A. Research Design
The design of this research was descriptive qualitative research.
According to Gay (2000:11), the descriptive research involved collecting data in order to answer the question concerning with the status of the subject of the study. Then, Gay (2000:275) also explains that the descriptive method is useful for investigating a variety of educational problems and issues.
According to Moleong (2010:6), qualitative research is the study intends to understand the phenomenon of what is experienced by the subject of the contentresearch. In this research is designed to describe the students‟ difficulties in writing descriptive text at SMPN 1 Sungai Tarab.
B. Research Informant
According to Gay (2000:139), an informant is a person whose knowledge about the subject. In this research, the informants are the students who have problems or difficulties in writing describing placeethe eighthghth-gradee students of SMPN 1 Sungai Tarab that already learn about Descriptive Text.
Furthermore, the informants of this research were choosen by using purposive sampling technique. According to Gay (2000:141), purposive sampling is a judgment sampling, is the process of selecting a sample that is believed to be representative of a given population. In this research,the researcher interviews the eighth-grade students of SMPN 1 Sungai Tarab who have a problem in writing a descriptive text especially in describing the place. The researcher used their score that gets from the English Teacher andtook whohad low achievement in descriptive text.
C. The Technique of Data Collection 1. Research Instrument
The instrument of this research was the researcher herself.
According to Gay (2000: 386), an interview is a purposeful interaction, usually between two people, focus on one person, and trying to get information from the other person. In order to confirm the previous information as well as to got maintain the trustworthiness of the data.
In this research, The data was collected by applying interview technique. The researcher used the interview guide that did by the researcher in the Indonesian Language. The interview wasanalyzed in order to gain the information about the students‟ difficulties in writing a descriptive text especially in describing the place.
To guide the interview, the researcher followed some steps as proposed by Gay (2000:223) as follows:
a. Listening more, talking less. Listening is the most important part of interviewing
b. Following up on what participants say and ask question when you do not understand
c. Avoiding leading questions, ask open-ended questions d. Avoidinginterrupt. Learn how to wait
e. Keeping participants focused and ask for concrete details f. Tolerating silence. It means the participants are thinking g. Avoiding judge about participants‟ views of beliefs h. Avoiding debate with the participants over their responses
2 . Research Procedures
This research was conducted by applying several steps as follows:
a. Finding research problems
In this step, the researcher found the problem and decided to conduct the research. Then,the researcher read several sources and consulted with an academic advisor to find out interesting topics to be a problem in this study. Based on suggestion given by academic
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advisors this study was intended to know the students‟ difficulties in writing descriptive text especially in describing the place.
b. Designing research
Researchers began conducting research by building instruments, trying out interview guides on informants.
c. Collecting Data
In this step, the researcher following the collection of recorded is useful for translating recorded recordings. Transcription is written a record of events recorded about the students‟ difficulties in writing a descriptive text, especially describingthe thethe e g place.
d. Analyzing Data
The researcher analyzed the results of the interview data on the students‟ difficulties in writing descriptive text especially in describing people. Data were analyzed using research data in areliable and accurate way.
e. Report the Result
After getting the data and analyzing, the researcher reports the findings and conclude the result about the students‟ difficulties in writing a descriptive text especially in describing people.
D. Checking the Data Trustworthiness
In analyzing the data, the researcher used triangulation data.
According to Moleong (2010), triangulation is a kind of technique in checking the data trustworthiness that usesanother thing. According to Patton in Moleong (2006:331), there are two strategies in method triangulation. They are: 1) checking the degree of trustworthiness from research finding with several techniques of data collection, 2) checking the degree of trustworthiness from the source of data by using the same method.
In this research, the researcher has done intervdifferentnt timesto check the trustworthiness of the data. Thus, the researcher usedtechnique triangulation to check the trustworthiness of the data. For the first time, the researcher interviewed the informants. While the
researcher interview the informants, the researcher recording the information. After that, the researcher compares thedata of interview recording. If the data showed the same, it could be concluded that the informants have good natures.
E.The technique of Data Analysis
In analyzing the data, the researcher analyzed based on the result oftheinterview.The results of the interview were analyzed in three steps namely, data reduction, data display, and conclusion or verification of the data. According to Miles and Huberman in Sugiyono (2007: 337) to analyze the qualitative data needs three activities, they are:
6. Reduction of the Data
The reduction of the data refers to the process of selection, focusing, simplifying, abstracting, and transforming the data that happened in written notes in the field. The reduction of the data was occurring during the interview. The data are summarized, sorted, and organized when the researcher drew a conclusion.
In the data reduction, the researcher did several steps.
First, making the transcription of the interview result. Second, coding (bold) the transcription related to students‟ difficulties in writing descriptive text. Third, numbering each based on the research finding. In this case, the researcher gave “D1 (Difficult 1), D2 (Difficult 2)...and so on. Fourth, grouping the responses to the research finding.
7. Data Display
The second step of analysis data was data display. Data display was the set of information that is arranged and gave the possibility to take a conclusion and a treatment. In this step, the researcher displayed the data of students‟ difficulties in writing a descriptive text especially in describing the place.
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8. Conclusion Drawing /Verification
After reducing and displaying the data, the researcher made a conclusion and verification of the data. This step was aimed to conclude the students‟ difficulties in writing a descriptive text especially in describing the place.
37 CHAPTER IV