In this chapter, the researcher tells a brief history of classroom action research. As the focus on my research is how the researcher go about using RAP Strategy to increase reading comprehension ability in decriptive text.
According to Jean McNiff, action research is a term which refers to a practical way of looking at your own work to check that it was as you would like it to be.39 Furthermore, according to Anne Burns, action research is research that is carried out in the classroom by the teacher that has the purpose of solving the problem or improving the teaching or learning process.40 Elliott states that action research is about improving practice rather than producing knowledge.41 It can be inferred that classroom action research was the inquiry toward the problems faced in learning activity by conducting an action to improve the quality of process and the result of learning.
Furthermore, McNiff suggested that action research is conducted with critical partner.42 It means the researcher will conduct the research together
39 Jean McNiff,. Action Research for Professional Development: Concwase advice for new and experienced action researchers. (UK, Dorset: September Books, 2010), p. 8.
40 Anne Burns,Doing Action Research in English Language Teaching,(New York:
Routledge, 2010),p.5
41 Jean, McNiff, et.al.You and Your Action Research Project. (USA and Couldada: Taylor
& Francwas e-Library, 2002). p. 10.
42 Jean McNiff and Jack Whitehead, Action Research: Principles and Practice, (London and New York: Routledge Falmer, 2002), p. 15.
with friend. In doing classroom action research, the researcher will ask Mrs.
Laili Masithoh, S.Pd.I as a collaborator of the research.
In this research, the researcher conducts in 2 cycles. The first cycle is not successful; it continues the second cycle. It is conducted until there is an improving on the students‘ reading comprehension. There are four steps in each cycle which had relationship one another, they were: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. Those steps could be illustrated as follow:
Figure 1
Spiral Classroom Action Research
Jean McNiff‘s Model43
From the illustrated above, the explanations about four steps of action research procedure are conducted in each cycle:
1. Cycle 1 a. Planning
In this research, the researcher conducts some plans, namely:
43 Ibid, p.41
Plan
Observe Reflect
Act
Plan
Observe Reflect
Act
1) Preparing English subject lesson plan 2) Preparing materials and media of learning
3) Making observation sheets and list of students‘ name.
4) Making work sheets which would be learned by the student in group.
5) Making test which would be used in pre-test and post-test.
b. Acting
In this action, the researcher does pre-test, treatment and post-test to the students. This action is conducted in some meetings.
In this implementation, the researcher follows the schedule of English subject in the class. The researcher acts as if a teacher in the classroom and implemented some activities as follows:
1) Giving test to the students about descriptive text as pre-test of the research and beginning score in RAP Strategy.
2) Explaining the descriptive text
3) Explaining RAP Strategy to the students.
4) The researcher divides the students into small groups consist of 4 students in each group.
5) The researcher asks the students to change their desk to move in their group.
6) The researcher trains the students to read the descriptive text.
7) The researcher asks the students to write some difficult words, found the meaning and its synonym. Then, the teacher asks the students to answer the questions based on the text about the main idea and details information of the text by their own word.
8) The researcher choses one group to read the answer in front of the class.
9) The researcher with the students correct their answer sheet.
10) After the students understand about descriptive text, the researcher gives post-test to the students. They did it by themselves.
c. Observing
While observing, the researcher and collaborator use observation sheet to write down the important things as long as the learning process happened. From the observation sheet the researcher and collaborator knew the result of the student‘s learning activities.
d. Reflecting
In this step, the researcher analyzes how the effect of the acting, what thing which had to be repaired, and what thing which become
attention on the next acting. Then, the result of reflecting would be used as a guideline to make a new plan in the next cycle.
2. Cycle 2 a. Planning
1) The researcher studies the result of reflecting on cycle 1.
2) The researcher prepares the lesson plan, material and media of learning, observation sheet, work sheets, answer sheets, and test for post-test.
b. Acting
1) The researcher gives the students motivation to study harder.
2) The researcher gives another text to the students.
3) The students will be given time about 10 minutes to read.
4) The researcher asks students to write some difficult words,find the meaning, and its synonym. Then, the teacher asks them to discuss about finding main idea and specific information from the text.
5) The researcher choses some students to retell the text by using their own words.
6) The researcher gives post-test after the treatment.
c. Observing
The collaborator observes and collects the data when the learning process is conducting.
d. Reflecting
The researcher and collaborator reflect all the acting which is conducted and identified the result of observation in the learning process and compere the score of pre-test and post-test.