notes.The researcher's written notes were gathered in order to show the learners' perception of the CBI strategy's implementation.

Participants of the study
The present research involved the first-year learners of English-speaking class at Senior High School taking the English Language Speaking (ELS) course.The participants were gathered using random sampling.The participants included thirty-four learners, consisting of 14 male learners and 20 female learners.

Data collection technique
The data collection was acquired from the records of the learners' speaking performance as well as the researcher's written notes.The record of speaking performance was utilized in order to analyse the improvements of the learners' speaking skill before and after implementing the CBI strategy within the English-speaking class.Moreover, the written notes of the researcher were also utilized to ascertain the learners' perception towards the CBI strategy which was implemented to teach five ideas, namely congratulating others, introducing family members, inviting friends, expressing wishes and hopes, and showing care, within the English-speaking class.

FINDING AND DISCUSSION
The present section explains the research findings and discussion based on two research questions; (1) Firstly, it is related to what extent the CBI strategy improve the speaking performance of the language learners, and (2) Secondly, it is related to the learners' perceptions towards the implementation of CBI strategy.

The Improvement of the Speaking Performance of the Language Learners
The first research question deals with to what extent the improvement of speaking skill of language learners improve after the implementation of CBI strategy.In conducting the research, six meetings were organized involving the three stages of CBI strategy, specifically orientation, execution, and control stages.The process of analyzing the data obtained was executed after the finalization of control stage in order to perform a reflection process.The language learners' speaking scores before and after the implementation of CBI strategy, which are the main data within the present research, were examined to get a precise comprehension of the language learners' progress pertaining to the speaking skill.In addition, the language learners' scores of speaking performances were also investigated in order to show the improvement of the language learners' speaking skill before and after the implementation of CBI strategy which is illustrated in Figure 2. According to the graphic portrayed in Figure 2, there was a noticeable improvement on the learners' speaking score average in which 5 aspects of speaking, namely fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, content, and performance, were maintained as the main elements to consider.The average scores of the language learners' speaking performance in the first stage, which is the orientation stage, for each speaking aspect were 2.6 for fluency, 2.7 for accuracy, 2.4 for pronunciation, 3.3 for content, and 3.4 for performance.As a result, the total average score of the learners' speaking performance in the orientation stage was 71.4.Meanwhile, the average scores of the learners' speaking performance in control stage for each aspect were 3.7 for fluency, 3.2 for accuracy, 3.1 for pronunciation, 3.5 for content, and 3.6 for performance.Therefore, the total average score of the learners' speaking performance in the control stage was 85.8.In short, the average score in the control stage revealed an apparent enhancement of the language learners' speaking performance.
The result of the present research was in accordance with the result of a preceding research conducted by Alan Nicholas (2015) in which the research primarily aimed at examining the improvement of the speaking ability of the English as a Foreign Language learners by demanding the learners to behave as themselves instead of acting in a role such as a seller or a doctor.By asking the learners to behave as the way they are, a dynamic as well as closely matching authentic interaction among the learners were likely to take place.
The enhancement of the language learners' speaking skill signifies the enhancement of the learners' communicative competence as well.Within this research, the confidence of the language learners in speaking English had also already enhanced since the learners opted to communicate in English with their peers in the process of learning activity.Moreover, the language learners chose to use English in discussing the learning task.The determination of the language learners in speaking English within the classroom activity portrayed the favourable outcome of the implementation of CBI strategy in which the fundamental aim of CBI is to entrust the learners to be autonomous learners in mastering the target language, particularly English.

The Perception of the Learners Towards the Implementation of CBI Strategy
The second research question deals with the language learners' perceptions of the implementation of the CBI strategy in their speaking classes.In carrying out the research, six meetings were arranged to employ the CBI strategy to teach speaking to the language learners of English-speaking classes with the primary aim to enhance the learners' speaking skills.A meeting schedule was created in which the three stages of CBI strategy, namely orientation, execution, and control stages were incorporated as illustrated in Figure 3. Incorporating CBI strategy within the English-speaking activity is likely to aid the language learners to actively engage in the classroom activity and, at the same time, gradually develop the knowledge of five ideas, involving congratulating others, introducing family members, inviting friends, expressing wishes and hopes, and showing care as well.Moreover, as the learners already gain the confidence to communicate in English with their peers to complete the language task, the courage of the learners to perform a speaking activity in front of the class is increasing as well.Furthermore, there is also an apparent enhancement on the learners' speaking performance in accordance with the five aspects of speaking, including fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, content, and performance despite the fact that the learners struggled in pronouncing English words at the early stage of the research.Above all, the finding of the present research is in line with the preceding one conducted by Nicholas (2015) in which the participants gained the confidence and determination to communicate in English as a result of implementing CBI strategy within the learning activity.What is more, the participants of the previous research declared that, through the implementation of CBI strategy, they discovered a new approach pertaining to how conversation is structured at the time the research was carried out.
Nevertheless, even though Nicholas (2015) asserted that most of the participants displayed a significant improvement on the speaking skill, two of the participants in the suggested research argued that the CBI strategy slowed them down due to the fact that the three stages of CBI required the participants to be able to both think and speak at the same time.However, the present research encountered rather a distinct issue in which one language learner was unable to act in accordance with the three stages of CBI strategy due to various reasons, including the incapability of the learner in speaking English and, despite the fact that the learner was basically very keen in learning English, the busy schedules inside and outside the school created a situation in which the learner was incapable to follow the three stages offered by CBI strategy.To overcome the issue, the researcher ensured and aided the learner to improve the speaking skill by explaining the learning materials numerous times and helping the learner to gain the confidence in speaking English by providing several expressions used related to the five ideas provided in the present research.In a nutshell, even though the implementation of CBI strategy faced an issue both in the present research and the preceding research, however, the fact that most of the participant improve the confidence in speaking and communicating in English along with the betterment of five speaking aspect which involve fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, content, and performance, demonstrate the evidence that the three stages of CBI strategy are considered able to be implemented within the English speaking class in order to assist the language learners in enhancing the speaking skill.

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
As the mastery of English speaking skill is likely to be mastered by language learners due to the fact that English has become the most accepted language used in the world, it is considered essential to employ Concept-Based Instruction (CBI) which is emphasizing aiding the language learners to strengthen and enhance a broad and conceptual comprehension of a skill or knowledge area, so that the skill and the knowledge are able to be utilized and applied to numerous contexts of real-life situations.The implementation of the CBI strategy within the present research significantly enhances most of the language learners' speaking skill performance in accordance with five speaking aspects, which are fluency, accuracy, pronunciation, content, and performance.Even though, at the orientation stage, the learners were rather anxious to speak English, however, at the final stage of CBI strategy the language learners are able to show their confidence as well as demonstrate better determination and courage in communicating using English with their peers within the English learning process to discuss the five ideas including congratulating others, introducing family members, inviting friends, expressing wishes and hopes, and showing care.Nonetheless, the need to instil the knowledge of other acts of communication to the language learners is believed to be critical since the learners are supposed to comprehend various ideas to be applied in real-life situation.As a result, further research related to the implementation of the CBI strategy in teaching any other speaking topics needs immediate attention to be carried out with regard to the improvement of speaking skill of the language learners.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.The Research Plan

Figure
Figure 2. The Improvement of the Learners' Speaking Performance

Figure 3 .
Figure 3.The Meeting Schedule