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COMPREHENSION TO STUDENTS WITH VISUAL
IMPAIRMENT
(A Descriptive Research at the Seventh and Eighth Grade of SMP
YKAB Surakarta in 2012/2013Academic Year)
THESIS
By
Dika Pranadwipa Koeswiryono
X2210009
TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FACULTY
SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY
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COMPREHENSION TO STUDENTS WITH VISUAL
IMPAIRMENT
(A Descriptive Research at the Seventh and Eighth Grade of SMP
YKAB Surakarta in 2012/2013Academic Year)
By
Dika Pranadwipa Koeswiryono
X2210009
Thesis
Submitted to Teacher Training and Education Faculty
of Sebelas Maret University to Fulfill the Requirement
for Achieving the Undergraduate Degree of English Education
TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FACULTY
SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY
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Dika Pranadwipa Koeswiryono.X2210009. The Teaching Learning Process of
Reading Comprehension to Students with Visual Impairment (a descriptive
research at the seventh and eighth grade of SMP YKAB Surakarta). Thesis,
Surakarta. Teacher Training and Education Faculty, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta. December 2013.
The research was conducted at SMP YKAB Surakarta, a school that provides good education for students with visual impairment. The seventh and eighth grade was the subject of the research. As a descriptive study, this research is aimed at describing the teaching and learning process of reading comprehension to students with visual impairment. It would discuss the teaching learning process at classroom, the problems appeared and the solutions to the problems.
At the teaching preparation, the teacher had some guidance from lesson plan, yet practically, he preferred to manage the teaching and learning process with his own way. He occasionally converted the reading texts into Braille but mostly dictated them for the students. Subsequently, he asked the students to resume the text and read it in the next session. In evaluating, the teacher held daily exam for obtaining mark from the students. At final semester examination, the questions on worksheet had to be dictated, to be answered by the students in Braille.
Problems on the teaching and learning process were the lack of time to convert the text into Braille. Dictating the text might solve the problem temporarily, but this solution lead to another difficulty for the students to write the word in correct spelling. Hence, the teacher was supposed to spell the words clearly. The next problem was the difficulty in searching the meaning of a new word, as there was no dictionary printed in Braille version. Fortunately, software that accommodates needs to search the meaning of words had been provided, and could be installed in some of the students’ mobile phone. Also, students’ absences of vision lead to their lack of conceptual ability. Anticipating to that problem, from the very early year of their study at the school, the students were introduced to various objects in their environment.
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Dika Pranadwipa Koeswiryono. X2210009. Proses Belajar Mengajar Reading Comprehension pada Siswa Tunanetra (penelitian deskriptif pada kelas
tujuh dan delapan SMP YKAB Surakarta). Skripsi. Pendidikan Bahasa
Inggris. Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan. Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta. 2013.
Penelitian ini dilakasanakan di SMP YKAB Surakarta, sekolah yang menyelenggarakan pendidikan untuk anak tunanetra. Subjek penelitiannya adalah kelas tujuh dan kelas delapan. Sebagai studi descriptif, penelitian ini bertujuan menggambarkan proses belajar mengajar reading comprehension pada siswa tunanetra. Akan dibahas proses belajar mengajar di kelas, masalah yang muncul dan solusi dari masalah tersebut.
Pada persiapan pengajaran, guru telah memiliki pedoman dari RPP, akan tetapi, kenyataannya, ia memilih untuk menyelenggarakan kegiatan belajar mengajar dengan caranya sendiri. Sesekali, teks reading dikonversi menjadi Braille, tapi seringkali teks-teks tersebut didiktekan kepada siswa. Siswa kemudian diminta untuk meringkas teks dan membacakannya pada sesi berikutnya. Dalam evaluasi, guru mengadakan ujian harian untuk mendapatkan nilai dari siswa. Pada ujian semester, teks soal didiktekan agar dapat dijawab oleh siswa.
Masalah dalam proses belajar mengajar adalah kurangnya waktu untuk mengkonversi teks reading menjadi Braille. Mendiktekan teks tersebut mungkin dapat menyelesaikan masalah sementara, tapi solusi ini menimbulkan masalah bagi siswa dalam menulis kata Bahasa Inggris dengan ejaan yang tepat, sehingga guru harus melafalkan ejaannya dengan jelas. Masalah berikutnya adalah kesulitan untuk mencari arti dari kosakata baru, karena ketiadaan kamus dalam versi Braille. Untungnya, Software tertentu dapat diinstal di telepon genggam siswa, sehingga mereka dapat mencari arti kata melalui software kamus. Keterbatasan pengelihatan juga mengakibatkan kurangnya kemampuan konseptual siswa. Dalam mengantisipasinya, sejak awal siswa sudah dikenalkan dengan objek-objek yang beragam di lingkungan mereka.
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This is to certify that I myself write this thesis entitled “The Teaching and Learning Process of Reading Comprehension to Students with Visual Impairment (A Descriptive Research at the Seventh and Eighth Grade of SMP YKAB Surakarta in the Academic Year 2012/2013”. It is not plagiarism or made by others. Anything related to others’ work is written in quotation, the source of which is listed on the bibliography.
If then this pronouncement proves wrong, I am ready to accept any academic punishment, including the withdrawal or cancellation of my academic degree.
Surakarta, January 2nd 2013
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Allah mengeluarkanmu dari perut ibumu tanpa mengetahui sesuatu apapun, dan Dia memberimu pendengaran, penglihatan dan hati, agar kamu bersyukur.
(Surat An-Nahl: 78)
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Dedicated to my family and friends, especially those new friends of
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All praises and thanks are dedicated to Allah SWT who always blesses the writers so that he can accomplish this thesis as a partial requirement for achieving the undergraduate degree of English Education at the Teacher Training and Education Faculty of Sebelas Maret University. It is obvious that the writer would not be able to complete this thesis without helps from others. Therefore, he would like to express gratitude and appreciation to the following:
1. The dean of the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education who gave permission for writing this thesis
2. The head of English Department of Teacher Training and Education Faculty
3. Drs. Muh. Asrori, M.Pd as the first consultant, for all his valuable guidance, advice, encouragement and patience
4. Endang Setyaningsih, S.Pd.,M.Hum for all her valuable guidance, advice, encouragement and patience
5. The headmaster of SMP YKAB Surakarta, for his permission and advice. 6. Mr. Sigit Wahyudi, S.Pd, the English teacher of SMP YKAB Surakarta,
for his help for the researcher to conduct this research
7. Mr Wahyu, the new English teacher at SMP YKAB Surakarta
8. The seventh and eighth grade students of SMP YKAB Surakarta, who participated well for the research
9. Mba Linda, who shared a lot of valuable knowledge for this research 10.His beloved family, his parents, his old and young brothers for their
supports, caring and prayer.
11.His classmate of teacher qualification program 2010 for their helps and support
12.Intan Emka, for her support
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Table of Content
THESIS TITLE ... i
ABSTRACT ... ii
PRONUNCEMENT ... iii
PAGE OF THE APPROVAL OF CONSULTANTS ... iv
PAGE OF THE APPROVAL OF EXAMINERS ... v
MOTTO ... vi
DEDICATION ... vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... viii
TABLE OF CONTENT ... ix
LIST OF APPENDICES ... x
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of Study ... 1
B. Problem Statement ... 4
C. Problem Limitation ... 5
D. Objective of the Study ... 5
E. Benefit of the Study ... 5
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Reading Comprehension and the Teaching Learning Process ... 6
B. Exceptional Children ... 14
C. Visual Impairment ... 15
D. Visual Impairment and the Teaching Learning Process of Reading Comprehension ... 16
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY A. Method of the Research ... 20
B. Time and Place of the Research ... 20
C. The Source of the Data ... 22
D. The Techniques of Collecting Data ... 23
E. The Validity of the Data ... 24
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CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FINDING AND DISCUSSION
A. Research Finding ... 27
B. Discussion ... 37
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION IMPLICATION SUGESTION A. Conclusion ... 42
B. Implication ... 43
C. Suggestion ... 43
BIBLOGRAPHY ... 44
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List of Appendices
1. Pictures ... 49
2. Setting of the research ... 52
3. Interview with informants ... 54
4. Interview guidance for the teacher ... 64
5. Interview guidance for the students ... 66
6. Teaching learning process in classroom ... 67
7. Data of the SMP YKAB Surakarta ... 68
8. The layout of SMP YKAB Surakarta ... 69
9. The lesson plans ... 70
10.The question sheet of the mid-semester test ... 76
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1 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study
English is becoming more and more important for people as it is considered as an international language. It is the main language spoken in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, United States, Canada and some other countries. Most information in news paper, books, internet, television and letter also use this language. Conferences in international scale are conducted in English. People use English to communicate with others from different countries. This language helps people to improve their career either. Therefore, having competence in science and technology supported by mastery of English is absolutely needed by everyone to compete in this global world.
For those reasons, the Indonesian government via the Ministry of National Education decided to take English subject as the educational programs. It is taken as the first foreign language in Indonesia and is established as an obligatory subject to learn at school, from elementary school, junior and senior high school until university.
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academic situation may include such activities as being able to read long text efficiently, being able to infer meaning, being able to interpret and understand ambiguity and being able to recognize implicit meaning in text”.
Eyes are the sensory organs that contribute 80 – 85 percent information about our world (Effendi, 2006:37). Through the eyes, the image of an object is sent to brain. In general sense, reading is what happen when people look at a text and assign meaning to the written symbol in that text (Aebersold&Field, 1977:15). This process definitely requires eyes as the only sensory organ that is capable in processing written symbol as visual input for afterward being constructed in brain. This is what causes impossibility for the visual impaired children to read written text in the way that sighted children do. Finkelstein (1989, cited in Shea & Bauer, 1996:245) states “…learners with visual impairment are less capable or have less potential than those who see”
Visual impaired children have lost one of their vital sensory organs, which give them plenty visual information about their world. This condition encumbers them to get access to knowledge, especially visual information. It also limited their mobility due to their lack of orientation about their environment. Miller and Schols (1982:34) states
“Traditional educational practice relies heavily on students’ ability to perceive visual images. Color, forms, size, texture and actions are frequently utilized in instructional presentations. The interpretation of these stimuli maybe impossible or highly difficult for students with impaired vision. The visually impaired individual is less able to read and interpret social cues that are necessary to the development of social skillful behavior”
Although eye is a very vital sensory organ, the absence of vision does not mean that the children have lost opportunity for interacting with their environment. Effendi (2006:37) states (...) ia masih dapat mensubstitusi hilangnya indra pengelihatan tersebut melalui kompensasi indera lain yang masih berfungsi,
walaupun hasilnya tidak secanggih dan selengkap jika dibarengi dengan
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opportunity to obtain knowledge and experience by relying on their remaining sensory organ.
Children with special needs, as well as the normal, also have a right to attain education. Government’s Regulation of Republic of Indonesia No. 72 in 1991 about Special Education states
“Dalam sistem pendidikan nasional diadakan pengaturan pendidikan khusus yang diselenggarakan untuk peserta didik yang menyandang kelainan fisik dan/atau mental. Peserta didik yang menyandang kelainan demikian juga berhak memperoleh pendidikan yang layak, sebagaimana diamanatkan dalam Undang-Undang Dasar 1945 yang dalam hal ini menyatakan dengan singkat tapi jelas bahwa "Tiap-tiap warga negara berhak mendapat pengajaran", dan yang ditegaskan dalam Undang-undang nomor 2 Tahun 1989 tentang Sistem Pendidikan Nasional yang menyatakan bahwa "Setiap warga negara", termasuk warga negara berkelainan, "mempunyai hak yang sama untuk memperoleh pendidikan"
The special education for the exceptional children is aimed to develop the exceptional children’s ability to socialize and improve their potentiality. Effendi (2006:24) states
melalui pendekatan dan strategi khusus dalam mendidik anak berkelainan, diharapkan anak berkelainan: 1) dapat menerima kondisinya, 2) dapat melakukan sosialisasi dengan baik, 3) mampu berjuang sesuai dengan kemampuannya 4)memiliki keterampilan yang sangat dibutuhkan dan 5) menyadari sebagai warga negara dan anggota masyarakat
According to Government’s Regulation of Republic of Indonesia No. 72 in 1991 about Special Education, Chapter II Article 2,
Pendidikan luar biasa bertujuan membantu peserta didik yang menyandang kelainan fisik dan/atau mental agar mampu mengembangkan sikap, pengetahuan dan keterampilan sebagai pribadi maupun anggota masyarakat dalam mengadakan hubungan timbal-balik dengan lingkungan sosial, budaya dan alam sekitar serta dapat mengembangkan kemampuan dalam dunia kerja atau mengikuti pendidikan lanjutan.
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organs to read, while they with low vision can still use their eye with the help of special aids. That is why several techniques and aids are developed to solve the problem in reading text. According to Blackhurts and Berdine (1981: 232), visual impaired children need to learn how to use the techniques that have been designed to compensate for their loss of vision. In Indonesia the special aids and techniques to read are now employed in special school called Sekolah Luar Biasa (SLB).
In Surakarta, there is a special school which accommodates and educates those exceptional children, especially the visually impaired. The school, which is SMP YKAB Surakarta, applies special method and provides facilities for supporting education for visual impaired children. English is one of the subjects that are taught in the school, in this case, the students of the seventh and the eighth grade.
Not many know about the teaching learning process of reading comprehension to student with visual impairment. The English teaching methods that have been acquired are mostly designed for teaching normal student. Some obstacles related with the students’ limitation will perhaps be encountered in teaching them reading comprehension. For that reason, the researcher is interested to figure out the teaching-learning process of English reading comprehension at the seventh and eighth grade of SMP YKAB Surakarta.
Based on the explanation above, the researcher would like to discuss THE TEACHING LEARNING PROCES OF READING COMPREHENSION OF ENGLISH TO STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT, A Descriptive Study at the Seventh and Eighth Grade of SMP YKAB Surakarta, in 2012/2013 Academic Year
B. The Problem Statements
There are several problems that is identified in this research, they are:
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2. What are the problems faced by the teacher of English and the seventh and eighth grade students at SMP YKAB Surakarta in teaching learning process of reading comprehension?
3. What are the solutions applied by the school and the teacher to solve those problems?
C. The Problem Limitation
The researcher limits his research on the process of teaching-learning of reading comprehension to the seventh and eighth grade student of SMP YKAB Surakarta in 2012/2013 academic year.
D. The Objective of the Study The objectives of the study are as follows:
1. To describe the teaching and learning process of English reading to student with visual impairment of the seventh and eighth grade of SMP YKAB Surakarta
2. To identify the problems faced by the teacher of English and the seventh and eighth grade students at SMP YKAB Surakarta in teaching learning process of reading comprehension.
3. To figure out what solutions are applied by teacher of the seventh and eighth grade of SMP YKAB Surakarta in solving those problems.
E. The Benefits of the Study
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6 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter discusses the nature of teaching and learning process of reading comprehension. Exceptional children, especially those who suffer visual impairment, will also be discussed, as well as the theories of teaching and learning process of reading comprehension for visual impaired children.
A. Reading Comprehension and the Teaching Learning Process
1. The Definition of Reading
Reading is one of the four skills in language learning. There are several definitions from several experts about reading. Harris (1980:8) states “reading is the meaningful interpretation of printed or written verbal symbol”. Similarly, according to Aebersold and Field (1997:15), “In general sense, reading is what happen when people look at a text and assign meaning to the written symbol in that text”. In line with them both, Nunan, (1991:64) ads that “... reading is basically a matter of decoding a series of written symbol into their aural equivalents”. The point is that reading is getting meaningful interpretation from a series written symbol.
Further, Carrel, Devine and Eskey (1988:12) state,
reading is a receptive language process. It is a psycholinguistic process in that it starts with a linguistic surface representation encoded by a writer and ends with a meaning that a reader constructs. The writer encodes thought as language and the reader decodes language to thought.
It means that the interaction between writer and reader happens when the reader decodes the writer’s messages through linguistic representation in the form of written symbol.
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From the theories above, it can be concluded that reading is the meaningful interpretation of a series of written symbol, where the reader attempt to understand the thought that the writer encodes.
2. Reading Comprehension
a. Definition of Reading Comprehension
Some experts propose their definition about reading comprehension. According to Bormuth (1969:50, cited in Harris, 1980:479), comprehension ability is thought to be a set of generalized knowledge-acquisition skills which permit people to acquire and exhibit information gained as a consequence of reading printed language.
Other experts, Harris and Sipay (1980:8), states that reading (comprehending) is a result of the interaction between the perception of graphic symbols that represent the language and reader’s language skills and knowledge of the world. In this process the reader tries to re-create the meaning intended by the writer. This statement is supported by Heilman, Blair and Rupley (1981:242) who say “reading comprehension is a process of making sense of written ideas through meaningful interpretation and interaction with language”
Kennedy (1981: 188) states that comprehension is the ability of one to find, interpret, and use ideas. In addition, Harris and Hodges in Torgesen (2006) state that reading comprehension is the construction of meaning of a written text through a reciprocal interchange of ideas between the reader and the message in particular text.
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b. Purpose of ReadingThe activity of comprehending reading text has some specific purposes. The purposes depend on the intention of the reader to read the passage and what kind of information is he/she going to a trough reading.
Wallace (1996: 6-7) classifies the purposes of reading based on the personal reasons. The purposes include reading for survival, for pleasure and learning. Warning sign on electrical devices or instruction on the bottle of medicine are some examples of text for surviving. People read to learn, for example, when they are reading dictionary, attend teacher’s explanation on whiteboard or trying to summarize a text, while to gain pleasure, people read novels or short stories.
At school where the research is held, the visually impaired students read for those all purposes. They learn to read stories as well as English lesson beyond the stories.
c. Models of Reading
According to Aebersold and Field (1997: 17-18) there are three main models of how reading occurs. The first is the bottom-up reading model, where the reader constructs the text from the smallest units and gradually compiles them to comprehend the higher units of the text. Top-down reading is the second, where the process of reading begin in the mind of the reader with his or her knowledge, expectation, assumptions and question to the text and give the basic understanding of vocabulary. There is an interaction of both bottom-up and top down reading at the third model which is called interactive reading. The interaction depends on the type of text as well as on the reader’s background knowledge, language proficiency level, motivation, strategy use, and culturally shaped beliefs about the reading.
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bottom-up reading, then all people who read would agree with the passage. “It is far more likely that reading is interactive, involving both information supplied by the text and information brought to the text by the reader, which combines to produce a person’s understanding of the material”, said Strange.
It can be summarized from the explanations above that a reader should involve and combine both the information gained from the text with his or her own knowledge and experiences to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the text.
d. Skills of Reading Comprehension Intensive
Davis (1944, cited in Smith & Jhonson 1980:130) sorted out and labeled nine skills judged by the reading authorities he consulted to be basic to reading comprehension. They are the following:
1) Knowledge of word meanings
2) Ability to select the appropriate meaning for a word or phrase in the light of its contextual setting
3) Ability to follow the organization of a passage and to indentify antecedents and references in it
4) Ability to identify the main thought of a passage
5) Ability to answer question that are specifically answered in a passage 6) Ability to answer questions that are answered in a passage, but not in the
words in which the question is asked
7) Ability to draw inferences from a passage about its contents
8) Ability to recognize the literary device used in a passage and to determine its tone and mood
9) Ability to determine a writer’s purpose, intent, and point of view, i.e. to draw inferences about a writer
Those nine skills are what the teacher should teach to improve students’ reading comprehension. However, special methods and strategies are required to improve the reading skill of those with visual limitation.
The indicators of reading of the seventh grade were:
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3) To identify rhetorical steps of descriptive/procedure text
The indicators of reading of the eighth grade were:
1) To identify the information on short functional text of in the form of invitation
2) To identify the information on short functional text of in the form of announcement
3) To identify the social function of short massage text
e. Levels of Reading Comprehension
According to Heilman, Blair and Rupley (1981:246), there are three levels of comprehension. They are literal comprehension, interpretative comprehension and critical comprehension. Literal comprehension is the lowest, where at this level the reader is able to understand the ideas and information explicitly stated in the passage, such as identifying explicitly stated main ideas, grammatical clues, verb, pronoun, conjunction and so forth.
At the higher level, the interpretative comprehension, the reader is able to understand the information not explicitly stated in the passage. He or she infers factual information, main ideas, comparison, cause – effect relationships and summarize the content of the text.
Analyzing, evaluating, and personally reacting to information presented in a passage are what a reader do when reading at critical level. He/she is capable of react personally to information in the passage indicating its meaning to the reader, as well as analyzing and evaluating the quality of written information in terms of some standards.
Another expert, Estill (1988:159), proposes more on levels of reading comprehension. He states that an individual may be said to comprehend a text fully when he can:
1) Recognize the words and sentence of the text and know what these words and sentence mean (obtain literal meaning)
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3) Recognize how all these meanings and/or his perception of them fit together contextually
4) Make value judgment about, and based on, the reading experience (read critically)
From the statement of those two experts, it can be concluded that the lowest level of comprehension is the ability to obtain and understand information explicitly stated. Understanding of implicitly stated information is on the next level of comprehending. The most advanced level is the ability to judge, analyze and evaluate the information presented in the passage.
f. Factors Influencing Comprehension Ability
There are some factors that influence the development of comprehension. According to Smith (1972:243), the four factors that affect comprehension are thinking skill, background experiences, ability to use language and intelligence.
1) Thinking skill
Reading does not take place without comprehension, and comprehension cannot occur without thinking. Evidently, the reading process is intimately linked to thinking.
2) Background experiences.
They are necessary component for thinking since it provides an individual with the raw material he manipulates during the thinking process. Broadly defined background experience includes books previously read, lectures attended, discussion held, trips taken and so forth. Without getting into the nature – nurture argument over whether heredity or environment is more important in determining intelligence, it is clear that thinking cannot occur without some basis in real-life.
3) Ability to use language.
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4) Intelligence
Intelligence may be defined in many ways. Here he refers to intelligence as the innate mental ability of an individual, his potential for manipulating thoughts.
Another experts, Dawson and Bamman (1967: 220-223) state that there are five factors which influence that comprehension ability. They are intelligence, experience, and mechanics of reading, interest span, and skills of comprehending.
1) Intelligence
Students have different intelligence, so it will be possible for them to produce different comprehension.
2) Experience
Students with limited experience may have difficulty in comprehending many of the ideas and activities with which other students are familiar before they come to school.
3) Mechanics of Reading
Comprehension will be easier for the students if they have all mastered the skills of word meaning, and if they have learned to handle material books properly. Obviously, there must be a fine balance somewhat in each student between careful attention to word attack skills and to comprehension skills.
4) Interest and Interest Span
It is truism what we are respond quickly to what we read are interested in the topic or at least familiar with it. The interest span is related to personality factors; a disturbed student who has encountered many unfortunate experiences at home or in the school may be unable to preserve when required for comprehending reading passages.
5)Skill of Comprehending
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From the explanation above, it can be summarized that factors which influence the comprehension ability are thinking skill, background experiences, language ability, interest, mechanic of reading and the skill of comprehending.
The subject of this research, the visually impaired does not have problem in thinking skill, nor intelligence, since theirs are normal. However, their limited vision causes lack of background experiences, as well as the language skill which affects their comprehension ability.
g. Effective Reading Comprehension Instruction
The features of comprehension instruction according to Heilman, Blair and Rupley (1981:248) are:
1) Design reading program that allow for development of a meaningful vocabulary by using contextual situations based on children’s experience development
2) Concentrate on improve questioning abilities that include not only the asking of the appropriate question but also the providing of appropriate feedback to the child’s response. Reward pupil’s efforts and thinking rather than just correct answers
3) Provide direct instruction on comprehension abilities that is appropriate to the desired outcome (ranging from knowledge to inquiry) and pupils’ grade level, SES, likelihood of success, and so forth
4) Set purpose for reading comprehension that encourage pupil’s attention to and active engagement in learning
5) Afford pupils the opportunity to apply their reading comprehension skills in meaningful recreational reading activities
According to Otto, Rude and Spiegel (1979:166), there are five guidelines for teaching reading comprehension. They are:
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2) Use reading material of varied styles and formats, covering a wide range of topics
3) Provide practice in using several comprehension skills at one time 4) Set the stage and set the purpose of reading
5) Probe, pry and pick. Children must be asked to give reasons for their answer; they must be asked to expand their answer; they must be given opportunities to defend seemingly incorrect statement.
Those guidelines are applied to improve students’ comprehension. They can be applied in many varieties of material and many varieties of ways. The teacher of English may have to modify those guidelines to meet the need of the visually impaired.
B. Exceptional Children
1. The Definition of Exceptional Children
Some experts have proposed some definition about exceptional children. According to Blackhurts & Berdine (1981:9), exceptional children are children who have physical, mental, behavioral or sensory characteristic that differ from the majority of children that they require special education and related service to develop to their maximum abilities. Similarly, Hewwet and Forness (1984:75) states that an exceptional learner is an individual who, because of uniqueness in sensory, physical, neurological, temperamental, or intellectual capacity and/or in the nature or range of previous experience, requires an adaptation of the regular school program in order to maximize his or her functioning level.
Those definitions are supported by Kirk (1970:4 in Effendi, 2006:4) who states that the exceptional children are they “… who deviates from the average or normal child in mental, physical or mental characteristic to such extent that they requires a modification of school practices, or special educational service in order to develop to his maximum capacity”.
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tubuhnya, baik yang bersifat jasmaniah maupun rokhaniah”. It means that exceptional children are they who have differences in the function in his/her body organs, either physically or mentally. In addition, Hallahan & Kauffman (1991 in Effendi, 2006:4) define exceptional children as “anak yang berbeda dari rata-rata umumnya, dikarenakan ada permasalahan dalam kemampuan berfikir,
pengelihatan, pendengaran, sosialisasi dan bergerak “. They explain that exceptional children are they who differ from the average, due to the disorder in the ability to think, ability of vision, hearing, socialization and mobilization.
From the theories above, it can be concluded that the exceptional children are children who have physical, mental, behavioral or sensory characteristic that differs from the majority of children that they require a modification of school practices, or special educational service in order to develop their maximum capacity.
2. Classification of Exceptional Children
According to Chauhan (1978:470), the types of exceptional children are 1. Intellectually exceptional: the gifted and creative, the slow learner,
educable mentally retarded and the severally mentally retarded. 2. Physically exceptional: impaired vision, impaired hearing,
Impaired speech, crippled brain injured. 3. Emotionally exceptional: Delinquents.
4. Multi-handicapped: the children who have more than one defect given above.
Blackhurts and Berdine (1981:9) states that exceptional children includes children with communication disorder, hearing disorder, visual impairment, physical disabilities, mental retardation, learning disabilities, behavior disorder, multiple handicaps, high intelligence and unique talents.
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C. Visual ImpairmentVisual impairment is one of the types of exceptional condition which related to visual ability. Blackhurt and Berdine (1981:216) states
Legally blind children are defined as (1) Those whose visual acuity is 20/200 or less in the better eye with the best correction, or (2) those whose field of vision is restricted to an angle subtending an area of 20 degrees or less (American Foundation for the Blind, 1961).
Pueschel (1988:63, cited in Abdurrahman and Sujadi, 1994:43) states “secara sederhana, tunanetra dapat diartikan pengelihatan yang tidak normal, biasanya disebut memiliki ketajaman pengelihatan 20/200”. It means that
basically, visual impairment can be defined as abnormal vision with visual acuity of 20/200. In line with Pueschel, Abdurrahman (1994:43) also states
Orang yang memiliki bidang pengelihatnya terbatas adalah bentuk lain dari gangguan pengelihatan. Apabila kita melihat lurus ke depan secara peripheral 180 derajat, kemudian oleh karena suatu sebab, bidang pengelihatan berkurang menjadi 20 derajat atau kurang, maka ia termasuk buta.
He explains that limited vision field is another kind of visual handicap. If we look straight forward peripherally 180 degrees, then the visual aid is decreased into 20 degrees or less, our vision can be identified as blind.
Learners with visual impairment include those whose sight is limited in any way to the extent that special services are required (Shea et.al, 1996:245). According to Vaughn et.al (2000:249), when glasses or contact do not correct within normal or near normal limits, students may be considered to have a visual impairment that may require special education service.
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From the explanation above, it can be concluded that visual impairment is the condition of the eyes, in which the visual acuity is 20/200 or less in the better eye with the best correction and the field vision is so narrow that its widest diameter subtends an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees.
D. Visual Impairment and the Teaching Learning Process of Reading
1. Instructional Adaptation for Teaching Reading to the Visually Impaired
Because of the large amount of information most people gather through vision, it is often presumed that learner with visual impairment are less capable or have less potential (Shea & Bauer, 1996:263). However, Hallahan and Kauffman (1994: 348) state “most authorities believe that lack of vision do not alter very significantly the ability to understand and use language”. In order to maximize their potential, including language and communication ability, exceptional children, in this case the visual impaired, requires the service of special education.
According to Hallahan and Kauffman (1994: 348), there are a few subtle differences in the way in which language usually develops in children who are visually impaired compared to sighted children. Although such differences are relatively subtle and do not indicate that children with blindness will lead a linguistically deficient existence, it’s a good idea to provide children who are blind with as rich an exposure to language as possible at as young age as possible (Warren, 1984, cited in Hallahan and Kauffman, 1994: 348)
Another expert, Burns (1984: 478), states that in general, the language of visually handicapped student is not deficient, so their ability to listen and relate and remember must be developed as fully as possible. Burns suggests several instructional for teaching reading to the visually handicapped students, they are:
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b. The teacher must provide additional stimulation to expand the child’s horizons, to develop imagery and to orient him or her to a wide and varied environment.
c. Reading aloud to children is one of the most rewarding experiences that build listening skills. This is especially true with the visually impaired child.
d. Utilize sets of cassette tape for listening skill.
e. Children with impaired vision should be seated close to the chalk board or wherever material to be studied.
f. Encourage the child to use properly fitted glasses when reading.
g. Plan several short period of close work (such as reading book) rather than one extended period of continuous work.
h. Provide active assignment of some kind after close work i. Adjust shade so there is no glare on the chalkboard j. Minimize the use of machine that utilize a lighted screen
2. Special Reading Aids for the Visual Impairment
A number of instructional materials have been designed to meet the needs of visual impairment (Blackhurts & Berdine, 1981: 239). In the process of reading, those with visual impairment requires some devices, they are:
a. Braille
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According to Vaughn, Bos and Schumm (2000:252), Braille is a system of embossed or raised dots that can be read with the tips of the fingers. The system was developed in 1829 by Louis Braille, a student of Paris School for Blind (Hallahan & Kauffman, 1994: 232). Braille is written with the aid of a Braillewriter or a slate and stylus. The slate is a simple metal frame through which Braille dots are punch in with a stylus. Since the Braille cells occupies a great deals of spaces (each cell takes up a quarter inch), the original code has been altered to make it more compact (Blackhurts and Berdine, 1981:232). This alteration to save space and accelerate reading and writing is called contraction. For example, the word myself in Braille is written myf (Heward & Orlansky, 1988:306)
b. Print Reading
Children with partial sight can read print if it is presented to them appropriately (Blackhurts & Berdine, 1981: 234). Two general methods of aiding children with visual impairment to read print are large print books and magnifying devices (Hallahan & Kauffman, 1994: 363). According to Blackhurts & Berdine (1981: 235), the most effective print size will vary with the particular child. Studies have indicated that 18 point type may be most efficient size for most visually impaired children (Eakin, Pratt, and McFarland, 1961, cited in Blackhurt and Berdine, 1981: 235). Magnifying device range from glasses and hand held lenses to closed circuit television scanners that present a enlarged image on a TV screen. These device can be used with normal-size type or large type book (Hallahan & Kauffman 1994:363)
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20 CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
According to Best (1981:18), research may be defined as the systematic and objective analysis and recording of controlled observation that may lead to the development of generalization, principles, or theories, resulting in prediction and possibly ultimate control of events.
A. The Method of The Research
Related to the objective of this research, the approach used in this research is descriptive study. Descriptive research is concerned with condition or relationship that exist, opinions that are held, processes that are going on, effects that are evident, or trends that are developing (Best, 1981:93). In addition, Moleong (2005:6) states that in descriptive study, the data which is collected are in the form of words and pictures, instead of numbers.
B. Time and Place of the Research
1. Description of Research Setting
a. Description of SMP YKAB Surakarta
The research was carried out at SMP YKAB Surakarta from August to October 2012. The school in which the research was carried on was SMP YKAB Surakarta. YKAB itself is the abbreviation of Yayasan Kesejahteraan Anak Buta, or Blind Children Wealth Foundation. The school, which is located on Jalan HOS Cokroaminoto, Surakarta, obtained its operation permit in March 7th 1989. Complete information about the school can be acquired from its website,
www.slbykabsurakarta.blogspot.com, or via telephone, on 0271 655254.
b. Description of Facilities in SMP YKAB Surakarta
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were established for accommodating students whose hometown is far from Surakarta. Braille computer and printer are established for supporting the teaching and learning process. There was a machine of Braille printer in the room. The teachers there converted sight text into Braille and printed it with the machine. In order to prepare the students to be able to survive with the disability, the school provided massage workshop, audio music workshop and gamelan workshop. Orientation and mobility workshop was also provided in the school.
c. Description of Research Setting
The study is carried on a class of the seventh and the eighth grades. In those classes there are several chairs and tables for the students and the teacher. Located on the corner of the class was a cupboard for keeping the Braille books and other teaching learning equipments. There was no black/white board in front of the class, due to the unnecessary for it. There were enough ventilations for air circulation in this classes which were facing to the South.
d. Description of Research Subject
1) The Teachers
The English teacher of SMP YKAB was Mr Sigit Wahyudi S,Pd. This fifty one years old man has been teaching at SMP YKAB since 1983. Even though he taught English and Physic, his was not graduated from the department of any of those two. He was certified as Bahasa Indonesia teacher, and then took a program of special education for two years. Having more capability in English and Physic compared with the other teacher, he was trusted to teach those two subjects.
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2) The Students
The subject of the research is the seventh and eighth grade of SMP YKAB Surakarta. Some of them were totally blind, while some other were partially sighted, or better known as low vision. There were five students in the seventh, whose age was varied between thirteen and nineteen years old. In the eighth grade, there were four students. Agung was the youngest, fourteen years old, while the oldest was Wida, twenty years old.
There was a great interval between the ages of those students. The reason is because at the beginning of their blindness, they did not immediately start learning at the school. Some of them have to wait or move to Surakarta, to be able to start studying in SMP YKAB, which accommodates their special needs. From interview, it is known that many of those students came from other cities outside Central Java, such as Trenggalek or Ponorogo.
Another reason was many students, who were not blind from birth, had got a condition of shock and depression that prevented them from socializing and obtaining education at school for the special needed. Mr Sigit, the English teacher, stated at an interview, that some of the students’ parents were too shy to put their special needed child to the special school. Eventually, however, they became conscious of the important of education to their child, and decided to let him/her child study at SMP YKAB.
C. The Source of the Data
The sources of the data in this research were: 1. Event, activity and behaviour
Through observation on behaviour, events or activity, the researcher can get information more accurately about how something happen, since he witness it by himself (Sutopo, 2006:58).
2. Informant
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were the teachers, the students, the staffs of the school and the parents of the students.
3. Document
According to Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2003), document is a paper or set of papers with written or printed information, especially of an official type. In this research, the documents were in the form of pictures, text book, students’ worksheet and lesson plan.
D. The Techniques of Collecting Data
The technique of collecting the data is the way used by the investigator to get data. In this research, the data was gotten through observation, interview and review on related documents.
1. Observation
Observation is defined as an action or process of getting information through watching (Sukardi, 2006: 49). Wahyuni, (2012:21) states that observation is the selection and recording behaviour of people in their environment. In this research, the objects which were observed are the English teacher and the students of the seventh and eighth grade of SMP YKAB Surakarta. 2. Interview
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3. Review on related documentsOfficial documents are written, photographed, or recorded by some type of public or private organization (Johnson & Christensen, 2000:152). This technique was used to support and complete the information which has been gotten through observation and interview
.
E. The Validity of the Data
According to Sutopo (2006:91), a researcher should be able to decide as well as determining appropriate method to develop the validity of the data that has been obtained. In this research, the method used is triangulation. It involves collecting data at different time, using different sources and different methods. According to Sukardi (2006:106), triangulation can be defined as the combination of some method or data source in a single study. In daily life, triangulation in known as check and recheck, that is data checking using various sources, techniques and times (Putera, 2011:189).
In this research, the data are collected from different source, i.e. informants and documents. Different method of data collecting is applied, they are observation and interview.
F. Data Analyzing
Data analyzing is a process of resolving data into its constituent components to reveal its characteristic elements and structure (Dey, 1993: 31). In qualitative analyzing process, there are three main components to be understood
Activity/Behaviour Informant
Document Interview
Document Analysis
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by the qualitative researcher. The three main components of the analysis are (1) data reduction, (2) data presenting and (3) drawing conclusion and verification (Miles & Huberman, 1984, cited in Sutopo, 2006:113).
1. Data Reduction
Data reduction refers to the process of selecting, focusing, simplifying, abstraction and transforming (Miles & Huberman,1984:21-23, cited in Emzir,2010:129). In this research, only important data and those which are relevant to the research is provided to support the report.
2. Data Display
According to Sutopo (2006:114), “Sebagai komponen analisis kedua, sajian data merupakan suatu rangkaian informasi,deskripsi dalam bentuk narasi lengkap yang untuk selanjutnya memungkinkan simpulan penelitian dapat dilakukan”. The presented narration is the description of the detailed condition to answer the problems.
3. Drawing conclusion and verification
The conclusion is drawn throughout the course of the research, which is at beginning still blur, becoming more explicit along with the research. The conclusion needs to be verified to assure its validity. It is an activity of repetition, in order to consolidate the conclusion and reviewing.
The Component of Analysis
Data Collection Data Display
Data Reduction
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27
CHAPTER IV
RESEARCH FINDING AND DISCUSSION
In this chapter, the research finding and the discussion of the research are
presented. It discusses the process of teaching learning of reading comprehension
to the visual impaired students at SMP YKAB. Subsequently, problems occurring
in the teaching learning process will be presented, before the solutions applied to
solve those problems. At the discussion section, those research finding will be
discussed, in its relation with the statements and suggestions from experts.
A. Research Finding
In this part, the information obtained during the research will be presented.
The description of the teaching learning process of reading comprehension will be
discussed, so will the problems on the process of teaching learning and their
solutions.
1. Teaching Learning Process of Reading Comprehension to the Visual
Impaired Students
The teaching learning process of reading comprehension to visual
impaired students is presented in this section, which will be divided into teaching
preparation, teaching application and the evaluation
a. Teaching Preparation
Everything related to the teaching learning process in classroom is
prepared in this step. In the past, in preparing for the reading comprehension
activity, the teacher converted the printed text from book into Braille. “Kalau ada
waktu, kita Braille-kan bukunya. Tidak semua, cuma bacaannya saja” (interview with Mr. Sigit, August 12th 2012). As teaching hand book, he used “English
Focus”, which was scanned with special device, to be converted and printed into
Braille text then. It was clarified that it is not necessarily the whole book, and only
the reading passages were converted. Due to the limited time, however, the text
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In order to match the English material of SMP YKAB with the regency’s,
beside to formulize and to prepare for the semester’s final examination, he
regularly participated in Musyawarah Guru Mata Pelajaran of Surakarta. It was a
committee of approximately fifty English teachers, gathering to design and make
teaching material and examination.
The school’s program was to prepare the visual impaired student for
obtaining higher education at regular school, which is called inclusive education.
Mr Sigit, at an interview stated
“kalau pelajaran Bahasa Inggris cuma dua jam, nanti anak – anak ketinggalan kalau masuk sekolah umum, seperti SMA Muhammadiyah di Kebakkramat. Makannya kita lima jam seminggu untuk Bahasa Inggris”
This is the reason why the school determined that the time allocation for English
was five hours a week, rather than only two hours, as what should be allocated for
special school. Also, this is why the reading comprehension texts for the blind
students were equals with those for the sight.
Lesson plan for teaching reading comprehension to visual impaired
students has been provided by the government, for guidance on how to teach
special students to read. Practically, however, the English teacher preferred not
too much base his teaching on the lesson plan. Having many years experience in
teaching visual impaired students, he chose to design the lesson planning mostly
with his own way, believe that this teaching modification will more effectively
improve the students’ English.
b. Teaching Application
The teacher began the season with greeting. Checking students’
vocabulary mastery by asking the name of body parts or days in English, as well
as discussing homework was done to check whether or not the student had learnt
at home. To encourage students’ participatory besides improving speaking skill,
Mr. Sigit sometimes invited the students to stand in front of class to deliver some
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1) Pre-reading
In pre-reading, the English teacher initiated the activity with brief
discussion about the topic of the reading text that would be presented. For
instance, he would deliver a question, checking whether the students have heard
or read about the text being discussed. To draw their attention, besides cheering
up the students, the teacher sometimes told either a tale related with the reading
text, or jokes.
In order to build students’ interest to the text, there is suggestion from
experts to utilize pictures in the pre-reading activity. Yet, for this special case of
teaching reading comprehension to the visual impaired, it was improbable to
apply that method. Therefore, other methods was attempted to build their interest.
2) Whilst-reading
For the whilst-reading activity, the teacher had the students read the
Braille text using their fingers. Before, he handed the texts out to the students, the
printed text for the low vision students and the Braille version for those who are
totally blind. The low vision students could still utilize their eyes to obtain limited
visual information. In reading comprehension activity, those students occasionally
still read printed text and write with common letter, but in greater size. Due to the
impairment, they read in excessively close distance, between their eyes and the
text sheet. Some of them even found hunched, nearly put their nose on the paper
while reading. The teacher frequently encouraged those low vision students to
learn Braille, to anticipate in case the remaining sight will eventually decrease or
vanish, besides preventing poor posture and fatigue.
Mr Sigit brought for the students a reading text. There were eight pages of
printed text, for low vision students, and twenty six pages of Braille text for the
totally blinds. The text was about Pinocchio, a classic story about a living wooden
puppet. The students then read the text, together with the teacher. There were
several difficult words. The teacher commanded some students to get the word’s
meaning from dictionary installed to their cell phone, while he himself opened his
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retranslate the text had been discussed, to be submitted at next session. The
teacher believed that translating would helps students in comprehending text.
At another occasion, due to the lack of time to convert the printed text into
Braille, the reading comprehension lesson turned into listening activity. The
teacher dictated the text and had the students write it in Braille then. The same
with the Braille reading comprehension activity, difficult words were elaborated
further.
With equal opportunity for learning reading, between the visual impaired
students at SMP YKAB and their seeing peers at normal schools, the first group
shows less progress in comprehending. Reading Braille text with fingertip takes
more time than reading printed text, so is listening to the text dictated and write it
down in Braille then, which would lead to another problem too. There were
sometimes objects in the reading passage that they cannot indentify, due to their
blindness, which would also lessen their progress in comprehending reading text.
In line with the guidance of the lesson plan suggested by the government,
the method applied was three phase technique, in which the teacher built the
students interest at pre-reading activity. Texts were given at whilst reading, to be
discussed together.
3) Post-reading
Some activities were carried out in post reading activity. After reading the
text, the English teacher had his students translate the English text into Bahasa
Indonesia. This assignment of translating was often given as homework. Again, he
invited the students to ask for more difficult vocabularies, as he knew that it
would be difficult for them to obtain the meaning of English words from
dictionary, due to their impairment.
After reading, the English teacher also gave a brief summary about the text
that had been read previously. He sometimes rechecked students understanding on
other aspects, such as tenses or vocabulary, or at some occasions, gave advice to
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c. Evaluation Step
It is known that in order to obtain mark of the students, besides measuring
their achievement, evaluations were performed. There were two different ways of
evaluation that were performed at daily examination and at semester examination.
The students could detect a friend’s answer on answer sheet, just by relying on
their hearing to the sound of the Braille letter typed on the paper with reglet. In preventing the students to cheat in this way, the English teacher conducted a
modification. He commanded the students to raise their fingers after the questions
about the reading comprehension text that had been dictated. The fingers represent
the answer, for example, three fingers for “C”, two for “B”, etc. The teacher then
obtained students’ mark based on their answers.
At the time when the semester mid examination of English was held, since
converting questions on the question sheet into Braille would waste a lot of time,
the text and question for the English text were dictated. The teacher read the
passage and the question, which would be answered by the students in Braille.
There were fifty questions for each grades, consist of forty five multiple choice
questions and five numbers of essay. A hundred and twenty minutes was provided
to finish the English exam. The reading comprehension texts about caution, letter,
post card or advertisements were dictated repeatedly, so were the dialogues, while
pictures appeared in the questions were verbalized. The students answered the
questions by typing the answers in Braille, using reglet, a special device for typing
Braille characters.
2. Problems in Teaching Learning Process of Reading Comprehension to
Student with Visual Impairment and the Solutions Applied to Solve those
Problems
In this section, the problems occurring in the teaching learning process of
reading comprehension will be discussed, as well as the solution applied to solve
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Problem 1: The lack of time to convert printed text of reading
comprehension into Braille.
This problem is related to the school’s management to arrange teaching
schedule. Previously, there was still enough time for Mr. Sigit, the English
teacher, to convert printed texts of reading passage into Braille version. Today,
however, he had to teach physic either. He stated in an interview “... kalau sekarang waktunya habis untuk mengajar Fisika dan Bahasa Inggris. Bisanya setelah jam sekolah, tapi kan sudah lelah habis mengajar, jadi tidak sempat
mem-Braille-kan” (Interview with Mr Sigit, September 2nd 2012). Hence, he lacked the
opportunity to convert a passage, as his time has been spent for teaching the two
subjects, thirty six hours a week. As the result, printed passage was incapable of
being converted into Braille as frequent as before.
Solution: Verbalizing the reading passages
Since the occasion for converting the print text into Braille was very
limited, the teacher decided to dictate the reading text for the students to be
written in Braille then by them. Writing Braille letters by utilizing reglet and stylus is slower compared with common handwriting, so that the reading text should be dictated slowly and clearly.
However, the solution attempted by the teacher for dictating the text, did
actually lead to another new problem. Unless the spelling had been known before,
the students are unlikely to write the English words correctly by relying only on
their hearing. The word “sea”, for instance, might be confused with “see”, as the
pronunciation is similar. At an interview, a student stated her difficulty in writing
down what the English teacher had dictated. “Yang susah itu lho, mas. Kalau
Bahasa Inggris itu kan tulisan sama pengucapannya beda. Susah nulisnya”, said Wida, the eighth grade student at an interview, September 3nd 2012.
Solution: Spell the words out clearly
Many English words were difficult to be written in correct spelling, without
seeing the writing of the words. In that case, the students would ask the teacher to
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ensure that the students understand, the pronunciation was quite inaccurate, as the
English teacher was not actually graduated from English department.
Problem 2: The absence of dictionary in Braille version
Since vocabulary mastery is required in order to comprehend a text, the
absence of vocabulary in Braille version becomes an obstacle for the blind
students in comprehending text. At classroom, a new vocabulary can be asked to
the teacher to be explained. Without teacher, however, the students would had a
hard time finding the meaning of English words. Uria, an eighth grade student
stated “Pak Sigit ngasih PR menerjemahkan bacaan. Kalau ndak tau apa Bahasa
Inggrisnya ya ndak bisa ngerjakan”.
Solution: Utilization of special dictionary software.
Often, there were new vocabularies that required more explanation. In
class, new vocabularies can be clarified by the teacher, to be noted by the students
subsequently. Outside class, however, the absence of Braille version vocabulary
impeded students’ vocabulary mastery. Today, thanks to the development of
technology, several dictionary softwares to be installed in particular mobile
phones had been established. The software allowed cell phones to produce sounds
that help the blinds to type or ‘read’ the text displayed on the screen, including the
text of words on dictionary. For the low vision, the dictionary can be utilized with
some adjustments on the letter’s size. “Sekarang sudah ada software kamus untuk
di-install di HP. Kalau mau nyari arti kata dalam Bahasa Inggris, bisa dibuka di
HP” (interview with Mr. Sigit, on September 8th 2012)
The dictionary software was not actually provide correct spelling, means
that the students should know and add the word in correct spelling into the
dictionary first, before searching for the word’s meaning. What unique from this
software was, despite the incapability of detecting user’s voice, the dictionary
could “speak”. It uttered the words, allowing the users, which were visual
