The background of the study in this research is based on the phenomena that students in SMP N 31 Semarang usually get bored to learn listening, because in the language learning, the teacher still focuses on the old learning model; the students just listen the cassette and answer the teacher’s question correctly. So the teacher must make conscientious decision about selecting teaching strategy for specific purposes.
This study is about the effectiveness of using pictures to improve listening comprehension skill of narrative texts for the eighth grade of SMPN 31 Semarang in the academic year of 2011/2012. The statement of the problem in this study is how is the effectiveness of using pictures to improve listening comprehension skill of narrative texts for the eighth grade of SMPN 31 Semarang in the academic year of 2011/ 2012? The objective of this study is to find out the effectiveness of using pictures to improve listening comprehension skill of narrative texts for the eighth grade of SMPN 31 Semarang in the academic year of 2011/2012. This research is quantitative research using experimental method.
The population of this research was the eighth grade students of SMPN 31 Semarang. The research methodology was an experimental research which conducted in two classes; the experimental class (VIII D) and control class (VIII F) as sample. The VIII D was taught by using pictures, while the VIII F was taught without pictures (just conventional teaching). The instruments used to collect the data were documentation and test. The test had been tried out to find out the validity, reliability, difficulty level, and discriminating power before it was used to gather the data. The formula that was used to analyze the data was t-test. It was used to determine whether there was a significance difference between students’ scores in experimental class and students’ scores in control class or not.
After the data had been collected by using test, it was found that the pre-test average of the experimental group was 56.83 and control group was 56.67. While, the post-test average of the experimental group was 68.00 and control group was 62.33. The obtained t-test was 2.688, whereas the t-table was 1.67 for alpha ( ) 5%. The t-test score was higher than t-table (2.688 > 1.67). It was meant that Ha was accepted while Ho was rejected. Since t-test score was higher than the t-table, pictures were effective in improving student’s listening comprehension skill of narrative texts SMPN 31 Semarang in the academic year of 2011/ 2012. Finally the writer suggests to the teachers that they should use pictures as one of media in teaching listening of narrative texts.