Designing a combination of reading and writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta.

DESIGNING A COMBINATION OF READING AND WRITING TEST FOR RSBI SEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS OF SMP PANGUDI LUHUR I

YOGYAKARTA

A THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Rika Raswitasari Student Number: 061214096

 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

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DESIGNING A COMBINATION OF READING AND WRITING TEST FOR RSBI SEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS OF SMP PANGUDI LUHUR I

YOGYAKARTA

A THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Rika Raswitasari Student Number: 061214096

 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

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  vii ABSTRACT

Raswitasari, Rika. (2010). Designing A Combination of Reading and Writing Test for RSBI Seventh Grade Students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program Sanata Dharma University.

In learning English, every learner’s goal is to be able to master four skills namely Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing skill. Thus, there are four tests to measure learner’s skill in mastering English. Those tests are Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing test. Usually, Speaking and Listening skills are measured together at the same time. On the other hand, Reading skill is measured together with Writing skill. Therefore, there is a test called a combination of Reading and Writing test. In SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta, there was a need for a combination of Reading and Writing test designed specially for RSBI seventh grade students. The test was designed specially in order to meet the needs and characters of the students who had higher level of English skill being compared to the students from regular classes. In order to achieve that goal, the test must be made more challenging. This study attempted to solve the problem by designing a combination of Reading and Writing test that is able to make the students perform their high English skill.

In the effort to create a more challenging test, the researcher designed the test by using authentic materials. Authentic materials were used because they provided real life language, vocabularies and structures that would create certain challenge to the learners. Authentic materials also provided topics and tasks that were similar to real-life tasks that would be challenging for the intermediate learners.

In designing the test, the researcher employed Educational Research and Development method proposed by Borg & Gall (1983). There were ten steps in R & D. However, the researcher only applied seven steps out of those ten steps. Those steps were (1) research and information collecting, (2) planning, (3) preliminary form of product development, (4) preliminary field-testing, (5) main product revision, (6) main field-testing, and (7) operational product revision. In conducting the study, the researcher used interview to gather data and information. The interview was done twice. The first interview was done in step 1 to find out the students’ needs. The second interview was done in step 4 to gather experts’ suggestions and comments to revise the test before it was field tested in step 6.

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ABSTRAK

Raswitasari, Rika. (2010). Designing A Combination of Reading and Writing Test for RSBI Seventh Grade Students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Dalam belajar bahasa Inggris, tujuan setiap pembelajar adalah untuk dapat menguasai empat keterampilan yaitu Berbicara, Mendengarkan, Membaca, dan Menulis. Jadi, ada empat tes untuk mengukur keterampilan peserta didik dalam penguasaan bahasa Inggris. Tes tersebut adalah tes Berbicara, Mendengarkan, Membaca, dan Menulis. Biasanya, keterampilan Berbicara dan Mendengarkan diukur pada saat yang sama. Di sisi lain, keterampilan Membaca diukur bersama-sama dengan keterampilan Menulis. Oleh karena itu, ada tes yang disebut dengan tes gabungan Membaca dan Menulis. Di SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta, ada kebutuhan akan tes gabungan Membaca dan Menulis yang dirancang khusus untuk siswa kelas tujuh RSBI. Tes ini dirancang khusus untuk memenuhi kebutuhan dan karakter siswa yang memiliki tingkat keterampilan bahasa Inggris yang lebih tinggi dibanding dengan dengan siswa dari kelas reguler. Untuk mencapai tujuan tersebut, tes harus dibuat lebih menantang. Maka, studi ini berusaha untuk menjawab permasalahan dengan merancang suatu tes gabungan Membaca dan Menulis yang mampu membuat para siswa menampilkan kemampuan bahasa Inggris mereka yang tinggi.

Dalam upaya untuk menciptakan tes yang menantang, peneliti merancang tes dengan menggunakan teks-teks otentik. Teks-teks otentik digunakan karena teks-teks tersebut mampu memberikan kosa-kata dan struktur kebahasaan yang digunakan dalam kehidupan nyata yang akan menciptakan tantangan tertentu kepada para peserta didik. Teks-teks otentik juga memberikan topik dan tugas-tugas yang mirip dengan kehidupan nyata yang akan menantang bagi pembelajar level menengah

Dalam merancang tes, peneliti menggunakan metode Educational Research and Development dari Borg dan Gall (1993). Ada sepuluh langkah dalam siklus R & D. Namun, peneliti hanya menggunakan tujuh dari sepuluh langkah tersebut. Langkah-langkah tersebut adalah (1) research and information collecting, (2) planning, (3) preliminary form of product development, (4) preliminary field-testing, (5) main product revision, (6) main field-testing, dan (7) operational product revision. Dalam melakukan penelitian ini, peneliti menggunakan wawancara untuk mengumpulkan data and informasi. Wawancara dilakukan dua kali. Wawancara pertama dilakukan pada langkah 1 untuk menemukan kebutuhan siswa. Wawancara kedua dilakukan pada langkah 4 untuk mengumpulkan saran dan komentar para ahli guna merevisi tes rancangan pertama sebelum tes diujikan pada langkah 6.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My greatest thank is for Jesus Christ as He has given me the very valuable experience of searching for knowledge that will keep me survive till the end of my life. I would like to thank the angels He has sent for me to guide me to accomplish my goal and keep my spirit burnt in enthusiasm and eagerness. Further, my deepest thanks are special for those who have supported me

First, I thank very very much to Made Frida Yulia, S.Pd., M.Pd., my thesis sponsor, for guiding me to accomplish my mission of finishing my study in the university. I would like to give my greatest respect and appreciation for her help, kindness and patience in evaluating and correcting any errors and mistakes I made in writing my thesis.

Second, my deepest thank is special for Andrea Ismargyaning Utami, S.Pd., my PPL pamong teacher who then inspired me to write a thesis about designing a combination of reading and writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. She not only inspired me but also helped me to provide any important information and references so that I was able to do my research so well.

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Fourth, my deepest thank and appreciation is for Drs. J.B. Gunawan, M.A. and Tri Sukartini, S.Pd for being willing to spend times for me in the middle of their busy days to check my preliminary-designed test. Their feedbacks and suggestions were one of most important parts in this research. Without their helps and kindness I would not have made this far.

Next, my endless thank and gratitude is special for my family. I would like to thank to my mother Anastasya Sumarni, and my sister Bernadheta Emmy Yulida for their prayers and supports day and night for me. They gave me the reason to be successful in my study and my life.

Last, my sweetest thanks are special for my boyfriend Coco, and my best friends Yenny Setyawati, Arum Widyastuti, Arif Rusna Pratiwi, Rina Seabaya Kristinasari, Farida Noor Rohmah, Denza Saputra, and Dani ‘Morron’ for bringing smiles, laughter, and colors in to my life. They are the boredom and desperation killers who always give me new energy to confront with stress and depression I face during my study. Actually, there are still so many other friends who cheered up my life I met in my beloved university, Sanata Dharma Yogyakarta, yet I can hardly have enough space to write their names in this thesis. Even so, their names have been typed in the story of my life and will endure forever in my heart.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ... i

APPROVAL PAGES ... ii

PAGES OF DEDICATION ... iv

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY... v

ABSTRACT ... vii

ABSTRAK... viii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS... x

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... xii

LIST OF TABLES... xvii

LIST OF FIGURES ... xviii

LIST OF APPENDICES ... xix

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study... 1

1.2 Problem Formulation ... 5

1.3 Problem Limitation ... 5

1.4 Objectives of the Study ... 6

1.5 Product Specification ... 6

1.6 Benefits of the Study... 7

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CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Theoretical Description... 12

2.1.1 Language Testing ... 12

2.1.1.1 Reliability... 12

2.1.1.2 Validity... 14

2.1.1.3 Practicality... 16

2.1.1.4 Authenticity... 17

2.1.2 Testing Reading ... 18

2.1.2.1 General Form of the Reading Test ... 18

2.1.2.2 Selection of the Test Passages... 18

2.1.2.3 Advice on Item Writing ... 19

2.1.2.4 Assembling the Final Form... 22

2.1.3 Testing Writing ... 22

2.1.3.1 Comparison of the Composition and Objective of Writing ... 22

2.1.3.2 Objective Tests of the Elements of Writing ... 23

2.1.3.3 Testing Ability to Organize Material ... 25

2.1.3.4 Testing the Mechanic of Writing ... 26

2.1.3.5 Improving the Effectiveness of Composition Tests... 26

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2.1.4.1 Definition ... 27

2.1.5 Authentic Language Test ... 29

2.1.5.1 Authenticity Definition ... 30

2.1.5.2 Authenticity as ‘real-life’ language use .. 30

2.2 Theoretical Framework ... 30

CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research Method... 33

3.2 Research Participants ... 38

3.3 Research Instruments ... 39

3.4 Data Gathering Technique ... 39

3.5 Data Analysis Technique ... 40

3.5.1 Participants’ Needs ... 41

3.5.2 Item Analysis ... 41

3.5.2.1 Item Facility ... 41

3.5.2.2 Item Discrimination ... 42

3.5.3 Validity, Reliability, and Authenticity ... 42

3.5.3.1 Validity... 42

3.5.3.2 Reliability... 43

3.5.3.3 Authenticity... 43

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CHAPTER IV. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 The Designing Process of the combination of Reading and

Writing Test ...  46

4.1.1 Research and Information Collecting... 46

4.1.1.1 Students’ Needs Based on the Interview with the English Teacher... 47

4.1.1.2 The References to Design the Test... 48

4.1.2 Planning the Test... 48

4.2 Findings and Discussion on the Designed of the combination Reading and Writing Test ... 49

4.2.1 Experts’ Comments and Suggestions on the Test ... 49

4.2.2 Final Product Revision... 51

4.3 The Result of the Main Field Testing ... 52

4.3.1 Data Presentation ... 52

4.3.1.1 Frequency Distribution... 52

4.3.1.2 The Item Facility ... 53

4.3.1.3 The Item Discrimination ... 54

4.3.2. Validity... 55

4.3.2.1 Face Validity ... 55

4.3.2.2 Content and Construct Validity... 55

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4.4 Presentation of the Combination of Reading and

Writing Test ... 56

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

5.1 Conclusions ... 57 5.2 Suggestions ... 59 5.2.1 Suggestions for English Teacher of RSBI Seventh

Grade Class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I

Yogyakarta ... 59 5.2.2 Suggestions for the Future Researchers ... 59

REFERENCES ... 61

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LIST OF TABLES Table

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure

3.1. The Elaboration of R & D Cycle ... 37

4.1. The Frequency Graph of the Main-Field testing Result ... 52

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LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: Letter of Permission from Sanata Dharma

University... 63

APPENDIX B: Letter of Statement of Having Done A Research in SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta... 64

APPENDIX C: Result of the Interview on the Preliminary Need-Analysis ... 65

APPENDIX D: Objective and Specification of the Test, and Scoring Rubric ... 68

APPENDIX E: Test before Revision ... 74

APPENDIX F: Result of the Post-Designed Interview... 83

APPENDIX G: Syllabus ... 91

APPENDIX H: Result of the Main Field-Testing ... 94

APPENDIX I: Tabulation of Item Facility, Item Discrimination, Reliability... 96

APPENDIX J: Reading and Writing Behaviors Blue Print ... 99

APPENDIX K: References and Materials to Design the Test ... 100

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

This chapter consists of seven parts. The first part is the background of the study, which describes the researcher’s reasons conducting the study. The second is the problem formulation, which conveys the problem that will be discussed in the study. The third is problem limitation, which specifies the problem being discussed. The fourth is the objective of the study, which reveals the aim of the study. The fifth is product specification, which defines the product being designed in this study. The sixth is benefit of the study, which explains the benefits of the study that either the researcher or other parties may gain through reading the study and the last is definition of terms, which clarifies the terms used in the study.

A. Background of the Study

with international standard teaching and learning which is called RSBI classes. In the future, when a school has been already successful in applying international standard teaching and learning in every class, the school will be called Sekolah Berbasis International (SBI) or International-Based School. This policy is in accordance with the policy set up by the Management General Directorate of Elementary and Intermediate Education or Direktorat Jenderal Manajemen Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah.

Meeting all those requirements, the students of RSBI class are considered to be smarter and more qualified than other students from regular classes. Therefore, the English lesson for them is designed differently which is obviously more challenging. As a result, their English test must also be designed more challenging than the one designed for the regular classes. Here, the researcher attempts to design a combination of Reading and Writing test for the RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta by using authentic materials. The researcher chose RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta because she was a teacher trainee who has experienced a three-month internship there. While being a teacher trainee, the researcher was assigned by the English teacher to teach the RSBI seventh grade students and to design a combination of Reading and Writing test for them. In designing the test, the researcher was asked by the teacher to make a combination of Reading and Writing test that was relatively more challenging than that given to students in regular classes.

English test with high level of challenge is given to the RSBI seventh grade students because (1) they have high level of English skill, (2) they learn in an international standard teaching and learning environment where they are expected to be able to use English as good as use their mother tongue, and (3) they deal so much with scientific English in their teaching-learning process. Thus, the test must be able to fit in their needs.

According to Wallace (1992), as cited by Berardo (2006: 61), authentic materials are real-life texts, not written for pedagogic purposes. Materials that belong to authentic materials are articles in newspapers, magazines, the internet, songs, films, advertisements, and so on. Those materials can provide the students with exposure of words, grammar, and sentences used in real life context/everyday life. As the authentic materials are not designed for the teaching and learning activity, they can create certain challenge for the learners.

In authentic materials, too many structures are mixed so lower levels have a hard times decoding the texts (Martinez, 2002: 1). Obviously, high level of English skill is needed to learn with the materials. It is in accordance with the statement, “Using authentic materials is one of the mainstays of an imaginative and motivating higher level course, but rarely features at levels lower than Intermediate” (anonymous,www.teachingenglish.org/uk/think/articles/using-auth entic material).

B. Problem Formulation

From the illustration above the researcher formulates the problem as: 1. How is a combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade

students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta designed?

2. What does a combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta look like?

C. Problem Limitation

There are four skills in English that must be learnt and mastered by the learners in order to be able to speak English well, namely Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. To find out whether learners have been mastered those four skills or not, learners’ four English skills must be measured. Generally, Listening and Speaking skills are measured in the same time, while Reading skill is measured together with Writing skill. In this research, the researcher only focuses on Reading and Writing skills. Thus, the researcher only designed a combination of Reading and Writing test.

The researcher only designed a test that only measured Reading and Writing skills because Listening and Speaking skills have been measured by an achievement test conducted weekly by the English teacher. Here, the test designed by the researcher was a combination of Reading and Writing test for final semester examination.

teaching English in this class and found a problem that the English teacher made the test for them relying only on an assumption that the test should be more challenging. However, any evaluation has never been done to see the evidences that the test was effective and already appropriate for the students. Therefore, the researcher attempted to conduct a study to find out the appropriate combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta.

D. Objective of the Study

This study is aimed at designing a combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta.

E. Product Specification

F. Benefits of the Study

The investigation of this study is expectantly able to give beneficial contribution to English teachers of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta, RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta, and other researchers.

1. English teachers of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta

This study not only provides information about the appropriate combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta but also encourages the teachers to develop the next tests with the same criteria.

2. RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta

The RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta may have an opportunity to take a test, specifically a combination of Reading and Writing test which is designed specially in order to be in accordance with their level of English skill, intelligence and competence.

3. Other researchers

Speaking skills for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta or RSBI students from other schools.

G. Definition of Terms 1. Authentic Materials

There are several definitions of authentic materials. According to Peacock (1997), as cited by Martinez (2002: 1) authentic materials are materials that have been produced to fulfill some social purposes in the language community. While according to Widdowson (1990), as cited by Martinez (2002: 1) authentic materials are materials designed for native speakers of English used in the classroom in a way similar to the one it was designed for. Further, Martinez (2002: 1) described several advantages of using authentic materials (1) students are exposed to real discourse, (2) authentic materials keep students informed about what is happening in the world so they have an intrinsic educational value, (3) textbooks often do not include incidental or improper English, and (4) authentic materials can produce a sense of achievement.

2. Rintisan Sekolah Berbasis International (RSBI)

RSBI in Bahasa Indonesia stands for Rintisan Sekolah Berbasis International. In English it means international based school pioneering. The missions of RSBI School as it is quoted from www.smp1slawi.sch.id (2009) are to fulfill the service national standard in every aspect, including graduates competence, content, process, teachers, facilities, financial, management, assessment, and have produced graduates with international quality, and to develop a conducive school environment that supports the school to fulfill those aspects. In the future, when the school has been already successful in fulfilling the service national standard in every aspect, the school will be Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional (SBI) or in English it is called international standard school.

a combination of Reading and Writing test that is able to fit in high level of English.

3. Reading

Mitchell (1982), as quoted by Clapham (1996: 11) defined reading as the ability to make sense of written or printed symbols. Reading is an interactive process that goes on between the reader and the text, resulting in comprehension. The text presents letters, words, sentences, and paragraphs that encode meaning. The reader uses knowledge, skills, and strategies to determine what the meaning is (Byrnes, http://www.nclrc.org/essestial/reading/reindex.htm). In this study, the researcher designs a combination of Reading and Writing test by taking the reading passages from real life sources for the reading comprehensions. Therefore, the materials are called authentic materials. The researcher expected that authentic materials which provide letters, words, sentences structure, grammar and language style used in the real life (used by native speaker of English) can challenge the RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta as the test takers in using their knowledge, skills, and strategies to determine meanings in the texts. Thus, they will feel a sense of challenge in dealing with the passages.

4. Writing

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

There are two main parts in this chapter. The first part is theoretical description and the second part is theoretical framework. Theoretical description provides the underlying theories relevant to the study. It reviews some related literatures to support the study. On the other hand, theoretical framework synthesizes and summarizes the theories as the base to design a combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta.

A. Theoretical Description 1. Language Testing

Harris (1969: 13) states that all good tests should possess three qualities: validity, reliability, and practicality. However, Brown (2004: 19) mentions five principles of language testing namely practicality, reliability, validity, authenticity, and washback. This study combines both theories. However, washback is not included as the researcher did not conduct a further observation on the effect of the test on teaching and learning.

a. Reliability

performances, the more reliable their knowledge and ability of assessment will be. A reliability of a test it self is affected by several factors. Brown (2004: 20-22) stated some factors that may contribute to the unreliability of a test. The factors are:

1) Student-related reliability

The most common issue in reliability is caused by temporary illness, fatigue, a “bad day”, anxiety, and other physical or psychological factors, which may make an “observed” score deviate from one’s “true” score.

2) Rater reliability

There are two kinds of rater-reliability; they are inter-rater reliability and intra-rater reliability. Inter-rater reliability occurs when two or more scorers yield inconsistent scorers of the same test, possibly for lack of attention to scoring criteria, inexperience, inattention or even preconceived biases. Intra-rater is a common occurrence for classroom teachers because of unclear scoring criteria, fatigue, bias toward particular “good” and “bad” students, or simple carelessness. 3) Test administration reliability

4) Test reliability

Test unreliability can happen. For example, if a test is too long and it makes test-takers fatigued by the time they reach the later items and hastily respond incorrectly. Another example is poorly written test. Poorly written tests are tests which are ambiguous and/or have more than one correct answer. It is also another source of unreliability.

b. Validity

In the selection of any test, two questions must always be considered (1) what precisely does the test measure? and (2) how well does the test measure? (Harris, 1969: 19). A test can be said to be valid if it tests what is intended to be tested. For example, a valid test of reading actually measures reading ability-not 20/20 vision, nor previous knowledge in a subject, nor some other variable of questionable relevance (Brown, 2004: 22).

There are several types of validation. Brown (2004: 22) mentions five types of validations as follows.

1) Content-Related Evidence

skills area and the test then reflects such an analysis, it may be said to have content validity (Harris, 1969: 19).

2) Criterion-Related Evidence

Brown (2004: 24) defined criterion-related evidence as the extent to which the “criterion” of the test has actually been reached. Further, Brown mentioned that

In the case of teacher-made classroom assessments, criterion-related evidence is best demonstrated through a comparison of results of an assessment with results of some other measure of the same criterion. For example, in a course unit whose objectives is for students to be able to orally produce voiced and voiceless stops in all possible phonetic environments, the results of one teacher’s unit test might be compared with an independent assessment-possibly a commercial produced test in a textbook-of the same phonemic proficiency

3) Construct-Related Evidence

The third category of validity that a teacher must pay attention to is construct validity. Brown (2001: 389) mentions that

One way to look at construct validity is to ask the question “Does this test actually tap into the theoretical construct as it has been defined?“ ”Proficiency” is a construct. “Communicative competence” is a construct. “self esteem” is a construct. Virtually every issue in language learning and teaching involves theoretical construct.

Tests are, in a manner of speaking, operational definitions of such construct in that they operationalize the entity that is being measured (Hudson & Lynch, 1985) as cited by Brown (2001: 389).

4) Consequential Validity

measuring intended criteria, its impact on the preparation of test-takers, its effect on the learner, and the (intended and unintended) social consequences of a test’s interpretation and use.

5) Face Validity

Face validity means the way the test looks to the examinees, test administrators, educators, and the like (Harris, 1969: 21). Face validity refers to the degree to which test looks right, and appears to measure the knowledge or abilities it claims to measure, based on the judgment of the examinees who take it, the administrative personnel who decide on its use, and other psychometrically unsophisticated observers (Mousavi, 2002) as cited by Brown (2004: 26). Moreover, Brown (2004: 27) mentions that

Face validity will likely be high if learners encounter (1) a well-construct, expected format with familiar tasks, (2) a test that is clear doable within the allotted time limit, (3) items that are clear and uncomplicated, (4) directions that are crystal clear, (5) tasks that are related to their course work (content validity), and (6) a difficulty level that represents a reasonable challenge.

c. Practicality

An effective test is practical. This means that is not excessively expensive, stays within appropriate time constraints, is relatively easy to administer, and has a scoring/evaluation procedure that is specific and time-efficient (Brown, 2004: 19). Harris (1969: 21) mentions three considerations of practicality as follows. 1) Economy

Economy in time is also a main consideration. In writing or selecting a test, the test administrator should certainly pay attention to how long the administering and scoring of it will take.

2) Ease of Administration and Scoring

To find out the ease of a test, the test administrator should answer the questions: Does the test provide clear directions so that the test administrator can perform his tasks quickly and efficiently? Does the test call for elaborate mechanical devices (such as audio equipment) that may not be readily accessible or cannot easily be installed in the rooms available? Must each test be administered separately, thereby greatly complicating the testing process?

3) Ease of Interpretation

The test administrator needs to have some general guidance as to the meaning of test scores to begin with, for without this it is extremely difficult to use an instrument in an efficient manner.

d. Authenticity

the learners, (4) some thematic organization to items is provided, such as through a story line or episode, (5) task represent, or closely approximate, real-world task. 2. Testing Reading

Harris (1969: 58-64) states that readings are generally built around the grammatical structures and lexical items which the student will need to communicate orally, and the content of the material is regarded as relatively unimportant.

a. General Form of the Reading Test

Generally Reading test consists of a number of short passages of varying styles and content, each followed by a series of multiple choice comprehension items. By a careful selection of passages, the test writer will be able to test the examinee’s understanding not only the surface meaning of a passage but also of the author’s purpose, attitude, and method. Thus, the reading comprehension is somewhat similar with advance-level listening comprehension test in which the students are given rather long oral language, perhaps in the form of dialogues, from which he must examine and interpret a multiplicity of phonological, grammatical, and lexical occurring simultaneously.

b. Selection of the Test Passages 1) Length

2) Subject Matter

The selection should reflect the various kinds of reading material assigned in the school courses. For these the test writer may draw up on such works as biographies, prose fiction, encyclopedia entries, and non technical on the natural and social sciences.

3) Style and Treatment of Subject

Reading tests should generally include various types and styles. However, all should possess reasonable sense as a piece of writing. The paragraphs in a reading test should (a) deal chronologically with series of events, (b) compare or contrast two or more people, objects or events, (c) present an author‘s individualistic opinion on a familiar subject.

4) Language

The test writer must always set realistic tasks for his test population, which consists of a second or foreign language. Therefore, overloaded passages with extremely difficult lexical items and/or complex structure may have to be adapted. However, the simplification of reading passages must be carefully controlled so that the test is made so easy that it fails to discriminate between students on various level of proficiency.

c. Advice on Item Writing

2) The “stem” or “lead” of the item should establish the problem so that it makes clear what kind of information is being asked for.

1. Example: Bad Item John… .

A. obviously liked what he heard

B. became angry upon hearing Mary’s words C. didn’t understand what he was tol

D. ridiculed Mary’s ideas

Example 1 above has no clues to the readers what is being asked. The above items might be written:

2. Example: Good Item

It was clear from John’s reactions to Mary’s speech that he… . A. agreed completely with what she said

B. found her remarks highly insulting C. didn’t understand what she said D. consider her ideas to be quite foolish

3) Selection of the correct answer should involve interpretation the passage, not only matching the words in the choices with the same words in the paragraph. 3. Example: Passage and Bad Item

Early the next morning I received yet another letter from Roger, informing me that he as still confined to his bed with the same mysterious illness and urging me to come to his aid. I set forth at once for Portsmouth, arriving shortly before duck. I went with all possible haste to High Street and thence to the familiar old house, which appeared in no way altered since the days of my previous visit. Yet upon entering, I was amazed to find its dark, cavernous rooms completely deserted.

When the writer found Roger’s house deserted, he felt… . A. angry

Example 3 above involves only matching word: amazed is the term used in both passage and test item. A less superficial testing of comprehension would be:

4. Example: Passage and Good Item The writer mentions his surprise at… . A. receiving a letter from Roger B. learning of Roger’s illness

C. seeing the appearance of Roger’s house D. finding that Roger was not at home

4) All items should require a careful reading of the paragraph. It should not be possible to answer items correctly purely on the basis of outside knowledge or to eliminate some of the choices because they are clearly illogical or because they conflict with one another.

5. Example: Bad item

We may infer from this paragraph that people… . A. all need the same kind of rest

B. do not usually need rest

C. rest much more than any should D. do not all rest in the same way

Choice B is absurd, choices A and D are clearly opposite. On the basis of logic, D is more likely the answer. D would also seem more likely to be true than C. the item should be written

6. Example: Good Item

The central idea of the paragraph is that people… . A. cannot maintain good healthy without proper rest B. do not all rest in precisely the same way

d. Assembling the Final Form

After the reading items have been pre-tested, there will be some items that are eliminated. There is no rule on how many comprehension items should accompany a passage. However, there should be a reasonable relation between the length of the passage and the number of questions asked about it.

3. Testing Writing

Harris (1969: 68-79) states five general components of writing. They are (1) content: the substance of the writing and the idea expressed, (2) form: the organization of the content, (3) grammar: the employment of grammatical forms and syntactic patterns, (4) style: the choice of structures and lexical items to give a particular tone or flavor to the writing, and (5) mechanic: the use of the graphic conventions of the language.

a. Comparison of the Composition and Objective of Writing

There are several points that must be included in a composition. They are: 1) Composition tests require students to organize their own answers, expressed in their own words. Thus, composition tests measure certain writing ability (e.g., ability to organize, relate, and weigh materials) more effectively than objective tests do.

2) Composition tests motivate students to improve their writing.

1) Students perform differently on different topics and on different occasions; and the scoring of composition is by nature highly subjective.

2) In writing composition, students can cover up weaknesses by avoiding problems (e.g., the use of certain grammatical patterns and lexical items) they find difficult.

3) Composition test require much more scoring time than objective test.

The recent findings in regard to testing writing ability can be summarized, (1) well-constructed objective test of the language skill have been found. Therefore, if the scoring of composition would be feasible, objective test can be used alone as fairly good predictors of general writing skill, (2) at the same time, it is clear that there are ways to administer and score composition tests so that they probably used by themselves as reliable instruments, (3) the combination of objective test and composition test will produce more valid result than would either two types of measures used by itself.

b. Objective Tests of the Elements of Writing 1) Testing formal grammar and style

Examples of the kind of grammatical matters that may be included in writing ability test are the following:

7. Example: Subject-verb agreement

The design of the two bridges (are/is) very unusual. 8. Example: Structural parallelism

9. Example: Case of pronouns

To my little brother and (I/ me), Uncle John was the most wonderful friend.

10. Example: Comparison of adjectives

The afternoon rush hour is the (worse/worst) part of the day in which to drive through the city.

11. Example: Formation of adverbs

The man tipped his hat and spoke very (polite/politely) to the ladies. 12. Example: Formation of irregular verbs

Neither of the children would tell us who had (broke/broken) the window. There are several specific item types. They are:

2) Error recognition

Here the examinee is required to indicate which of several underlined parts of a sentence is unacceptable for formal written English, or to indicate that the sentence contains no “error.”

13. Example:

The position taken in his most recent speeches seem to indicate a A B C

Willingness to compromise. No error. D E 3) Sentence completion

The examinee is required to select the best way of completing a sentence in terms of grammar, diction, tone, and sense.

14. Example:

During his last year in office, his popularity with the voters… . A. descended downward swiftly

C. declined very suddenly D. rapidly plunged under

This item type provides an excellent method of measuring a wide range of problems relating to the effective use of written English.

4) Sentence correction

The examinee is required to select the best revision of an underlined portion of a sentence.

15. Example:

While watching from our window, the great ship slowly entered the harbor, whistle blowing and crew cheering.

A. While watching B. Upon watching C. As we watched

D. Having been watched c. Testing Ability to Organize Material

Probably the most satisfactory of the test are those of paragraph organization in which the examinee is required to re-order several “scrambled” sentences into a coherent paragraph, and to indicate the correct order of the sentences.

16. Example:

A. The report from Stratford that he “spent at the rate of a thousand pounds a year” is surely very far from the truth, being based no doubt on Stratford gossip.

B. On this income we may be sure that he lived well and comfortably in Stratford.

C. It is difficult t estimate Shakespeare’s income in his last years. D. Probably Shakespeare received from all sources less than a quarter of

that sum, say two hundred pounds.

Which sentence did you put third? A B C D Which sentence did you put last? A B C D

d. Testing the Mechanic of Writing

Punctuation and capitalization are called the mechanic of writing. It can be tested objectively with simple adaptation of the item completion and correction.

17. Example:

Direction: decide what punctuation, if any, should be used in the numbered space, and indicate the letter that goes with your choice. (“N” means “no punctuation.”)

Returning to his friend Peter Bill asked whether he still wished to continue with the trip.

1-A ; 2-A ; 3-A ?

1-B ; 2-B ,” 3-B ?” 1-C ; 2-C ;” 3-C . 1-D ; 2-D N 3- D.” e. Improving the Effectiveness of Composition Tests 1) Preparation of the test

The preparation of the test includes (a) arranging the sentence to take several samples rather than just one, (b) setting writing tasks that are within the reach of all, (c) making the writing task clear and specific; providing full directions, (d) allowing no alternatives, and (e) pre-testing the writing test assignments.

2) Scoring the test

compositions are to be used to make critical decisions about a large numbers of students by beginning with a practice session for all readers in which they agree together on the rating of a papers sample, making the grade for each composition the sum or the average of the ratings of the two readers.

4. Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional (RSBI)/ International-Based School Pioneering

Rintisan Sekolah Berbasis Internasional or abrreviated as RSBI is a program held by schools as a process of becoming a fully international based-schools. In order to be officially called RSBI, a school must fulfill severals criteria set by the Government. The following is the explanation of what Rintisan Sekolah Berbasis Internasional is and the legal basis underlies it.

a. Definition

Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional (RSBI) or international-based school pioneering is any school that has fulfilled the Service National Standard in every aspect, including graduates competence, content, process, teachers, facilities, financial, management, assessment, and have produced graduates with international quality (http://smpn1kesamben.com/content/view/108/48/).

Prabantoro (2008) in his on line article mentions several characteristic of a Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional (RSBI) as follows.

2) The use of English is combination ofwith other subjects. This bilingual teaching method can be applied by two categories namely Subtractive Bilingualism (explanation) and Additive Bilingualism (Dual Language Approach emphasis).

3) The Emphasis is on the children aspect balance that includes cognitive, social and emotional and physic aspect.

4) The integration of multiple intelligences in the curriculum.

5) Guidance for students to be able to have critical, creative and analytical thinking. The curriculum is designed according to the principles of “Understanding by Design” which emphasizes on Enduring Understanding. Enduring Understanding can be viewed from six aspects, namely explain, interpret, apply, perspective, empathy, and self knowledge.

6) The school curriculum may implement semester credit system.

7) The school may provide an internship program for SMA, MA, and SMK. 8) The school emphasizes on the Information and Communication (ICT) Skill. b. Legal Basis

The government legal basis that underlies Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional (RSBI) or international-based school pioneering as quoted in (http://smpn1kesamben.com/content/view/108/48/) are:

1) Law no. 20 year 2003 about National Education System Chapter 50 verse 3 that stated “government and/or regional government establishing at least a school at all level to be developed in to an international school”.

3) Law number 3 year 2004 about Central Government authority and Province authority as autonomous region.

4) Law number 25 year 2000 about national development program.

5) Government regulation number 19 year 2005 about standard of national education.

6) National Education Ministerial Decision number 22 year 2006 about content standard.

7) National Education Ministerial Decision number 23 year 2006 about the standard of graduates competence.

8) National Education Ministerial Decision number 24 year 2006 about education implementation standard number 22 and 23 year 2006.

9) Strategic plan of National Education Department year 2005-2009.

5. Authentic Language Test

In order to obtain a complete measurement of an individual’s language proficiency, language tests should place the same requirements on the test takers as does language performance in non-test situation (Bachman, 1990: 300-301). Further, Bachman (1990: 301) states:

a. Authenticity Definition

In defining authenticity, Bachman (1990: 301-302) used two approaches. The first approach is called ‘real-life’ (RL) approach. The primary concerns of the first approach are (1) the appearance or the perception of the test and how this may affect test performance and test use (validity), and (2) the accuracy with which test performance predicts future non-test performance (predictive utility). The second approach called ‘interactional/ability’ or IA approach. It measures language as a mental ability and the current view of communicative language use. b. Authenticity as ‘real-life’ language use

Based on RL approach, there are three interrelated principles. They are (1) a view of language ability, or proficiency, as pragmatic ascription, (2) the reference to ‘real-life performance’ as a criterion, and (3) the belief that ‘face validity’, content relevance, and predictive utility are sufficient bases to justify test use.

B. Theoretical Framework

In selecting reading passages and designing writing tasks, the researcher is going to use theories promoted by Harris (1969). Harris (1969: 58) states that readings are generally built around the grammatical structures and lexical items which the student will need to communicate orally, and the content of the material is regarded as relatively unimportant. On the other hand, Harris (1969: 68) states five general components of writing. They are (1) content: the substance of the writing; the idea expressed, (2) form: the organization of the content, (3) grammar: the employment of grammatical forms and syntactic patterns, (4) style: the choice of structures and lexical items to give a particular tone or flavor to the writing, and (5) mechanic: the use of the graphic conventions of the language. Therefore, the Writing test should content those five main components.

In this study, the researcher designs a combination of Reading and Writing test as the final even semester examination of academic year 2009-2010. The test only consists of two skills, which are Reading and Writing skills because Listening and Speaking skills have been measured by an achievement test conducted weekly by the English teacher.

 

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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

The researcher used certain methodology to conduct this study. This chapter aims at discussing the methodology systematically. The discussion covers research method, research participants, research instruments, data gathering technique, data analysis technique, and research procedure.

A. Research Method

In this study, the researcher designed a test. Specifically, she designed a combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. In designing the test, the researcher used authentic materials. According to Widdowson (1990) as cited by Martinez (2002: 1), authentic materials are materials designed for native speakers of English used in the classroom in a way similar to the one it was designed for

dissemination and implementation. In spite of ten steps of R & D cycle, the researcher only put seven out of those ten steps. That was because the product was able to be completely accomplished up to operational product revision step. Thus, the further steps were considered to be less significant to the study. After employing seven steps of educational Research and Development, the researcher was able to gain the result of the study.

The following is the explanations of seven steps of R&D cycle used in this study. There is some additional information in each step to elaborate the steps with the study. Elaboration is meant to prove whether the researcher’s framework is appropriate to be included in R&D cycle. The steps can be seen as follows. a. Research and Information Collecting

b. Planning

In this step, the researcher made the estimation of the time required to develop and implement the product so that the researcher would be able to manage the time. The researcher organized the plans well in this step.

c. Preliminary Form of Product Development

After the planning had been completed, the next major step was developing a preliminary form of the product. The researcher designed the educational product in a form of combination of Reading and Writing test based on the students’ needs. The information gathered from the pre-design interview in the need-analysis became the guideline for the researcher in designing the test. Before the test was field-tested, the researcher asked for advices from some experts to judge whether the test already met validity and authenticity criteria or not. Then, the researcher did some revisions based on the feedbacks given by the experts.

d. Preliminary Field-Testing

They were chosen to be the subjects of the interview because they were considered to have enough competence about this study.

e. Main Product Revision

After conducting an interview with the three experts, the researcher soon revised the product. The data gathered from the interview were used to revise the product. After the product was completely revised, the product was field tested. f. Main Field-Testing

In this step the test was field-tested to RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. The test was conducted on June 5, 2010 to 27 students/test takers.

g. Operational Product Revision

In order to make the explanation easily understood, the researcher made a figure of the researcher’s steps that was manifested in R& D cycle. The cycle can be seen in Figure 3.1.

R&D Cycle

Figure 3.1. The Elaboration of R&D Cycle

From the explanation above, it can be seen that there are the same purposes between R&D cycle and researcher’s steps in designing combination of

Step 1. Need analysis survey

Step 2. Materials and references collecting  

Step 3. Time line, goals and objectives decision 

Step 4. Test design  

Step 5. Validity and authenticity judgment, and revision

Step 5. Main Product Revision

Step 4. Preliminary field-testing 

Step 3. Preliminary form of product development   Step 2. Planning 

Step 1. Research and information collecting 

 

Step 6. Main-field testing  Step 7. Field-testing   Step 6. Revision of the test

Step 8. Scoring, Item

Facility, Item discrimination, and reliability measurement Step 7. Operational

Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. Thus, it can be concluded that the researcher’s framework matches with R&D framework.

B. Research Participants

There were four types of participants in the study. They are:

1. The first were the RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. This class consists of 27 students. They were the objects of the study. Their roles were as the test takers.

2. The second was the English teacher of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. From the teacher, the researcher was able to gather information through an interview about the students’ needs from the teacher’s point of view. The English teacher of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta was involved as the participant of both pre-design and post-design interview.

3. The third was a lecturer of the English Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta. The lecturer was involved in the post-design interview. The participant was asked to judge whether the proposed and the revised product already met the validity and authenticity of an appropriate test or not.

proposed and the revised product already met the validity and authenticity of an appropriate test or not.

C. Research Instruments

To gather the data needed in this study, the researcher used an instrument. The instrument was interview. Interview is useful to find out detailed information about a person’s thoughts and behavior (Boyce & Neale, 2006: 3). In this study, the researcher conducted interview twice. The first interview was a pre-design interview that was conducted in the need-analysis to gather data before designing the test, and the subject in this interview was an English teacher of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. The second interview was the post-design interview that was conducted after the test had been designed, and the subjects in this interview were the English teacher of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta, a lecturer from the English Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta, and a test constructor from Language Training Institute Yogyakarta. This second interview aimed at finding data to judge the validity and authenticity of the designed test. Besides, the data was also used to evaluate and revise the test before it was field-tested.

D. Data Gathering Technique

Yogyakarta. This pre-design interview aimed at finding the needs of the students and about how the test was expected to look like.

The data gathered from the need-analysis became the guideline for the researcher to design the test. The test then was field-tested to the RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. The students were assigned to do a combination of Reading and Writing test in a form of multiple choices that consisted of 42 questions for Reading and 8 questions for Writing. The test also had essay questions for writing that consisted of 5 questions. The time allocated to do the test was 120 minutes. The students answered the questions on a separated answer sheet.

After the combination of Reading and Writing test was field-tested, the researcher then scored the test. The score of the test helped the researcher to calculate item facility, item discrimination, and reliability of the test. The result of the calculation would show whether the test was a good test or not. Besides, the result of the test also proved whether the combination of Reading and Writing test designed by the researcher was appropriate for the RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta or not.

E. Data Analysis Technique

1. Participants’ Needs

The data about the participants’ needs were gathered from a pre-design interview with the English teacher of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta which was conducted in step one that is research and information collecting. Here, the researcher interpreted the data from the interview. Then, the data became considerations for the researcher in designing the test.

2. Item Analysis a. Item Facility

Brown (2004: 58) stated that the item facility (IF) is the extent to which an item is easy or difficult for the proposed of group of test takers. The information about item facility is important for the researcher to see the level of difficulty of the test. The information is also useful as a consideration in evaluating the test. Item facility can be formulated as follows.

IF = # of Ss answering the item correctly Total # of Ss responding to that item

Here, Brown (2004: 59) mentioned that:

b. Item Discrimination

Heaton (1975: 173) stated that index of discrimination shows the extent to which the item discriminates between the testees, separating the more able testees from the less able ones. Item discrimination can be formulated as follows.

D = correct U – correct L n

D = discrimination index U = upper half

L = lower half

n = number of students in one group

Discrimination index ranges from +1 to -1. If an item has index discrimination -1, the item discriminates the students in entirely the wrong way. In contradiction, if an item has index discrimination +1, the item discriminates perfectly. It shows perfect correlation with the testees result on the whole test. Item discrimination 0 shows that the item does not discriminate in any way at all.

3. Validity, Reliability, and Authenticity a. Validity

class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta, a lecturer from English Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta, and a test constructor from Language Teaching Institution Yogyakarta. Their educational backgrounds, professions, and experiences made the researcher believe that they were so much competent to evaluate the test in this study.

b. Reliability

Measuring reliability is measuring consistency. A reliable test is consistent and dependable (Brown, 2004: 20). In this study the researcher used a method proposed by Harris (1969). Harris (1969: 15) stated that to estimate the reliability of a test can be done by giving a single administration of one form of the test and then, by dividing the items into two halves (usually by separating odd and even numbered items) and by obtaining two scores for each individual. By such “split-half” procedure (commonly known as Spearman-Brown formula), the researcher could obtain the correlation coefficient. The coefficient result became the reliability of one group test.

c. Authenticity

F. Research Procedure

The researcher organized the steps she took in this study into four main steps as follows.

1. Need-analysis

In the first main step, the researcher asked for a letter of permission from Sanata Dharma University to conduct a need-analysis to the RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. Having the letter of permission from the university, the researcher asked for a permition from the head master of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta to conduct the need-analysis in the school. Then, having the permition from the headmaster, the researcher conducted an interview with the English teacher of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. Further, in this step the researcher also gathered sources and references needed to design the test.

2. Test Design

The second main step was designing the test. After the test was designed, the validity and authenticity were judged by three experts. Then, some revisions were made from the feedbacks given by the experts.

3. Field-Testing

After the test was completely revised, the test was field-tested to 27 RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta.

4. Scoring and Test Analysis

with the students’ level of English or not. Further, the researcher also analyzed the result of the test to prove that test was a good test by calculating the item facility, item discrimination, and reliability.

 

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CHAPTER IV

RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter is divided into four main parts. The first part is the designing process of the combination of Reading and Writing test. The second part is findings and discussion on the Reading and Writing test. The third part is the result of the main field-testing. The fourth part is presentation of the combination of Reading and Writing test.

A. The Designing Process of the combination of Reading and Writing Test In this study, the researcher applied seven steps in designing a combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. Those seven steps were based on Educational Research and Development (R & D) cycle proposed by Borg & Gall (1983). Borg & Gall (1983: 774-775) stated ten steps of R & D cycle. However in this study, the researcher only put seven out of those ten steps. The steps were (1) research and information collecting, (2) planning, (3) preliminary form of product development, (4) preliminary field-testing, (5) main-product revision, (6) main field-testing, and (7) operational product revision.

1. Research and Information Collecting

newspapers. Besides gathering information, the researcher also conducted a preliminary interview. The subject of the interview was the English teacher of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. The details of the information of these two are presented below.

a. Students’ Needs Based on the Interview with the English Teacher

The researcher conducted a preliminary interview with the English teacher of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta on February 10, 2010. The teacher described the characteristic of RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta as smart students who had higher level of English skill than students from regular classes. They also learnt in a different learning-teaching environment where they had more complete facilities. In other words, it can be said that they learnt in a more conducive and supportive learning class. Besides, according to her, the teaching process was also conducted differently from the teaching in regular classes. The RSBI students used English during the process of learning and teaching in the class, and sometimes they used bilingualism method where English was used in the same time with Bahasa Indonesia. The students were mostly active students. Most of them could be categorized as intermediate English learners. However, there had not been a test that was designed specially that met the needs of those students.  

vocabularies should relate to science and/or they could be taken from real sources. The questions should be implicit instead of explicit. Further, the options should be made seemingly similar. Based on the information gathered from the interview with the English teacher of RSBI seventh grade class, the researcher designed a combination of Reading and Writing test using authentic texts as the reading passages and designed Writing tasks that looked similar to real-life tasks. The authenticity was meant to create challenges and difficulties besides scientific vocabularies. Further, the results of the need analysis can be seen in Appendix C. b. The References to Design the Test

The references to design the test were taken from students’ books, internet and newspapers articles. The books used were Winner students’ book 1, The Bridge English Competence, Modul VII Bahasa Inggris, and English in Focus for Grade VII and the articles were taken from The Sunday Post newspaper published on May 10, 2010. Those books provided the syllabus and the representatives of subject matter that the students have been learning during semester II. The details of the references can be seen in Appendix L.

2. Planning the Test

50 items in part I. Thus, the total score for part I is 50. On the other hand, to score part II (essay), the researcher used the scoring rubric. The total score of part II is 50. Therefore, the sum of both score is 100. The scoring rubric for essay, the objectives and specification of the test can be seen in Appendix D.

B. Finding and Discussion on the combination of Reading and Writing Test After the planning that included deciding the objectives and the specification of the test, considering the time allotted for the test, and making the scoring rubric for Writing were well done, the researcher started to design the test. Further, after the combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta that consisted 42 multiple choices for Reading and 8 multiple choices for Writing, and 5 essay questions was designed (see Appendix E), the researcher conducted an interview to three experts to judge the validity and authenticity of the test.

1. Experts’ Comments and Suggestions on the Test

From the interview the researcher gained some feedbacks, comments and suggestions that were useful to revise the first-designed of combination of Reading and Writing test. From the whole results of the interviews, the researcher could conclude that there were 7 points of comments and suggestions as follows. a. The researcher should change text 2 in Part I (multiple choices) because the

b. Text 3 was also considered to be eliminated or replaced. The three experts said that the text was too long. The length of the test was not ideal for the test. Besides, the content was also not contextual as it was a narrative text about a western fable. The expert suggested the researcher to replace the text with the shorter narrative text about local/Indonesian fable.

c. Another text that should be replaced was text 4. The experts said that the authentic language was too overwhelmed for the students. Besides, the content was not relevant and contextual for the students.

d. The next text that was suggested to be replaced was text 6. The reasons were similar with the reasons to replace text 4. Besides the language was too difficult for the students, and the content is not contextual, the format also did not look like as it was an announcement.

e. The next item that was revised was item no 47. An expert said that this item was too complicated from the look. There were too many words that were needed to be arranged that gave the impression of very difficult and complicated questions.

f. The researcher should eliminate the invitation text to answer question number 49 and 50 as there was no short functional text in a form of invitation in the syllabus.