<![CDATA[This study investigated the effectiveness of pictures as instructional media in improving the speaking skills of seventh-grade students at SMP Negeri 1 Kakas. The study employed a quantitative approach with a one-group pretest-posttest pre-experimental design. The participants were 20 seventh-grade students selected through total sampling. Data were collected using speaking performance tests administered before and after the treatment. Students’ speaking performance was assessed in terms of fluency, vocabulary, pronunciation, and sentence structure using a scoring rubric. The treatment involved picture-based speaking activities in which students observed, described, and interpreted visual materials to generate ideas and produce spoken language. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a paired samples t-test with SPSS version 21. The findings showed a substantial improvement in students’ speaking performance. The mean score increased from 55.75 in the pretest to 83.25 in the posttest, representing a mean gain of 27.50 points. The standard deviation also decreased from 7.83 to 4.94, indicating more consistent performance after the treatment. The paired samples t-test produced a t-value of 17.626 with 19 degrees of freedom and a significance value of p < 0.001, confirming a statistically significant improvement. The findings suggest that pictures provided concrete visual contexts that helped students generate ideas, develop vocabulary, organize sentences, improve fluency and pronunciation, and participate more confidently in speaking activities. Therefore, pictures can serve as an accessible and effective medium for developing speaking skills among junior high school EFL learners in classroom contexts.]]>
