The Effectiveness of Group Discussions in Preparing for MUET Speaking Among Form 6 Students in a Secondary School in Kuala Lumpur

This research seeks to determine the efficacy of a group discussion-oriented MUET speaking preparation approach for Form 6 (a Level 6 category under the Malaysian education system) learners preparing for MUET, otherwise known as the Malaysian University English Test. Although conventional methods of teaching have been widely employed, performance of students in the speaking component of the MUET is considered low. Speech impediments, lack of vocabulary and test anxiety interfere with some students’ success. Common teaching methods, lecture by teacher and practice work of individuals do not always work to develop both interactive and communicative capabilities. Filling this gap, the paper investigates whether structured group discussions may provide a better substitute. Purposive sampling was used and a quasi-experimental study design was used.76 students from a secondary school in Kuala Lumpur were selected and divided into an experimental group (discussion) and a control group (conventional method). Speaking tasks were given as pre- and post-assessment for 4 weeks and data were analyzed by means of independent samples t-tests. The results show that group discussion can significantly improve students’ speaking proficiency for the group discussion method as a possible effective preparation method for MUET speaking component.