THE STUDENTS` ABILITY IN UNDERSTANDING
DESCRIPTIVE TEXT FACED BY THE EIGHTH
GRADE STUDENTS AT MTS
MUHAMMADIYAH 1
MALANG
THESIS
By:
ANIS RAHMAWATI
06360149
UNIVERSITY OF MUHMMADIYAH MALANG
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
This thesis was defended in front of examiners of the Faculty of Teacher
Training and Education of University of Muhammadiyah Malang
and accepted as one of the requirements to achieve
Sarjana Degree in English Education
on January 25, 2011
Approved by:
Faculty of Teacher Training and Education University of Muhammadiyah Malang
Dean,
Drs. Fauzan, M. Pd
Examiners:
1. Dra.Thathit Manon Andini, M. Hum 1………
2. Drs. Mas’udi, M. Ed 2………
3. Drs. Jarum, M. Ed 3………
i 1.1Background of the Study…………..………...1
1.2Statement of Problem……….……….………4
1.3Purpose of the Study……….……….…….……4
1.4Significance of the Study……….……….………..4
1.5Scope and Limitation……..……….………5
1.6Definition of Keyterm………..………5
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 Ability………..………...……….6
2.2 General Definition of the Text………...………..……6
ii
2.3.6 Descriptive text………...…………8
2. 4 Kinds of Descriptive Text………...9
2. 4. 1 Descriptive Informative Text………9
2. 4. 2 Descriptive Analytic Text………...10
2.4. 3 Descriptive Evocative Text ..……….…..………12
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY 3. 1 Research Design……….……..15
3. 2 Population and Sample………..…………...15
3. 3 Instruments of Data Collection……….16
3.3. 1 Try Out………...………..17
3.2.2 The Result of the Try out Test………..17
3. 3.3 Reliability and Validity of the Test……….18
3.3.4 Item Analysis………..………..19
3.3.4.1 Determining Item Difficulty and Item Discrimination………19
3. 4Data Collection……….………..…..20
3. 5 Data Analysis……….……….….…21
CHAPTER IV: RESULT AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Result……….………....22
4.1.1 Students` Ability in Understanding Descriptive Text……….……….22
4.1.1.1 Students` Ability in Understanding Descriptive Informative Text….23 4.1.1.2 Students` Ability in Understanding Descriptive Analytic Text……..24
4.1.1.3 Students` Ability in Understanding Descriptive Evocative Text……25
iii
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1 Conclusions……….………..28
5.2 Suggestions……….………..29
REFERENCES
Arianti, Poppy Eki. 2008. A Study on the 4th Semester Student’s Ability in Using Simple Present Tense in Writing Descriptive Paragraph of English. Unpublished Thesis. Malang : UMM Press.
Arikunto, Suharsimi. 2009. Dasar- Dasar Evaluasi Pendidikan. Edisi Revisi. Jakarta: Bumi Aksara.
Ary, Donald et. al. 2002. Introduction to Research in Education. 6th Edition. Wardsworth: Belmont. CA.
Departement Pendidikan Nasional. 2005. Materi Pelatihan Terintegrasi ; Bahasa Inggris Untuk SMP.
Djiwandono, M. Soenardi. 2008. Tes Bahasa: Pegangan bagi Pengajar Bahasa. First Edition. Jakarta: P.T Indeks.
Freeman, Donald. 1998. Doing Teacher-Research: From Inquiry to Understanding. Canada. Heinle & Heinle Publishers.
Haliday , M A K dan Ruqaiya, Hasan. 1992. Bahasa, Konteks & Teks: Aspek-aspek Bahasa Dalam Pandangan Semiotik Sosial. Yogyakarta: Gadjamada University Press.
Hartono. 2003. Belajar Menerjemahkan: Teori dan Praktek. Malang: UMM Press.
Jaidie, Muhammad. 2009. The Ability of Translation Student’s in Translating a Descriptive English Text into Indonesian. Unpublised Thesis. Malang: UMM Press.
Lowman, Rodney L. 1991. The Clinical Practice of Career Assessment: Interests, Abilities and Personality. Washington DC. American Physiological Association.
Margono, S. 2007. Metodologi Penelitian Pendidikan: Komponen MKDK. Cet. 6. Jakarta: Rineka Cipta.
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1 of this research presents such topic as: background of the study, statement
of the problem, significance of the study, scope and limitation and definition of key
terms. Each season is presented as follows.
1.1 Background of the Study
English is an international language in this world. It is an important thing, because it is
not only tool of communication, but it also becomes a media to transfer science and
technology. Several countries use English as a national language. However, in our
country, Indonesia, English is not used as a national language, but as a foreign language.
In Indonesia, English is the first foreign language to be taught at school. It is
compulsory subject from elementary school until higher education. It is expected that the
students have good English mastery, in order to be able to survive in this globalization
era.
The teaching of English as a foreign language is expected to enable students to listen,
read, speak and write. Every skill has its own goal to be reached as the requirement of
English ability. For example, in reading, the students learn how to get meaning or main
idea of the text. In writing skill, the students are taught to express their mind in written
text or words. Listening is one of the skills that are focused on listening to comprehend
what the speaker says. Then, the last skill is speaking. It is the expression of someone in
verbal communication. Each skill should be reached.
One of the skills, reading plays an important function because Indonesia has entered
scientific knowledge and technology books written in English from other countries.
However, most of Indonesian people do not understand the scientific knowledge and
technology books written in English.
To reach reading ability the reader should know first what the texts or books are
talking about. Unfortunately, some people still difficult to understand it when they read
the books or texts. Some people read it without understanding. It is because they are still
difficult in mastering the language used in the text or the book. They do not understand it
because they are still low in vocabulary and grammar.
The level of students` ability in understanding text can be identified with the test,
whether their ability is excellent, good or poor. After knowing students` ability in
understanding text, it is able to decide what steps to be taken.
Actually, there are many styles of English text are taught in Junior High School such
as recount, narrative, procedure, report, anecdote and descriptive text (Depdiknas, 2005).
Each text has own characteristics. First, recount text is a text which tells about events in
the past time, such as tells about an accident and the report of the event. Second, narrative
text is a text which tells about a story. In addition, Hartono also defined that narrative text
is a text which talks about event or and incident (a story) in order to entertain the readers
(2003). It can be fairy stories, mystery story, science fiction, romance, and horror. Third,
procedure text is a text which tells about how something can be done. It is told in a series
of the steps. Fourth, report text is a text which gives us the description of general
characteristics of something. It has function to provide factual information, to tell natural
or non natural phenomena. Fifth, anecdote text is a text which tells about the past event,
descriptive text. It is a text that gives the reader information about describing things,
animals, or people in a specific way. In addition, “Descriptive text is a text about how
people, animal or things are described” (Hartono, 2003: 41). It means that descriptive text
has function to describe something or someone in a specific. And here, the writer is
interested in descriptive text, because this text was already taught from the seventh grade
level until the eighth grade level. Beside that, description text often uses simple tense
form, the basic tense in English structure.
Based on the explanation above, the writer has assumption that this text is not difficult
to the students. However, some previous research shown that students` ability in
understanding a text was still low. In Jaidi`s thesis, students` ability in translating
descriptive text made by the eighth semester of translation III from 39 sample students in
UMM was still poor (2009). There was no student (0%) who got closely perfect in
translating descriptive text. Next, only 1student (2.6%) who got good translation. Then,
10 students (25.6%) were moderate and the last, 28 students (71.8%) got the poor. In
general, the ability of eighth semester students of academic year 2008/2009 who joined
translation III at English department of University Muhammadiyah of Malang was poor
in translating the descriptive English text into Indonesia with the average 43.7.
Arianti also stated about the students` ability in writing descriptive paragraph faced by
the students of English department, 2006/2007 academic year at the UMM, did not
successful (2008). They also still make several problems in writing it. The population is
186 students and 23 students as the sample. The students` final score range is between
5-25 and the total of the final score is 391. There was 21.74% of the students got the score
the score 21-18, as a good score. Next, 30.43% of the students got the score 17-11. It was
a fair or poor score. Moreover, 13.04% got score between 10-5. In brief, the result of the
mean score shows that the students` ability in using simple present tense in writing
descriptive paragraph was fair (17).
Based on the explanation above, the researcher will do a research on the students`
ability in understanding descriptive text faced by eighth grader in a thesis entitled “the
students` ability in understanding descriptive text faced by the eighth grade students at
MTs Muhammadiyah 1 Malang”.
1.2 Statement of Problem
Referring to the background of the study, the problem of the study is,” How is the
student`s ability in understanding descriptive at the eighth grade of MTs Muhammadiyah
1 Malang?”
1.3 Purpose of the study
Based on the statement problems above, the purposes of this study is to know the
students` ability in understanding descriptive text at the eight grade of MTs
Muhammadiyah 1 Malang.
1.4. Significance of the Study
Hopefully, this study will contribute something to the teachers in teaching learning
English as a foreign language. By using the result of this research, the teacher will be able
to identify the students` ability in understanding a text, especially a descriptive text. So, if
the students` score is low, the teacher can improve the teaching strategy especially when
score can share their experience, and for those who have low score can improve their
ability.
1.5 Scope and Limitation
The scope of this research is the students` ability in understanding descriptive text.
The researcher limits the research on descriptive text.
1.6 Definition of Key Terms
Ability refers to what one is able or potentially able to do rather than to what one has
interest in doing (Lowman,1991: 11)
Understanding is a the new or existing information, interpretation, insights and
perspectives on the question or puzzle that accumulate through the research process
(Freeman, 1998: 36)
Descriptive text is a text which tells about how people, animals or things are described
