THE EFFECT OF TEACHING STRATEGIES AND LEARNING STYLES ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN READING COMPREHENSION.

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THE EFFECT OF TEACHING STRATEGIES AND LEARNING STYLES ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN READING COMPREHENSION

A THESIS

Submitted to the English Applied Linguistic Study Program in a Partial Fullfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Magister Humaniora

SUTARSIH

Registration Number : 8116112016

ENGLISH APPLIED LINGUISTICS STUDY PROGRAM POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, praise and thank to be Allah SWT for all blessing, who has

granted countless opportunity, strength and knowledge to the writer so that she has been

finally able to accomplish her thesis.

Though only my name appears on the cover of this thesis, a great many people have

contributed to its production. I owe my gratitude to all those people who have made this

thesis possible and because of whom my graduate experience has been one that I will

cherish forever.

My deepest gratitude is to my first advisor, Prof. Dr. Busmin Gurning, M.Pd.,. I have

been amazingly fortunate to have an advisor who gave me the freedom to explore on my

own, and at the same time the guidance to recover when my steps faltered. He taught me

how to question thoughts and express ideas. His patience and support helped me

overcome many crisis situations and finish this thesis. I hope that one day I would

become as good an advisor to my students as he has been to me.

My second advisor, Dr. Didik Santoso, M.Pd., has been always there to listen and

give advice. I am deeply grateful to him for the long discussions that helped me sort out

the technical details of my work. I am also thankful to him for encouraging the use of

correct grammar and consistent notation in my writings and for carefully reading and

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She would like to give her special thanks to her reviewers and examiners Prof. Dr.

Sri Minda Murni, M.S., Dr. Anni Holila Pulungan,M.Hum., and Dr. Siti Aisyah

Ginting, M.Pd., for their valuable suggestions, corrections and inputs for completing of

this thesis. She also wishes to express thanks to all lecturers who have given her the

valuable knowledge and science during her study at the English Applied Linguistic Study

Program of Postgraduate School, State University of Medan.

In particular, special thanks is extended to the headmaster of SMP Nurul Islam

Indonesia Baru who permits her to conduct the research in the school. Thanks to the

teacher of SMP Nurul Islam Indonesia who helps her in conducting the treatment in the

school. And those teachers and students of SMP Nurul Islam Indonesia Baru who gave

supports to this study and for their cooperative attitude and work during the research.

Many friends have helped me stay sane through these difficult years. Their support

and care helped me overcome setbacks and stay focused on my graduate study. I greatly

value their friendship and I deeply appreciate their belief in me.

Most importantly, none of this would have been possible without the love and

patience of my family. My immediate family to whom this thesis is dedicated to, has been

a constant source of love, concern, support and strength all these years. I would like to

express my heart-felt gratitude to my family. My extended family has aided and

encouraged me throughout this endeavor. I have to give a special mention for the support

given by parents (Ratmo Miarjo and Ngadimi), sisters (Sumiati, Suyanti, Sunarti), brother

(Sukamto, S.Km., M.Kes.,), and beloved (M. Ali Subhan Harahap, Amd.,). I warmly

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Finally, the researcher admit that this thesis is still far from being perfect so any

constructive ideas and critics to improve this thesis are warmly welcomed. She hopes this

thesis will always be beneficial for the readers.

Medan, June 2016

The writer

SUTARSIH

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ABSTRACT

Sutarsih. Registration Number: 8116112016. The Effect of Teaching Strategies and Learning Styles on Students’ Achievement in Reading Comprehension. A Thesis. English Applied Linguistic Program. State University of Medan, June 2016.

The objectives of this experimental research were to find out whether: 1) students’ achievement in reading comprehension taught by using Advance Organizer Strategy was higher than taught by using Question-Answer Relationship Strategy, 2) students’ achievement in reading comprehension with visual style was better than that students with auditory style, 3) there was interaction between teaching strategies and learning styles on students’ achievement in reading comprehension.The population of this research was the students in grade VII of SMP Nurul Islam Indonesia Baru Medan in 2013/2014 school year. The total number of population of thisresearch was 154 students. There were 4 classes and two classes were choosen as sample. The two classes consist of 35 students,so 70 students were selected as sample of this research by applying cluster random sampling. The research design was experimental research by using factorial design 2x2. The VII-1 was taught by using Advance Organizer and VII-4 was taught by using Question-Answer Relationship Strategy. The questioner was administrated for classifying the students upon the visual and

auditory learning style. Students’ achievement in reading comprehension text was measure by

using reading comprehension test. The data were analyzed by applying two-way analysis of varience (ANOVA) at the level of significance α = 0.05. The result of the data analysis

proved that; 1) students’ achievement in reading comprehension taught by using Advance

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v ABSTRAK

Sutarsih. NIM: 8116112016. Pengaruh Strategi Mengajar dan Gaya Belajar Siswa terhadap Hasil Belajar Siswa dalam Membaca. Tesis. Universitas Negeri Medan, Juni 2016.

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CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS

5.1 Conclusions ...94

5.2 Implications ...95

5.3 Suggestions ... ...96

References... 98

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LIST OF FIGURES

Pages

Figure 2.2 Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) Classroom Poster ...34

Figure 4.1 Bar chart on Achievement in Reading Comprehension of Students

Taught by Using Advance Organizer Strategy ...73

Figure 4.2 Bar chart on Achievement in Reading Comprehension of Students

Taught by Using Question-Answer Relationship Strategy ...75

Figure 4.5 Bar chart on Achievement in Reading Comprehension of Students Taught by Using Advance Organizer Strategy with Visual Learning

Styles...77

Figure 4.6 Bar chart on Achievement in Reading Comprehension of Students Taught by Using Advance Organizer Strategy with Auditory Learning

Styles...79

Figure 4.7 Bar chart on Achievement in Reading Comprehension of Students Taught by Using Question-Answer Relationship Strategy with Visual

Learning Styles ...81

Figure 4.8 Bar chart on Achievement in Reading Comprehension of Students Taught by Using Question-Answer Relationship Strategy with

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Background of the Study

Reading comprehension is a good way to develop and understand English.

However, most of the students still find reading comprehension difficult even though they

have done it for many years. They do not know how to comprehend a text and get some

information from the text. Consequently, the students become slow down and bored.

Therefore, reading comprehension is in fact not as easy as some people think. Most

people read a text without comprehending on how they do it since assume reading

comprehension is not very important. For them, reading comprehension is a task of little

concern. So, it is a problem for the teacher in teaching reading in the classroom.

In teaching reading, most students cannot comprehend English text well. There

are some factors why they cannot comprehend the text. There are students who do not

have good motivation to read because the text is not interesting, they believe that when

comprehending the text, they must comprehend every word in the text, so they keep on

looking up the words in a dictionary to find out the meaning of the words, and they have

every limited techniques and strategies in reading. It means that inability of students in

reading comprehension is influenced by some factors. These factors make them feel bore

and uninterested in reading comprehension.

Teaching English in junior High School is aimed at enabling the students to

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words by their English. They are expected to be able to use English communicatively in

their daily life.

In reality many students do not like to learn English. Students who want to learn a

language, especially English, have great number of reason for doing something. And also

most of students learn English to follow the curriculum only. Generally they have not

motivation to learn it. That’s why the quality of students in English is still lower and it

would be important to consider the students’ learning style and teaching strategies in

English learning.

Comprehension is the essential goal of reading, because without good

comprehension, reading doesn’t provide with reader with any information and without

comprehension reading is nothing more than tracking symbol and fact, the knowledge

will not be reached by students if they lack of comprehending a text. It is because the

reading is not only as the process of communication between the reader and the writer

through written symbol in the text but also as an activity which must enable the students

as the readers to grasp the information implied in the text by activating their thinking

process so that the reading comprehension is earned.

In fact, the significance of reading comprehension is really realized by government

so that in the state- examination (UN), the government inserts some questions which are

based on reading comprehension activities from text. Even, the reading comprehension

takes dominant point among the other kinds of questions starting from number sixteen

until forty.

Those all the effort done by government expects that students will read many texts

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students about how to gather knowledge from a text. This activity must be started from

the daily teaching- learning process. So in hope, the students will not have difficulties in

comprehending the text when they are in national examination.

The reality is that there are so many students who are able to read out loud some texts

in the class with the appropriate pronunciation but they do not know what they are

reading about. It is because they do not apply the way they use when reading in their

native language to reading in foreign language they are learning. They just spent their

time to earn the meaning word by word, then consult the unknown vocabularies, continue

with the meaning of each sentences (Mc.Neil,1992). Actually, what it is done by them

just touch the linguistic knowledge. This is actually the phenomenon teacher faced in the

class included in SMP Nurul Islam Indonesia Baru. The phenomenon is seen in the table:

Table 1.1

The Mean of the Students’ Score in English Subject on UN Examination at SMP Nurul Islam Indonesia Baru

No. Academic Year _{Lowest Score}Students’ Score _{Highest Score}

1. 2010 6,20 8,40

2. 2011 7,20 9,00

3. 2012 6,40 9,60

s

The result shown by the table above indicates that the students’ achievement in

reading comprehension is still low. From 2010 to 2011, the score of English subject

is 6,40 in 2012 academic year. The lowness of students’ achievement in comprehending a

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reader variable, refers to everything related to the readers that includes cognitive ability

and strategy, background knowledge, and affective characteristics such as willingness,

motivation, interest, curiosity, and learning style. External factors, called text variable,

content variable, and writer variable, refer to all factors external to the reader. It is

includes teachers, environment, materials, strategy and other factors.

The harmonious of interaction between internal and external factors that affecting

reading comprehension achievement will lead the readers to interaction conception

regarded meaning as a product of the information encoded in text and the knowledge and

experience of the reader.

Due to the concept above, there are two teaching strategies which encounter

interactive perspective of students’ achievement in reading comprehension, namely

Advance Organizer strategy and Question-Answer Relationship strategy.

The advance organizer is chosen as the strategy used in this research because it is so

challenging and meaningful in learning by touching some concern in reading a text such

as how knowledge is organized, how the mind works to process new material with the

previous one. It emerges as a proof that reading is not passive activity because there are

some processes happened when one is reading a text. While, Question-Answer

Relationship is a teacher-centered strategy. It designed to teach students how to

distinguish questions with answers that are found “in the book” and questions with

answer found “in my head”. Raphael (1986), research with QAR has proven that when

students are taught to use the strategy their ability to answer questions correctly improves.

Raphael also found that through QAR, students developed a language for talking about

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Guthrie (2004:56) in Alben asserts that there must be serious attention from the

intructor to see the personal behavior of the learners to read to activate their motivation.

One of the personal behaviors of learners are named learning style. There are some kinds

of learning styles, two of them are visual and auditory learning style. Visual tends to learn

through seeing such pictures, symbols, etc. While auditory learner tends to listen to the

lecture then take notes afterwards or rely on printed notes.

Basically, every students has their own ways in learning something. Especially in

teaching learning process. The way they know their way in understanding will imply to

the result of their learning.

Based on the explanation above, it is believed that teaching strategies and learning

styles significantly affect reading comprehension achievement of students. That is why in

this research, Advance Organizer and Question-Answer Relationship strategies will be

assosiated with students who have different learning style.

1.2 The Problems of the Study

With reference to the background of the study, so the research problems

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1. Is the achievement in reading comprehension of the students taught by using

Advance Organizer strategy higher than that of the students taught by using

Question-Answer Relationship strategy?

2. Is the achievement in reading comprehension of the students who have visual

learning style better than those who have auditory learning style?

3. Is there any interaction between teaching strategies and learning styles to students’

achievement in reading comprehension?

1.3 The objectives of the Study

Related to the research problem specified before, this study attempts to find out

whether:

1. The achievement in reading comprehension of the students taught by using

advance organizer strategy is higher than that of the students taught by using

Question-Answer Relationship Strategy.

2. The achievement in reading comprehension of the students who have visual

learning style better than those who have auditory learning style

3. There is any interaction between teaching strategies and learning styles to

students’ achievement in reading comprehension.

1.4 The Scope of the Study

There are many strategies used by the teachers in teaching reading comprehension

to improve students’ achievement. In this study, the researcher restricts the study to two

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Relationship). Dealing with strategieswill be used, the researcher also limits reading

materials. The students, in this study will be given descriptive and recount texts will be

taken from UN which consist literal, inferential, and evaluation questions.

Besides, the researcher will be identified the students’ learning style. The

learning styles that will be identified by the researcher are visual and auditory. This

learning style is acquired by the human since they were born to the world. That’s way the

measurement of learning styles will be done before the treatment of both strategies

(Advance Organizer and QARs) will be implemented to the students. By knowing the

students’ learning style, it is expected that this research will give clear description on the

effect of teaching strategies and learning style in students’ achievement in reading

comprehension.

1.5 The Significance of the Study

The research findings are expected to be useful for the development of theory and

practice, especially in the focus to improve the students’ reading comprehension.

Theoretically, it can add valuable finding in the area of teaching reading and give positive

contribution for teachers of English in overcoming the students’ problem in reading

comprehension. Students can use the strategies in developing their reading

comprehension and English teachers as giving contribution to improve their ability in

reading comprehension..

Practically, teacher may decide the best strategies and students take benefit being

taught. It is also expected that this thesis will give contribution for those who are

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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS

1.1 Conclusions

Based on the research findings and discussion, it can be concluded that:

1. The students’ achievement in reading comprehension taught by using Advance

Organizer strategy is higher than of the students taught by using

Question-Answer Relationship strategy.

2. The students’ achievement in reading comprehension who have visual learning

style is better than those who have auditory learning style.

3. There is significant interaction between teaching strategies and learning styles to

students’ achievement in reading comprehension. There is an interaction

between Advance Organizer and Question-Answer Relationship strategies and

learning styles to students’ achievement in reading comprehension. Students

who have visual learning style showed significant effect on reading

comprhension, if they were taught by using Advance Organizer strategy.

Whereas students who have auditory learning style showed significant effect in

their reading comprehension, if they were taught by using Question-Answer

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1.2 Implications

The finding of this study gives implication to the English teacher and the students

who want to improve their achievement in reading comprehension. This study has tested

reading comprehension teaching strategies; they are Advance Organizer and

Question-Answer Relationship. They are applied on visual and auditory learning styles in

order to know which strategies are suitable for them in improving the students’

achievement in reading comprehension.

The first findings of this research reveals that the students taught by using

Advance Organizer strategy is higher than that of the students taught by using

Question-Anwer Relationship strategy. Thus, implies that English teachers to apply

Advance Organizer and Question-Answer Relationship strategies because it designed for

students to add their reading comprehension. English teacher can use various teaching in

order to enhance the students’ reading comprehension since the successful of reading

influenced by many factors.

Second findings of this research reveals that the achievement in reading

comprehension of the students who have visual learning style is better than those who

have auditory learning style. It gives the implication to the English teachers that they

should be aware of their students’ learning styles. The identification of students’ learning

styles can be a positive step in achieving learning goal. Understanding that students have

different learning styles is the key to success of the teaching since the teacher decide

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Finally, the third research finding of this study if there is significant interaction

between teaching strategies and students’ learning styles in students’ achievement in

reaing comprehension. It leads to the implication that teaching strategies that applied by

teachers should relate to students learning styles. By knowing the students’ learning

styles, which is divided into visual and auditory learning styles, the teachers can help

their students overcome their problem in teaching learning process. English teachers are

suggested using Advance Organizer strategy for students who have visual learning style

in order to improve ttheir achievement in reading comprehension. For students who have

auditory learning style, English teacher are suggested using Qustion-Answer

Relationship.

1.3 Suggestions

In connection to the conclusions, there are some suggestions staged as the

following:

1. English teachers are recomended using Advance Organizer and Question-Answer

Relationship strategies in teaching reading comprehension since these two strategies

can improve students’ achievement in reading comprehension.

2. For class dominated by visual learning style students, English teachers are

recomended using Advance Organizer strategy. For class by auditory learning style

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3. English teachers should encourage auditory learning style students to participate in

study English in order to get better achievement in reading comprehension.

4. Other researcher can develop further study in the area of Advance Organizer and

Question-Answer Relationship strategies that will improve students achievement in

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THE EFFECT OF TEACHING STRATEGIES AND LEARNING STYLES ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN READING COMPREHENSION.