THE MASTERY OF PREPOSITIONSAT, IN, ANDONAMONG THE FIFTH SEMESTER STUDENTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION
STUDY PROGRAM OF SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain theSarjana PendidikanDegree
in English Language Education
By
Nancy Paula Herin Student Number: 051214156
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
i
THE MASTERY OF PREPOSITIONSAT, IN, ANDONAMONG THE FIFTH SEMESTER STUDENTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION
STUDY PROGRAM OF SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain theSarjana PendidikanDegree
in English Language Education
By
Nancy Paula Herin Student Number: 051214156
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
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“I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”
(Philippians 4: 13)
“When the door of happiness closes, another opens;
but often times we look so long at the
closed door that we don't see the one
which has been opened for us.”
“Life is not measured by
the number of breaths we take;
but by the moments that take our breath
away.”
I dedicate this thesis to
My Almighty God, Jesus Christ,
My beloved parents, sister, and brothers,
and
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STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declared that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and references, as a scientific paper should.
Yogyakarta, March 20, 2010 The Writer
vi
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama : Nancy Paula Herin
Nomor Mahasiswa : 051214156
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
THE MASTERY OF PREPOSITIONS AT, IN, AND ON AMONG THE
FIFTH SEMESTER STUDENTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM OF SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal: 20 Maret 2010 Yang menyatakan
vii ABSTRACT
Herin, Nancy Paula. 2010.The Mastery of Prepositions at, in, and on among the Fifth Semester Students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.
Grammar is one important element in learning English language. There are so many topics of English grammar which should be mastered by the students of the English Language Education Study Program, one of which is the English preposition. However, there are still many students of this study program who are confused about the uses of English prepositionsat,in, andonindicating time and place. They often make mistakes in using these prepositions. In fact, as English teacher candidates who will teach English and will be the role model to their students in the future time, it is important for the students of the English Language Education Study Program to have good understanding about these prepositions as the basic knowledge of English. Since English prepositions at, in, and on are essential to be mastered, it is important to investigate the students’ ability in using those prepositions through research.
This research was a survey research which investigates the mastery of English prepositions at, in, and on among the fifth semester students of the English language Education Study Program. There are two problems which are discussed in this research, namely (1) How well have the fifth semester students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University mastered prepositions at, in, and on? and (2) What are the possible factors which cause the students’ errors in using prepositionsat, in, and on? In order to answer the first research question, the researcher administered a test to two classes of the fifth semester students in the academic year of 2009/ 2010. Meanwhile, in order to answer the second research question, the researcher made a data triangulation from two research instruments, namely a questionnaire and an interview. To select the sample of the test and the questionnaire, the cluster sampling method was used in this research.
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which is 56% of the maximum score as the lower margin to pass with grade C or ‘sufficient.’
Based on the research results which were obtained by distributing the questionnaire and interviewing some students, it was discovered that there were several possible factors which cause the students’ errors in using prepositions at, in, and on. Those possible factors were divided into two, namely the internal factors and the external factors. The internal factors consist of the students’ perception of prepositions at, in, and on indicating time and place, the students’ motivation to learn prepositions at, in, and on, the students’ actions when they find difficulty in using prepositionsat,in, andon,and the students’ considerations underlying their choice of using prepositions at, in, and on. Meanwhile, the external factors consist of the influence of Indonesian language as the mother tongue, the feedback on the students’ performance in using prepositionsat, in, and
on, and the availability of the explicit learning about English prepositions.
There were several suggestions which were proposed based on the results of the research. The first suggestion was to the lecturers of the English Language Education Study Program. They were recommended to provide clear explanations about the concept of prepositionsat, in,andonto the students so that the students would not be confused about the uses of these prepositions. The second suggestion was to the students of the English Language Education Study Program. They were suggested to be proactive to increase their understanding about the uses of prepositions at, in, and on by reading several grammar books which discuss about prepositions at, in, and on. The last suggestion was to future researchers. They could improve the study by using other methods or research instruments. They could also conduct a further research as the follow up study of this research to investigate the students’ mastery in using prepositions at, in, and
ix ABSTRAK
Herin, Nancy Paula. 2010.The Mastery of Prepositions at, in, and on among the Fifth Semester Students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Tata bahasa adalah salah satu unsur penting dalam mempelajari Bahasa Inggris. Ada begitu banyak kemampuan mengenai tata bahasa yang harus dikuasai oleh mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, salah satunya adalah kata depan dalam Bahasa Inggris. Akan tetapi, banyak mahasiswa dari Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris yang masih bingung dengan penggunaan kata depan
at, in, dan on yang menjelaskan tempat dan waktu. Mereka masih sering melakukan kesalahan dalam menggunakan kata-kata depan ini. Kenyataannya, sebagai calon guru yang akan mengajar Bahasa Inggris dan menjadi teladan bagi para siswa di masa mendatang, sangatlah penting bagi mereka untuk memiliki pemahaman yang baik terhadap kata-kata depan ini sebagai pengetahuan Bahasa Inggris yang mendasar. Karena kata depan at, in, dan on sangat penting untuk dikuasai, maka mengukur kemampuan para mahasiswa dalam menggunakan kata-kata depan tersebut melalui kegiatan penelitian menjadi sangat penting untuk dilakukan.
Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian survei yang menitikberatkan pada pengukuran penguasaan kata depan at,in, danondi antara mahasiswa semester lima Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma. Ada dua permasalahan yang dibahas dalam penelitian ini, yaitu: (1) seberapa baikkah para mahasiswa semester lima Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma telah menguasai kata depanat,in, danon? dan (2) apa saja faktor-faktor yang memungkinkan para mahasiswa melakukan kesalahan dalam menggunakan kata depanat, in, danon? Untuk menjawab pertanyaan nomor satu, peneliti mengadakan sebuah tes yang ditujukan pada dua kelas dari mahasiswa semester lima tahun akademik 2009/ 2010. Sedangkan untuk menjawab pertanyaan nomor dua, peneliti membuat triangulasi data berdasarkan dua buah instrumen penelitian, yaitu kuesioner dan interview. Untuk memilih sample yang dapat mewakili seluruh target penelitian, peneliti menggunakan metode cluster sampling.
Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, penulis menemukan bahwa penguasaan kata depan
x
pada Peraturan Akademik Universitas Sanata Dharma. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa nilai rerata mahasiswa adalah 59.4. Hasil ini berada di atas standar minimal penguasaan materi, yaitu 56% dari nilai maksimal yang juga merupakan batas bawah untuk lulus dengan nilai C atau ‘cukup’.
Berdasarkan hasil penelitian yang diperoleh dengan membagikan kuesioner dan melakukan interview terhadap beberapa mahasiswa, peneliti menemukan bahwa ada beberapa faktor yang memungkinkan para mahasiswa melakukan kesalahan dalam menggunakan kata depan at, in, dan on. Faktor-faktor tersebut dibagi ke dalam dua bagian, yaitu faktor-faktor internal dan fakor-faktor eksternal. Faktor-faktor internal terdiri dari persepsi mahasiswa terhadap kata depan at,in, dan on
yang menjelaskan tempat dan waktu, motivasi mahasiswa untuk mempelajari kata depan at, in, dan on, usaha yang dilakukan oleh mahasiswa ketika menemui kesulitan dalam menggunakan kata depan at, in, dan on, dan pertimbangan mereka ketika memilih untuk menggunakan kata depanat, in,danon. Sedangkan, faktor-faktor eksternal terdiri dari pengaruh Bahasa Indonesia sebagai bahasa ibu,
feedback terhadap penggunaan kata depan at, in, dan on oleh mahasiswa, dan ketersediaan materi pembelajaran yang secara eksplisit mempelajari tentang kata-kata depan dalam Bahasa Inggris.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my Almighty God, Jesus Christ,for caring about me and giving me much love and blessings so that I could see that HE is more than enough for me.
I am greatly indebted to my sponsor,Made Frida Yulia, S.Pd., M.Pd., for all her great patience, valuable time, feedback and guidance during the process of
finishing this thesis. Her advice and suggestions along the process of writing this
thesis were really helpful for me.
My special gratitude and appreciation goes to my beloved and wonderful
family, my father Elias Ileatan Herin, my mother Theresia Chaterine Lintje Sundah, my sister Tanti, and my brothers Paulino and Ignas for their endless cares, prayers and love. I thank them for not being tired to give me support and
motivation in finishing this thesis and my study as well.
I would like to sincerely thank Fidelis Chosa Kastuhandani, S.Pd. and Dionisius Sasmoyo Hermawan, S.Pd., as the lecturers of the Translation 1 class for the opportunity which was given to me to administer the test in their classes. I
would also thank all the fifth semester students of Translation 1 classes of
2009/2010, for their willingness to be my respondents and giving me valuable
information for the sake of this thesis.
I owe a great debt to all lecturers of the English Language Education Study
Program of Sanata Dharma University for guiding me during my study. I thank
xii
also thank Laurentia Sumarni, S.Pd.and Dr. Retno Muljani, M.Pd. for being my academic advisors in this study program. My gratitude also goes to Mbak
DhanniekandMbakTarifor all their help during my study.
I would like to express my appreciation to all my friends in PILLAR
English Course,Topik,Eska,Epha,Nope,Tari, andGaluh. I really thank them for the supports and assistance that they had given to me when I was in a big
trouble. I would also like to express my gratitude to all my friends in SPRING
English Course (Taju, Frida, Fandi, Andre, Koko, Thomas, and Yason) for their cooperation and hard work during the process of passing SPD class.
My special thankfulness is administered toBu Rita Pakpahan, PakEvan, Pak Im, Bu Novi, and Pak Budi for the love, advice, and cares that they had
given to me as my priests. I thank them for showing me the right way to meet The
Truth and The Life. I would also thank my brothers and sisters in GEREJA
TAKHTA YESUS YOGYAKARTA, Bu Dwi, Bu Dyah, Kak Olla, Kak Rike,
Neneng,Nuel,Yoyoand those whose names cannot be mentioned one by one. I would also like to express my special thanks to my friends in PMK
EFATA, especially Mbak Silvi, Wahyu, and Ria who have been my sisters in
God. I thank them for the love, laugh, and joy that they have shared with me. My
special thanks also go to my boarding house friends in SWA 3D, especially
Indah,Redi, Reta,Arum “Mui”,Hanna, and Taju. I really thank them for the unforgettable moments that we have all along. May God bless them all.
xiii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE………..
APPROVAL PAGES………..
DEDICATION PAGE ………
STATEMENT OF WORK'S ORIGINALITY ………...
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS………...
F. Definitions of Terms ………
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE………
A. Theoretical Description ………
1. Prepositionsat,in, andon……….……… a. Prepositionsat, in, and onas Prepositions of Place……….. 1) Preposition of Placeat……… 2) Preposition of Placein……… 3) Preposition of Placeon………... b. Prepositions at, in, and on as Prepositions of Time………...
xiv
1) Preposition of Timeat………
2) Preposition of Timein………
3) Preposition of Timeon………... c. Potential Problems in Mastering Prepositionsat,in, andon…………. 1) at,in, andonas Prepositions of Place……… 2) at,in, andonas Prepositions of Time……… 2. Indonesian Prepositionsdi,pada,dalamanddi atas………... a. Indonesian Prepositiondi……….. b. Indonesian Prepositionpada………. c. Indonesian Prepositiondalam………... d. Indonesian Prepositiondi atas……….. 3. Affective Filter Hypotheses………...
4. Feedback………
5. Errors in Language Learning…….………....
a. Definition………...
b. The Causes of Errors……….
c. The Importance of Studying Errors………...
6. The Mastery of Language………..
a. Definition………...
b. The Criteria of Mastery……….
B. Theoretical Framework ………
a. Validity of the Test………
b. Reliability of the Test………
xv
D. Data Gathering Technique ………
E. Data Analysis Technique ………..
F. Research Procedure ………..
CHAPTER IV. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION………….
A. The Students’ Mastery of Prepositions at, in, and on………
1. Data Presentation………...
a. The Students’ Achievements in Each Part of the Test………...
b. The Students’ Achievement in the Whole Part of the Test…………...
2. Discussion………..
a. Students’ Mastery of Prepositionatindicating Place………... b. Students’ Mastery of Prepositionatindicating Time……… c. Students’ Mastery of Prepositioninindicating Place………... d. Students’ Mastery of Prepositioninindicating Time……… e. Students’ Mastery of Prepositiononindicating Place………... f. Students’ Mastery of Prepositiononindicating Time………... B. The Possible Factors Which Cause the Students’ Errors in Using
Prepositionsat,in, andon………. 1. Data Presentation………...
a. Data Presentation based on the Questionnaire………..
b. Data Presentation based on the Interview………
2. Discussion………..
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS………..
A. Conclusions ………..
1. The Fifth Semester Students’ Mastery of Prepositionsat,in, andon... 2. The Possible Factors Which Cause the Students’ Errors in Using
xvi LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1. The Relations of Meaning between Some Prominent
Prepositions of Place………
Table 3.1. The Coding of Interviewees’ Names………...
Table 3.2. The Distribution of the Test Items………..
Table 3.3. Best’s Reliability Classification……….
Table 3.4. The Raw Scores and Their Meanings……….
Table 3.5. The Scores and Their Meanings………..
Table 4.1. The Students’ Scores in Part A of the Test………...
Table 4.2. The Students’ Scores in Part B of the Test……..………
Table 4.3. The Students’ Final Scores in the Test…….………
Table 4.4. The Students’ Scores in Relation to the
Category………
Table 4.5. The Students’ Mastery of PrepositionatIndicating Place Table 4.6. The Students’ Mastery of PrepositionatIndicating Time Table 4.7. The Students’ Mastery of Prepositionat……… Table 4.8. The Students’ Mastery of PrepositioninIndicating Place Table 4.9. The Students’ Mastery of PrepositioninIndicating Time Table 4.10. The Students’ Mastery of Prepositionin………. Table 4.11. The Students’ Mastery of PrepositiononIndicating Place Table 4.12. The Students’ Mastery of PrepositiononIndicating Time Table 4.13. The Students’ Mastery of Preposition on………
xvii LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1 Surat Permohonan Ijin Penelitian……….. APPENDIX 2 The Blueprint of the Test ………..
APPENDIX 3 The Blueprint of the Questionnaire………
APPENDIX 4 The Blueprint of Interview Guide………
APPENDIX 5 The Key for the Test……….……….
APPENDIX 6 The Sample of the Students’ Test Sheets.…………
APPENDIX 7 The Students’ Test Scores………..
APPENDIX 8 The Questionnaire Results...………
APPENDIX 9 The Raw Data of Interview………..
APPENDIX 10 The Sample of the Students’ Questionnaire Sheet
Page
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1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the introduction of the study, which consists of six parts. The first part is background of the research, which deals with the reasons underlying the choice of prepositionsat, in,andonas the subject of the study. The second part is problem formulation, in which the researcher formulates the questions to be answered in this study. The third part is problem limitation, which functions as the boundary to limit the scope and the focus of the research. The fourth part presents the objectives of the research. The fifth part is research benefits, which elaborates what the benefits of conducting this study are. This part also identifies who will obtain the benefits of the study. The last part is definition of terms, in which the researcher provides the definitions of the key words or phrases specifically used in the study.
A. Research Background
normally consist of at least one preposition”. Based on this fact, the researcher assures that the use of preposition is essential to support English acquisition.
In learning English as a second or foreign language, language transfer usually happens. The language transfer occurs when the learners translate the first language into the target language word by word. In Indonesian, prepositionsat, in, and on are usually translated into di, pada, di dalam and di atas. Learning those prepositions is not easy for Indonesian learners. It is possible for the learners to find difficulty when they try to translate or to apply Indonesian prepositions di, pada, di dalam and di atas into English. It is also possible that the learners are confused in choosing the right preposition among prepositions at, in, and on to make a good sentence since in Indonesian, the meanings of those prepositions are almost the same.
This research emphasizes the measurement of the mastery of prepositions at, in, and on among the fifth semester students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University. As teacher candidates, it is required that the students of the English Language Education Study Program master English grammar since it plays an important role in acquiring English as the second or foreign language. According to Fromkin and Rodman (1978: 13), in order to understand the nature of a language, we must understand the nature of internalized, unconscious set of rules, which is part of every grammar of every language. Lado (1964: 90) also says, “anyone using a language must use its grammar, mere words without grammar do not constitute a language.” Thus, acquiring English grammar is important for the students of the English Language Education Study Program, because when they become teachers, their mastery of English grammar will help them to explain the learning material clearly and correctly to their students.
researcher realized that there are many students of the English Language Education Study Program who are still confused about the uses and the differences among those three prepositions. These examples has opened the researcher’s mind to concern about the mastery of prepositions at, in, and on among the students of the English Language Education Study Program and to find the possible factors which cause the errors in using those prepositions.
B. Problem Formulation
The research problems of this study are formulated as follows.
1. How well have the fifth semester students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University mastered prepositionsat, in, andon? 2. What are the possible factors which cause the students’ errors in using prepositionsat, in, andon?
C. Problem Limitation
The study is focused on two main points. The first is the fifth semester students’ mastery on prepositions at, in, and on; and the second is the possible factors which cause the students’ errors in using prepositions at, in, and on. The researcher thinks the fifth semester students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University are qualified to be the participants of this research because they are the students who have taken some courses related to English grammar comprehension. As an example, since most of them have taken Structure I to Structure V class, the researcher thinks that they are qualified to be assessed whether they have mastered prepositionsat, in, andon.
D. Research Objectives
This research is conducted to reach the following objectives:
1. To find out the mastery of prepositionsat, in, andonamong the fifth semester students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University.
2. To find out the possible factors which cause the students’ errors in using prepositionsat, in, andon.
E. Research Benefits
1. The students of the English Language Education Study Program
This research helps them to improve their understanding about English prepositions at, in, and on indicating place and time so that they will not be confused in choosing the correct preposition among those three prepositions and will obtain a good achievement in using English as their second or foreign language. Besides, this research shows them the mastery level of prepositions at, in,andonamong the students of the English Language Education Study Program. Hopefully, by seeing the findings related to their mastery on those prepositions, the students would be more aware of their mastery in using these prepositions so that they could encourage themselves to improve their understanding on those three prepositions well.
2. The lecturers of the English Language Education Study Program
This research gives a picture to the lecturers of this study program about the mastery of prepositions at, in, and on among their students, especially the fifth semester students. It also helps the lecturers to know the students’ difficulties in learning prepositionsat, in, andon. As a result, the lecturers are likely encouraged to teach and to help the students in overcoming the difficulties which they face in using these prepositions.
3. Future researchers
researcher also hopes that this research could inspire them to conduct further research, which could be the enrichment of the existing research and could also be a good contribution for the English language education field.
4. Readers of this thesis
This research provides the information about the mastery of prepositionsat, in,and onamong the fifth semester students’ of the English Language Education Study Program. It also elaborates information about the possible causes of the students’ errors in using those three prepositions. Besides, this research provides more knowledge about prepositionsat, in, andonindicating time and place so that the readers could enrich their knowledge about those three prepositions well.
F. Definition of Terms
The following part is the explanation of terms which are used in this study. The purpose is to avoid misunderstanding in interpreting the important terms. The terms and their definitions are explained as follows.
1. Mastery
language when he has mastered the sound system, that is, when he can understand the stream of speech and achieve an understandable production of it within a limited vocabulary. Secondly, a person has ‘learned’ a foreign language when he made the structural devices, that is, the basic arrangements of utterances as a matter of automatic habit. From the definitions of the term “mastery” above, the researcher concludes that the word “mastery” used in this study refers to the ability to recognize and to attach. In this study, someone is considered to have a good mastery of English prepositions at, in, and on when he or she is able to identify the form of those prepositions (to recognize) and to use them correctly in the sentences (to attach).
2. Preposition
A preposition is a word that connects a noun or pronoun with a verb, adjective, or another noun or pronoun by indicating a relationship between the things for which they stand (Barnes & Noble, 1994: 19). According to Hornby (2000: 1037), preposition means “a word or group of words that used before a noun or pronoun to show place, position, time, or method.” Curme (1966: 27) also states that preposition is “a word or a group of words which is often placed before a noun or pronoun to indicate place and time.”
prepositions, which are commonly-used in learning English. Those prepositions areat, in, andon.
In this study, prepositions at, in, and on are the prepositions, which are commonly-used to indicate time and place. Corder (1979: 107) states that to indicate place, preposition at is used to show the exact points, preposition in is used within a larger area and is consequently used with bigger towns, valleys, and countries, whereas according to Close (1962: 150), preposition on is used to indicate position on a surface partially or entirely. Another linguist, Murphy (2001: 240), states that to indicate time, prepositionatis used to denote a point in time or the time of day; preposition in is used for longer periods, for example months, years, and seasons; meanwhile prepositiononis used for days and dates.
3. Error
According to Dulay, Burt and Krashen (1982: 139), the term error means “the flawed side of learner speech or writing. It is part of conversation or composition that deviates from some selected norm of mature language performance.” Corder (1967) in Dulay et al. (1982: 139) states that error means
systematic deviations due to learners’ still-developing knowledge of the second language rule system…. The term of errors will refer to any deviation from a selected norm of language performance, no matter what the characteristics or causes of the deviation might be.
10 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter consists of two main parts. The first part of this chapter discusses the theories related to the study, which is elaborated in Theoretical Description. The second part of this chapter is Theoretical Framework. All major relevant theories, which will help the writer to solve the research problems, are summarized and synthesized in this section.
A. Theoretical Description
In the first part of this section, the writer discusses prepositions at, in, and on, including the uses of these prepositions in sentences. The second part discusses Indonesian prepositions di, pada, dalam, and di atas. The third part consists of the discussion of Krashen’s theory of Affective Filter. The fourth part focuses on theory of feedback, meanwhile in part five, the researcher provides theories of error in language learning. Finally, in the last part, the writer discusses a brief review on English language mastery.
1. Prepositionsat, in,andon
which is used frequently. However, some prepositions are in certain grammatical relations. Therefore, they are perfectly rigid and cannot be replaced by others with the same or similar meaning.
R.A. Close (1962: 141) states that prepositions express a relationship in space between one thing and another, and relationship in time between events. There are many kinds of prepositions in English related to place and time, and the meanings of those are different. Preposition of place as a part of language system has a certain function. Its function is to indicate direction or location of the following noun. Those prepositions of place indicate:
a. something with no dimension or unspecified dimension: A POINT b. something with one dimension: A LINE
c. something with two dimensions: A SURFACE (having an area) d. something with three dimensions: A SPACE (having volume)
a. Prepositionsat, in, and onas Prepositions of Place
Prepositional phrases of place are typically either adjuncts, which relate an event or state of affairs to a location, or post modifiers, which relate some ‘objects’ to a location. They may also act as obligatory ‘predicative’ adjuncts following the verbbe, as inMaggy is in the kitchen(Quirk et al., 1972: 308).
Table 2.1 Relations of Meaning between Some Prominent Prepositions of Place (Quirk et al., 1972: 307)
Picture Position Dimension
O X
At Dimension type 0 (point)
O___
On Dimension type1/2 (line or surface) In Dimension type
2/3 (area or volume)
In Table 2.1, it could be seen that prepositions of place at, in, and on are specified into several group types. The first type is called dimension type 0. It is explained further that this type of preposition is related to something described as a dimensionless location. It is a vague “point on the map” which has no details concerning its shape or size comes into focus. The example is the prepositionatin the phraseat the bus stop.
The second type is dimension type 1/2. It is explained that these prepositions are related to something as a two dimensional thing, which is a surface. The example is the preposition on in the phraseon the wall. Preposition
onin this phrase can indicate location of either one or two dimensions (a line or a surface). The third type is dimension type 2/3. The prepositions of this type are related to the phrase which is seen as a three dimensional object, or in other words, as object having a volume, for example, prepositioninin the phrase in the room. Preposition in can also be applied to two-dimensional locations, which are seen as “areas”. Quirk et al. (1972) also mention that the contrast between on (surface) and in (area) has various implications in accordance with the context as seen in the examples number (1) to (4).
(1) The frost made pattern on the window.
The word “window” in example (1) refers to the glass surface. (2) I saw my face in the window.
The word “window” in example (2) refers to the framed area. (3) The boys were playing football on the field.
The word “field” in example (3) refers to the surface for sports. (4) Cows were gazing in the field.
The word “field” in example (4) refers to the enclosed area of land.
building in its institutional or functional aspect, whereas in refers to it as a three dimensional structure. Below are further explanations of prepositions at, in, and onindicating place.
1) Preposition of Placeat
According to Corder (1979: 170-178), the function of preposition of placeat is to show an exact point. Close (1962: 142-143) states that the other function of prepositionatis to show the same position without specifying dimension. In other words, he says that the preposition of place at has the idea of stationary relationship with an unspecified dimension. There are many uses of preposition of place at according to its functions. Murphy (2001: 244) gives some examples of the uses of prepositionatwhich are used to indicate exact points. Preposition atis used when someone is at an event or exact time, as in She met the headmaster at the conference.This preposition is also used to show an exact place or location, as seen in We went to a concert at the Royal Festival Hall. Preposition at is used when a town or village is a point on a journey, as in This train stops at Nottingham.
2) Preposition of Placein
The preposition of placeinis to indicate that a certain object occupies some or all the space of the place where the object exists (Close, 1962: 141). The preposition of place in has an idea of within a geographical location such as towns, valleys, and countries (Corder, 1979: 107). Murphy (2001: 244) gives examples of the uses of prepositioninindicating place in sentences (5) to (8). (5) There is no one in the room/ in the building/ in the garden.
(6) Look at those people swimming in the pool/ in the sea/ in the river. (7) What have you got in your hand/ in your mouth?
(8) She is in a queue/ in a row to the ticket window. 3) Preposition of Placeon
According to Close (1962: 142), the preposition of place on is used in relation with a line (one dimension), as in sentencesI am on my way homeandWe are on the motorway. This preposition is also used to indicate location on a surface (two dimensions), for example in the sentence I hang that picture on the wall.The uses of prepositiononindicating place in sentences are as follows. (9) Don’t sit on the floor.
(10) There is a dirty mark on the ceiling/ on the door/ on the wall. (11) My family made a picture on a beach.
(12) She wrote her comment on a paper.
a. as idiomatic expression with preposition of place on, such as on the left/ on the right (oron the left-hand side), on the ground floor, on the first floor, on a list, for exampleHer flat is on the second floor of that building.
b. to indicate location on a small area, for exampleJack spent all his holiday on a small island.
c. to indicate enclosure in a geographical map, such ason the coast, on a river, on a road, for exampleLondon is on the River Thames.
b. Prepositionsat, in,andonas Prepositions of Time
There are many prepositions of time in English. These prepositions express relationship in time. Some prepositions of time indicate a point in time, and some of them indicate duration. “Prepositions of time at, in,and on are to some extent parallel to the same items as positive prepositions of position, although in the time sphere there are only two ‘dimension-types’, which arepoint of timeandperiod of time” (Quirk et al., 1972: 317). It should be noted that there are some restrictions for the use of prepositionsat,inandon. It could be explained as follows.
1) Preposition of Timeat
al., 1972: 317). According to Murphy (2001: 240), preposition of time at is used to indicate the time of day, for example in sentencesWe will cook for the dinner at 5 o’clock, I always hear something in the wardrobe at midnight,andHe came and sat beside me at lunchtime. According to Sinclair (1991: 14), inCollins Cobuild English guide 1 PREPOSITIONS, “you say that something happensata particular time to indicate when it happens, for example My last train leaves Euston at 11.30.”
2) Preposition of Timein
Incan be used to indicate a period of time throughout the whole of which or within which something takes place, for example: some people have their main meal at midday, others in the evening(Close, 1975: 175). Preposition of timeinis used to indicate periods of time, as seen in the sentence: In the evening, the wind blows fast. According to Murphy (2001: 240), preposition of time in is used for longer periods (for example, months/ years/ seasons), as seen in We will come to your house in October.
3) Preposition of timeon
rather than a whole day. This use also extends to other cases where the time segment is a part of a day, which is actually mentioned, for example on the morning of 1st June. According to Murphy (2001: 240), preposition of time onis used for days and dates, as seen in sentences:I have promised my grandmother to come to her house on Friday; On 12 March 1991, my father died in a car accident; I have many presents on Christmas Day.
c. Potential Problems in Mastering Prepositionsat, in, and on
Certain English prepositions potentially cause problems for Indonesian students in their process of mastering the target language. It is predicted that the prepositions which cause problems for Indonesian students, are at, in, on, between, and under(Leech & Svartvik, 1972: 84). Potential problems in learning prepositions mentioned above might be caused by several factors. One of them is multi meaning attached to some prepositions of the target language when translated into the learners’ first language. These factors will definitely cause difficulties for the learners in selecting certain prepositions for certain contexts and conditions. Inappropriate selection of prepositions will produce errors in utterances. Prepositions at, in, and on which cause problems for Indonesian students are discussed as follows.
1) at, in, andonas Prepositions of Place
dalam. Additionally, the problem might arise because of the overlap between At-typeand In-typeprepositions. It is explained that a large town or city is generally treated as an area, as seen in phrase in New York. Whereas at New York would only use in context of worldwide travel as in sentence We stopped to refuel at New York on our way to Tokyo.Inis also used for describing parts of city such as in Chelsea(part of London). If the learners are not familiar with the use ofinand at, they will obtain problems in applying those prepositions in communication. Preposition on might also cause difficulties because it could also be used for place, which is seen as a line or a surface. In addition, this preposition could be used for describing an object that is ‘attached to’ something.
2) at,in, andonas Prepositions of Time
Leech and Svartvik (1972: 76) state that some prepositions of time which may cause problem are at, on, and in. These prepositions are sometimes used incorrectly by students who are in the process of mastering the target language. The difficulties arise due to the lack of insight in using those prepositions. In general,onis used for days,atis used for points of time, andinis used for periods larger or shorter than day. However, there are some exceptions on the use of the three prepositions mentioned previously. Prepositionat could be used for periods identified vaguely, such as at that time, at breakfast time, at night and for other short holiday periods such asat Easterandat Christmas.
not really understand the use of these prepositions of time, they would certainly make many errors in using such prepositions.
2. Indonesian Prepositionsdi, pada, dalam,anddi atas
In this section, the writer wants to give some explanations about Indonesian prepositionsdi, pada, dalam, anddi atas,which indicates place and time. Further explanations of Indonesian prepositionsdi, pada, dalam,anddi atas are explained as follows.
a. Indonesian Prepositiondi
According to Ramlan (1980: 65), preposition di as preposition of place is used to indicate position of a certain thing. It usually precedes a noun which contains an idea of place (adverb of place), as seen in examples Ledakan bom atom pertama diperingati di Hiroshima andSekitar 25.000 pasukannya berada di medan perang.
According to Chaer (1988: 27), prepositiondi is also used to show where a certain article is written (in newspapers, magazines, and books). In this category, preposition di could be replaced by prepositions dalam, for examples Berita itu dimuat di majalah TEMPO (could be replaced by Berita itu dimuat dalam majalah TEMPO)and Makna kata itu dapat kamu cari di kamus (could be replaced byMakna kata itu dapat kamu cari dalam kamus).
pada, for example Seorang gadis berkuda di pagi hari (could be replaced by Seorang gadis berkuda pada pagi hari).
b. Indonesian Prepositionpada
According to Ramlan (1980: 91), this preposition is used to signify a location, which does not show the exact place. In this category, the use of preposition pada could be replaced by preposition di, as seen in examples Suaminya bekerja pada Departemen Luar Negeri (could be replaced bySuaminya bekerja di Departemen Luar Negeri) and Perasaan gembira masih terbayang pada wajahnya (could be replaced by Perasaan gembira masih terbayang di wajahnya).
The use of preposition pada here is to indicate position on a surface (Ramlan, 1980: 92), as seen in examples Ia mencatat sesuatu pada kartu yang diambilnya dari sebuah lemari and Perkiraan ini diperkuat dengan adanya sobekan tusukan pisau pada beberapa bagian tubuh korban.
c. Indonesian Prepositiondalam
According to Ramlan (1980: 43), preposition dalam is used to indicate a certain place which has space or volume. Chaer (1988: 30-31) agrees with this statement by saying that preposition dalam is used in front of a noun having space, for examples Ibu menyimpan uang itu (di) dalam lemari and Para murid sedang belajar (di) dalam kelas. Preposition dalam in these examples could be replaced by preposition di dalambecause, in this case, prepositionsdalam and di dalam are interchangeable. Preposition dalam could also be used to indicate period of time (Ramlan, 1980: 44), as seen in example Dalam tahun 1977, menurut statistik, keberangkatan keluarga ke negara bagian kami mencapai angka setinggi lima puluh persen.
d. Indonesian Prepositiondi atas
In order to state the location completely and with attention to detail, preposition di could be used with other prepositions, like atas and dalam. Indonesian preposition di atas could be used to indicate a higher position (Ramlan, 1980: 67-68), as seen in examples Sebagai manusia, kita tidak boleh tinggi hati karena di atas langit masih ada langit andSaya ingin menyayi di atas panggung yang mewah dan ditonton oleh banyak orang.
time at has similar meaning with Indonesian preposition pada, the preposition of timeinhas similar meaning with Indonesian prepositionsdianddi dalam, and the preposition of place on has similar meaning with Indonesian prepositions di and pada.
3. Affective Filter Hypotheses
In acquiring a second language, Krashen (1983: 25) presents a set of theoretical model that makes up current second language acquisition theory. The theoretical model is usually called five hypotheses, namely the Acquisition-Learning Hypotheses, the Natural Order Hypotheses, the Monitor Hypotheses, the Input Hypotheses, and the Affective Filter Hypotheses. In this study, the writer would only discuss the theory of Affective Filter Hypotheses as the complementary theory being discussed in this study.
Krashen (1983: 31) states that Affective Filter Hypotheses deals with how affective factors such as emotions or attitude influence the second language acquisition process. There are three kinds of affective variables, which are identified in second language acquisition study, namely:
a.) Motivation.Learners who have high motivation can learn better.
b.) Self-confidence.Learners who have good-self image and self-confidence end to be more successful in the learning the second language.
Then, it could be concluded that learners with high motivation, good self-confidence, and less anxiety tend to receive more input so that they could be more successful in acquiring the second language. Dulay and Burt (1973) in Krashen and Terrell (1983: 38) have suggested that attitudinal factors may relate to second language acquisition in the following way: performers with optimal attitudes have a lower affective filter. A low filter means that the performer is more “opened” to the input, and that the input strikes “deeper.” Thus, having the right attitudes may do two things for second language acquirers: it will encourage them to try to obtain more input, to interact with the speaker of the target language confidently, and to be more receptive to the input they obtain.
4. Feedback
The students are very logical in making mistakes. It means that the students may apply some rules in their performance, but their performance may be wrong and may need to be corrected. The students may often need help in figuring out whether their answers or performances are correct or incorrect. Therefore, feedback is very important for them. Without such feedback they will do the same mistake again.
learning of a second language lies in the feedback that a learner receives from others. However, the learner may also obtain benefit from the feedback after his utterances has been completed. Feedback of this kind occurs when the explicit corrections are offered by the hearer to the speaker who makes error. Then, it could be said that correction by others are felt to be important thing for the learners of a second language (Klein, 1986: 144).
Feedback plays a significant role in the learning process. Lewis (2002: 3) states the list of significance of feedback as follows.
a) Feedback is the way teacher specify the learners language. Feedback in the learning process is considered as a continuous form of evaluation which is more beneficial than marks.
b) Feedback consists of the hints that the students could use to improve their language skills. Feedback will give beneficial commentary rather than any simple explanation which is explained by the teacher in the classroom.
e) Feedback could guide the students to their learning independency which aims at guiding the students to find their mistakes. Since the feedback is provided in the correct form, it is hoped that the students will not do the same mistakes again in the future. Thus, teachers’ feedback could be the medium to the students’ self correction in the future.
5. Errors in Language Learning
This part deals with errors, which are usually committed by the learners in language learning process. There are three main points to be discussed in this part, namely the definition of the term error, the causes of errors and the importance of studying errors.
a. Definition
Norish (1983: 7) gives an opinion that “an error is a systematic deviation from the accepted code, namely the systems of language: grammar, meaning, and sound, that is when a learner has not learnt something and consistently ‘gets it wrong’.” According to Dulay, Burt and Krashen (1982: 139), the term error means “the flawed side of learner speech or writing. It is part of conversation or composition that deviates from some selected norm of mature language performance.” Corder (1967) in Dulay et al. (1982: 139) states that error means
systematic deviations due to learners’ still-developing knowledge of the second language rule system…. The term of errors will refer to any deviation from a selected norm of language performance, no matter what the characteristics or causes of the deviation might be.
students’ incorrect answers in the test which deviate from the rule of using prepositionsat,in, andon.
b. The Causes of Errors
Corder (1973: 228) states that basically there are three causes of errors. Those causes of errors are native of the mother tongue, the basis analysis and the nature of teaching and learning materials. Another linguist, Brown (1987: 177-180), states that there are three sources of errors, namely interlingual transfer, intralingual transfer, and context of learning.
1. Interlingual Transfer
Brown (1987: 177) says that the beginning stages of learning a second language are characterized by a good deal of interlingual transfer from the native language, or interference. In this case, the errors happen because the learners’ first language interferes with the learners’ process of learning the second language. Since the rule or grammar of the target language is not familiar for the learners, they employ the linguistic system of the language that they know well, which is their first language. Many of such errors are detectable in the learners’ speech, especially in their beginning stages of learning a second language.
2. Intralingual Transfer
target language system, more intralingual transfer is manifested. The example of negative intralingual transfer, or overgeneralization, is illustrated in such utterances as *Do you can come to the party?
3. Context of Learning
In this case, the word context refers to the factors outside the learners. Therefore, it could be said that the teacher, the classroom situation, and the learning materials could become the sources of error. The teacher could be the sources of error when he or she leads the learners to make faulty hypotheses about the target language. This is what Richard (1971) in Brown (1987: 179) called “false concept.” “Students often make errors because of a misleading explanation from the teacher, faulty presentation of a structure or word in a textbook, or even because of a pattern that was memorized but not properly contextualized” (Brown, 1987: 179).
c. The Importance of Studying Errors
6. The Mastery of Language
Since this study deals with the students’ mastery of prepositions, it is important to discuss further about the definition of the term mastery and the criteria of mastery. The definition of the term mastery and the criteria of mastery are discussed because they serve as a basis for conducting the research.
a. Definition
Hagboldt (1935: 2) states, “We have a mastery of a certain language when our comprehension by ear is spontaneous; our reading is effortless and fluent; our use of words, idioms and sentences in speech and writing habitual are skilful.” In this study, the writer focuses on the use of words, particularly prepositions at, in, andonindicating time and place. Dealing with the study, someone is said to have mastered prepositions at, in, and on indicating time and place if he or she understands the rules of using those prepositions and is able to use them correctly in sentences.
b. The Criteria of Mastery
Score Category 80 – 100 Very Good (A) 70 – 79 Good (B) 56 – 69 Sufficient (C) 50 – 55 Insufficient (D) ≤49 Fail (E)
Based on the list of score category above, it could be assumed that if the students’ scores are below the minimum standard of mastery, they still have not mastered prepositions at, in,and on,which indicate time and place, and they still have difficulties in using those three prepositions well.
B. Theoretical Framework
This section discusses the linked theories which are combined from the Theoretical Description. The use of those theories is intended to facilitate the researcher to find out the answer of the research questions of this study, which are stated in Chapter I.
obtained a reputation for difficulty if not a downright unpredictability.” In this study, the researcher focuses on the students’ mastery of prepositions at, in, and onsince the use of these prepositions were complicated for most of the learners of English.
The discussion of prepositions at, in, and on in this study is divided into two, namely prepositions at, in, and on indicating place and prepositions at, in, andon indicating time. To indicate place, prepositionatis used to show an exact point, prepositionin is used to show a certain location within a geographical area or three dimensional space, and preposition on is used to indicate a certain location on a surface. To indicate time, prepositionatis used to indicate points of time of a day, preposition in is used to indicate period within which something takes place, and prepositiononis used to indicate days and dates.
and pada, the preposition of place in has similar meaning with Indonesian prepositionsdi anddi dalam, and the preposition of place onhas similar meaning with Indonesian prepositions di, di atas, and pada. Meanwhile, preposition of time at has similar meaning with Indonesian preposition pada, the preposition of timeinhas similar meaning with Indonesian prepositionsdianddi dalam, and the preposition of place on has similar meaning with Indonesian prepositions di and pada. Since each of prepositions at, in, and on has double similar meaning with Indonesian prepositionsdi, pada, di dalam, anddi atas,many English learners are confused in using these prepositions. As a result, they assume that these prepositions are complicated.
Since there were many students of the English Language Education Study Program who assumed that prepositions at, in, and on were difficult and complicated, the researcher was interested to find out their mastery on these prepositions and the possible factors that caused them to make errors in using these prepositions. In this chapter, there are five major parts of theories, namely theories about prepositions at, in, and on, Indonesian prepositions di, pada, di dalam, and di atas, Affective Filter Hypotheses, theory of feedback, errors in language learning, and the mastery of a language. Those theories are employed to provide a basis for finding out the students’ mastery of prepositionsat, in, andon and the possible factors which caused their errors in using those three prepositions.
prepositions at, in, andon. Affective Filter hypotheses identifies motivation, self-confidence and anxiety as the affective variables in acquiring second language. Therefore, it could be concluded in this study that learners with high motivation, good self-confidence, and less anxiety tend to receive more input related to prepositionat, in, and onso that they could be more successful in mastering those prepositions.
34 CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter illustrates the method of the research. It is divided into parts of
discussion, namely research method, research participants, research instruments,
data gathering technique, data analysis technique, and research procedure.
A. Research Method
Descriptive research studies are designed to obtain information concerning
the current status of phenomena (Ary, Jacob, and Razavieh, 1979: 295). Since it
was designed to obtain information about the current status of phenomenon,
which is the mastery of prepositions at, in, and on among the fifth semester
students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma
University, it is obvious that this research belongs to descriptive research. The
researcher conducted a survey research to accommodate this research. A survey
research is a type of descriptive research in which the researcher provides a test,
an interview, and a questionnaire to obtain the data. Fraenkel and Wallen (1993:
343) state that a survey study is a process of collecting information from a group
of people about a specific subject. This collected information is useful for
describing some aspects or characteristics of the population of which that group is
a part. Before the writer conducted the survey research, firstly, she conducted a
library research. The aim of conducting the library research was to find out the
The test was developed in order to find out the students’ mastery of
prepositionsat,in, and on.This test served as a basis to find out the answer to the
first research question of this research, which is about how well the fifth semester
students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma
University have mastered prepositions at, in, and on. In order to find out the
answer to the second research question, which is about the possible factors which
cause the students’ errors in using prepositions at, in, and on, the researcher
decided to develop two types of research instruments, namely questionnaire and
interview. The researcher used two kinds of instrument to find out the answer to
the second research question of this research with the consideration that the data
which was obtained by the researcher from the participants would be more
accurate.
B. Research Participants
Sprinthall, Schmutte, and Sirois (1991: 27) contends that population is
defined as the entire group or person, things or events that share at least one
common trait. Based on that definition, the researcher chose all the fifth semester
students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma
University in the academic year of 2009/ 2010 as the target population of this
research. There were several considerations why the researcher chose fifth
semester students as the participants of her research. The first consideration was
that the fifth semester students of the English Language Education Study Program
Structure V classes. In Structure classes, these students learnt English grammar.
English grammar includes preposition as basic knowledge to learn English.
Besides, the fifth semester students had more knowledge and mastered some
concepts of English better than the first or the third semester students because they
had learnt about English longer than the first or the third semester students.
Therefore, the researcher thought that the fifth semester students were qualified to
be assessed whether they had mastered prepositionsat,in, andonor not.
For the second consideration, the researcher chose fifth semester students as
the participants of this study because in the next semester, the students have to
conduct their Macro-teaching or Program Pengalaman Lapangan (PPL) 2 at
schools. To be English teachers at school, it is important for them to have good
understanding of English, especially English grammar. As teachers, they have the
role to be the model for their students. Therefore, it is important for them to give a
good model by not making grammar errors when they are teaching their students.
Thus, the researcher thinks it is important to know how well they have mastered
the use of prepositions at, in, and on as part of English grammar. The research
participants of this research were the students belonging to classes A, C, and D of
Translation I class of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata
Dharma University in the academic year of 2009/ 2010. The researcher chose
these students with the consideration that the students of these classes are in the
same semester. Therefore, it could be assumed that they share the same level of
In this research, the researcher used cluster sampling as the method to
choose the participants that could be the representative of the whole target
population of this research. According to Wiersma (1995: 292), cluster sampling
is a procedure of selection in which the unit of selection, called the cluster,
contains two or more population members. Each member of the population must
be contained in one cluster. For further information, he adds that cluster sampling
is useful in situations where the population members are naturally grouped in
units that can be used conveniently as clusters. Ary et al. (1979:134) also state that
cluster is not an individual but a group of individuals who are naturally together.
In this research, the researcher took two out of three clusters, which are the
Translation 1 classes. Further, to verify the data acquired from the questionnaire,
the researcher interviewed some students. The researcher took four students to be
the respondents of the interview. Those four respondents were the students from
the category of low achievers who made many errors in doing the test about
prepositions at, in, and on. The researcher interviewed them because she would
like to identify the possible factors which cause the students making errors in
using prepositions at, in, and on. To keep their confidentiality, the researcher
made the coding of interviewees’ names. It was shown in Table 3.1.
Table 3.1 Coding of Interviewees’ Name
Coding Meaning
Respondent A The initial for interviewee number 1
Respondent B The initial for interviewee number 2
Respondent C The initial for interviewee number 3
C. Research Instruments
There were three instruments employed by the researcher in this research,
namely a test, a questionnaire, and an interview. The first instrument of this study
was the test. It was used to investigate the level of mastery of prepositions at,in,
and on among the fifth semester students of the English Language Education
Study Program of Sanata Dharma University. The questionnaire was used to
unveil the possible factors, which cause the students’ errors in using prepositions
at, in, and on, while the interview was developed to verify the results of the
questionnaire. The use of interview as the last instrument was to dig out more
detailed information, which could not be revealed by the questionnaire. Those two
instruments were employed to make sure that the obtained data were valid to
answer the second research question, which was about the possible factors that
cause the students’ errors in using prepositionsat,in, andon.
In order that this research could be a valid and reliable research, the
instruments used in the research should also be valid and reliable. Therefore, the
researcher provided the descriptions of the use of the research instruments in this
research as follows.
1. Test
A test was a set of stimuli presented to an individual in order to elicit a
response of which a numerical score could be assigned (Ary et al., 1979:179).
According to Brown (2004: 3-4), a test in simple term is “a method of measuring
a person’s ability, knowledge, or performance in a given domain. A
test-takers’ ability within a particular domain.” Bachman & Palmer (1996: 8) agree
with this definition by stating that
language tests can be a valuable tool for providing information that is relevant to several concerns in language teaching. They can provide evidence of the results of learning and instruction, and hence feedback of the effectiveness of the teaching programs itself.
The researcher decided to use test as the instrument for data collection
because this kind of data collecting instrument could measure someone’s ability
and knowledge and it could be marked objectively. There are various types of test,
but in this research, the researcher used achievement test as the type of the test
which was used to obtain the data. The researcher thought that achievement test
was suitable to be used in this research because achievement test attempts to
measure what an individual has learned based on his or her present level of
performance. It is particularly helpful in determining individual or group status in
academic learning. Frequently, achievement test scores are used in evaluating the
influences of course of study, teaching methods, and other factors considered to
be significant in educational practice (Best, 1977: 150).
In this research, the researcher would like to elicit the answers of the fifth
semester students to the items available in the test. Their answers were scored and
the average of their scores in the test indicated the fifth semester students’ mastery
of prepositions at,in, and on.The researcher developed a test that consists of two
parts testing the students’ mastery of prepositions at,in, and on.The type of the
first part of the test is fill-in-the-blank test. This part contains 30 items each of
correct preposition. They have three options to choose as the answer to each item.
The options are prepositions at, in, and on. The type of the second part is
translation test. It consists of six items. In this part, the participants should
translate six sentences in Indonesian into English in which they are required to use
prepositionsat,in, andon.
As the researcher has mentioned before, the results of the research would be
valid and reliable if the research instruments used to obtain the data are valid and
reliable as well. Below are further descriptions of those two characteristics of the
test.
a. Validity of the Test
Validity refers to the extent to which instrument could measure what it is
intended to measure (Ary et al., 1979: 196). Wiersma (1995: 313) agrees with this
definition by saying that validity of measurement is the extent to which the
instrument measures what is designed to measure. There are three classifications
of the type of validity, which are used in this study, namely content validity,
construct validity and face validity (Hughes, 1989: 27). As the theories mentioned
above, the validity of the test of English prepositionsat,in, andonis evaluated as
follows.
1. The content validity
The purpose of the test is to measure the intended content area, or in other
words, to see how well the students’ mastery of prepositions at, in, and on.
Therefore, the test consists of several items that demand the students to choose
