ENHANCING
STUDENTS’
READING COMPREHENSION
USING QUESTION ANSWER RELATIONSHIP (QAR)
STRATEGY IN NARRATIVE TEXT
(A Classroom Action Research at the Eleventh Grade of SMA Muhammadiyah 4 Andong in the Academic Year of 2017/2018)
A GRADUATING PAPER
Submitted to the Board of Examiners as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Sarjana Pendidikan (S.Pd.) English Education Department of Teacher Training and Education Faculty State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN)
Salatiga
BY:
AMIRA MUFLICHA DARAINI
113 14 036
ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FACULTY
STATE INSTITUTE FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES (IAIN)
SALATIGA
i
ENHANCING
STUDENTS’
READING COMPREHENSION
USING QUESTION ANSWER RELATIONSHIP (QAR)
STRATEGY IN NARRATIVE TEXT
(A Classroom Action Research at the Eleventh Grade of SMA Muhammadiyah 4 Andong in the Academic Year of 2017/2018)
A GRADUATING PAPER
Submitted to the Board of Examiners as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Sarjana Pendidikan (S.Pd.) English Education Department of Teacher Training and Education Faculty State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN)
Salatiga
BY:
AMIRA MUFLICHA DARAINI
113 14 036
ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FACULTY
STATE INSTITUTE FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES (IAIN)
SALATIGA
ii
Salatiga, May 8th 2018 Hanung Triyoko, S.S., M.Hum., M.Ed.
The Attentive Counselor‟s note
Amira Muflicha Daraini
To the Dean of Teacher Training and
Education Faculty
Assalamualaikum Wr. Wb
After reading and correcting Amira Muflicha Daraini‟s graduating paper entitled
“ENHANCING STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION USING
QUESTION ANSWER RELATIONSHIP (QAR) STRATEGY IN NARRATIVE TEXT”, I have decided and would like to propose that this paper
can be accepted by the Teacher Training and Education Faculty. I hope this paper
will be examined as soon as possible.
Wassalamualaikum Wr. Wb
Counselor
Hanung Triyoko, S.S., M.Hum., M.Ed.
iii
DECLARATION
In the name of Allah,
Hereby the researcher declares that this graduating paper is written by the
researcher herself. This paper does not contain any materials which have been
publised by other people, and it does not cite any other people‟s ideas except the
information from the references.
The researcher is capable to accounts her graduating paper if in the future it can be
proved of containing others‟ idea or in fact that the researcher imitates the others‟
graduating paper. Likewise, this declaration is written by the researcher, and she
hopes that this declaration can be understood. The researcher will also agree if the
library of IAIN Salatiga publishes this graduating paper.
This declaration is written with the full concern of the writer.
Salatiga, April 2018
The Researcher
iv
A GRADUATING PAPER
ENHANCING STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION USING
QUESTION ANSWER RELATIONSHIP STRATEGY IN NARRATIVE TEXT (A CLASSROOM ACTION RESEARCH AT THE ELEVENTH GRADE OF SMA MUHAMMADIYAH 4 ANDONG IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR OF 2017/2018)
WRITTEN BY:
AMIRA MUFLICHA DARAINI NIM. 11314036
has been brought to the board of examiners of English Education Department of
Teacher Training and Education Faculty at the State Institute for Islamic Studies
(IAIN) Salatiga on Tuesday, July 10th 2018, and hereby considered to have completed the requirements for the degree of Sarjana Pendidikan (S.Pd) in
English Education.
Board of examiner
Head : Noor Malihah, Ph.D. :
Secretary : Hanung Triyoko, M.Ed. :
First examiner : Mashlihatul Umami, M.A. :
Second examiner : Dr. Ruwandi, M.A. :
Salatiga,
Dean
Suwardi, M.Pd.
v MOTTO
“Everything will come to those who keep trying with determination and
patience”
-Edison-
“Do not really care about others‟ sayings, sometimes they have a mouth but not
definitely have a brain”
vi
DEDICATION
This graduating paper is sincerely dedicated to:
1. My beloved parents Chalim Fathul Muin, S.Ag., S.H.I. and Dra. Suratin,
S.Pd.I. who always pray, love, guide, and support me. You are my
inspiration and my everything.
2. My beloved sister Kafidah Yurisda Nice Riche, S.ST. and my beloved
brothers; Afiq Aghna Abdillah and Kholis Abdilmatin Nihaya, who
complete my life.
3. My brother-in-law Briptu Susilo and my nephew Sakha Argani Susilo.
4. My big family Bani Asmuni and Jamhari who always support my
education.
5. My almamater, IAIN Salatiga.
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,
Assalamu‟alaikum Wr. Wb.
Alhamdulillahirabbil‟alamin, all praises be to Allah SWT, The Most
Gracious and The Most Merciful, The Lord of Universe. Because of Him, the
researcher could finish this graduating paper as one of the requirement for the
Degree of Sajana Pendidikan (S.Pd) in English Education Department of Teacher
Training and Education Faculty of State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN)
Salatiga. Peace and salutation always be given to our prophet Muhammad SAW
who has guided us from the darkness to the lightness.
However, this success would not be achieved without support, guidance,
advices, helps, and encouragements from individual and institution. The
researcher somehow realizes that an appropriate moment for her to deepest
gratitude for:
1. Mr. Dr. Rahmat Hariyadi, M. Pd. as the Rector of State Institute for Islamic
Studies (IAIN) Salatiga.
2. Mr. Suwardi, M. Pd. as the Dean of Teacher Training and Education Faculty.
3. Mrs. Noor Malihah, Ph. D. as the Head of English Education Department.
4. Mr. Hanung Triyoko, S.S., M. Hum., M. Ed. as the counselor who has
viii
and recommendations for this graduating paper from beginning until the end.
Thanks for your patience and care.
5. All lecturers in English Education Department of Teacher Training and
Education Faculty of State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) Salatiga.
Thanks for all guidance, knowledge, support, etc.
6. Mr. Suprapto, S.Pd. the Principal of SMA Muhammadiyah 4 Andong.
7. All the teachers and staffs of SMA Muhammadiyah 4 Andong, especially
Mrs. Suciati, S.Pd. and all students of XI-Science class.
8. My fabulous friends in International Class Program (ICP) batch 2014 who
always give the unforgettable moments.
9. Someone special who always supports and prays me in every single part of
my life.
10.My family in Islamic boarding house of Darussalam Kacangan, Andong,
Boyolali and API Al-Riyadloh Kesongo, Tuntang, Semarang. Thanks for
your praying and support.
Salatiga, April 2018
The Researcher
ix
ABSTRACT
Daraini, Amira Muflicha. 2018. Enhancing Students‟ Reading Comprehension Using Question Answer Relationship (QAR) Strategy in Narrative Text
(A Classroom Action Research at the Eleventh Grade of SMA
Muhammadiyah 4 Andong in the Academic Year of 2017/2018). A
Graduating Paper. English Education Department. Teacher Training
and Education Faculty. State Institue for Islamic Studies Salatiga.
Counselor: Hanung Triyoko, S.S, M. Hum, M. Ed.
This research was aimed to enhance the students‟ reading comprehension using QAR strategy. Thus research answered two questions (1) How is the implementation of using Question Answer Relationship (QAR) to enhance the students‟ reading comprehension in the narrative text at the eleventh grade of SMA MUHAMMADIYAH 4 ANDONG in the academic year of 2017/2018? (2) How is the result of the use of Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy in the narrative text at the eleventh grade of SMA MUHAMMADIYAH 4 Andong in the academic year of 2017/2018?
The research design of this research was Classroom Action Research. It was conducted in two cycles. Each cycle consisted of planning, action, observation, and reflection. From the study, the researcher could conclude that the implementation of the study improved from cycle 1 and cycle 2.
From the research, the researcher could conclude that the implementation of the study improved from cycle 1 and cycle 2. The enhancement of the study was showed when the researcher conducted cycle 2. The result of the t-test of cycle 2 was 2.99. The passing grade was 75 and the target of the passing grade was 85%. The outcome of the post of cycle 2 was 91.30% from the students. The target of cycle 2 was achieved, so the researcher stopped the study. It means that the classroom action research by using QAR strategy is able to enhance the students‟ reading comprehension.
x
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE ... i
ATTENTIVE COUNSELOR‟S NOTE ... ii
DECLARATION ... iii
CERTIFICATION PAGE ... iv
MOTTO ... v
DEDICATION ... vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... vii
ABSTRACT ... ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... x
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ... xiii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Background of the Research ... 1
A.Problem Formulations ... 5
B. Objectives of the Research ... 5
C.The Significance of the Research ... 6
D.Hypothesis and Success Indicator ... 7
E. Research Methodology ... 7
1.Research Design 7
2.Research Subject 9
3.Research Steps 9
4.Technique of Collecting Data and Research Instrument 10
xi
F. Graduating Paper Organization ... 17
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
A. Review of Previous Researchs ... 19
B. The Concept of Reading Comprehension ... 22
1. Definition of Reading Comprehension 23
2. Aspects of Reading Comprehension 26
3. The Indicators of Students' Successful in Reading
Comprehension 29
C. The Teaching of Reading ... 32
1. The Principles of Teaching Reading 32
2. The Activities in Teaching Reading 35
D. Concept of Question Answer Relation Strategy ... 37
1. Definition of Question Answer Relation Strategy 37
2. The Types of Question Answer Relation Strategy 39
E. Procedures for Teaching Reading Using QAR Strategy ... 43
1. Pre-Reading Activities 44
2. While Reading Activities 44
3. Post Reading Activities 46
F. Concept of Narrative Text ... 46
1. Definition of Narrative Text 46
2. The Characteristics of Narratives Text 47
3. The Purpose of Narrative Text 47
4. Kinds of Narrative Text 48
xii
CHAPTER III RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION
A. Description of Teaching and Learning Process in Cycle I ... 52
B. Description of Teaching and Learning Process in Cycle II ... 54
CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
A. Research Finding 56
B. Discussions 88
CHAPTER V CLOSURE
A. Conclusions ... 92
B. Suggestions ... 93
REFERENCES APPENDIXES
xiii
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
Figure 1.1 The Scheme Based on Kemmis and McTaggart in (McNiff, 2002: 58) .... 7
Table 1.1 Research Schedule ... 9
Table 1.2 Student‟s Observation Sheet ... 11
Table 1.3 Teacher‟s Observation Sheet ... 11
Table 2.1 QAR Framework to Frame Question-Asking during Reading Cycle ... 42
Table 4.1 Teacher‟s Observational Sheet of Cycle 1 ... 62
Table 4.2 Students‟ Observational Checklist of Cycle 1 ... 64
Table 4.3 The Result of Pre-Test and Post-Test of Cycle 1 ... 67
Table 4.4 Count of Passing Grade of the Pre-test and Post-test in the Cycle 1 ... 69
Table 4.5 Teacher‟s Observational Sheet of Cycle 2 ... 77
Table 4.6 Students‟ Observational Checklist of Cycle 2 ... 80
Table 4.7 The Result of Pre-test and Post-test of Cycle 2 ... 82
Table 4.8 Count of Passing Grade of The Pre-Test and Post-Test in The Cycle 2 ... 84
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A.
Background of the ResearchTeaching and learning are the activities that can be complex and
need to be noticed. Teaching can be said as a work art activity because
teaching needs good preparation. Learning involves the activities of
students which encourage using their prior or background knowledge.
Students must discover great value about what is being learnt and have the
motivation to solve the problem (Slavin, 2000: 218). Students at different
level have some significant problems because there is no instruction to
stimulate the students to create a question so that they can comprehend the
text.
In English teaching and learning, there are four skills which are
very important for English learners. The for skills are reading, speaking,
listening, and writing. Reading and listening are called receptive skill
while speaking and writing are a productive one. As one of the four
language skills, reading is the most important skill in mastering English. It
is important to enhance students‟ reading ability to access much
information when they face written English or when they want to learn
about English literature in written form. We have to master reading skill in
order to understand what is said in the book so that it will facilitate
2
questions properly in many kinds of reading tests. Dallman (1982) also
says that reading is more than knowing what each letter of alphabet stands
for, reading involves more than word recognition; that comprehension is
an essential of reading that without comprehension no reading takes place.
It means that comprehension is the soul of reading.
To enhance students‟ reading comprehension, there are several
ways that can be used. A teacher can apply some methods, techniques, or
strategies to make students‟ reading comprehension better than before. The
teacher can also choose an appropriate method, technique, or strategy that
should be applied to teach reading to the students which is suitable for the
reading test used. Producing and preparing a question can be very difficult
especially if the students do not have a strategy which assists to modify it.
In contrary, answering the question itself needs little or much effort to be
solved. Based on the types, there are explicit and implicit questions.
Students must have a strategy to recover the problem while reading and
answer the questions based on the text given. One of the reading
comprehension strategies that the writer discusses is Question-Answer
Relationship (QAR) which deal with the question. Students can use the
following QAR question types to analyze and answer questions.
Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy is a method which
is designed for a deliberate and common way of thinking and talking about
effective sources of information when answering questions in which QAR
3
teaches students that all questions are not alike and that knowing how to
identify the types of questions will help them answer the questions in
which this strategy presents a three-way relationship between questions,
text content, and reader knowledge (Raphael, 1986).
One of the texts which the researcher would concentrate on is
narrative text. The text is taught by the teacher in eleventh grade. The
narrative text is a text which tells a story and, in doing so, amuses or
informs the reader or listener (Mark, 1997:8).Thenarrative text‟s structure
consists of orientation, complication, the sequence of events, resolution,
and coda/moral value. Raphael (1986) said that QAR strategy is to help
students and teachers start to share the information through creating the
relationship between question and answer so that they know how questions
are designed. QAR (Raphael, 1986) also provides a basis for teaching
three comprehension strategies: locating information; showing text
structures and how the information is organized; and determining when an
inference or reading between the lines is required.
The success indicator of reading comprehension according to
Wolley (2011: 15) is to gain an overall understanding of what is described
in the text rather than to obtain meaning from isolated words or sentences,
reading comprehension may be appear to be both simple and obvious.
Snow (2002: 11) are informed by a vision of proficient readers who are
4
capable to apply textual information appropriately, and are capable of
being engaged in the reading process and reflecting on what is being read.
According to the obtained information from English teacher Mrs.
Suciati, S.Pd. at the eleventh grade of SMA Muhammadiyah 4 Andong,
the students experience the difficulty in identifying both explicit and
implicit information. They are also hard to get the main idea of the text
instead of moral value. Besides that, some teachers still use a conventional
way to teach English especially reading that the students did not really
understand, and then, got bored easily when they faced reading texts. The
students had lacked of mastering English skills, especially in reading.
They did not have interest in reading English texts which could make them
difficult to understand the meaning of texts they read, then they faced
some difficulties in answering comprehension questions of the reading
test. They put assumption in their mind that English was a difficult subject
to study and the language would make them confused.
The researcher would like to conduct research in SMA
Muhammadiyah 4 Andong which has not been implemented
Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy yet to solve these problems.
However, while learning narrative text in SMA Muhammadiyah 4
Andong, the students often feel that it is difficult to answer the questions
based on the text and by using Question-Answer Relationship (QAR)
5
By the considerations stated above, the writer would like to
conduct action research entitled “ENHANCING STUDENTS’
READING COMPREHENSION USING QUESTION ANSWER RELATIONSHIP (QAR) STRATEGY IN NARRATIVE TEXT (A CLASSROOM ACTION RESEARCH AT THE ELEVENTH GRADE OF SMA MUHAMMADIYAH 4 ANDONG IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR OF 2017/2018)”.
B.
Problem FormulationsThe problem of this research can be stated as follows:
1. How is the implementation of using Question Answer Relationship
(QAR) to enhance the students‟ reading comprehension in the
narrative text at the eleventh grade of SMA MUHAMMADIYAH 4
ANDONG in the academic year of 2017/2018?
2. How is the result of the use of Question-Answer Relationship (QAR)
strategy in the narrative text at the eleventh grade of SMA
MUHAMMADIYAH 4 Andong in the academic year of 2017/2018?
C.
Objectives of the ResearchIn line with the formulation of the problem of research above, the
objectives of the research are:
1. To find out the implementation of using QAR strategy to enhance the
students‟ reading comprehension in the narrative text at the eleventh
grade of SMA MUHAMMADIYAH 4 ANDONG in the academic
6
2. To know the result of the use of Question-Answer Relationship
(QAR) strategy in the narrative text at the eleventh grade of SMA
MUHAMMADIYAH 4 Andong in the academic year of 2017/2018.
D.
The Significance of the ResearchThe use of the research are as follows:
1. Theoretically, it is expected that the finding of this research can
support and complete the previous theories related to improving
students‟ reading comprehension through Question-Answer
Relationship strategy.
2. In practice, the researcher expects that the finding of this research can
be useful for:
a. Teacher
QAR strategy can be used as a new strategy and information in
learning and teach English to enhance students‟ reading
comprehension, especially in answering the comprehension
questions concerning five aspects of reading comprehension.
b. Student
It can be used as a new way to give more opportunities in
enhancing students‟ reading comprehension in which the students
can find the answer related to the text without wasting too much
time because they know the good way to find the answers in the
7
E.
Hypothesis and Success IndicatorBy conducting this research, the researcher proposes a hypothesis:
Using QAR Strategy in English subject can enhance the students‟ reading
comprehension in the narrative text at the eleventh grade of SMA
Muhammadiyah 4 Andong in the academic year of 2017/2018.
The success indicator of this research is taken from the passing grade
(KKM) of English lesson in SMA Muhammadiyah 4 Andong. The passing
grade is 75 and the target for the passing grade is 85%.
F. Research Methodology 1. Research Design
This Research is Classroom Action Research. Wiriaatmadja (2005:
13) explains that Classroom Action Research is a method how a group
of teachers can organize their teaching-learning condition and learn
from their own experience. They can try an idea as reparation in their
teaching-learning process, and look the real effect of those efforts.
Figure 1.1 The Scheme Based on Kemmis and McTaggart (in McNiff, 2002: 58)
8
The researcher used the scheme based on Kemmis and Taggart
1988 (in McNiff, 2002: 58). There are some steps in Classroom Action
Research (CAR), and those are Planning, Action, Observation, and
Reflection. These steps will happen for each cycle, they are useful to
make the research systematic. The steps in every cycle are as follows:
a. Planning
The activities in the planning are as follow:
1)Preparing the English syllabus, making a lesson plan, materials,
and designing the steps in doing the action.
2)Preparing teaching aids (e.g students‟ worksheets and video
about narrative and Question-Answer Relationship).
3)Preparing observation sheet.
4)Preparing two tests; pre-rest and post-test.
b. Acting
1) Giving narrative text pre-test.
2) Delivering the material.
3) Giving opportunity to the students by asking the difficulties or
problems.
4) Giving feedback.
5) Giving post-test.
c. Observation
1) Observing the students‟ attention and all the activities on the
9
2) Observing the teacher‟s activities.
d. Reflection
1) Analyzing the data of the cycle.
2) The teacher and the researcher will discuss the result of the
cycle.
3) Make a conclusion of the cycle 1.
4) The next cycle can be decided or designed.
2. Research Subject
This research was conducted at the eleventh grade of SMA
Muhammdiyah 4 Andong, in the academic year 2017/2018. The
eleventh grades consisted of two class groups, but the writer took one
class group, XI IPA. The number of the participants were 23 students.
They were 18 girls and 5 boys. It can be seen on the appendix.
3. Research Steps
In conducting the research, the researcher carried out the steps
which summarized in the following research schedule. The research
schedule is shown below:
Table 1.1 Research Schedule
No Activities Time Allocation
1 Preparing the research proposal December
2 Doing cycle March
3 Doing observation March
10
5 Writing research result April
6 Continuing writing the graduating paper April
4. Technique of Collecting Data and Research Instrument
Arikunto (2014: 265) explains that there are some methods of
collecting data. There are a questionnaire, test, observation, interview,
and documentation. In order to collect data, the researcher uses three of
them by using documentation, observation, and test as an instrument.
a. Observation
According to Kothari (2004: 96), observation is the most
commonly used to observe the students‟ activities in teaching and
learning process. This way is used to monitor and record the
students‟ enhancement during the lesson. In the students‟
observation sheet, there are four aspects as the focuses of the
observation. Those are paying attention, activeness in asking the
question, activeness in responding question, and enthusiasm in
doing the test.In this way, the researcher gives point in each aspect
based on the situation of students. The table below show the table
11
Moreover, the teacher‟s observation sheet was also used by
the researcher to know the teacher‟s activities during the teaching
and learning process. It could be seen in the table below:
Table 1.3 Teacher’s Observation Sheet
No Activities Yes No Note
1 Greeting students before the lesson
begin
2 Praying before the lesson begins
3 Checking the student‟s attendance
list
4 Asking the students‟ condition and
their readiness
12
6 Telling the purposes of learning
7 Asking the related material to the
student
8 Reminding previous material
9 Helping students to remind their
experiences that related to the
material
10 Giving an explanation of the
material
11 Giving opportunity for asking
questions and suggestions
12 Clarifying and explaining the
students‟ questions
13 Guiding the student‟s activity
14 Giving feedbacks after the lesson
15 Helping students to conclude the
lesson
16 Informing next materials for next
meeting
17 Giving motivations for students
13
b. Test
In this research, the researcher used a written test. There
would be two tests. They were pre-test and post-test.
A pre-test was required to find out student‟s basic ability in
reading comprehension of narrative text. The test would be a
selected-response test in form of multiple choices with five
alternatives in which the students should select the correct answer
between five alternatives by putting a cross mark (X). The number
of the test would be 25 items of multiple choices and the time
given for the students to do this test would be 35 minutes. The aim
of this test was to know the competence of the student reading
ability before the strategy was conducted.
Post-test would be given after the students have received
the treatments. The number of the test would be 25 items of
multiple choices with five alternatives A, B, C, D, and E. The time
given for the students to do this test was 35 minutes. The aim of
this test was to find out whether there would be a significant
difference in students‟ reading comprehension before the students
were taught by QAR strategy and after the students received the
treatments.
c. Documentation
“Students work is one of the richest sources of qualitative
14
document becomes a potential data source. We use the term
document here is a very general sense; a document is any work
product” (Pelton, 2010: 30).
The documentation will also use a camera to take a photo
during teaching and learning process.
5. Data Analysis
After collecting the data, the next step of this research was analyzing
the data. Analysis means categorizing, ordering, manipulating, and
summarizing the data obtained to answer the research questions
(Kerlinger, 1978). There are two ways to analyze the data, as follows:
1. Qualitative Data
According to Kothari (2004: 3), qualitative research is used
to know the students‟ behavior and students‟ activities while
teaching-learning process. For example, the researcher is able to
use observation and documentation.
2. Quantitative Data
Kothari (2004: 3) states that quantitative research is used to
summarize data using numbers, it is based on the measurement of
quantity or amount. The formula is as follow:
a. Mean
The data which was gotten need to be calculated or
processed, it usually used a central tendency. A central
15
of set the data itself. The measures of central tendency that
commonly used are the mean, median, and mode. But in this
research which is used the mean as a measurement. The mean
is often called the average, it is the sum of all the respondent‟s
score with the total number of the respondents‟ score (Shafer
and Zhang, 2012: 38).
X M
N
Notes:
M : Mean of the students‟ score
∑X : the sum of students‟ score
N : Total number of the students
b. Calculation Mean of Difference
D MD
N
Notes:
M D : Mean of Difference
∑ D : Total Difference between pre-test and post-test
c. SD (Standard Deviation)
Standard deviation is a statistic that tells you how tightly all
the various examples are clustered around the mean in a set of
16
enhancement score between pre-test and post-test (Shafer and
Zhang, 2012: 59).
SD : Deviation Standard for one sample t-test
D : Different between pre-test post-test
N : Number of observation in the sample
d. T-test
After calculating the Standard Deviation (SD), the
researcher used a t-test to be able to know is there any
significant enhancement or not between pre-test and post-test.
Before calculating the t-test, the researcher calculated the
Standard Error. The formula is:
1
S DD : The difference of standard deviation
N : The total number of the students
Then the researcher calculated the t-test by using this
17
MD
MD o
SE
T
Notes:
TO : T-test for the differences of pre-test and post-test
MD : Mean of difference
S E MD : Standard error of mean ef difference
d.b. : N – 1
G.
Graduating Paper OrganizationIn this section, the researcher would like to discuss some terms in
chapter I into chapter V as follows:
The first chapter is Introduction, which consists of the background
of the research, the problem formulations, the objectives of the research,
the uses of research, the hypothesis, the research methodology, and
organization of graduating paper. The second chapter presents a review of
previous studies and related theory. The related theory exists the concept
of reading comprehension, the teaching of reading, the concept of QAR
Strategy, the procedures of QAR strategy, and the concept of narrative
text. The third chapter discusses research implementation which consists
of a description of teaching and learning in each cycle. The fourth chapter
is about findings and discussions. In this chapter, the researcher described
the result of each cycle and its analysis. In the fifth chapter, the researcher
18
suggestion. For the last part of this graduating paper, the researcher gives
19 CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
This chapter deals with several concepts of this research as for how
the research is conducted and how the researcher will formulate the
assumption from her own research at the end. This chapter will explain
review of previous studies related to QAR strategy, the concept of reading
comprehension, an aspect in reading comprehension, the teaching of
reading, concept of QAR strategy, procedures of teaching reading using
QAR strategy, and the last is the concept of narrative text.
A.
Review of Previous ResearchsThe Question-Answer Relationships (QAR) strategy was
developed by Taffy Raphael (Raphael et al, 2006: 8). It was used to help
reading students learn how to decipher what types of questions they were
being asked, and where to look for answers. It is believed that this strategy
can improve students‟ reading achievement especially in answering
comprehension questions related to the text. There have been several
studies of using QAR strategy in improving students‟ reading achievement
that has been conducted in various areas.
Peng et al. (2007) conducted a research in a Singapore which was
carried out to Primary 6 pupils with 23 boys and 21 girls that focused on
finding whether the explicit teaching of QAR could improve students‟
20
higher-order open-ended comprehension questions. From the research, the
findings showed that students taught by the QAR strategy showed some
improvement in their reading comprehension test scores after intervention
compared to the control group. It was proved by the mean of experimental
group and control group. At the first research, the mean of the
experimental group was 12.76 while the control group was 11.48. After
the treatment given, the experimental group demonstrated better
comprehension in all types of questions than the control group in which
the greatest improvement was on the “Think and Search” questions. In
addition, the qualitative data analysis also showed that more than half
students taught by QAR strategy felt more confident about answering
comprehension questions after learning the strategy.
In spite of Peng et al.‟s research, Agustina (2012) conducted a
classroom action research about QAR strategy for the first grade of senior
high school, that is, in SMA Negeri 8 Bandar Lampung. This research
proved that QAR strategy can be used to improve the students‟ reading
comprehension. It could be seen from the reading test scores earned by
students after being taught by QAR strategy through three cycles
conducted in this research. At the first cycle, only 29% of students
exceeded the passing grade, then in the second cycle, it increased to
64.51% of students who achieved the passing grade and in the last cycle,
83.87% of students passed the passing grade. In teaching learning process,
21
implementation of QAR strategy in which their response changed to be
better and they became more active and started to enjoy learning using
QAR from the cycle 1 to cycle 3. Moreover, she also found that the
students mostly had a problem in finding the main idea, specific
information, and vocabulary in learning reading.
Then, the other research is conducted by the previous student of
State Institue of Islamic Studies (STAIN) Salatiga, Laelasari (2013). The
title was THE USE OF STUDENTS TEAM ACHIEVEMENT DIVISION
(STAD) TO IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION. It was written
by Any Laelasari. She analyzed there are three problems with her research.
The first concerns about the implementation of STAD, the second is
finding whether STAD improves the students‟ reading comprehension or
not, and the last concerns with the result of student reading comprehension
after using STAD method. Then, she got three conclusions. The first is
STAD strategy can enhance students‟ interest in learning English
especially reading, the second is the students‟ reading comprehension of
the second year students of MA AL Manar Tengaran in the academic year
of 2012/2013 can improve through STAD strategy, and the last is there is
significant influences of using STAD strategy to improve students‟
reading comprehension.
Last but not least, there was a graduating paper entitled THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF CIRC AND PQ4R METHODS TO IMPROVE
22
OF SMK N 3 SALATIGA IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR OF 2014/2015 by
Fitri Ariyani (2015). She did a classroom action research. The difference
between the students‟ pre-test and post-test means taught by CIRC method
was 18.66 and the difference between the students‟ pre-test and post-test
means taught by PQ4R method was 11.6. Therefore, in this thesis, she
knew that CIRC and PQ4R methods are different because the mean of
CIRC method is higher than the mean of the PQ4R method. Moreover, she
also found that CIRC method is very significant than PQ4R method
because the significant difference between t-test and t-table of CIRC
method is higher than PQ4R method.
In short, compared to the previous studies above, this research has
the difference from the previous ones such as the subject of the research in
which researcher examines QAR strategy for Muhammadiyah public
school students since there is no research that has been conducted for
Muhammadiyah public school dealing with the implementation of QAR
strategy.
B.
The Concept of Reading ComprehensionSome experts think in many ways concerning the concept of reading
comprehension. Therefore, to understand fully about it, the detail
explanation of the concept of reading comprehension which contains
23
1. Definition of Reading Comprehension
Reading is one of the essential skills which should be mastered
by students who want to achieve their proficiency in English.
Actually, reading is a cognitive process where a reader involves in the
mental process of knowing, learning, and understanding things.
Furthermore, Nuttall (in Zulya, 2017) defines reading as the
meaningful interpretation of printed or written word verbal symbol. It
means that reading is a result of the interpretation of the perception of
graphic symbols which represents language and the readers‟ language
skills, cognitive skills, and knowledge of the world. In this process,
the reader tries to create the meanings intended by the writer.
It is widely accepted that reading is started from receiving
meaning from written symbols. The reader imagines transferring
sounds into letters to get the meaning out. This view is strongly
influenced by an audio-lingual method which claims that reading the
second language was viewed primarily as an adjunct to oral language
skills (Sutarsyah, 2015). From this point of view, decoding sound
symbol-relationship was considered to be the primary steps in the
development of reading proficiency (Sutarsyah, 2015).
These concepts basically characterize the theory bottom-up
processing. This bottom-up model was proposed by structural
linguists and behavioral psychologists. According to his theory
24
to the written text. Reading is considered essentially a mechanical
decoding process.
Similarly, according to Carrel and Eisterhold, there is a process
of interaction between the author with his or her language media and
the reader with his language knowledge and knowledge of the world
in reading (Sutarsyah, 2010 in Zulya, 2017). The reader is going to
catch what the author has expressed in the written text. Simply, our
understanding of reading is best considered as the interaction that
happens between the reader and the text, an interpretive process.
Reading is not the only process to read a text, but the important
thing is the ability to understand and interpret the meaning of the text.
As Dallman (1982) says, reading is more than knowing what each
letter of alphabet stands for, but reading involves more than word
recognition and comprehension is essential in reading. Reading is not
simply making the sound of the text, but it is about comprehending the
idea of the text itself. It means that reading will not take place without
comprehension.
Reading and comprehension are supposed to be one activity
which involved each other. Teale and Yokota in Westwood (2001: 18)
state that “comprehension must be the central focus of teaching
students to read and not something to emphasized only after having
learnt how to interpret and identify the words”. Comprehension is a
25
proceeding to attach meaning into the entire reading selection. All of
the comprehensions revolve around the readers‟ ability in getting main
idea and topic sentence form the text (Doyle, 2004).
According to Rubin in Westwood (2001: 19), “reading
comprehension has been described as a complex intellectual process
involving a number of abilities”. Readers have to use information
already acquired to filter, interpret, organize, reflect upon and
establish relationships with the new incoming information on the
page. To get a better understanding of the text, a reader has to be able
to identify words rapidly, know the meaning of all the words and be
able to combine units of meaning become a coherent message. Lyon
and Scarborough cited in Westwood (2001: 19) contend that
“understanding of test results from an interaction between word
identification, prior knowledge and the effective use of cognitive
strategies”. Therefore, according to Torgesen (2010), comprehension
of reading is a cognitive, motivational, and effective activity.
Then, “Pressley says that good comprehenders are effective
users of comprehension strategies when they have work with the text”
(Westwood, 2001: 19). Effective comprehension demands the reader
to keep the meaning throughout the reading of the text. If meaning is
lost, the reader should be careful of this fact quickly and take
26
It is necessary that reading comprehension is seen as
something that begins as early as the beginning of reading and not
something that students move on to after they have learnt the decoded
print. Nuttall (1982) contend that reading comprehension is indeed a
very elaborate procedure which involves a balance of many elements
in a passage and their organization in the proper relation to each other
comprehension in reading depending on knowing the literal meaning
of words in various contexts. It can be said that the reader has to be
able to perceive the relation of each part to the other and each of the
whole of the text.
In addition, Smith in Westwood (2001: 30) states that reading comprehension is considered to happen at four levels of complexity.
These levels are often referred to as literal level, inferential level, critical level, and creative level. The first level is literal level. At the literal level, the basic facts are understood. For example, knowing the name, place, time. This information is contained explicitly within the text. The second level is inferential level. At the inferential level, the reader is able to go beyond what is written on the page and add meaning or draw conclusions. It covers inferring, drawing conclusion, and deriving meaning from figurative language. The third level is critical level. At the critical level, the reader assesses the good sense of what he or she is reading, its clarity, accuracy and any apparent exaggeration or bias. Then the last level is creative level. At the creative level, the reader can take information or ideas from what has been read and develop new ideas from them. The creative level stimulates the reader to new and original thinking.
2. Aspects of Reading Comprehension
There are several aspects of teaching reading which should be
27
reading or not. Brown (2001) said that there are four aspects of
reading comprehension needed when we want to assess students‟
reading comprehension. These four aspects mainly focus with the
main idea, specific information, vocabulary, and the ability to infer
implicit meaning in the context of the text. In the same way,
Suparman (2012 ) also states that there are several aspects of reading
comprehension skills that should be mastered by the reader to
comprehend the text deeply. They are the main idea, supporting detail,
inference, reference, and vocabulary. Those aspects will be explained
as follows:
a. Main idea
The main idea is the most important piece of information for the
reader to know the concept of the paragraph which usually exists in
each paragraph. According to Brown (2001), the main idea is a
sentence or generalization that tells what the paragraph is about
which is usually found at the beginning of the paragraph, or at the
end of the paragraph. In line with Whorter and Kathleen (1986), the
sentence stating this main idea is called as a topic sentence. In
some paragraphs, the main idea is not explicitly stated in one
sentence. Determining the main idea of a paragraph is a skill to
grasp and find the main point of the passage in each paragraph
where the keyword will be repeated in the supporting details
28 b. Supporting detail
Whorter and Kathleen (1986) contend that specific information or
supporting detail develops the topic sentence by giving definition,
examples, facts, incidents, comparison, analogy, cause and effect
statistic, quotations, and evidence. Identifying supporting detail
means that we should look for the information that relevant to the
goal in mind and ignore the irrelevant one (Suparman, 2012).
c. Vocabulary
Wallace (1982) says that vocabulary is the stock of word used by
people. It means that vocabulary is a fundamental thing for
everyone who wants to speak or produce utterances. In reading
comprehension, the readers should understand vocabulary. It means
that the readers have to comprehend the word mean in order to
understand the text deeper.
d. Reference
Reference is the intentional use of one thing to show something
else in which one provides the information necessary to interpret
the other. Finding reference means that the reader should interpret
and determine one linguistic expression to another (Suparman,
2012). Moreover, Latulippe (Zulya, 2017) contends that reference
is words or phrases used either before or after the reference in
29
repetition of words or phrases that is usually used a type of
pronoun.
e. Inference
The inference is a good guess or conclusion drawn based on the
logic of passage (Suparman, 2012). Drawing inference means that
the readers imply the sentences‟ meaning, then, conclude it
logically. Furthermore, Whorter and Kathleen (1986) state that
inference is an educational guess or prediction about something
unknown based on available facts and information. It is the logical
connection the reader draws between what he knows and what he
does not know.
From the explanation above, we know that there are several
aspects of reading comprehension students should master. To achieve
the goal of reading, they should be able to master those aspects such
as: identifying the main idea and supporting detail of the text in each
paragraph; understanding vocabulary or words mean; confirming
reference existing in the text, and making an inference by
comprehending the implicit meaning of the sentences.
3. The Indicators of Students’ Successful in Reading Comprehension According to Dechant (1982: 314), the good comprehender
possesses the ability to:
a. Connect experiences and meaning with the graphic symbol
30
b. Understand words in context and choose the meaning that fits
the context.
c. Give meaning to units of increasing size: the phrase, clause,
sentence, paragraph, and whole selection.
d. Develop literal and denotative meaning (be able to answer
literal question about a passage):
1) Detect and understand the main idea.
2) Recognize and recall significant facts or detail.
3) Follow directions given in the material.
4) Recognize the sequence of a passage.
5) Indentify explicitly stated expressions of relationships, such
as cause-effect, contrast-comparison.
e. Develop an understanding of the organization (be able to
answer questions calling for an analysis, synthesis, or
organization of ideas and information explicitly stated):
1) Identify the basis of paragraph organization: for example,
comparison-contrast, cause-effect, classification or
categorization, enumerative sequence, time sequence, size,
distance, position or degree, general to specific,
thesis-proof pattern, opinion-reason pattern, problem-solution
pattern, narrative- description pattern, definition pattern.
2) Conclude, outline, underline, and take notes on the material
31
f. Develop inferential, interpretative, or connotative meaning of
the material read (be able to get implied meaning of what is
read):
1) Make inferences, draw conclusions, generalize, speculate,
or predict.
2) Interpret figurative expressions.
3) Prepare implied details.
4) Anticipate outcomes.
g. Make judgments or critical evaluation about the material:
1) Evaluate the quality, accuracy, truthfulness, and
appropriateness of what is read.
2) Determine if the text affirms, denies, or fails to express an
opinion about a supposed fact or condition.
3) Detect propaganda, one-sided presentations, prejudices,
biases, and faulty inferences.
4) Evaluate the writers reputation, biases, purposes, and
motives.
5) Detect errors reasoning, analogy, over generalization, over
simplification, and distortion.
h. Read for learning:
1) Retain ideas.
32
3) Locate information in encyclopedias, card catalog,
almanacs, and use table of contents, index, or appendix of a
book.
4) Read maps, graphs, and charts.
5) Use dictionary.
i. Read for appreciation:
1) Recognize literacy and semantic devices.
2) Identify the tone, theme, mood, and intent or purpose of
writer.
C.
The Teaching of ReadingIn learning English in the school, the students try to be able to read English
text in which it is an important skill to achieve the goal of their study of
English. Reading is useful for other purposes in which any exposure to
English is a good thing for language students. Reading texts provide good
models for English writing. They also provide opportunities to study a
language such as vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, and the way they
construct sentences, paragraph, and texts. In the end, good reading texts
can introduce interesting topics, stimulate discussion, excite imaginative
responses and be the springboard for well-rounded, fascinating lessons.
1. The Principles of Teaching Reading
There some principles behind the teaching of reading which teacher
should know before teaching reading in the class (Harmer, 1998). They
33 a. Reading is not a passive skill
Reading is an incredibly active occupation. For doing it
successfully, we have to understand what the words are about, see
the picture the words are painting, understand the arguments, and
work out if we agree with them. If we do not do these things,
especially students, then we only just scratch the surface of the text
and we quickly forget it.
b. Students need to be engaged with what they are reading
As with everything else in lessons, students who are not engaged
with the reading texts or not actively interested in what they are
doing are less likely to benefit from it. When they are really fired up
by the topic or the task, they get much more from what is in front of
them.
c. Students should be encouraged to respond to the content of a reading text, not just to the language
Surely, it is important to study reading texts for the way they use
language, the number of the paragraphs they contain and how many
times they use relative clauses. But the meaning, the message of the
text, is just as important and we must give students a chance to
respond to that message in some way. It is especially important that
they should be allowed to express their feelings about the topic, thus
34
d. Prediction is a major factor in reading
When we read the texts in our own language, we frequently have a
good idea of the content before we actually read. Book covers give
us a hint of what is in the book, photographs and headlines hint at
what articles are about and reports look like reports before we read
a single word.
The moment we get those hints such as the book cover, the
headline, and the word processed page, our brain starts predicting
what we are going to read. Expectations are set up and the active
process of reading is ready to begin. Teachers should give students
„hints‟ so that they can predict what is coming too. It will make
them better and more engaged readers.
e. Match the task to the topic
Once a decision has been taken about what reading text the students
are going to read, we need to choose goo reading tasks such as the
right kind of questions, engaging and useful puzzles, etc. The most
interesting text can be undermined by asking boring and
inappropriate questions. The most commonplace passage can be
made really exciting with imaginative and challenging tasks.
f. Good teachers exploit reading texts to the full
Any reading text is full of sentences, words, ideas, descriptions, etc.
It does not make sense just to get students to read it and then drop it
35
text into interesting class sequences, using the topic for discussion
and further tasks, using the language for study and later activation.
In short, there are many aspects in teaching reading that must be
focused in order to make make the teaching-learning process running
well and the process can lead the students to achieve the goal of
learning reading.
The purpose of teaching reading is to develop the students‟ skills so that
they can read English text effectively. Effective and efficient reading is
always purposeful and tends to focus on the purposes of the activity. It
is important for the teacher to build up the students‟ ability to adapt the
reading strategy according to the reading purpose as a goal in teaching
reading. It is also important for the teacher to apply the principles of
teaching reading in class to make the teaching-learning activity run
well.
2. The Activities in Teaching Reading
Besides the principles, the teacher should know the nature of the tasks
in teaching reading that should plan to set in order to make students do
some kinds of task inappropriate reading activity such as before, during,
or after reading the text. Woods (2005) classifies the activities in
reading class into three as follows:
a. Pre-Reading Activity
This activity is the activity or task given to the students before read
36
searches, and matching synonyms. This activity does not need the
students to read the text because this task only needs the students to
find the vocabulary or words used in the text. This activity can help
the students to approach the text in the more confident way. The
other pre-reading activities are active top-down skills or schematic
knowledge that can help the students in relating to the full meaning
of the text. All of them enable students to familiarize themselves
with the content of the text in which these activities can be
systematic or schematic (Woods, 2005).
b. While Reading Activity
This task is given while the students are reading the text. As Woods
(2005) states, reading is an interactive process, it encourages them
to be active as they read. In this activity, students can be given some
tasks while they are reading such as: making note, following the
order of the idea in the text, reacting to the opinion expressed,
understanding the information it contains, asking some questions
related to the text, confirming the expectations of prior knowledge
or predicting the next part of a text from various clues.
c. Post Reading Activity
This task is given after the students finished reading the text. This
activity can be undertaken on individual or group basis. Reading is
frequently thought as being solo and a silent activity, while group
while-37
reading activities. The kinds of task in this activity are to go beyond
the course book and introduce the students a challenging element of
the target language which can add a new dimension to their learning
and which can give them some autonomy (Woods, 2005).
D.
Concept of Question Answer Relation StrategyTo understand totally about this strategy, the detail explanation of concept
of Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy which contains of
definition and types of QAR strategy is presented below.
1. Definition of Question Answer Relation Strategy
Question Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy is one kind of many
strategies that can be used for teaching reading. According to Raphael
(1986), the QAR strategy is designed as a way for students to
understand that the answer to a question is directly related to the type of
question asked. He states that QAR strategy is a reading comprehension
strategy developed to clarify how students approach the task of reading
texts and answering questions. Furthermore, Raphael and Au (in Chien,
2013) say that a QAR framework gives a straightforward approach for
reading comprehension instruction with the potential of closing the
literacy achievement gap. Besides that, John and Leahy (in Chien,
2013) also affirm that QAR strategy can engage the students in the
questioning process actively.
Gavelek and Raphael (in Zulya, 2017) contend that by using QAR
38
relationships that exist between questions and their responses. It means
that students will realize the connection between question and answer
which will help them to find out the answer to the question more easily.
The Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) strategy presents a
three-way relationship between questions, text content, and reader
knowledge. Simply put, the QAR strategy shows that students who
understand how questions are written are better prepared to answer
questions. These activities help students "demystify" the
question-building process as a step toward better reading comprehension
(Raphael, 1982).
Essentially, QAR teaches the students three comprehension
strategies: (a) locating information, (b) determining text structures and
how they convey information, and (c) determining when an inference is
required. Using QAR, students will be able to recognize possible
answer locations by classifying questions by type as well as monitor
their comprehension of the text.
Moreover, QAR strategy categorizes different types of questions
which help the students to analyze, comprehend, and respond to the text
concepts. As cited in Kinniburgh and Prew (2010),
39
answers that require information not found in the text (Tompkins, G.E., 2004).
This strategy refuses the common misconception that all answers can be found in the text.
In conclusion, QAR strategy is a reading comprehension strategy
that helps students realize the need to consider both information in the
text and information from their own background knowledge which does
not state explicitly in the text.
2. The Types of Question Answer Relation Strategy
Raphael (1986) identifies two categories of questions: those whose
answers are supplied by the author (In the Book QARs) and those that
have answers that need to be developed based on the reader's ideas and
experiences (In My Head QARs). These two categories of questions
also have two different types of questions. In the Book questions are
classified as either Right There questions or Think and Search
questions. And then, In My Head questions are classified as either
Author and You questions or On My Own questions. The further
explanation will be presented as follows:
a. Right There Questions
These questions are factual and on the line of question. The answer
to Right There questions can be found easily in the text. Right
There questions just have one right answer which can be found at
one place in the reading text in which the question and answer
usually have the same wording. The answers are usually one word
40
Right There questions are Who is....?, Where is....?, What is....?,
When is....?, How many....?, When did....?.
b. Think and Search Questions
The answers to Think and Search questions can be found in several
parts of the text which are pieced together using information from
different parts of the text. Think and Search questions demand the
readers to put different parts of a story in order to answer the
questions because there may be more than one correct answer.
These questions require the readers to think about how the
information or ideas in the text are related to each other, and then,
search through the entire passage to find the information that
applies. The question and answer of this type have different
wording and the answers are usually short answers. Some
examples of phrases used for Think and Search questions are For
what reason....?, How did....?, Why was....?, What caused....?.
c. Author and You Questions
These types ask the readers to combine their own background
knowledge, experiences, and values, and in combination with the
text provided to respond a particular question. The answer to
Author and You questions are not found in the text. Instead, they
require students to think inferentially. The answer of the question
comes from both clues in the text and students‟ prior knowledge.
41
is telling them, and how both pieces of information fit together.
Then, students must synthesize the text to fully understand the
question. Facing this kind of questions, students should find and
make connections between new knowledge from the text and their
prior personal knowledge to create a new level of understanding.
Some examples of phrases used for Author and You questions are
Would you....?, which character....?, Did you agree with....?, What
did you think of....?.
d. On My Own Questions
On My Own questions ask the reader to go fully beyond the
text. These questions can be answered without reading the text
because the answer comes entirely from readers‟ prior knowledge.
The answers to these questions rely solely on students‟ experiences.
These questions need inferential and evaluative thinking so that the
answers of these questions do not require information from the text
but they do require that readers make some types of judgment
about or relate to the topic of the text. Some examples of phrases
used for On My Own questions are: Do you know....?, Have you
ever....? Would you ever....?
Here is the QAR framework that was used to frame the
teaching modeling of question-asking practices during the reading
