<![CDATA[The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of using the Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) approach in teaching English speaking to second year students at a state vocational senior high school in Lhokseumawe, Aceh. This study employed two classes as the sample: one as the experimental class and the other as the control class. The experimental class was taught using CTL, while the control class was taught using the conventional method (teacher-centered). In collecting the data, tests and a questionnaire were used, and then the collected data was analyzed using SPSS computer software. The research findings showed that the mean post-test score of the experimental class at 74 was significantly higher than that of the control class at 60.9. Furthermore, the result of the t-test showed that the scores of the experimental class were higher than that of the control class (11.514.06). The data showed that the students taught using CTL achieved significantly better scores in speaking than those taught using the conventional method. Hence, the alternative hypothesis was accepted and the null hypothesis was rejected. Amongst the speaking sub-skills, comprehensibility was the most improved with an average score of 3.4 out of a maximum of 4.0. This shows that the students got a better understanding by the use of CTL. Moreover, the result of the data analysis from the questionnaires indicated that almost all the students (93%) in the experimental class responded positively towards the application of CTL since it effectively improved their speaking skills.]]>
