TEACHER TALK IN THE ENGLISH CLASSROOM INTERACTION AT SMP NEGERI 5 MEDAN

The aims of this study are to investigate the types of teacher talk based on the Flanders Interaction Analysis Categories (FIAC) System and to uncover the teacher reasons for using the types of teacher talk in English classroom
interaction in VII-9 grade of SMP Negeri 5 Medan. This study applied the descriptive qualitative method, which referred to phenomena in the school. The data were collected through audio recording and observation, and interviews with the English teacher at SMP Negeri 5 Medan. The findings of this study showed that the forms of teacher talk employed in the English classroom interactions included accepting feelings, praising or encouragement, accepting or using ideas of students, asking questions, lecturing, giving direction, and criticizing or justifying authority. The most dominant type of teacher talk used by the teacher in classroom interaction is asking questions (44%) followed by giving directions
(27%). From the result of the interview, this matter occurred because the teacher wanted to refine students‟ skills and ensure that they understood the material being discussed before moving on to the next material. Meanwhile, the least used were accepting feelings (0.7%), criticizing or justifying authority (1.4%) and accepting or using ideas of students (2.1%). Thus, this study is expected to be a
reference by which teachers could consider the types of teacher talk to be implemented to improve their students‟ activity and interest during classroom interaction.