Kemmish and Mc. Taggart, in Harwanto (2005:17) state that action research is deliberate, solution-oriented investigation that is group or personally owned and conducted. It is characterized by spiraling cycle of problem identification, systematic data collection, reflection, analysis, data driven action taken, and finally problem identification. The linking of the terms “action” and “research”
highlights the essential features of this method: trying out ideas in practice as a
means of increasing knowledge about and/or improving curriculum, teaching and learning.
Further, Kemmish and Mc Taggart in Harwanto, (2005:17) described that action research consist of four phases that take place in a cycle.
These four phases are: planning, acting, observing and reflecting.
1. Planning
Practitioner tries to find ‘what are’ the realities of their particular practices and to search for ‘what ought to be?’
2. Acting
The practitioner implements the plan he has developed, addressing all or a particular set of problem.
3. Observing
Simultaneous with action is the collection of data, Observation is important for subsequent and action.
4. Reflecting
The practitioner reflect upon what is happening with his project, developing revised action plans based upon what he is learned from the process of planning, acting and observing.
A. Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework above shows the interrelations among the variables. RAFT strategy as a method is independent variable that can influence dependent variable which is placed by students’ literal and interpretative comprehension in reading skill. RAFT strategy not only develops students’
reading comprehension but also foster the students’ ability in writing too.
Students’ literal and interpretative comprehensionwill be measured from their ability in comprehending texts given by the teacher (or students’ selection of texts) during Classroom Action Research by applying RAFT strategy. The
Classroom Action Research RAFT(role, audience, format,
topic) Strategy
Interpretative Literal
Reading Learning Process
Output of the Research
students’ reading comprehension ability is as the final product that will be known from the students’ success when going through the RAFT strategy.
This research used Classroom Action Research (CAR) This Classroom Action Research consisted of two cycles with each cycle consisted of four steps: (1) Planning, (2) Action, (3) Observation, and (4) Reflecting. For further detailed explanation, researcher explained the process in each steps in cycle I and cycle 1. Implementing Cycle 1
a. Planning
The Planning of research consisted of some action steps and all need in action as follows:
1) Finding information about students; identifying the students’ requirement in learning process, problems of students and information of students’
achievement in learning process especially students’ reading Skill.
2) Observing of students reading behavior.
3) Providing the needs of action research, such as material substance teach, instrument of observation and evaluation, and method to be used in learning process based of result the first observation.
4) The observer made lesson plan after getting the problem in the class by applying raft strategy.
5) Making pre – material or pre – tests
6) Making the observation sheet for observe the condition of learning process 7) Arranging the post test to know the increase of the result study after they
studied through RAFT strategy.
b. Action
The activities in this stage were:
1) The teacher explained to the all students need to consider four components of every reading text, the role of the writer of the text, the ended audience the format of the texts and the topic.
2) The students Brainstormed ideas about the main idea and supporting idea as a key issue for action linked to the current unit of work being studied.
3) The students wrote RAFT’s table on the board and list possible roles, audience, formats and strong verb that are appropriate for the identified key issues.
4) After discussing the issues and possible point of view, students can begin and develop their composition from this scaffold and write down the conclusion and summarizing the text.
c. Observation
1. Identifying and making note of the activity. Research observed the students response participation and everything which was found during the teaching and learning process based on observation sheet that has been arrange.
2. Doing evaluation to know the student improvement.
3. Giving the students’ chance for giving suggestion to complete the action research
d. Reflection
After collecting the data, the research evaluated the teaching – learning process. Then, researcher reflected himself/herself by seeing the result of the observation, whether the teaching learning reading using role, audience, format, topic, (RAFT)strategy was good to imply in teaching learning process or not. If the first plant was unsuccessful, the researcher made the next plan (re planning) to get a good result. with minimum passing grade (KKM) was 68 and the researcher had target until 70.
2. Implementing Cycle 2 a. Planning
1) Continuing the activities that have been done in first cycle to next cycle.
2) Repairing the weakness in the first cycle.
3) Designing lesson plan base on the results of reflection in cycle I.
b. Action
In this stage, action was done to improve the result based on the cycle I reflection and focused in summarize and conclusion. The step cycle II follow by:
1) The teacher gave the students narrative text
2) The teacher asked the student to wrote down table of RAFT
3) The students wrote main ideas and supporting idea as a key issue for action linked to the current unit of work being studied.
4) The teacher asked the students to summarize the text based of main idea each paragraph
5) After the students made summarizing of the text, the teacher asked the students to made conclusion of the text based on their own words
c. Observation
In this phase, the teacher had observation the students’ activity in learning process by using checklist observation to know the students ability in reading.
After applying Context Clues strategy in action, the teacher gave evaluation to the students to know the students reading comprehension in cycle 1.
d. Reflection
Reflection was the activity of evaluating critically about the progress or changed of the students and also the teacher. In this step, researcher observe activity was result any progress and also about the positive and negatives in learning. The reflection was success. The researcher did not need to continue in the next cycle.
The score of the observation steps gathered for data analysis and evaluation by the observer and then the observer can reflect herself about successful of action research. The observers will evaluate in every cycle.
B. Research Variable and Indicators a. Variables
The following were variables of the research:
1) Independent Variable
Independent variable of the research was the use of (RAFT) strategy.
2) Dependent Variable
Dependent variable was the students’ reading Skill.
b. Indicators
The indicators literal Reading and intrepertative reading were:
1) The student’s ability to find main information in the text.
2) The students’ activeness during given teaching and leaning process, the application of RAFT Strategy in teaching and learning process