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USING THE “DASH” (DUPLICATED ANSWER SHEETS) METHOD IN IMPROVING STUDENTS‟ READING COMPREHENSION
(An Experimental Research at the Eleventh Grade Students of SMAN 1 Tanete Rilau, Barru Regency)
A Thesis
Submitted to the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education Makassar Muhammadiyah University in Part Fulfillment
Of the Requirement for the Degree of Sarjana Pendidikan
SYAMSURIANI. S 10535 4610 10
ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION MAKASSAR MUHAMMADIYAH UNIVERSITY
2015
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UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH MAKASSAR FAKULTAS KEGURUAN DAN ILMU PENDIDIKAN PROGRAM STUDI PENDIDIKAN BAHASA INGGRIS
LEMBAR PENGESAHAN
Skripsi atas nama Syamsuriani.S nim 10535 4610 10 diterima dan disahkan oleh Panitia Ujian Skripsi berdasarkan Surat Keputusan Rektor Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar Nomor: 030 Tahun 1436 H/2015 M, sebagai salah satu syarat guna memperoleh Gelar Sarjana Pendidikan pada Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris (S1) Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar pada hari Sabtu tanggal 25 April 2015.
22 April 2015 M Makassar,
03 Rajab 1436 H PANITIA UJIAN
Pengawas Umum : Dr. H. Irwan Akib, M.Pd. (...) Ketua : Dr. Andi Sukri Syamsuri, M.Hum. (...) Sekretaris : Khaeruddin, S.Pd., M.Pd. (...) Penguji :
1. Dr. Syamsiarna Nappu, M.Pd. (...) 2. Ummi Khaerati Syam, S.Pd.,M.Pd. (...) 3. Farisha Andi Baso, S.Pd., M.Pd. (...) 4. St. Asriati, S.Pd., M.Hum. (...)
Disahkan oleh:
Dekan FKIP Unismuh Makassar
Dr. Andi Sukri Syamsuri, M.Hum NBM: 858 625
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FAKULTAS KEGURUAN DAN ILMU PENDIDIKAN UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH MAKASSAR Jl. Sultan Alauddin Telp. (0411) 860 132 Makassar 90221
APPROVAL SHEET
Title : Using the “DASH” (Duplicated Answers Sheets) Method in Improving Students‟ Reading Comprehension (An Experimental Research at the Eleventh Grade Students of SMAN 1 Tanete Rilau, Barru Regency).
Name : SYAMSURIANI. S
Reg. Number : 10535 4610 10
Program : ENGLISH DEPARTMENT / STRATA 1 (S1)
After being checked and observed this thesis had been fill qualification to be examined.
Makassar, February 2015 Approved by
Consultant I
Amiruddin, S.Pd., M.Hum
Consultant II
Amar Ma‟ruf, S.Pd., M.Hum Dean of FKIP
Unismuh Makassar
Dr. Andi Sukri Syamsuri, M.Hum NBM: 858 625
Head of English Education Department
Erwin Akib, S.Pd.,M.Pd NBM: 860 934
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FAKULTAS KEGURUAN DAN ILMU PENDIDIKAN UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH MAKASSAR Jl. Sultan Alauddin Telp. (0411) 860 132 Makassar 90221
SURAT PERNYATAAN
Saya yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini:
Nama : SYAMSURIANI.S
Nim : 10535 4610 10
Jurusan : Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris
Judul Skripsi : Using the “DASH” (Duplicated Answers Sheets) Method in Improving Students‟ Reading Comprehension (An Experimental Research at the Eleventh Grade Students of SMAN 1 Tanete Rilau, Barru Regency)
Dengan ini menyatakan:
Skripsi yang saya ajukan di depan tim penguji adalah hasil karya saya sendiri bukan hasil ciplakan dan tidak dibuatkan oleh siapapun.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenar-benarnya dan bersedia menerima sanksi apabila pernyataan saya tidak benar.
Makassar, 20 February 2015 Yang membuat perjanjian
SYAMSURIANI.S
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FAKULTAS KEGURUAN DAN ILMU PENDIDIKAN UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH MAKASSAR Jl. Sultan Alauddin Telp. (0411) 860 132 Makassar 90221
SURAT PERJANJIAN
Saya yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini:
Nama : SYAMSURIANI.S
Nim : 10535 4610 10
Jurusan : Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris
Judul Skripsi : Using the “DASH” (Duplicated Answers Sheets) Method in Improving Students‟ Reading Comprehension (An Experimental Research at the Eleventh Grade Students of SMAN 1 Tanete Rilau, Barru Regency)
Dengan ini menyatakan perjanjian sebagai berikut:
1. Mulai dari penyusunan proposal sampai dengan selesainya skripsi saya, saya akan menyusun sendiri skripsi saya, tidak dibuatkan oleh siapapun.
2. Dalam menyusun skripsi, saya akan selalu melakukan konsultasi dengan pembimbing.
3. Saya tidak akan melakukan penjiplakan (plagiat) dalam menyusun skripsi ini.
4. Apabila saya melanggar perjanjian saya seperti yang tertera pada butir 1, 2, dan 3 maka saya bersedia menerima sanksi sesuai dengan aturan yang berlaku.
Demikian perjanjian ini saya buat dengan penuh kesadaran.
Makassar, 20 February 2015 Yang membuat perjanjian
SYAMSURIANI.S
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MOTTO AND DEDICATION
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs
Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self- confidence.(Robert Frost).
The important thing is not to stop questioning.(Albert Einstein).
I dedicated this thesis For My beloved family, my friends and all people who
love and pray for me
vii ABSTRACT
SYAMSURIANI.S, 2015. Using the “DASH” (Duplicated Answer Sheets) Method in Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension (An Experimental Study at the Eleventh Grade Students of SMAN 1 Tanete Rilau, Barru Regency) Guided by Amiruddin, and Amar Ma‘ruf.
This research were conducted to investigate Using the ―DASH‖
(Duplicated Answer Sheets) Method in Improving Students‘ Reading Comprehension at the Eleventh Grade Students of SMAN 1 Tanete Rilau, Barru Regency, to investigate. The forms of questions were in multiple choice and essay, multiple choice and essay used for reading comprehension tests. There were two hundred- eighty of eleventh grade students of IPA-II classes at SMAN-1 Tanete Rilau in academic year 2014/2015 as the sample on this study.
Based on the data collected from the students showed that the post-test value is higher than pre-test table, so the null hypothesis is rejected. It means there is an influence of ―DASH‖ (Duplicated Answer Sheets) method on student reading ability. So the students have responsibility and feel enjoy the learning process. It means that can ―DASH‖ (Duplicated Answer Sheets) method be used as one of the alternative to teach reading.
In reference to the result of study, the researcher recommend that this study, especially the research about ―DASH‖ (Duplicated Answer Sheets) method that can improve student‘s reading comprehension need to be more elaborate by student learning English in order to improving their reading comprehension. Thus, further research is suggested to conduct the investigation of other teaching method or strategy that can be applied by teacher to encourage their student in reading comprehension.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Alhamdulillah Robbil Alamin, the writer expresses her sincere gratitude to the almighty God, Allah S.W.T, who has given guidance, mercy, and good health. So that she could finish writing this thesis. Salam and shalawat are delivered to the final, chosen, religious messenger, the prophet Muhammad S.A.W.
She would like to express her deepest prost profound and gratitude to her parents, her father Abd. Samad, and her mother Nurhayati for their prayer, financial, motivation, and sacrificed. Her thanks for all her sister and her brother who always pray to Allah S.W.T for her success.
The researcher realizes that in carrying out the writing this thesis, many people had contributed their valuable suggestion, guidance, assistance, and advice for the completion of this thesis. Therefore she would like to thank them:
1. Dr. Irwan Akib, M.Pd, the rector of the Makassar Muhammadiyah University for his advices during she studies at the University.
2. Dr.A.Sukri Syamsuri, M.Hum, the dean of teacher training and education.
3. Erwin Akib, S.Pd, M.Pd, the head of English education department of FKIP UNISMUH Makassar, who gave her valuable authorities and suggestion in doing thesis.
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4. She greatest thanks are due to he first consultant Amiruddin, S.Pd, M.Hum and Amar Ma‟ruf, S.Pd, M.Hum. as the second consultant who had given their valuable time and patient, to support assistance and guidance to finish this thesis.
5. The staff and all lecturers of the FKIP UNISMUH especially to the lecturers of English Department who taught her for many years.
6. Drs. H. Umar. M, MM as the headmaster of SMA Negeri 1 Tanete Rilau and Nuraeni, S.Pd as the English teacher, and students in class XI IPA.2 who sacrificed their time and activities for being the subject of this research.
7. Finally, for all everybody that could not be mentioned one by one, may Allah almighty bless us now and forever.
Makassar, 20 February 2015
Syamsuriani. S
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ... i
LEMBAR PENGESAHAN ... ii
APPROVAL SHEET ... iii
SURAT PERNYATAAN... iv
SURAT PERJANJIAN ... v
MOTTO AND DEDICATION ... vi
ABSTRACT ... vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... x
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background ... 1
B. Problem Statements ... 3
C. Objectives of the Study ... 3
D. Significance of the Study ... 3
E. Scopes of the Study ... 4
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Previous Related Research Findings ... 5
B. Theory of Duplicated Answer Sheets (DASH) Method ... 6
1. Procedure of Duplicated Answer Sheets (DASH) Method ... 6
2. Advantage of Duplicated Answer Sheets (DASH) Method ... 8
3. Disadvantage of Duplicated Answer Sheets (DASH) Method 10 C. Concept of Reading ... 11
1. What is Reading? ... 11
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2. The Nature of Reading ... 15
3. The Essence of Reading ... 17
4. Kinds of Reading ... 18
5. Steps of Reading ... 19
6. The Strategy of Reading... 22
D. Definition of Reading Comprehension ... 22
1. Technique of Improving Reading Skill ... 23
2. Aspects of Reading Comprehension ... 26
E. Types of Text ... 27
1. Narratives ... 29
2. Reports ... 32
F. Assessing Reading ... 34
G. Conceptual Framework ... 35
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD A. Research Design ... 37
B. Research Variables and Indicators ... 37
1. Variable ... 37
2. Indicator ... 38
C. Research Hypothesis ... 38
D. Population and Sample. ... 38
1. Population ... 38
2. Sample ... 39
E. Research Instrument ... 39
F. Data Collection... 39
G. Data Analysis ... 41
H. Testing Hypothesis ... 44
CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION A. Findings ... 46
1. The Improvement of the Students‘ Literal Comprehension ... 46
2. The Improvement of the Students‘ Interpretative Comprehension ... 48
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3. The Improvement in Reading Comprehension. ... 50 4. Hypothesis Testing ... 52 B. Discussion ... 52 CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
A. Conclusion ... 55 B. Suggestion ... 55 BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 57 APPENDIX
CURRICULUM VITAE
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LIST OF TABLE
Table 3.1 : Rubric for Multiple Choice and Essay Question ... 41
Table 4.1 : The Students‘ Literal Comprehension ... 46
Table 4.2 : The Students‘ Interpretative Comprehension ... 48
Table 4.3: The Improvement of the Students‘ Reading Comprehension ... 50
Table 4.4: The Students‘ Classification of Pre-test and Post-test ... 51
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LIST OF FIGURE
Figure 2.1 : The DASH Method ... 7 Figure 2.2 : Conceptual Framework ... 35
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LIST OF CHART
Chart 4.1: The Improvement of the Students‘ Literal Comprehension ... 47 Chart 4.2: The Improvement of the Students‘ Interpretative Comprehension .. 49 Chart 4.3: The Improvement of the Students‘ Reading Comprehension ... 51
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LIST OF APPENDIXES
APPENDIX A: PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST ... 61
APPENDIX B: KEY ANSWER AND ANSWER SHEETS (PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST) ... 73
APPENDIX C: LESSON PLAN ... 75
APPENDIX D: STUDENTS‘ SCORE IN PRE-TEST ... 98
APPENDIX E: STUDENTS‘ SCORE IN POST-TEST ... 101
APPENDIX F: SCORE OF PRE-TEST ON LITERAL COMPREHENSION 104 APPENDIX G: SCORE OF PRE-TEST ON INTERPRETATIVE COMPREHENSION ... 106
APPENDIX H: SCORE OF POST-TEST ON LITERAL COMPREHENSION ... 108
APPENDIX I: SCORE OF POST-TEST ON INTERPRETATIVE COMPREHENSION ... 110
APPENDIX J: DATA PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST ON LITERAL COMPREHENSION ... 112
APPENDIX K: DATA PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST ON INTERPRETATIVE COMPREHENSION ... 114
APPENDIX L: ANALYSIS OF PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST ... 116
APPENDIX M: T-TEST VALUE AND DEGREE OF FREEDOM (df) ... 118
APPENDIX N: RATE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS‘ SCORE ... 122
APPENDIX O: MEAN SCORE AND THE RATE PERCENTAGE OF IMPROVEMENT ... 131
xvii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background
Language is one of the most important things in communication and it is used as a tool of communication among the nations in all over the world. As an international language, English is very important and has many interrelationships with various aspects of life owned by human being.
English is an international language; beside that English means of communication. English has important position in every aspect of the life, it is not only in education but also in business, social, tourism, etc. The importance of English can be seen form other side. Nowadays many things have been written printed in English i.e.; magazine, newspaper, and scientific book.
In English, English focused on four basic skills, namely; listening, reading, speaking and writing. The reading skill became very important in the education field, students needed to be exercised and trained in order to have a good reading skill. In education English has been chosen as one of the subject that should be mastered by the student; in junior high school, senior high school, and university level.
In reading, to comprehend the text the readers should be able to manage every part of the text, because it is easy to gain the comprehension in reading
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when the readers are able to organize the text. Sometimes, they may used dictionary to get good comprehension in reading.
The most often become to complain is the teachers ability in applying appropriated approaches, methods, strategies or techniques in teaching or learning. So, many students are not interest in learning English. Therefore, the English teacher suggested in order to be able mastering of method, such as, Nababan (1991: 4) notices that a qualified teacher is the teacher who is able to suit best method or technique to the material that is being taught.
According to Kustaryo (1988:2) it is certainly not easy to presented the English reading for Indonesian students whose language system is different.
Reading is a complex process which involves not only the read the text but also their experience to comprehend it. Because of its complexity, many teachers of English at junior and senior high school find difficulties in all teaching reading and prefer teaching structure to reading. Based on all reasons above, the researcher hoped that DASH (Duplicated Answer Sheets) method can improved students to read. The researcher conducting research entitle ―Using the ―DASH‖
(Duplicated Answer Sheets) Method in Improving Students‘ Reading Comprehension at the Eleventh Grade Students of SMAN 1 Tanete Rilau, Barru Regency‖.
xix B. Problem Statements
Based on the background of study above, the problems of the study is as follows:
1. Does Duplicated Answer Sheets (DASH) method improve the students‘ literal reading comprehension at the Eleventh Grade of SMAN 1 Tanete Rilau, Barru Regency ?
2. Does Duplicated Answer Sheets (DASH) method improve the students‘
interpretative reading comprehension at the Eleventh Grade of SMAN 1 Tanete Rilau, Barru Regency ?
C. Objectives of the Study
Based on the research problems above, the objectives of the research are to find out:
1. Whether or not Duplicated Answer Sheets (DASH) method can improve the students‘ literal reading comprehension at the Eleventh Grade of SMAN 1 Tanete Rilau, Barru Regency ?
2. Whether or not Duplicated Answer Sheets (DASH) method can improve the students‘ interpretative reading comprehension at the Eleventh Grade of SMAN 1 Tanete Rilau, Barru Regency ?
D. Significance of the Study
The study is expected to be useful:
1. Theoretically
To improve teachers‘ quality of teaching and learning process, giving a refer- ence to development of teaching learning process so the result of this research
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can be useful input in English teaching and learning process especially for improving reading comprehension and it can give information for other researchers to develop their further studies.
2. Practically
It will be useful for the students to improve their ability in comprehending the English reading text and to be more active in learning English.
E. Scope of the Study
This research is limited using the ―DASH‖ (Duplicated Answer Sheets) method focus on literal reading comprehension and interpretative reading comprehension of the text that is limited to narrative and report texts at the eleventh grade students of SMAN 1 Tanete Rilau, Barru Regency.
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter deals with some previous research findings, some pertinent ideas, conceptual framework.
A. Previous Related Research Findings
Reading comprehension has always been a core issue in second language teaching research. Some of the researchers‘ findings are ated concisely below:
Crow (1986) and Yorio (1971) have posited that a learner‘s vocabulary knowledge can be correlated predictably to performance for reading comprehension task.
Anderson and Freebody‘s (1981) research supports this notion; in their study, they found that a casual relationship exists between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension.
Bensoussan, Sim, and Weiss (1984) in their research concluded that dictionary used had little effect on comprehension and tended to slow learners down.
Nesi and Meara (1991) draw a similar conclusion that dictionary consultation does not aid in text comprehension during reading tasks. Hulstijn ‗s (1993) findings lend support to Nesi and Meara‘s conclusion concluded that there is no qualitative difference in reading comprehension performance on vocabulary tests.
Chun and Plass (1996) also concluded that foreign language learners who look up
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more vocabulary items still do not demonstrate better reading comprehension;
however, a moderate correlation was found between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension.
B. Theory of Duplicated Answer Sheets (DASH) Method
The approach is to analyze comprehension of reading texts via an innovative reasearch design called the duplicated answer sheets (DASH) method.
The DASH method is distinctive, inasmuch as it allows reasearchers to test students performance (reading comprehension) using dictionaries in chunks of time.
To investigate the effect of dictionary use on reading among learners of different proficiency levels, we will be used a reading comprehension test with a multiple-choice format developed by a local test service center. The format of the test was patterned after a nation wide General English Proficiency test used in measuring reading comprehension, with questions consisting of one correct item and three distractors. Although there are some concerns when using a multiple- choice format in vocabulary tests and reading comprehension (see Nation, 1990;
Peirce, 1992), it was used here for its overriding convenience of administration and relative ease of analysis (Wesche & Paribakht, 1996). The test scores were used to indicate the effect of dictionary use on the participants‘ overall reading comprehension.
1. Procedure of Duplicated Answer Sheets (DASH) Method
The participants were provided with the same testing material during the 90-min test. Prior to the test administration, the participants were informed of the
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purpose of the study and reassured that their test scores would not be used as a determining factor in their English class grade. This was done as a means to lower students‘ reading anxiety while taking the test (Saito, Garza, & Horwitz., 1999), with the hope that they would, nevertheless, try their best to answer the questions.
The same 90-min test was given to both groups of students using the DASH method as a scoring tool. The test sections were collected as intended at the 15-, 30-, 45-, 60-, 75-, and 90-min marks.
The participants with dictionary access were allowed to choose the kind of dictionary they were familiar using and were asked on the answer sheet to indicate the type of dictionary. The participants were also told and encouraged to look up the unfamiliar vocabulary they encountered, to fulfill the aims of this study, and they were required to underline the words they looked up. Through the researchers‘ on-site observation, informal posttest interviews with the participants in the dictionary group, and the underlined words on the question sheets, it was clear that the with-dictionary groups had consulted dictionaries extensively throughout the test as a means toidentify vocabulary items with which they were unfamiliar.
Figure 2.1: The DASH Method
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2. Advantage of Duplicated Answer Sheets (DASH) Method
DASH method have many advantages to help moderate the effect of some variables, investigating the influence of dictionary use on text comprehension using a timed-interval assesment. This method provides strong evidence that second language learners, given enough time, will benefit from using dictionaries as a tool to assist in text comprehension.
A side benefit of this study is that we consider a learner‘s reading habits outside of the classroom, where, generally, most extensive reading in foreign languages takes place. If it can be shown that the use of dictionaries is progressively more beneficial toward reading comprehension over time, dictionary use can be recommended to students as a tool, rather than discouraged.
a. DASH Method as Tool of Investigation
The DASH method consists of multiple carbon-copy style answer sheets, which can be peeled off off as a way to record student scores in timed increments.
In our case, participants‘ score sheets consisted of six different answer sheets, so that the scores could be collected every 15 min during the 90-min test (at the 15-, 30-, 45-, 60-, 75-, and 90-min marks). In other words, each answer sheet peeled off and collected represented the test score that a subject gained during the allotted test time. Since participants were able to change their answers on previously answered questions, each test score was treated as a score independent of the other five that were collected.
Regarding the rationale behind using the DASH method, as previously alluded to, the components affecting reading comprehension are multiple and
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complex (see Chun & Plass, 1996). In addition to learners‘ language proficiency levels, there are still components such as syntactic structures, background know- ledge, depth of vocabulary knowledge, and available reading time. We employed the DASH method to effectively control for these variables. In short, the benefits of employing the innovative DASH method as a measurement device are as follows.
b. No Textual Factors Involved; Clean Time Effect Data
Variables such as textual knowledge and ease or difficulty of a text can affect read ers‘ performance on comprehension tests. Investigating the time effect of dictionary use on learners of different proficiency levels using a traditional test method would require the researchers to give the participants six different tests (one requiring 15 min to complete, another requiring 30 min, another requiring 45 min, etc). In addition, even with an extensive effort to modify such tests with the aim of achieving test similarity between the six versions, factors such as text difficulty and topical knowledge would likely have a considerably negative effect on the results. It might be argued that, by employing identical tests repetitively, the text difficulty variance could be addressed. However, researchers would then be faced with the practice effect caused by readers‘ repeated exposure to the same texts and questions, not to mention the fact that this is not remotely similar to how reading is done or tested in more natural settings. Additionally, if learners are ind- eed learning, they logically should score higher on subsequent tests. And, regarding topical knowledge, although there are particular readability formulas, such as the Lix formula (Knight, 1994), there is always the problem posed by
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using different test texts, because different learners inevitably have different strengths as related to content (background) knowledge. The DASH method allowed us to analyze test scores using the same texts in relation to the time effect.
By obtaining the mean scores of the participants in each collection, the factor of individual textual knowledge or background knowledge could thus be averaged out, leaving the scores and making for a clean time effect.
c. Time Efficiency and Practicality
In addition to the benefit of the clean time effect associated with using the DASH method, the traditional method of giving six different tests at 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 min, respectively, would consist of testing participants for a total of 315 min to complete such a study. Irrespective of any variability in text difficulties, the diminishing returns on reliability and validity because of participants‘ affective conditions (such as sheer exhaustion and boredom) and environmental stability in the over-5-hr, nonstop testathon would be significant.
By incorporating the DASH method in this study, only one reading assessment test was needed, because the other variables could be easily controlled (leaving the variable of time and learners‘ proficiency levels to be investigated with dictionary use while reading). Besides the time-saving effect of the DASH method, it was also economical, because it uses duplicate carbon copies.
3. Disadvantage of Duplicated Answer Sheets (DASH) Method
Variables such as textual knowledge and ease or difficulty of a text can affect readers‘ performance on comprehension tests. Investigating the time effect of dictionary use on learners of different proficiency levels using a traditional test
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method would require the researchers to give the participants six different tests (one requiring 15 min to complete, another requiring 30 min, another requiring 45 min, etc). In addition, even with an extensive effort to modify such tests with the aim of achieving test similarity between the six versions, factors such as text difficulty and topical knowledge would likely have a considerably negative effect on the results. It might be argued that, by employing identical tests repetitively, the text difficulty variance could be addressed. However, researchers would then be faced with the practice effect caused by readers‘ repeated exposure to the same texts and questions, not to mention the fact that this is not remotely similar to how reading is done or tested in more natural settings. Additionally, if learners are indeed learning, they logically should score higher on subsequent tests. And, regarding topical knowledge, although there are particular readability formulas, such as the Lix formula (Knight, 1994), there is always the problem posed by used different test texts, because different learners inevitably have different strengths as related to content (background) knowledge.
C. Concept of Reading 1. What is Reading?
There is no single definition of reading; therefore, it is difficult to formulate a perfect definition of reading. A broader definition presented by Rubin (1982:8) is that ―reading is the bringing and the getting of meaning from the printed page‖. This definition implies that readers bring their background, experiences, and emotion into play. Consequently, upset students will bring their feelings into the act of reading, and this kind of situation will affect the reading
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process. Students who have more knowledge of the reading matter will get more from the material than the students who are less knowledgeable. A student who is good at critical thinking will get more than someone who is not.
Reading may be defined as an individual's total inter-relationship with symbolic information. Reading is a communication process requiring a series of skills. As such reading is a thinking process rather than an exercise in eye movements. (Shepherd, 1997: 2-3).
There are many definition of reading given by some experts as follow:
a. Law and Brothers (1982:89) in Resky states that reading is ability to recognize word, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs.
b. Elizabeth ( 2008: 1-2), reading is the process of contructing meaning from print and from other symbol. Reading involves not just the print and the illustrations, but also readers bringing to the process their knowledge of the world and their past experiences.
c. Anderson et al.( 1985) in Resky states that reading is the process of constructing meaning from written texts.
d. Byrnes (1998: 7) in Resky state that reading is an interactive process that goes on between the readers and text, resulting in comprehension.
e. Harris et .al (1980:5) define reading as a process of meaning elaboration or thinking in relation to written symbols. The recognition and comprehension Written symbols are influenced by reader‘s perception skill, experience, language background, mind sets and reasoning abilities as they anticipate meaning on the bases of what has read.
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f. Walberg (2000:6), Reading is about understanding written texts. It is a complex activity that involves both perception and thought.
g. Carrillo (1976:1-3), reading is not something that happens to you automatically when you arrive at a certain chronological age. Given the correct environment, reading may be acquired at many stages of growth and development. Reading is actually a cohesive set of skills that must be carefully presented in an orderly sequence to be efficiently used then and later.
h. Charles in Tohir (2001:5) states that reading is a transmitting of information process where the author tells all the readers about his ideas or message. Such as, the author is regard as the informants (sender) and the reader on the another hand is receiver. During the reading process it means that the reader can be done during reading activity is only grasping and decoding information, meanwhile he can not as question or comment to the author directly.
i. According to William (1984:486) reading can be point as four step process. The four steps are interrelated to other, they are:
1. Word perception, the ability to recognize a point 2. Comprehension, the ability to infer ideas from words
3. Reaction, a step in which the reader interacts intellectually and emotionally.
4. Integration, absorbing the ideas in context of one‘s personal background.
Based on explanation above, its can be concluded that reading means a process between the readers to understanding the messaging that is written from
xxx the text.
According to Cochran (1993: 12) Reading skills contents of : 1.Vocabulary
a. Learning terms to English (e.g., apostrophe, adjective)
b. Learning English (literary or grammatical) meaning for common words (e.g., romantic, subject, act).
c. Understanding words change in meaning and pronunciation (e.g., edelweiss, croissant).
d. Understanding how new words are coined or how they enter our language (e.g., snafu, morpheme).
2.Comprehension
a. Selecting significance details, classifying convergently, formulating main ideas.
b. Following directions.
c. Recognizing sequence.
d. Inferring time, place, mood, motive of characters.
e. Making comparisons.
f. Responding to imagery.
g. Recognizing semantic and literary devices.
h. Distinguishing between fact and literary devices.
i. Detecting fallacies of reasoning.
2. The Nature of Reading
According to Alderson (2000:31) argued that an understanding of the na-
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ture of reading is crucial to the development of our assessment instruments.
Reading is one type of written language skills who are receptive. Called receptive because by reading a person will obtain information, acquire science and knowledge and new experiences. All of which is obtained through reading would allow a person to enhance the power of thought, sharpen vision, and broaden their horizons (Zuchdi and Budiasih, 1996/1997: 49). The opinion emphasizes the importance of reading for improving the quality of one's self. Someone will 'technology illiterate' and 'stutter information' if rarely or never read the activities.
Information about science, technology, cultural, political, social and various other current information are constantly evolving rapidly from day to day. All kinds of information and the times are in addition can be followed from electronic media (eg TV), can also be followed by print media by reading. Both kinds of media information each has advantages and disadvantages. Electronic media can be accessed in a more relaxed because they live watching a show on TV. The downside, those impressions can not be watched again when we need information.
The print media that is accessed by way of reading has shortcomings in terms of readers, namely the availability of insufficient time in reading, lack of ability to understand the reading text, the low motivation in reading, lack of reading habits, etc. However, when compared with electronic media (eg TV), reading has the advantage of reading the text can be read back if the information in the text the reading is at times necessary.
From the nature of reading which has been described can be argued that reading has many purposes and benefits in daily life. Any person who would do of
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course have an intention of reading why he needs to read the text which in turn could benefit after reading activities take place. The benefits of reading, among others (1) as a medium of recreation, (2) media self-actualization, (3) media informative; (4) media enhancer insight, (5) media to sharpen reasoning, (6) the media to learn a skill, (7 ) media forming emotional and spiritual intelligence; etc..
Because reading has many benefits in life, then reading activities need to be trained intensively in learning at school, mainly starting from the level of primary education. Learning to read in primary schools intensively trained in subjects Indonesian. In general, learning to read in primary schools are grouped into two kinds, namely reading the beginning and read further. In the following discussion then focused on learning to read the beginning and bagamana diagnose difficulties in its implementation if it turns out students' primary impediment in learning to read.
Reading is such a pervasive activity that we all know what reading is, yet the term ―reading‖ has not been clearly defined up to date. Reading usually means dealing with language messages in written or printed form, it involves processing language messages, hence knowledge of language. Widdowson (1979) defines reading as ― the process of getting linguistic information via print‖. By talking about ―getting information‖, Widdowson appears to imply that this is a fairly one- way process from writer or text to reader, although Widdowson would not want to appear to be implying this, since he has been an important advocate of the view that the reader interprets and contributes to incoming messages. The problem is present in an ambiguity in Widdowson‘s definition. One would say that ―linguistic
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information‖ is restricted to information about, say, syntax, morphology and lexis.
Actually the information can be of any kind that is encoded in language. So reading is ―the process of receiving and interpreting information encoded in language form via the medium of print‖(Urquhart & Weir, 1998).
Even though reading is an acquired skill and not a natural process, most people do become fluent readers, but not without a lot of work. Learning to read is a long, gradual process that begins in infancy. Basic competency usually is not reached until middle childhood. As reading researcher Sally Shaywitz, professor and director of the Yale Center for Learning and Attention, states, ―Reading is the most complex of human functions‖ (Shaywitz, 2003).
3. The Essence of Reading
According to Harmer in The Practice of English Language Testing (1985:153) ―Reading is an exercise dominated by the eyes and the brain‖.
Specifically, Nunan (1989:17) in his book also said that ―Reading is a process of decoding written symbols, working from smaller units (individual letters) to larges ones (words, clauses and sentences)‖.
In essence, reading is a process to understand and reconstruct the meaning contained in reading material. Message or meaning contained in the text reading is a mutual interaction, active interaction, and dynamic interaction between the reader has basic knowledge with the sentences, facts, and information contained in the text readings. The information contained in the literature is information invisible to the eye or can be referred to as the source of visual information.
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Knowledge base which was previously owned by the reader is the information stored in the memory of the brain / mind reader or can be called with nonvisual information sources. Both kinds of sources of information need to be owned equally by the reader. It means the ability to know the visual information to be followed by the basic knowledge needed to comprehend a reading text. Vice versa, the knowledge base that has been held to proceed with the ability to understand visual information that a text reading. Other supporting capabilities that need to be held reader that is owned by the ability of connecting ideas with reading material. In relation to understanding and perekonstruksian message or meaning contained in the text readings, Harris and Sipay (1980) states that reading is a process of interpreting the meaning of written language appropriately.
Introduction to the meaning of the word according to its context is a necessary prerequisite to understanding the message contained in reading material.
Based on explanation above, the writer concludes that reading is a process to convey the message or information. By reading, the reader will know what they read and challenged to response the ideas of the author.
4. Kinds of Reading
(Dolores in Aulia 2005:7) classified reading into three kinds, namely:
reading aloud, silent reading, and speed reading.
a. Reading Aloud
Reading Aloud is important and the students should be taught to read alo- ud. Reading aloud is a kind of reading where a reader expressed orally every word in the text. The purpose of reading aloud is to improve the students‘ ability
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in pronouncing the words, stressing the words, and having a good intonation about every sentence in the passage.
b.Silent Reading
Silent reading is reinforcesing the readers to find out the meaning of the words. This kind of reading leads the readers to the better comprehension. This reading is skill to criticize what is written, to discuss written meaning and to draw Inference and conclusion as to express well as to tell new ideas on the basic of what is read.
To develop the students understanding in the silent reading, we give them short reading passage at the beginning and ask question after words.
c Reading Fast/ Speed Reading
Reading fast used to improve speed and comprehension in reading. This skill is very important for students. This skill must run theside with the main purpose of reading that is comprehension. The role of reading speed,depends on the kinds of reading material. The rate of speed is a reading scientific material.
This speed rate if reading narrative material will be different with other material.
5. Steps of Reading
A good method of approaching these problems look at the reading session in term of three phases : pre- reading, while-reading, and post-reading. In line with the three phases in teaching reading and focuses on reading as follows:
a. Pre-reading
A teacher who starts the lesson in the way is hardly to motivate the learner.
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Some examples of learning activities that can be adapted to the pre-reading activities are follows:
1) Teacher writes down some key words on the board and explain to the students by using the words into context.
2) Teacher shows the picture related to the topic and ask the students some question based on the given picture.
3) Teacher writes down key words of context in the board and ask students.
4) Teacher writes such themes (e,g : sports) in the board, then asks the to generate the theme into lost of some topics. Teacher, further ask the students to predict to the tittle of the reading text material. The students think about teachers‘ question.
5) Teaher ask students some questions orally. The question should tend to the topic of the reading material.
6) Teacher writes down such topic (e,g: entertainment) in the board, then ask students to predict some vocabulary that will be used in the reading text.
7) Teacher writes down some by words of the reading text on the board, then ask the students to predict the topic of the text.
b. While-reading
While reading activities are such learning activities in other to develop reading comprehension. In this phase, students understand or comprehend the
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content of reading text materials. This comprehensive activity can offer some activities, such as:
1) Reading Quickly in order to gain:
(a). General ideas (skimming) (b). Specific ideas (scanning) 2) Reading intensively in order to gain:
(a). Detailed information (b). Referred
(c). Word, phrases, and sentences references
(d). The meaning of certain word, phrases, and sentences based on the Text.
c. Post-reading
Post-reading are such as activities to use correlate the students‘ gaining in- Formation or knowledge after reading the text.Some activities that can use in this phase:
1) Find out synonym and antonym or some words in the text.
2) Find out the meaning of certain symbol, abbreviation, and technical terms related to the text.
3) Identifying advantages or disadvantages of something (e.g. he advantages and disadvantages of travelling by plane, bus, by car).
4) Telling folk story (in culture them) find out exactly, provience in the map (in theme of geography of Indonesia).
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There are three strategies we tend to approach when we read, they are;
a. Skimming
Skimming is to read text superficially a rapidly in order obtain the gist or main idea it is a skill that requires concentration. Adequate knowledge among of practice is necessary in order to skim fulfill their purposes.
b. Scanning
Scanning is to read a text quickly in order to locate a specific item of information it is used to design the process of locating quickly a particular word, phrase, sentence, and fact of figure with a selection.
c. Intensive reading
Intensive reading is a for recall or total accuracy it is an activity in class way in using reading. It deals with the detail content and linguistic study.
D. Definition of Reading Comprehension
Hornby (1974:711) explain that reading is the act of one who reads;
knowledge, ESP, of books : the ways in which something is interpreted, while comprehension is the act of understanding, the ability of the mind to understand.
Procter in Rahman (1988:6) Evison in Tahir (2001:8) explain that comprehension is the mind‘s power of understanding, or the ability to understand.
Elizabeth et. Al (2002:14) explain that comprehension is an active process in the contruction of meaning. Comprehension is the process of deriving
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meaning from connected text. It involves word knowledge (vocabulary) as well as thinking and reasoning. Therefore, comprehension is not a passive process, but an active one.
Comprehension is a special kind of thinking process. The reader comprehends by actively constructing meaning internally from interacting with the material that is read (Anderson and Pearson in Alexander, (1993:160). From the point of view given above, it can be concluded that reading is an active thinking process where the reader tries to gain information given by the author and understands what actually the purpose of author.
Comprehension is understanding the meaning of what is the read from the print, illustrations, layout and design (Elizabeth, 2008:190).
Reading comprehension is the activity between the reader and the writer‘s idea. Where the writer sends his/her idea in the written symbols and then the reader catches the idea it. Reading is on activity cognitive process of interactive with printing and minitoring comprehension to establish meaning (Kustaryo in Abdullah, 2006:22)
According to Hornby in Lusiana (2007:10) reading comprehension means reading with the power of understanding of the printed symbols. Reading comprehension is the goal instruction in reading and recognition is a means to help achieve that goal ( Choate, 1995:153).
1.Technique of Improving Reading Skill
General in Rahman (1988:8) states that effective reading means being able to read accurately, efficiently, and to understand as much of the passage as
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you read in order to achieve your purpose. To achieve one purpose of reading, he can apply some reading technique as follows:
a) Survey Reading
Brown (1987:930) says surveying is specialized technique for getting a mountain top new of an article chapter content and it helps to give a general point of view.
b) Skimming
Skimming is a kind of reading that make our eyes move quickly in order to get the main idea from the reading material. Skimming enable people to select content that want to read and to discard that which is in consequential for their purpose.
c) Scanning
Scanning is reading the text quickly to answer a specific question. This technique enables people to locate specific information without reading all the material around It. Brown (1987:138 ) states that scanning serves two functions. It uncovers relevant information and accelerates your reading speed.
d) Pre-reading
Pre-reading is a technique that a reader uses before he began to read the material to improve his comprehension and recall. Whorter ( 1992 : 25 ) states that pre-reading involves only at those part of reading materials that will tell you what it is about or how it is organize. Further he explains the port on to look at in reading a text book chapter are:
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2. Read the introduction or opening paragraph.
3. Read the first sentence under each heading.
4. Read each boldface heading.
5. Notice any typographical aids.
6. Notice any graph or pictures.
7. Read the last paragraph or summary (Whorter, 1992: 26).
According to Grellet (1981) reading may be classified as four simply categories, intensive reading, extensive reading, skimming and scanning (Cited in Ommagio, 1986) Suhirman (2002) further mentions as follows:
Firstly, intensive reading is reading activity that is being related to further progress in language learning under the teacher guidance. In this type of reading, control from a teacher is compulsory and it will provide a basis for elucidation of difficulties of structure, and for the extension of vocabulary. To the same extent, Finnonchiro (1983) also glanced that the intensive reading when the student‘s attention should be focused on all expression, nations sound, structure and cultural allusions will be unfamiliar to them in passage.
Secondly, extensive reading is developed at the student‘s own pace according to his individual ability (Rivers, 1968 and Suhirman, 2002). In this extent, the activity is not completely controlled by the teacher. The students have learner to read without the teacher‘s role. The extensive reading activity is mostly concerned with the purpose of training students to read directly and fluently by his/her own
employment, without the aid of the teacher. Structures in the test will be already
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familiar to him and new vocabulary will be introduced slowly in such a way that its meaning can be deduced from the context.
The third is skimming
There are great many materials related to each professional area, the students must be taught to be selective. Skimming techniques will enable them to select the worth reading.
The fourth is scanning
Scanning helps the student search quickly of the specific information he wishes to get from the material, such as finding the meaning of a word in a dictionary, finding the heading under which required information appears an index, finding statistical information in tables, charts, or graph, and finding the answers to certain questions from the text.
The procedures for scanning are as follows. First, specific information must be located. Next the clues which will help to find the required information have to be decided, then, find the clues. Finally, read the section containing the clues to get information needed. In this technique, the students are trained to think of clues to help them find the specific information. These clues may be a word or words, punctuation, alphabetical order, numbers, etc.
2. Aspects of Reading Comprehension
There are six types of reading comprehension questions. These types focus on these types focus on these aspects.
1) The main idea or primary purpose of the passage;
2) Information explicitly stated in the passage;
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3) Information or ideas implied or suggested by the author;
4) Possible applications of the author‘s ideas to other situations, including the identification of situations or processes analogous to those described in the passage;
5) The author‘s logic, reasoning, or persuasive technique;
6) The tone of the passage or the author‘s attitude as it is revealed in the language used.
To understand a reading text, what we read and whether we read for information. The readers have three level of reading. Aguswanti in Callahan et.
Al (1982: 48), point out three level of comprehension as stated below:
a. Literal Comprehension
Reading the lines refers to literal meaning of the material, clearly the most basic level, without any level, without any other of possible, it involves acquiring information that directly stated.
b. Interpretative Level
The second level reading between the lines its one in which the reader recognizes the authors‘ intent and purpose, interprets the thought passes judgement on his statement, searching for on interprets clues, distinguishes between fact and opinion and separates in own ideasfro the authors.
E. Types of Text
Included in the five main focuses of the English achievement objectives in the New Zealand Curriculum (2007: 18) are: language features that enhance texts
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and the structure and organisation of texts. These refer to the characteristics or features of texts, and how those characteristics or features are arranged. The ability to visualise the features of a text type, and how those features are arranged, is vital to the construction of meaning when reading.
When a student is able to visualise in this way, they understand texts at a much deeper level, and so have real control over them. This control comes about because a student who can visualise a text type understands how writers construct meaning through the features they choose to use and the way they arrange those features. It is this understanding that is fundamental to reading comprehension.
Crucially, when a student has this understanding, language is perceived not as a set of rules but as a set of options available for constructing a variety of
meanings. So, through learning about various types of text, students learn not about discrete and isolated forms of writing but instead about the construction of written texts in general: it is through the analysis of particular forms that students begin to learn about the writing system as a whole.
It is important you make sure your students appreciate they are learning about particular text types not as ends in themselves but as a means of learning about the writing system. Simultaneously focus their thinking on the features and organisation of a particular text type and on how they can use what they know about that form in order to learn about other forms, about the writing system, and therefore about language in general.
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Students who understand writing at the system-level are not deterred when they meet texts with a typical features and/or organisation. Instead, they thrive – confidently exploring how the writer has made use of conventional and less conventional writing techniques in order to express ideas.
The following are descriptions of visualisations of typical narratives and science reports; they are based on those described by Vellutino (2003).
1. Narratives
Students who understand the features and organisation of narrative texts will know that they have a main idea/theme, and will comprise a beginning section introducing the main characters, a middle section where some sort of connection/ conflict arises between characters, developing to a crisis point, and an ending section where the connection/ conflict comes to some kind of resolution.
They will also know that the story will be set in a particular place/s, cover a period of time, and will probably contain dialogue. As they gain expertise, students will learn that writers of narratives make use of tools such as material processes (action verbs), mental processes (sensing verbs), verbal processes (saying verbs), metaphors, similes, allegory, and symbols.
Djouima, (2007: 58) explain that the narrative paragraph tells a story, just like a narrator in a play. The purpose of a narrative paragraph is to tell a story about something that happened. A narrative paragraph must have a topic sentence, details about the event, and time order.
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The narrative paragraph describes an event or tells a story, usually in a chronological order. The narrative paragraph is often used to describe our routines. Frequency adverbs (often, sometimes, usually…) are used to say how often something happens.
Narrative paragraphs are often used to describe what a person does over a period of time. Words like ―later‖ are used to connect what happens.
A narrative text is an imaginative story to entertain people. The narrative are meanings (1) a spoken or written account of connected events; a story. (2) the narrated part of a literary work, as distinct from dialogue. (3) the practice or art of narration.
There are Structure Generic of text presented by masruroh, (2015: 9) as follow:
1. Orientation : It is about the opening paragraph where the characters of the story are introduced Complication : Where the problems in the story developed.
2. Resolution : Where the problems in the story is solved. "happy ending" or
"bad ending". Often (generic structure) narrative text can: Orientation, Complication, Evaluation, Resolution dan Reorientation, although
―Evaluation‖ dan ―Reorientation‖ as optional.
3. Evaluation: It is about evaluation of story.
4. Reorientation: It is about the conclusion of story.
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Grammar Used dalam Narrative Text Grammar (tata bahasa) that often used of narrative text are: using simple past, past perfect, past continuous, past perfect continuous, or past future continuous.
According to Thomas S. Kane, (2000: 363-364) is a narrative is a meaningful sequence of events told in words. It is sequential in that the events are ordered, not merely random. Sequence always involves an arrangement in time (and usually other arrangements as well). A straight forward movement from the first event to the last constitutes the simplest chronology. However, chronology is sometimes complicated by presenting the events in another order: for example, a story may open with the final episode and then flash back to all that preceded it. A narrative has meaning in that it conveys an evaluation of some kind. The writer reacts to the story he or she tells, and states or implies that reaction. This is the
"meaning," sometimes called the "theme," of a story. Meaning must always be rendered. The writer has to do more than tell us the truth he sees in the story; he must manifest that truth in the characters and the action. Characters and action are the essential elements of any story. Also important, but not as essential, is the setting, the place where the action occurs. Characters are usually people—
sometimes actual people, as in history books or newspaper stories, sometimes imaginary ones, as in novels. Occasionally characters are animals (as in an Aesop fable), and sometimes a dominant feature of the environment functions almost like a character (the sea, an old house). The action is what the characters say and do and anything that happens to them, even if it arises from a nonhuman source—a storm, for instance, or a fire. Action is often presented in the form of a plot.
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Action is, so to speak, the raw material; plot, the finished product, the fitting together of the bits and pieces of action into a coherent pattern. Usually, though not invariably, plot takes the form of a cause-and effect chain: event A produces event B; B leads to C; C to D; and so on until the final episode, X. In a well- constructed plot of this kind we can work back from X to A and see the connections that made the end of the story likely and perhaps inevitable. Stories can be very long and complicated, with many characters, elaborate plots, and subtle interpenetration of character, action, and setting. In writing that is primarily expository, however, narratives are shorter and simpler. Most often they are factual rather than imaginary, as when an historian describes an event. And often in exposition an illustration may involve a simple narrative. Being able to tell a story, then, while not the primary concern of the expository writer, is a skill which he or she will now and again be called upon to use.
2. Reports
In contrast to narrative texts, students who understand the features and organisation of science reports will know they have an opening general statement, and that each paragraph has a topic sentence, with meaning built up step by step.
They will know that they are concerned with facts, contain language used to compare and/or contrast, language that classifies, and technical language. They will know such texts are usually set in no particular time, will not include characters or individuals, and will be written in an objective style. As they gain expertise, students will learn that writers of science reports make use of material
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processes (action verbs), relational processes (linking verbs), and tools (such as nominalisation) to condense language.
Again, because a student has knowledge of the features and organisation of science reports, they will be able to organise and process such texts in ways that facilitate comprehension. Consider the following excerpt which gives a factual description of the adaptations of wading birds. After reading, "Each species has adapted to a particular zone between the high and low tide lines. The length of their legs is a clue to whether they only feed at the edge or can venture some way into the water", the student who is familiar with this type of text will expect to go on to read a detailed description giving examples of particular wading birds' legs and where those birds feed. And when they read "Each species has adapted to." and "The length of their legs is a clue to." they will recognise has and is as relational processes used by writers to express the link between two pieces of information. They will not, however, expect to learn about two wading birds called "Jack" and "Tane", or to be told how "Jack" and "Tane" feel about being wading birds. The expert reader of science reports will organise and process these texts in ways that are quite different from the ways they organise and process narrative texts.
Some the experts explain that the purpose of teks report is: Its social purpose is presenting information about something. They generally describe an entire class of things, whether natural or made: mammals, the planets, rocks, plants, countries of region, culture, transportation, and so on. There are generally
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grammar term of teks report are: Use of general nouns, eg hunting dogs, rather than particular nouns, eg our dog; Use of relating verbs to describe features, eg Molecules are tiny particles; Some use of action verbs when describing behaviour, eg Emus cannot fly; Use of timeless present tense to indicate usualness, eg Tropical cyclones always begin over the sea; Use of technical terms, eg Isobars are lines drawn on a weather map; Use of paragraphs with topic sentences to organise bundles of information; repeated naming of the topic as the beginning focus of the clause.
A report text describes something in general, not a specific participant.
When we describe a cat in general, for example, the writing seems to be a report text.
Reports classify or describe something eg a combine harvester. Reports begin with a general statement which introduces the topic. In the description, facts (parts, qualities, habits and behaviours of the
subject) may be described.
F. Assessing Reading
1. Main idea A multiple-choice main idea exercise follows each reading.
Students are required to distinguish a statement of the main idea from other statement of the main idea from other statement that are true about the reading.
2. Comprehension questions. The comprehension questions are means to test student‘s understanding.
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3. Using new vocabulary Questions on new vocabulary words are intended to lead the student through the reading idea by idea and new word by new word.
4. Additional reading This reading usually includes only one quick exercise to test comprehension. It is not a timed reading and is not reading and is not meant for extensive analysis.
G. Conceptual Framework
Figure 2.2: Conceptual Framework Teaching material of reading:
Narrative & Report text
Types of Texts
DASH method (Input)
Report
Narrative
Classroom
interaction/Implementation of duplicated answer sheets
(process) (Process)
The students‘ reading comprehension achievement
(Output)
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Reading material as one element in English language teaching has the important role. Because reading material as one factor that might influence the students‘ reading comprehension.
In the diagram above, the three main components are input, process, and output.
1. Input refers to duplicated answer sheets (DASH) method that will be given to the students‘.
2. Process refers to classroom interaction/implementation of duplicated answer sheets in teaching reading ability in the classroom.
3. Output refers to the students‘ reading comprehension achievement.
