IDENTIFYING THE GENERIC STRUCTURES OF GENRES
*Apriliani, ** Khulaifiyah,**Fitra Elia ** Dosen FKIP Universitas Islam Riau * Mahasiswi FKIP Universitas Islam Riau
Abstract: The purpose of this research was to found out the first year students’ ability in identifying the generic structures of genres. This research belongs to descriptive method. The research used multiple choice tests. The component of the test contains 5 genres; they were recount, narrative, descriptive, procedure, and news item. Every genre has 6 questions, so there were 30 questions used as the test. The respondents in this research were students at class X3 of SMA Muhammadiyah Pekanbaru. The total sample was 28 students. After analyzing the data, the writer found that the percentage of the ability of the students in identifying the generic structures of Recount text was “average”, Narrative text was “average”, Procedure text was “good”, Descriptive text was “average”, and News item was “average”. Then, the percentage of the ability of the students in identifying the generic structures of all the genres was categorized into “average”. From 28 sample, there were2 students (7.14%) categorized into “excellent”; there were 14 students (50%) categorized into “good”; there were 7 students categorized into “average”; there is no one student (0%) categorized into “bad”; and there were 5 students (17.86%) categorized into” very bad”.
Keyword:Generic Structures, Students Ability
INTRODUCTION
English is a tool of communication used by people in the world to communicate with another people from different country. Because, English is one of the international language which connecting people almost in every country. English must learned to follow the development of technology, communication, and industries. So, it is important for the students from elementary level until common people to learn English.
In English, there are four skills, they are speaking, listening, writing, and reading. Reading is one of important the language skill in learning English. People must be able to read the text to get new information, and to enrich knowledge, especially for students at elementary level, until university level. It is become important because students have to process the information and knowledge from their English text books. Therefore, students’ have to be able to read the text effectively and efficiently in order that they can understand the reading text easily.
As we know, the text that students’ learnt in English is genre. According to Djuharie (2007:9) nowadays in Indonesia, genre has been applied in teaching English and included in Junior high school curriculum and senior high school curriculum. Teaching English based on genre in Indonesia is started since the changing of curriculum 1994 to 2004. Genre is considered as a good way in understanding the language easily, so that it is stated current curriculum in our country.
text. Genres learnt in senior high school level is more specific than in junior high school. It is cause of genres learnt in senior high school is continuity from genres learnt in junior high school.
Genres learnt at senior high school are more complicated than at junior high school. It makes appear some problems to the students. They have to more detail in learning about genre, because every genre have different specification, like social function, language feature, and generic structure. It becomes serious problem to the students, and from that, the writer interest to find out about learning genres at senior high school.
To avoid misunderstanding to the problem in this research, it is necessary for the writer to limit the problems in this research. The research focuses on the generic structure of recount, narrative, procedure, descriptive, and news items. Those texts learnt by the first year students at the first semester. Based on the statement above, the writer only focus on the ability of the students in identifying the generic structure of genre they learn at first year of SMA MuhammadiyahPekanbaru.
THEORIES
Nature of Reading
There are four skills in English, speaking, listening, writing, and reading. Reading is one of important skill, because by reading the reader can get information from many sources. Ahuja (2002:5) in Agustina: states that reading is both a sensory and mental process, it involves the use of eye and mind. It is mean that if the reader look words, sentence, text, and then read it, absolutely his or her mind will process information of that text. Reading is activity with positive purpose. It will help readers to enrich their knowledge and think about how to understand what the text meaning and what is a good thing that they can get from reading.
Gibbon (2000) in Winda2012, stated that reading is a process of getting meaning from print. This statement means that reader can get information from process of transferring message which the writer want to give, what is the purpose of the writer will be processing by the readers to be understood. The readers have to uses their creativity and find the good strategies to determine what the meaning of the text is.
In addition, reading has important role in students learning activity, because it has relation with writing skill. More people read many kinds of source, more they will get many idea to write something. For students, reading is important in the learning activity, because it most effective for students to get information and knowledge they need from reading many source like textbook, published or unpublished book. Especially in school, more students read textbook, it will be easiest for them to answering question related information they get. It means that reading is an activity used eye, mind, and it is a thinking process to transferring the message from text to be understand by the reader.
Especially for students, information obtained on the reading texts is derived from the techniques and method of the English teachers in presenting the materials to the students as they refer to the need of students. To get some information from the English paragraph, students have to be able to read the paragraph effectively and efficiently. Reading is very important for the people, especially for students.
Generic Structure of Genre
include: social function, generic structure, and language features. In this study, the writer only focuses on generic structure of the text.
Moreover, each text type has certain typical characteristics. It divides these characteristics into three areas:
The first characteristic is the purpose of text type or social function. In other words, what the function we write or speak kind of text is. The second characteristic is the generic structure of the text, it tells us to understand a text type concern the organizational structure of the text type then, the last characteristic is language feature, it concern on our understood on the grammar, vocabulary, and connector that use in the text
Generic Structure is the general structural formula of library, consisting of scaffold plus an indication of the position of attachment of the various residues. Other source generic structure is the way in which elements of a text are arranged to match its purposes. This structure can be observed by readers, and writers will use this knowledge to structure their writing, depending on their purposes.
Every genre has different generic structure to be understood. Especially in first year of senior high school, like recount text, in commonly it has three generic structures consist: orientation, events, and re-orientation. In narrative text, in commonly it has three generic structures consist: orientation, complication, and resolution. In procedure text, in commonly it has three generic structures consist: goal, materials, and steps. In descriptive text, in commonly it has two generic structures consist: identification and description. The last, in news item text, in commonly it has three generic structures consist: newsworthy, background, and sources.
Kinds of the Genres Recount Text
Recount is a text which retells events or experiences in the past. Its social function is either to inform the purpose, to entertain or to retell the events to audience. There is no complication among the participants and that differentiates from narrative. Recount is a piece of text that retells past events, usually in the order in which they happened. The purpose of a recount is to give the audience a description of what occurred and when it happened.
According to Hartono (2005:6) states that recount is the genre of text which has social function to retell events for the purpose of informing in recount text, reader can get information about something or experience and also entertainment.
Types of recount:
a. Personal recount, these usually retell an event that the writer was personally involved in;
b. Factual recount, recording an incident, e.g. a science experiment, police report;
c. Imaginative recount, writing an imaginary role and giving details of events, e.g. “A day in the life of a pirate”, and “How I invented”.
According to CaturIrmawan and Lolitarini D.N (2008:27), the generic structure of recount text consist of three parts, there are orientation, events, and reorientation.
Orientation:
In this part, it contain of provides the setting and introduce the participants of the text, place and time something happen. In other words, it provides information about who, where, and when.
Example:
1. Events:
Describe series of event that happened in the past; and in what sequence. In recount text, possibly there one or more than one event appear in the text.
Example: “And when I come back to the house, the little girl who lived in the house asked me what I had bought and what was in my bag. So, I opened the bag and I began to take everything out…”
Re-orientation: It is optional-closure of events. State the personal comment of the writer to the story.
Example:
“And of course my face just went bright red, I couldn’t think of anything to say. I just looked at her, put the box of chocolates down on the table and fled from the room.”
Recount text is different with narrative text. This text is tells about something events in the past but there is no complication appear at this text. For students, they can use this text in inform to their friends about the experience and also entertain their friends. At this text, there is event appears and it can inform to reader what the special or bad event happened with the writer at the story. In teach this text, teacher can give the example to students with tell about him or her experiences. It can make the students easiest to understand.
Narrative Text
Narrative text is a kind of genre that students at senior high school should learn. According to Th. M Sudarwati and Eudia Grace (2007:154) Narrative text is telling about stories that happened in the past to entertain the readers that deals with complications or problematic events which lead to a crisis and it turn finds a resolution.
Narrative is a text focusing specific participants. Its social function is to tell stories or past events and entertain the readers. Narrative deals with problematic events which lead to a crisis or turning point of some kind, which in turn finds a resolution. The basic purpose of narrative is to entertain, to gain and hold a readers’ interest. However narratives can also be written to teach or inform, to change attitudes/social opinions e.g. “Soap Operas” and “Television Dramas” that are used to raise topical issues. Narratives sequence people/characters in time and place but differ from recounts in that through the sequencing, the stories set up one or more problems, which must eventually find a way to be resolved.
Mayers (2005:52) stated that narrative is one of the most powerful ways of communicating with others. The purpose of narrative text is to entertain the reader with the story which can be fiction or non-fiction. Narrative relationship with the reality experiences, imaginary, or the event intricate that aim to the crisis that is finally find resolution. For example: folktale, legend, fable, etc.
The text of narrative, one of fictional text is generally used to educate in enjoyment way. The lesson of life and living are delivered the speaker or the writer of narrative with the easiest way and tend to be simple and appropriate with the children’ world that full with imagination. For example, story about Cinderela, Pinokio, Peterpan, etc.
Types of narrative:
a. There are many types of narrative. They can be imaginary, factual or a combination of both;
b. They may include fairy stories, mysteries, science fiction, romances, horror stories, adventure stories, fables, myths and legends, historical narratives, ballads, slice of life, personal experience.
Orientation
It tells about the setting in time and place, and character. Or the reader introduces the main character or participants and possibly some minor characters. Some indication is generally given of where the action is located and when it is taking place.
Example:
“Once upon time, in the dreamtime, there was a little owl. His name was Ockok. There was also a little hawk. His name was Wak. Ockok and Wak were brothers…”
Complication/crisis:
This part tells the beginning of the problem which leads to the crisis (climax) of the main participant.
Example:
“…Ockok went out again to look for food. In the evening he brought fish back with him. But Wak said, “We can’t eat those fish either! Those fish are sacred to my family too.” Wak took the fish from Ockok and them away too…”
Resolution
It describes the solution to the complication(s) or problem (the crisis) is resolved, and gives an ending to the story. It can be a happy ending or sad ending.
Example:
“One day Ockok found out about this. However, he did not like to argue with Wak, so he said, “it is true that we are brothers, but, from now, I’m going to live by myself.”
In understanding about narrative text, the reader is not difficult to know about the structure of this text. Because it is familiar text which at every grade of senior high school always taught. It is entertainment text. The most favorite story for students is fairy stories and fables stories. Narrative text almost same with recount text, but in narrative there is complication which appear. For students, it is enjoy in learn about narrative text, because it entertain them.
Procedure Text
Procedure is a text that shows a process in order. Its social function is to describe how something is completely done through a sequence of series. Procedure is same meaning with instruction. According to Buss and Karnowski (2004:22) states that two major purposes for writing procedure text is to instruct and to explain. Procedure text is explains to the reader about how to make or doing something. It has steps or method with the role.
According to Derewianka (1991:3) states that a procedure text or instruction as a very important genre in our society because it unable us to get thing done and it is equally common in the oral and written mode.
There are some kinds of different procedural texts for different purposes:
a. Texts that explain how something works or how to use instruction or operation manuals (e.g. how to use the video, how to operate the computer, the tape recorder, the photocopier, etc);
b. Texts that instruct how to do a particular activity e.g. recipes, rules for games, science experiments, road safety rules;
The generic structures of procedure text consist of three parts, goal, material, and steps/ methods:
1. Goal
In this part, it contains information about the purpose of the creation or operation of something. It can be a title of the text. It also can be introductory paragraph. It may outline the situation which has arisen and requires an ordered procedure for resolution.
Example:
“How to make “Bananas with Caramel Sauce” “
2. Materials
This part tells about the material used in making or doing something. It can be tools, ingredient, instrument, data, etc. (not always required for all procedure texts).
Example: “Material: 4 bananas
4 tablespoons sugar 50 g butter
3 tablespoons apple juice ½ cup cream”
3. Steps or method
This part presented as a series of steps. These may be abbreviated or tabulated as in recipe, or presented as connected sentences/ paragraph. In this part, readers have to indicate how something is accomplished through a sequence of actions.
Example:
“Next… heat the butter in a frying pan and cook the bananas for five minutes on each side. Then… first… after that… finally…”
In understanding procedure text, reader needs to know generic structure of this text to help reader in comprehend the text. The reader can get information about how to make or to do something. This text is easiest for reader to understand, especially students. Because, they can tells about their hobby as the object to write the text. For example, a student tells to her friend about how to plants a flower.
Descriptive Text
Description is used in all forms of writing to create a vivid impression of a person, place, object or event e.g. to describe a special place and explain why it is special, to describe the most important person in your life, or to describe the animal’s habitat in your report. In other words, description text is to describe a particular person, place, or thing. Descriptive writing is usually used to help a writer develop an aspect of their work, e.g. to create a particular mood, atmosphere or describe a place so that the reader can create vivid pictures of characters, places, objects, and more.
Descriptive text is a kind of genre that students have learnt in junior high school. It is familiar for the students, because elements in descriptive text are easy to remember by the students. Besides, descriptive text usually use by people to tell to the others about something. Manser (1995:113) in Eka2012, stated that description is to describesomething. It means that to describe a particular person, place, and thing.
According to Pearson (2002:61) in Eka 2012, description is a text type we use when we want to tell how something looks, smells, feels, acts, taster, sounds.
This part identifies about phenomenon to be described, it can be humans, things, places, or experiences. The content of this part only focus on general identification something that will be describe. Then, for the specific explanation describe on the description part (on the next paragraph).
Example:
“TajMahal is regarded as one of eight wonders of the world, and some western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed.”
2. Description:
Description is describes specific parts, qualities, and characteristics of the humans, things, experiences, or places. Description explain something by drawing it with the words, to make the readers or listeners have imagination how the form of something that describe.
Example:
“… TajMahal was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers. It was completed in 1648 C.E. at a cost of 32 million rupees. The construction documents shows that its master architect was Ustad‘Isa,.. “
Descriptive text can used to help someone imagine about person, place, events, etc. It can describe by words to make someone feel that him or her ever known about something. It is familiar to reader especially students, because it always use by them in tell their experience in the holiday. Besides, descriptive text only consists by two generic structures. So, it is easy to learn by students.
News Items Text
News item is a text which informs readers about events of the day. The events are considered newsworthy or important. Basically, a news item text tries to answer the 5Ws and 1H questions; what, who, when, where, why, and how relating to the newsworthy. According to CaturIrmawan and Lolitarini D.N (2008:142), the social function of news item is to inform readers, listeners, or viewers about events of the day which are considered newsworthy of important.
The generic structures of news item consist of three parts, newsworthy, background, and sources.
1. Newsworthy event:
Recount the event in summary form. It tells about something happened of the day. It can be news about human, environment, social condition, etc.
Example:
“Malaysian women are urged to carry condoms to protect HIV…”
2. Background event:
Elaborate what happened, to whom, in what circumstances. This part explain about the background of the event happened.
Example:
Event 1 “International Memorial Day was held openly in Malaysia to reduce stigma for HIV victims…”
Event 2 “The number of Malaysian women who are infected with HIV is steadily rising…”
This part is content by comment by participants in witness to and authorities’ expert on the event.
Example:
“Malaysian Aids Council president said that there were some men who did not care to take precaution even though they knew they had HIV…”
In understanding news item text, the reader must know more detail about the structure of the text. This text is give information about the day and easy to get at the headline news, for example at the magazine or newspaper. Sometimes, it is not interest for students when learn because the text is not interesting for them. But for common people it is an interest text because it is tell important information.
METHODOLOGY
This is a descriptive method with one variable. Research involves collecting data in order to answer questions concerning the status of the subject of the study (Gay, 1987:189). In this study, the writer will describe the ability of the students in identifying generic structure of genre used of the first year students at SMA MuhammadiyahPekanbaru. This research has been conducted at SMA MuhammadiyahPekanbaru, Jl. KH. Ahmad Dahlan No. 90, Sukajadi, Pekanbaru. Time of this research has been taken in November 2013.
The population in this researchis the population of all the students’ of the first year students at SMA MuhammadiyahPekanbaru. But, because there are many students at first year, so the writer will took only one class as the sample of this research. The writer chose class X3 with 28 students as sample.
Surachmat (1998) in (Winda: 2012) says:
“If the population is homogenous enough for students, if population less than 100 persons, the sample are 50%, but if the population more than 100 persons, the sample is taken 15% of them”.
The instrument of this research is a reading text. There are five texts as the instrument and every text has 6 questions. The students will identify generic structure every text appropriate with what the text type is.
The research instrument used the test in form of multiple choice tests. The test instrument consists of 30 items. Each item has four options (A, B, C, and D). The writer asked the students to answer question by understanding generic structure of every text (recount text, narrative text, procedure text, descriptive text, and news items text) by choosing the correct answer. The text adopted from some English text books for senior high school, there are English Today for SMA Grade X, English Zone 1 for Senior High School Students Year X, Look Ahead and English Course for Senior High School Students year XI, and some taken from internet.
Data Collection Technique
Technique to collect the data is test items that containing 30 test items. The writer asked the respondents to choose one that best describe the correct answer to each test item. The procedure used to collect the data as follow:
1. The writer made confirmation to Headmaster of SMA MuhammadiyahPekanbaru and the English teacher, to make permission for giving test to the students to sample the research; 2. After getting confirmation about time, the writer come to the class to observe classroom; 3. The writer giving test papers containing 30 questions;
7. The writer made a permission and say thank you to Headmaster, the English teacher, and the students.
The Data Analysis Technique
1. To find out the individual score the students used the following formula: M =
M = individual score
X = number of correct answer N = number of items
(Harris, 1986:79) in Winda 2012 2. To find out the means score
= mean score
= total score of all respondents Number of respondents
(James Dean Brown, 1988:66) 3. To find out percentage of mastery
P =
P = percentage
f = number of frequency r = number of respondents 100% = constant number
FINDINGS
The research was set to found out the ability of the first year students of senior high school in identifying the generic structure of genres. The research used multiple choices in taken the data. There were 5 genres, and every genre has 6 questions. So, there were 30 tests item in research instrument.
The writer took 28 students of X3 as sample in this research. The score of the students get by using three formulas, and it was present in chapter III.From the result of findings, 28 students as sample, there were 2 students got “excellent” level, there were 14 students got “good” level, there were 7 students got “average” level, there was no one student got “bad” level, and there were 5 students got “very bad” level.
Table 1
The Frequency and Percentage of the Students’ Ability in Identifying Generic Structures of the Genres
No. Score Classification Frequency Percentage
1 86-100 Excellent 2 7.14%
2 71-85 Good 14 50%
3 56-70 Average 7 25%
4 36-55 Bad 0 0%
To find out the percentage of mastery the formula is used:P =
1. P = = = 7.14 %
2. P = = = 50 %
3. P = = = 25 %
4. P = = = 0 %
5. P = = = 17.86 %
It can be seen that there were2 students (7.14%) categorized into “excellent”; there were 14 students (50%) categorized into“good”; there were 7 students got average classification; there was no one students (0%) categorized into“bad”; and there were 5 students (17.86%) categorized into “very bad”.
Based on table, the writer found that the highest percentage of the ability of the students in identifying generic structures of the genres was in “excellent” classification. And the lowest percentage was in “very bad” classification.
Data Interpretation
After having analyzed the data based on the first formulation of the problem on this research, “How good is the ability of the first year students of SMA MuhammadiyahPekanbaru in identifying generic structures of genres?” has been found out as follows:
Based on the table analysis per genre, the first, after calculated the students’ score from three elements of the generic structure of recount text, students’ ability in identifying those elements were categorized into “good”, “bad”, and “average” level. So, it can concluded that the students’ ability in identifying generic structure of recount text categorized into “average” level, and it is not too difficult for students’ to understand and answer question about generic structure of recount text.
Second, after calculated the students’ score from three elements of the generic structure of narrative text, students’ ability in identifying those elements were categorized into “good”, “bad”, and “average” level. So, it can concluded that the students’ ability in identifying generic structure of recount text categorized into “average” level, and it is not too difficult for students’ to understand and answer question about generic structure of narrative text.
Third, after calculated the students’ score from three elements of the generic structure of procedure text, students’ ability in identifying those elements were categorized into “good”, “good”, and “excellent” level. So, it can concluded that the students’ ability in identifying generic structure of procedure text categorized into “good” level, and it is easy for students’ to understand and answer question about generic structure of procedure text.
Fourth, after calculated the students’ score from two elements of the generic structure of descriptive text, students’ ability in identifying those elements were categorized into “bad” and “good” level. So, it can concluded that the students’ ability in identifying generic structure of descriptive text categorized into “average” level, and it is not too difficult for students’ to understand and answer question about generic structure of descriptive text.
identifying generic structure of news item text categorized into “average” level, and it is not too difficult for students’ to understand and answer question about generic structure of news item text.
From 28 students who became sample in this research, the highest percentage of the students’ ability of the students in identifying the generic structures of genres was “excellent”. Then, the average percentage of the students was “good”. And the lowest percentage of the students was “very bad”.Then, from data analysis shows that the total scores from 28 students were 1877 and mean score was 67.03. If looked at the table classification, the mean score was in the “average” level. So, it can be concluded that the ability of the students in identifying the generic structures of genres was in “average” level.
CONCLUSION
After this research has been conducted and the data has been analyzed, the writer made conclusion that:
1. After analyzed all of the data, it shows that the students’ ability in identifying generic structures of genres they learned was average. Almost of them can answer the questions about generic structures of genres with well. It shows by the students’ scores, most of them can answer the questions well. 2 students categorized into excellent, 14 students categorized into good, 7 students categorized into average, and 5 students categorized into very bad.
2. It can be known that the students’ ability in identifying the generic structures of genres of the first year students at SMA Muhammadiyah Pekanbaru was in average.
3. The lack of the students’ ability in learning genres can be a factored by the complicated of different generic structures in every genres
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