EFFECT OF USING SUGGESTOPEDIA ON STUDENTS’

SPEAKING ABILITY

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

English, in today’s world, is one of the cornerstones of our daily lives. As a universal

language, it has become an important tool for communication not just between native speakers

but also with people from different nations (Jackson, 2010). It has been an important language in

different aspects of society: science, economy, news, education, etc. Therefore, people must

master speaking English in order to have an effective flow of communication.

Speaking is the act of conveying information and sharing ideas orally. Aprianoto and

Haerazi (2019) argue that speaking is a complex skill that necessitates communication of a

number of different abilities that often develop at different rates, because speakers in speaking

activities should pay attention to four components of speaking ability such as pronunciation,

grammar, vocabulary, and fluency. In this study, researchers want to find out if there is a

significant effect of Suggestopedia learning activities on students’ speaking abilities.

In this research, students can practice speaking English fluently by practicing regularly.

According to Pae (2017) and Angelini and Garcia-Carbonell (2019), learners struggle to learn

English because they are terrified of making mistakes. When students are in this circumstance,

their pulse rate and blood pressure rise (Galante, 2018; Uztosun, 2020). Students experienced a
mental block or affective filter in their brain (Angelini & Garcia-Carbonell, 2019). This filter

restricts the input, causing the learners to struggle with language acquisition due to their fear.

The combination of desuggestion and suggestion is intended to decrease the affective filter and

inspire students’ mental capacity to participate in ELT activities. It also seeks to speed the

process by which kids learn to understand and communicate in the target language in order to

attain greater learning. According to Richards and Rogers (2001), the goal of Suggestopedia is to

provide advanced conversational proficiency quickly.

Given the speaking skills, researchers will employ the Suggestopedia method to improve

students’ speaking abilities. Suggestopedia is an interesting method. It is a method of teaching

English developed by Georgi Lozanov. Suggestopedia is a method that uses music or videos in

the teaching and learning process. The usage of Suggestopedia in teaching speaking is greatly

needed; Suggestopedia may stimulate more of the student’s mental potential to learn, which is

obtained by suggestion, because with this approach, the teacher can offer relaxed settings so the

students can easily get the content. Students can imagine their thoughts through music and then

describe them to others. As a result, this study will focus on determining the effect of the

Suggestopedia method on students’ speaking ability at First Year BS Criminology students in

Palawan State University-Brooke’s Point Campus.

Statement of the Problem:

This study will be conducted to determine the effect of using Suggestopedia on the students

speaking abilities.

Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the level of speaking competency of the respondents in terms of:

a. Fluency

b. Accuracy

c. Content

d. Pronunciation

2. How can Suggestopedia method motivate learners to speak English language?

3. How can the use of Suggestopedia improve the speaking ability of the students?

4. Is there a significant effect of the Suggestopedia method on the improvement of students’

speaking ability?
 Significance of the Study

The researchers expect this study to provide helpful information and suggestions for relevant

parties such as:

Students. The results of this study will make students more active during English

learning and master their speaking skills better. In addition, it can also help to develop students’

ability to speak English because it will give them much experience, so they will be interested and

happy to learn.

Teachers. The researchers expect this study to be useful for English teachers in finding

interesting methods. Also, the result of this study will likely suggest that the teacher give special

attention to the students’ needs in the teaching and learning process, such as good atmosphere in

the classroom, good materials, and good methods. It was also hoped that the results of this study

would become worthwhile references for teachers teaching speaking through the Suggestopedia

method.

Administrators. This study will guide administrators in employing Suggestopedia

method effectively for enhancing instructional strategies and improving students’ speaking skills.

Researcher. The researchers expect this study to serve as additional information to

whom interested in dealing with speaking ability and the Suggestopedia method.
Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This research focuses on the effect of using Suggestopedia on students’ speaking abilities in

the first year of BS Criminology.

This study will be limited regarding the problem, locale, population, and time frame.

Problem. This study focuses on the effect of using Suggestopedia on students’ speaking

abilities in the first year of BS Criminology.

Locale. The study will be conducted at Palawan State University-Brooke's Point Campus,

Bgy. Pangobilian, Brooke’s Point, Palawan.

Population. The population consisted of 100 first-year BS Criminology students enrolled at

Palawan State University-Brooke's Point Campus during the 2023–2024 academic year.

Time Frame. This study will be conducted from September 2023 to June 2024.
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES AND STUDIES

Related Literature

Tim Bowen (2022) discusses the multiple advantages of Suggestopedia as Lozanov claim

to his theory. Lozanov claim that using Suggestopedia would be a great way for learners to learn

lessons in an intimate sound of environment which helps students to focus with their works.

Suggestopedia uses music to create comfortable and relaxing environment that pushes learner to

have a more active participation together with their teacher.

Amy Gardner (2023) said that there were no enough data to support this method but there

are lot of factors to consider this method as an effective way for learners to learn effectively.

Music can facilitate learning, using music as background noise has a huge part for students to

easily memorized and improve learning outcomes. In the same source, it has been said that

reading out helps students to remember the content. Using music depending on students’ interest

that also makes the environment lighter and more comfortable.

For Jaya Shri Guru Subramaniam (2023), in her writing about “The Evolution of

Suggestopedia”. She concluded that the purpose of Suggestopedia is to create a relaxing and

peace environment for learners, and a lot of proponents still debating that Suggestopedia has a lot

to improve but technology has proven its evolution. Suggestopedia is related to technology

where it’s gradually developing as well as to Suggestopedia.

 Sarah Gonser (2020) wrote about different ways to bring music into classroom

considering the different learning styles of students. The ideal of having strong relationship

between teacher and student to understand the kind of music they wanted to listen. Choosing the

right music sound will lead to have an effective learning and using music in their activities can

also make an impact to students’ learning as their interest was considered.

It was mentioned in Air Web that sounds could integrate in different ways such as in

music, lyrical poem, or any form of sound that shapes a good and positive classroom

environment that gives the assurance of learning.

Related Studies

The Aspect of Speaking Ability

The process of speaking is used to be able to speak well and correctly. According to

Nurgiyantoro (2011), who was referring to the aspect of speaking ability, a speaker must be

fluent in the language’s pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Speaking ability is, in part,

determined by utterance, vocabulary, grammar, content, fluency comprehension, the appropriate

word choice, familiarity, and stress placement.

According to Aprianoto and Haerazi (2019), speaking is a complex skill requiring the

simultaneous communication of using a number of different abilities which often develop at

different rates because speakers in speaking activities should pay attention to four components of

speaking ability such as pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and fluency. In developing these

skills, many researchers applied various teaching media and learning methods (Pranoto &

Suprayogi, 2020; Passiatore et al., 2019; Azis & Dewi, 2020).

 Sudarmaji et al. (2021) said that the students should be asked to improve speaking skills

on pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and fluency. In mastering speaking skill, the students

should pay attention toward any proficiencies of speaking (Suparlan, 2021).

Teaching and Speaking

Speaking is a useful ability that may be examined directly and empirically, observation is

constantly influenced by accuracy and fluency. Brown, Rogers, and Rogers (2004), cited by

Imam 2020, defined speaking as a productive skill that could be directly and empirically

observed and influenced by the precision and efficacy of listening skills. Based on the

justification provided, we could draw the conclusion that speaking refers to a student’s capacity

to share ideas or experiences by expressing thoughts, opinions, and desires to others. Speaking,

according to Harmer (2007, quoted by Bawanti and Arifani 2021), was a complicated talent

because it was at least connected to the elements of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation,

fluency, and understanding, as indicated below.

1. Grammar

Grammar is a set of rules that explain how we use language. The purpose of

grammar instruction is also to teach students the proper technique to develop their

spoken and written language skills. Therefore, grammar is the thing that helps

students compose correct sentences in a conversation.

2. Vocabulary

Vocabulary refers to the appropriate diction utilized in communicating. Students

who lack vocabulary may find it challenging to construct meaningful sentences,

communicate effectively, or express ideas both orally and in writing.

 3. Pronunciation

Pronunciation is the way speakers produce sounds or language when they speak.

It focuses on the phonological process, which is the grammatical part of language

made up of the components and rules that define how different sounds and

syllable patterns appear in a language. A speaker who constantly mispronounces

various phonemes can be difficult to understand.

4. Fluency

Fluency is a student’s ability to speak fluently. Many language students strive to

speak with fluency. Fluency is demonstrated by relatively rapid speech with few

pauses.

Cause of Problems in Teaching and Speaking

According to Zhang (2009), most English language learners still struggle with speaking

and are incapable of verbally expressing themselves in English. One of the most prevalent

concerns that students had to deal with was speaking in front of others. According to Baldwin

(2011), who was mentioned in Al Nakhalah (2016), the majority of students are averse to public

speaking. They have shyness and difficulty speaking fluently when speaking in front of others.

Additionally, it can be argued that student’s speaking abilities are significantly influenced by

their feelings of shyness and fear. Applying effective learning strategies is crucial because

student’s learning intentions for speaking will be impacted by their lack of motivation, which is a

major factor in whether or not they learn to talk. It can be seen that the majority of English

language learners experience shyness when speaking the language because they worry about

making mistakes. Additionally, they fear ridicule from their peers (Saunur, cited in Januaryiza,

2016). The statistics from this study also reveal this reality. They lack confidence in the
classroom due to their speaking reticence. On the other hand, they will be afraid of being

ridiculed by their friends because of their low ability to speak English.

Suggestopedia and Speaking Ability

Arniati (2017) in his study intended to find out whether the Suggestopedia method can

develop students’ speaking abilities, the results revealed that the Suggestopedia method can

develop students’ speaking abilities. Similarly, Pertiwi (2018) investigates the effectiveness of

using the Suggestopedia method for teaching speaking to the Seventh-Grade students at Negeri 2

Gedangan school. The T-test scores revealed that there is an effect of Suggestopedia method on

students’ achievements in English speaking.

Hosni (2014) recommends teachers to consider using teaching methodologies that can

help students to feel free to speak their minds without being afraid of making mistakes so that the

focus should be on the meaning rather than the accuracy of the form. Similarly, Fabio (2014)

asserts that teachers should provide students with a relaxing environment that would enable

students to interact with their colleagues and speak their minds freely in a meaningful context. In

fact, this can be achieved if their teachers colour their classes with a comfortable atmosphere that

combines a variety of games, drama activities, songs, visual aids and relaxing music.

One of the most unique aspects of this method is the use of classical music during the

learning process. It is believed that classical music creates a level of relaxed concentration that

facilitates the intake and retention of huge quantities of material. Suggestopedic learner can relax

to a certain extent and become more receptive by listening to classical music (Radle in Apriana,

2011:3). The rise in alpha brain activity and decline in blood pressure and heart rate are credited
with the improvement in learning capacity. The music used also depends on the expected skills

of the students: grammar, imagination exercises, making future plans, discussions, etc.

Rashtchi (2018) states that using Baroque music that includes 6o various beats can create

more relaxed state of mind for students to be capable of reaching their maximum retention of the

learning material. This might improve students to understand and learn the target language

effectively. He also stated that the teachers ‘role are the following: the teacher’s role in this

method is to maintain students’ motivation. To do that, teachers should to be believers in this

method and what it is willing to support the learning process with. Actually, Lozanov (1978)

portrays teachers, who use the Suggestopedia method, as orchestra conductors in that they must

establish harmony in their relations and actions as well as among their class members. Teachers

should act like they have meticulous and detailed plan to run their classes with. This method

would enable teachers to keep the learning atmosphere on track to help their students to achieve

intended the learning outcomes.

Key Features of Suggestopedia

Comfortable environment

In this kind of teaching method, the classroom is very different from common

classrooms. In order to increase concentration and relaxation among students, the seats in the

classroom are set up in a semicircle and facing the black or white board, for the benefit of the

students’ mental relaxation, the classroom lighting is dark (Xue, 2005).

The Use of Music

Brewer (2015). Asserted that music stabilizes mental, physical and emotional rhythms for

learning, deep concentration, and processing large amounts of content and information by

activating students’ mental, physical, as well as emotional states. This will in turn result to

improve comprehension. Brewer also enumerated the following benefits of background music as

aid in learning: Music helps in learning because it establishes a positive learning state, create a

desired atmosphere, build a sense of anticipation, energize learning activities, change brain wave

states, focus concentration, increase attention, improve memory, facilitate a multisensory

learning experience, release tension, enhance imagination, align groups, develop rapport, provide

inspiration and motivation, add an element of fun and accentuate theme-oriented.

According to Nosrati et. al., (2013). The teacher used Baroque music in the

Suggestopedia teaching and learning process. Baroque music is a classic music. In the

Suggestopedia method Baroque music is used to make the students more relax. If the students are

relaxed, their feeling of fear will be decreased and it can make the students easier to understand

while studying English. The teacher asked the students to listen to the music and feel more relax.

One of the most uniqueness of this method is the use of Baroque music during the learning

process. Ostrander and Schroeder cited in Harmer (1998) said that Baroque music, with its 60

beats per minute and its specific rhythm, created the kind of relaxed states of mind for maximum

retention of material. It is believed that Baroque music creates a level of relaxed concentration

that facilitates the intake and retention of huge quantities of materials.

Synthesis

The preceding review of related literature and studies presented the effect of

Suggestopedia on students’ speaking ability in a classroom management.

Lozanov proposed the Suggestopedia in 1960s and was introduced in the year of 1970s.

Lozanov made Suggestopedia to emphasize the essence of language learning in the classroom.

“The student not to vocabulary memorization and acquiring habits of speech, but to acts of

communication” which he refers that Suggestopedia from its derived word suggestion that

simply means providing different method that helps to create an effective learning. This method

provides a solution according to Lozanov and has factors that should be followed accordingly.

Different kind of approaches similar to Suggestopedia that dealt with common relax and comfort

environment has been in different researches and there’s this music that was found to be one of

the most effective Suggestopedia. A statement of making the classroom management that

maintains the relaxing environment by using an art, drama and music, that also emphasizing the

relationship of Suggestopedia to teacher-student and give its work. The teacher as a guide and do

the tactics to choose the right music genre for students. To strengthen the Suggestopedia

according to Rashtchi (2018), he wrote key features of Suggestopedia teaching method. Chosen

music will make a difference for students in facing learning where they either feel comfortable or

not and as for Gardner (2023) who said that lots factor may affect the result but for the claim of

Lozanov that any Suggestopedia that gives comfortability will be enough to strengthen the claim

of Suggestopedia’s effectiveness.
Research Paradigm

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Suggestopedia
Speaking Ability
Method

Figure 1: The research paradigm shows the association of the dependent variable, which is the

speaking ability of the first year BS Criminology students, and the independent variable which is

the Suggestopedia method.

Conceptual Framework

This research study consists of two variables, Suggestopedia method as an independent

variable and Speaking Ability as the dependent variable.

Suggestopedia method as independent variable pertains to a teaching method wherein the

teacher utilizes things like music and classroom décor during the instruction and at the same time

ensures that the students feel comfortable in the classroom so that they can easily absorb new

information. Suggestopedia is about making studying a positive and enjoyable experience for

students, removing many of the negative associations they may have with learning. Thus,

enabling students to be motivated in learning and create a positive learning experience.

Another variable, Speaking Ability refers to the skills which allow people to

communicate effectively. There are four speaking skills: fluency, accuracy, content, and

pronunciation. Fluency is about the comfortability and confidence in speaking English. Accuracy

refers to the correctness and precision in using the language. Content is what you say that

determines how impactful your talk can be. Meanwhile, Pronunciation refers to the clear

enunciation of individual sounds, connected speeches, rhythm, word and sentence stress,

chunking, and intonation.

Hypothesis

 Alternative Hypothesis: There is a significant effect of the Suggestopedia method on the

improvement of students’ speaking ability

 Null Hypothesis: There is no significant effect of the Suggestopedia method on the

improvement of students’ speaking ability.

Definition of Terms

A definition of key terms will be needed so that there will be no misinterpretation of the terms

used in this research. The following key terms are theoretically defined:

1. Speaking

Capable of speech (Merriam-Webster)

2. Suggestopedia

This approach was created by Georgi Lozanov, a doctor and educator from

Bulgaria. According to Khan & Rehan (2021), the science of suggestopedia is concerned

with the scientific study of unconscious or non-rational influences (Lozanov, 2000). It

was applied to foster a fun learning environment through music, rhythm, and other

external factors.

3. Baroque music

Music relating to or having the characteristics of a style of artistic expression

prevalent especially in the 17th century. (Merriam-Webster)

4. Fluency

The quality or state of being fluent. (Merriam-Webster)

5. Accuracy

Freedom from mistake or error (Merriam-Webster)

6. Pronunciation

The act or manner of pronouncing something (Merriam-Webster)

7. Comprehension

The act or action of grasping with the intellect (Merriam-Webster)

8. Grammar

The study of the classes of words, their inflections, and their functions and

relations in the sentence. (Merriam-Webster)

9. Content

The principal substance (such as written matter, illustrations, or music) (Merriam-

Webster)

10. Vocabulary

A list or collection of words or of words and phrases usually alphabetically

arranged and explained or defined. (Merriam-Webster)

 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

In this study, researchers will employ an experimental study using quasi-experimental

design. This study is characterized by much greater control over the research environment. The

variables will be manipulated to observe the effect on other variables (Koothari, 2004). This

study is categorized as quasi-experimental with the pre-test-post-test non-equivalent control

group.

Population

This research study involves 100 students from first year. Half of the population (N=50),

which is equal to the number of the students in one block, will be taken as the research sample.

The first 50 students (Block 1) will serve as the experimental group and the remaining 50

students (Block 2) will be the control group. The control group will not be given a treatment,

while the experimental group will be subjected to the SBLL method. The sample comes from the

first year BS Criminology students in Palawan State University-Brooke’s Point Campus in

academic year of 2023-2024.

Data Gathering Instrument

In this research, the researchers will use purposive sampling techniques to take the

sample. The samples have a particular set of characteristics. The researchers will also use a

Likert’s scale on gathering the students’ speaking competence in terms of fluency, accuracy,

content, and pronunciation both in the pre-test and post-test to gather the needed data.

Data Gathering Procedure

To collect the research data, the researchers will employ speaking pre-tests that are

intended to see students’ pronunciation, fluency, accuracy, and content competences in two

groups. The speaking test is similar to the tests in that students are given oral topics on which to

speak. Oral tests will be conducted via talking or face-to-face interviews between teachers and

pupils. To score the result of it, the researchers will divide scores into some criteria. Those are

scores of the pronunciation, content, fluency, and accuracy. After gathering the pre-test results,

the researchers will administer the treatment, which is the Suggestopedia method, to the

experimental group. In order to gather information about the effectiveness of the treatment, the

researchers will give a post-test, that is similar to the pre-test, to both the control and

experimental group.
Statistical Treatment of the Data

The researchers are going to utilize descriptive statistics and inferential statistics to

calculate all the gathered data. Dealing with the descriptive statistics, researchers will focus on

the mean, median, mode, and standard deviation. Meanwhile, the inferential statistic is an

analysis developed from sample data that is used to draw conclusions about the population from

which the sample was drawn. In this study, the researchers will employ the t-test to compute the

data, which is an interval obtained from a single sample. The researchers will compare the t-test

and t-table results. If the result of t-test > t-table, the alternative hypothesis will be accepted but

if the result of t-test < t-table then the null hypothesis is rejected (Miller, 2005:25).
EFFECT OF USING SUGGESTOPEDIA ON STUDENTS’

SPEAKING ABILITY

_____________________________________________

An Undergraduate Thesis Proposal Presented

to the Faculty of the Bachelor of Secondary Education

Palawan State University-Brooke’s Point Campus

____________________________________________

By:

Wellane Grace L. Billante

Aina L. Macud

Kaye Artizuela

Donna P. Maldan