Cross-National Comparison of Teaching Speaking: Lessons from Indonesia and Thailand

The research investigates the teaching strategies used by English teachers in Indonesia and Thailand in improving students' speaking skills. In addition, it also explores the challenges teachers face in implementing these strategies in the classroom. This research uses a comparative qualitative case study approach. Data were collected through observation and semi-structured interviews with four English teachers from junior secondary schools-two from Indonesia and two from Thailand. The results showed that English teachers in Indonesia and Thailand implemented various strategies to improve students' speaking skills. The main strategies used include habituation to the use of English in the classroom environment, interactive activities such as role-playing and group discussions, as well as vocabulary reinforcement as the main foundation of speaking learning. The research also revealed various challenges in implementing speaking teaching strategies. One of the main challenges is students' anxiety in speaking English due to fear of making mistakes and lack of confidence. In addition, limited vocabulary and difficulty in pronunciation are significant barriers faced by students in both countries