Implementing Numbered Heads Together to Support Junior High School Students’ Speaking Engagement
Abstract
Speaking engagement is one of the essential components of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning. However, many students in Indonesia still struggle to participate actively in speaking activities. Cooperative learning strategies such as Numbered Heads Together (NHT) can provide opportunities to enhance students’ speaking engagement. This qualitative study aims to explore the role of NHT in supporting students’ speaking engagement and to investigate students’ and the teacher’s perceptions of its use. The study involved 30 seventh-grade students at SMPN 12 Semarang as participants. Data were collected through classroom observations, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews with students and the teacher. The findings indicate that NHT supported students’ behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement during speaking activities. Both the students and the teacher perceived NHT positively, as it encouraged participation, collaboration, and idea development. This study concludes that NHT can be an effective strategy for supporting students’ speaking engagement in English language classrooms.
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References
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v%25vi%25i.2792
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