Helping Students To Be Enthusiastic to Learn Reading at Kumon City Square Bandung.

(1)

i Maranatha Christian University

ABSTRACT

Tugas akhir ini membahas tentang anak anak yang tidak menunjukkan

keseriusan untuk membaca bacaan yang terdapat dilembar kerja mereka di

KUMON. Di KUMON, setiap anak bekerja sesuai dengan kemampuannya

sendiri dan secara perorangan. Dengan sistem belajar seperti ini, anak dapat

mengerjakan pelajarannya secara mandiri dan kemampuan setiap anak

dapat berkembang secara maksimal.

Dalam tugas akhir ini, saya membahas penyebab dan akibat dari

permasalahan yang saya hadapi yaitu beberapa anak tidak menunjukkan

keseriusan mereka dalam belajar, terutama dalam membaca suatu kata,

frasa, ataupun kalimat. Dalam hal ini, saya mencari penyebab serta akibat

yang dapat membuat anak enggan untuk membaca. Salah satu penyebab

dari masalah ini ialah anak kurang termotivasi. Masalah ini juga dapat

disebabkan oleh ruangan yang terbuka. Seorang anak akan merasa

terganggu belajarnya jikalau mereka melihat situasi di sekeliling mereka yang

ramai. Akibat dari masalah ini adalah bahwa anak akan ketinggalan pelajaran

dan kurang memahami maksud dan isi dari teks yang akan dibaca.

Berdasarkan observasi dan studi kepustakaan, maka saya menemukan

beberapa pilihan solusi untuk mengatasi masalah ini. Solusi yang dapat

diterapkan ialah dengan mengajak setiap anak berkomunikasi dan

memberikan mereka beberapa kegiatan sebelum membaca. Dengan

berkomunikasi, seorang anak akan merasa bahwa ia diperhatikan. Selain itu,

komunikasi juga dapat menjalin hubungan yang baik antara anak dan

(2)

iv Maranatha Christian University

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT……….……..i

DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY………..ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……….……….iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS……….iv

CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION……….1

A. Background of the Study

B. Statement

of the Problem

C. Objectives

and

Benefits of the Study

D. Description

of the Institution

E. Methods of the Study

F. Limitation of the Study

G. Organization of the Term Paper

CHAPTER II : PROBLEM ANALYSIS………7

CHAPTER III : POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS………..11

CHAPTER IV : CONCLUSION……….17

BIBLIOGRAPHY

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

Maranatha Christian University

1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Nowadays it is important for children to master a foreign language.

One of the most important foreign languages is English. Moreover,

English has become an international language. On top of that, it is

getting more common to use English as a foreign language in the fields

of education and entertainment. Therefore, children should learn

English as early as possible in order to have a better access of

education and eventually to have better opportunities for work.

Considering the importance of learning English, many parents try to

find a reputable English course for their children. As we know, there are

many English courses in Bandung, and KUMON is one of the proper

English courses for children in Bandung.

Considering that KUMON has spread into 45 countries all over the

world, I choose to teach children at KUMON. Moreover, I want to have

(7)

2

What is more, KUMON course has established KUMON methods as

the basis of teaching, where the children learn individually and they do

not learn in a classroom style. This method also encourages the

children to do the homework each day. The material is designed from

the low level until the high level.

At KUMON EFL, the English course only has one class and the

classroom has no partition. There are 9 tables, 3 CD players for

listening, 3 shelves for putting the students’ pocket books, and a

bookcase for displaying the story books. In the class there are two

teachers and 21 students with age level from 4 to 7 years old. The

material of KUMON EFL is very interesting. The worksheets are

colorful, and the CD contains ‘sound effect’, ‘shadowing voice’, and

also it has an attractive music background for the students. In spite of

the fact that KUMON EFL class is enjoyable, some children seem

unwilling to read the reading text on the worksheets. This problem

appears because the students have lot activities from their school and

their feel tired to read the reading text. It can be the teachers give the

same topic of the reading text and make the students unwilling to read.

Considering the above explanation, I would like to discuss how to

deal with children at KUMON EFL class who are reluctant to read the

(8)

3 B. Identification of the Problem

There are a lot of difficulties when I did my apprenticeship. One of

the difficulties is the students do not want to read the reading text on

their worksheets and it is not easy to encourage them to read.

Therefore, the statements of the problem are defined as follows:

1. Why the students at KUMON EFL are reluctant to read the reading

text on the worksheet?

2. How should the teachers deal with the problem?

3. What is the best solution to solve the problem?

C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study

My objectives of writing this Term Paper are:

1. to find out the causes and the effects of students being reluctant to

read the reading text on their worksheets

2. to analyze the possible solutions to deal with the problem

3. to present the best solution for the problem.

The benefit for the readers when they read this paper is that they

can get information and insight about how to make the students enjoy

reading in class.

The benefit for the institution is that the English teachers at KUMON

City Square can know how to make the students enjoy reading and

how to manage the class well.

Meanwhile, the benefit for me is that I can get the knowledge and

(9)

4

when I really turn into a teaching job in a school and face the same

problem, I will know how to handle it properly.

D. Description of the Institution

KUMON was first established in 1954 by Japanese named Toru

Kumon, who was a high school Mathematic teacher. The concept of

KUMON started with the following story. One day, Toru Kumon’s wife

asked him to help his son, Takeshi, with mathematic lesson. Then, he

created a system in order to help his son learn mathematic effectively

and systematically. Afterwards, Toru Kumon applied this learning

system to other children in his home area. The result was satisfying

and until now KUMON has developed the learning system not only in

Japan but also in 45 other countries.

Meanwhile, KUMON EFL was first established around 2000 when

the government in Thailand and Brazil asked KUMON center in Japan

to design English material for children in Thailand and Brazil. The

reason is that both governments wanted the children in their country to

be able to learn English well by using KUMON methods.

KUMON EFL learning material is truly designed for children whose

first language is not English, such as children in Indonesia. The

material of KUMON EFL is compiled in a systematic way, with various

levels which are developed step by step and are given to each child

based on their own ability. The purpose of the learning system, the

(10)

5

of each child so that their ability in learning English can be enhanced

continuously. Whereas, in KUMON EFL, reading is an important activity

to do by the students in order to increase the vocabulary and to check

the comprehension and pronunciation.

KUMON has a lot of branches in Bandung. KUMON EFL was first

opened in Bandung in September 2007. I did my apprenticeship

programme at KUMON City Square from June 17 to August 15, 2008 at

City Square complex B-9. The owner of KUMON City Square is Mrs.

Handayani Lestantun. KUMON EFL at City Square was first

established in March 2008, but originally the owner has opened her first

office at Jalan Nakula before the office was moved to City Square in

2007 with Mathematics as the first subject.

E. Method of the Study

Based on my experiences during the apprenticeship programme, I

find a significant problem to discuss as the topic of my Term Paper. I

analyze the causes and the effects of the problem as well as choose

the best solution based on the data and the library research.

I got the data for this study from several books and sources from

the Internet. Besides, I also got the data from my apprenticeship

journal. I have got a lot of data from my own experience while I was

(11)

6

City Square also gave me some information about how to handle the

problem.

F. Limitation of the study

The subject of my term paper is limited to one English class of 21

students at KUMON EFL at City Square. The discussion focuses on

dealing with the students with the age level from 4 to 7 years old who

are reluctant to read the reading text on the worksheets.

G. Organization of the Term Paper

In this term paper, I would like to divide the content into four

chapters. The first chapter is the Introduction, which contains seven

sub-chapters namely Background of the Study, Identification of the

Problem, Objectives and Benefits of the Study, Description of the

Institution, Method of the Study, Limitation of the Study, and the last is

Organization of the Term Paper.

In the second chapter, which contains Problem Analysis, I will

analyze the causes and the effects of the problem that I faced. The

third chapter is the Potential Solution. In this chapter I will give the

possible solutions of my problem including the positive and negative

effects of each solution. The fourth chapter is the Conclusion, in which I

present the best solution to the problem. In the final part, I present the

(12)

17 Maranatha Christian University

CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

Based on the analysis in the previous chapters, there are three causes

of the problem that make the students reluctant to read. First, they are tired

because they have lot activities at school. The second is lack of pre-reading

activities and the third is unsupportive classroom management. Moreover, the

effects for the problem are the students have less practice of comprehension

and pronunciation and they will skip the material. It is also take much time for

the students to take an achievement test to continue to a higher level. The

possible solutions for the problem are the teacher should try to communicate

with the students, give them some pre-reading activities, and re-arranging the

classroom.

(13)

Maranatha Christian University

18

students and giving them some pre-reading activities that can increase their

learning spirit in reading.

Communicating with the students is one way to encourage students to

read the reading text on the worksheet. Asking them questions about their

life, their friends, and their family can make the students respond and enjoy

the conversations. This solution is really effective although it needs a long

time to communicate with the students. Referring to my apprenticeship

programme from June to August 2008, I have applied this solution for the

students at KUMON EFL and the effect of this solution on the students is they

have motivation to read the reading text. It is not difficult to ask the students

to read if the teachers try to communicate with them nicely. Moreover, the

students are willing to read the reading text by themselves. Communicating

with the students may also build a good relationship between the teachers

and the students. With this solution, the learning process of KUMON EFL will

go smoothly. What is more, giving some pre-reading activities for the students

will also be helpful. I choose this solution because using various pre-reading

activities will help the students to enjoy the activities and the learning

(14)

Maranatha Christian University

19

Communicating with the students and giving them some pre-reading

(15)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Printed Sources

Dörnyei, Zoltán. Teaching and Researching Motivation. London: Pearson,

2001.

Harmer, Jeremy. The Practice of English Language Teaching. London:

Longman,2001.

Paul, David. Teaching English to Children in Asia. Hongkong: Longman, 2003

Scoot, Wendy A., and Lisbeth H. Ytreberg. Teaching English to Children.

New York: Longman, 2000

Electronics Sources

Ajideh, Parvij. “A Neglected Essential in the ESL Reading Class”. The

Reading Matrix April 2003. 27November 2008

<http://www.readingmatrix.com/article/ajideh/article.pdf>.

Cluff, Debbie. “Classroom Arrangement”

ğ

. Education Articles 28 May 2006.

Article MS. 27 November 2008 <http://www.edarticle.com/classroom

management/classroomarrangement.html>.

(16)

Teachers’ Comprehension of Short Stories”. E

ğ

itimde Kuram ve Uygulama

19 Desember 2008 <http://www.eku.comu.edu.tr/makaleler/3.pdf>.

Sasson, Dorit. “Improving EFL Reading Skills.” The Genuine Article 09

February 2007. Suite 101. 16 Oktober 2008

<http://www. eslprogramlessons.suite101.com/article.cfm/improving_esl

_ reading_skills>.

Scoville, Heather. “How TO Verbally Communicate with Students.” How to Do

Things 2008. 04 Oktober 2008 <http://www.howtodothings.com/education/