THE EFFECT OF BILINGUAL INSTRUCTION ON STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILL

Abstract

Bilingual instruction is a teaching approach that strategically combines students’ first language (L1) and the target language (L2) to facilitate comprehension and improve language acquisition. The implementation of bilingual instruction in speaking classes is essential for supporting students’ oral communication skills, especially in EFL contexts. In the realm of senior high school education, this approach was applied in the speaking classes of the eleventh-grade students at SMAN 3 Brebes. This paper aims to examine the effect of bilingual instruction on students’ speaking skills. The study was conducted through a quasi-experimental research design involving two groups, with a total of 70 students: an experimental group taught using bilingual instruction (Indonesian and English) and a control group taught using conventional monolingual instruction (English only). Pre-tests and post-tests were employed to measure students’ speaking performance. Following the conclusion of the study, several findings were identified as follows: 1) the post-test average score of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group; 2) bilingual instruction proved effective in helping students overcome language barriers; 3) the strategy enhanced students’ motivation and created a more inclusive and supportive classroom environment.