The use of Webquest in blended EFL learning in Indonesia to improve students’ speaking skills

This study aimed to investigate the implementation of Webquest in a blended EFL (English as Foreign Language) learning context and the students’ speaking skills improvement dealing with it. A number of 21 students were involved in the classroom action research designed. This classroom action research focused on two pedagogical issues of the methodology as well as the students’ improvement of their speaking skills. The lesson plan including the test instruments was prepared in line with the proposed teaching model. To begin, the observation supported with field notes was executed to describe the teaching and learning process. We played the role of passive participant in this period. Subsequently, the students’ speaking skills were evaluated through oral test in which the results of pre-cycle test as well as after-cycles were analyzed using t-test. We found that there was a significant improvement on the students’ speaking skills in term of pronunciation, intonation, fluency, grammar and vocabulary within two cycles of action research. Thus, the implementation of Webquest as media in blended learning was successful to improve the students’ speaking skills.


Introduction
As the technology expands faster, people in the world can upgrade any information easier and faster through internet facility. In recent years, the internet becomes one of the most powerful technologies for communication and information (Vacca, 2009:430). According to Rodrigues and Vethamani (2015:3), the current of internet and technology development provide some opportunities for English teachers in doing online learning approaches to help students in learning English as a second language. Moreover, Sadikin (2016:2) states that the change of technology makes a long lasting innovation and new activity in teaching and learning English. One of those innovations is Web-based education or usually named as E-learning.
Lamy and Hampel in Rodrigues (2007:4) state that online learning or E-learning has been broadening either in written discourse or oral discourse. Additionally, online learning's existence is expectable to give a different color in the educational environment. Internet technology has a great influence on the educational environments, especially in the English classes. Surely, the internet has a great role in the second or foreign language teaching and learning. In addition, Tinio et.al as cited in Rodrigues & Vethamani (2015:3) mention that the effect of Internet and Communication Technology (ICT) is able to create teaching and learning to be more interesting, interactive, meaningful and motivating.
A new style of combining face to face and online learning which is called as blended learning is applicable for any courses. Blended learning is considered as the impact of the advancement of technology. Thorne (2011:16) sees that blended learning is the reasonable and common learning. It gives a solution to adjust learning process and enhance individual needs. Blended learning integrates and innovates the advancement of technology by doing online learning and interaction by traditional learning.
The existence of blended learning which combines traditional and online learning tries to take benefits from the use of internet media. Jati (2016:92) state that the familiarity of any social (learning) media is definitely influencing the effectiveness of their notifications. The more frequent the users access any social medium, the more effective that social medium will be. One of the internet media is Webquest. Webquest is one of teaching media by making a good use of internet in teaching and learning process. Webquest should be a good media in improving students' English skills; such as speaking, writing, reading and listening. In this study, the researchers focus on the speaking skill. Speaking is one the four language skills which is very important to be mastered. Speaking is the most difficult skill to be mastered for the majority of English learners and still incapable in communicating in English orally (Al Hosni, 2014:3). Ur (1996:99) mentions there are many factors that cause difficulty in speaking, the first is inhibition. It means students are worried about making mistakes, fearful, or seven simple shy. The second is nothing to say, the students have no motive to express themselves. In the other hand, Rababa'h (2005) cited in Al Hosni (2014:4) adds the other factors that cause difficulty in speaking are related to the students themselves, inadequate teaching strategies, the curriculum, and the environment. For the example, the students are lack of vocabulary; students cannot keep the interaction going on. Some students lack of motivation to speak English.
Unfortunately, based on the interview with Mrs. Nurul Jazimah on Wednesday, July 18 th 2018, the researchers asked about the most difficult skill in English subject. The teacher said that speaking has become a common trouble in learning English. Speaking is one important skill to be mastered by students. The fact that, students' speaking skills is not good enough and students have not mastered speaking yet. Based on the interview, the students' inability to speak English fluently is caused by a number of factors. First, students do not have a lot of vocabularies.
Second, the students have low mastery of grammar and pronunciation.
Third, the students are afraid of making mistakes, because they never practice to speak English formally or even informally with their friends.
Fourth, the students feel embarrassed and sometimes feel confused in stringing up the words to make a good sentence or dialogue. Moreover, they do not feel confident; therefore self confidence is an important way to improve our language skills. Self confidence is related to something spoken or something told. It becomes the main factor in affecting students' speaking skills and has a crucial contribution in speaking skills.
The second question is about media used by the teacher in teaching speaking. Commonly, in teaching speaking, the teacher used video and power point presentation. The teacher also applied pair work discussion but it did not work well. The last question is about Webquest.
The teacher said that she never used Webquest as media in teaching English. The media is unfamiliar for the teachers in MAN.
There are a lot of media in teaching speaking. To modify the condition of the classroom and teaching speaking lively, the researchers use Webquest as a teaching media in teaching speaking. The reason is; Webquest provides online sources or learning sources in supporting the materials which provides the real example of videos, link websites which contain of dialogue or phrases or sentences or another online source, thus the students can imitate it, and the sources can be accessed by the students easily. Thus, the need to improve students' speaking skills has been intriguing researchers' interest.

Research Method
This research was CAR (Classroom Action Research). Action research tried to take a study since it explored whether something caould be done in a better way or not. This type of research was done for the purposes to improve classroom practices. Action research provided a chance for teachers to reflect on their own practices (Cresswell, 2005:550). The researchers used Classroom Action Research because the research wanted to know the implementation of Webquest in blended learning and how far was the improvement of students' speaking skills after using Webquest in blended learning.  Figure 1 shows a cycle of action and reflection. Each cycle has four steps: plan, action, observe, and reflect. Each one of these phases is validated by the previous phase, and looks forward to the next. For example, the action phase is validated by the planning phase, and look forward to the observation. The cycle can be begin at any stage, and does not stop after one cycle has been completed, but rather begins another one; hence it is a "spiral" rather than "cycle".

Planning
At the planning stage, the researchers formulate some procedural acts how to improve speaking skill by using Webquest in blended learning. The procedures are put in two lesson plans.

Acting
At the acting stage, it is the implementation of techniques/procedural acts that have been planned at planning stage.

Observing
Observation is one of the methods used in collecting the data, commencing from the opening of the session until the end of the class, including after-cycle test. The researchers observe the teaching and learning process. In this stage, the researchers prepare the observation checklist to know the condition of the class when the action is done; the researchers and the English teacher discuss about the result of the observation and find a good solution. The observation sheet consists of students' observation checklist, teachers' observation checklist and the use of Webquest checklist. Moreover, field notes, photos as well as videos were also benefited to support the observation.

Reflecting
Reflection is a research finding analysis. This is used to analyzed based on the data that have been collected in determining the next action.
Reflection is used to evaluate teaching-learning process in order to know the improvement of speaking skills.
Finally, in analyzing the whole data of action research cycle, the researchers use mixed methods (of qualitative and quantitative) to analyze the data (Creswell, 2012:16).

Results and Discussions
Prior to cycle 1, we prepared lesson plan, observation checklist, materials, teaching aid, pre-test and post-test. The pre-test and treatment were conducted in day 1 (July 24 th ) while treatment and post-test was conducted in day 2. The researchers rolled as an observer and observed teachers' and students' activity in teaching learning process.
Based on the result of the cycle I, there was some reflecting that should be paid attention in maximizing the skill of students in speaking.
The researchers found some weakness that happened during the teaching and learning process. In the beginning of the lesson, the teacher showed Power Point Presentation, and played video without giving clues, and it made students confused about the materials. The researchers suggested to the teacher to give clue or little explanation while the video was played.
Thus, the students could focus on the video and the students could ask questions related to the video. Therefore, the teacher ordered to the students to analyze and write down information while the video was played.
Another reflection was; the use of Webquest as media in blended learning was not effective yet for teaching English in XI MIPA 5 class. The students did not understand what it is used for. The students were not focused on the lesson, since the students were playing their Smartphone not for learning. It proved while the teacher order the students to visit Webquest link by students' Smartphone, the teacher ordered the students to make a group consist of four, some students did not do the teachers' command. The students preferred do it with their peer even by themselves. The researchers thought that the group consisted of four members were not effective. Thus, the researchers would change into peer to peer. Therefore, the researchers would oblige the students to visit the Webquest link and download the material from Webquest. The other weakness was; the students did not achieve the passing grade in the pre-test and post-test. The passing grade (KKM) was 70, and the target of the passing grade was 85%, but only 42.85% who could reach the target of passing grade in the pre-test. Meanwhile, there was 71.42 % who could reach the target of passing grade in the post-test. Therefore, the study stood at the point of requiring next cycle (cycle II) starting on August 14 th .
In cycle II, the researchers emphasized on the practicing dialogue in order to the students would speak in English fluently. She also benefited the use Webquest in observing, exploring, and communicating activity. From the cycle 1 until 2, some of students did not give more reasons while they were giving opinion. However, the other students could explain their opinion with many reasons. The passing grade (KKM) was 70, and the target was 85%. In the cycle II, 90.47% of the students could pass the passing grade. The result of post-test in the cycle II was more than the target of passing grade. It means that the reflection from the cycle I which is applied in the action of cycle 2, there was improvement of students' speaking skills by using Webquest in blended learning for the eleventh grade students of MAN Salatiga. Thus, the researchers stopped the study until cycle 2 because 90.47% of the students have passed the passing grade.
In cycle I, some of students did not deliver their opinion by giving their reasons in a brief explanation. In cycle II, the students delivered their opinion by giving some reasons and a little explanation. Therefore, the students' pronunciation in cycle II was better than in the cycle I. The implementation of each cycle was divided into three parts. In the first meeting, the teacher conducted pre-test in 45 minutes and the treatment was conducted in 45 minutes by implementing Webquest as media. The second treatment was done in the next meeting. The treatment was 90 minutes. The third meeting was used to conduct post-test in 45 minutes.
In the cycle I, the implementation of Webquest as media in Blended Learning was not really successful. The students were confused in using In this study, there were 31 students, in the pre-test cycle I there were three students who did not join the pre-test and one student did not join the post-test cycle I since one student joined PASKOT. In cycle II, the pre-test and post-test was followed by 21 students, there were 10 students who did not join the pre-test and post-test in cycle II since 10 students joined Boy Scouting activity. Thus, the total of students who did not join the pre-test and post-test in cycle I and II were 10 students, therefore, these students were not included in analysis.
Then, the researchers collected the students' scores, then the researchers analyzed the students' speaking skills, and students' speaking skills have improved from the cycle 1 until cycle 2. The improvement is described in Table 1. From the table 1, the researchers knew that only nine students who could pass the passing grade (KKM) in the pre-test cycle I. The presentation of students who could pass the passing grade in pre-test cycle I was 42.85%, and 9.52% of the students who got 70. The total presentation of the students who could pass the passing grade was 52.37%.
Therefore, there was 47.61% of the students who got the score under the passing grade. The passing grade of English subject in MAN Salatiga was 70. The target presentation of passing grade was 85%. Therefore, the target presentation of passing grade in the pre-test cycle I was not achieved.
Meanwhile, based on the data, there were fifteen students who could pass the passing grade (KKM) in the post-test cycle I. The presentation of students who could pass the passing grade in the pos-test cycle I was 71.42%, and there were two students who got 70, the presentation was 9.52 %.
On the other hand, the presentation of students who could not reach the passing grade in the post-test cycle I was 19.04%, it was lower than the presentation of students who could not pass the passing grade in pre-test cycle I. There was an improvement 19.05% of the presentation from 52.37% until 71.42%.

Conclusion
The implementation of Webquest was successful since the students used to use Webquest in learning English. While doing the online Quiz, the students were interested. Then, the researchers analyzed the students' speaking skills, and students' speaking skills have improved from the cycle 1 until cycle 2. There was an improvement of speaking skill by using