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AN ANALYSIS OF PARENTS’ INVOLVEMENT ON STUDENTS’
ACHIEVEMENT IN MASTERING ENGLISH
A STUDY AT VIII GRADE STUDENTS OF SMPN 2 KUBUNG
Azmi Septiana(Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, STKIP PGRI West Sumatera, septianaazmi@gmail.com) Pembimbing 1: Elmiati, M.Pd dan Pembimbing 2: Astuti Pratiwi, M.Pd
Abstrak
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat pengaruh dukungan orang tua terhadap pencapaian siswa dalam memahami Bahasa Inggris di SMPN 2 Kubung, Kabupaten Solok. Dalam penelitian ini peneliti menganalisa dukungan orang tua berdasarkan teori Catsambis dan Janet (1997).
Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif dengan lokasi penelitian di SMPN 2 Kubung, Kabupaten Solok. Penelitian ini ditujukan kepada siswa SMPN 2 Kubung dan kedua orang tua dari siswa tersebut. Dimana ada 3 orang siswa yang diteliti berdasarkan nilai tinggi, sedang, dan rendah yang di dapat dari guru Bahasa Inggris. Setelah angket disebarkan kepada 3 orang siswa tersebut, peneliti juga melakukan wawancara dengan orang tua siswa guna mendukung jawaban siswa di dalam angket tersebut. Berdasarkan hasil analisa angket dan wawancara yang telah dilakukan oleh peneliti di SMPN 2 Kubung dapat disimpulkan bahwa dukungan orang tua mempengaruhi pencapaian anak di dalam pelajaran Bahasa Inggris. Dukungan tersebut dapat berbentuk menyediakan kebutuhan sekolah siswa yang berkaitan dengan pelajaran Bahasa Inggris, memfasilitasikan siswa dalam Bahasa Inggris, berkomunikasi dengan guru Bahasa Inggris mengenai pencapaian siswa dalam belajar Bahasa Inggris, mendukung aktifitas-aktifitas atau acara-acara Bahasa Inggris di sekolah, serta membantu siswa dalam mengerjakan tugas sekolah Bahasa Inggris di rumah.
Kata Kunci: Learning English, Parents’ Involvement, Students’ Achievement.
I. Introduction
Learning English is a subject that is needed by students to master in English. In learning English, the students study four skills; they are listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students’ understanding about learning English can be seen in students’
achievement in the school. Students’
achievement is a result that is got after learning English subject. Students’
achievement can show the students’
mastering in English. If the students have high achievement, it can be assumed that the students understand about learning English.
However, when the students still confused or have low achievement, it can be assumed that the students do not understand well the English material. There are some factors that can influence students’ achievement in learning English. According to Slameto (1995:60), factor that can influence students achievement in learning English that are beyond self-esteem, which some of those experience, parents’ support, family support, and neighborhood. This research, the
researcher focused on factor of parents’
support or it can be called as parents’
involvement. Parents’ involvement is a role to supportive students in learning process. In here parents’ involvement is divided as two categories, which are high and low involvement. It is supported by Herdeson (2000:34) who state that parents with high involvement reported more time engaged in home learning activities and Roby (2004:18) states that the lower parents’ involvement, the lower the student attendance. Roby also suggests that if parents do not get themselves actively involved, and monitor their children’s attendance to school, academic achievement is difficult to increase
.
Based on interview that researcher did to some student at eighth grade students of SMPN 2 Kubung toward the students’
achievement at school and their parents’
involvement, the researcher assumed that parents’ involvement influenced the students’ achievement. Based on the explanation above the researcher conclude
2 that parents’ involvement influenced students’ achievement in mastering English, where as the involved was divided into two categories; they were high involvement and low involvement. Both of the categories have different involved on students’
achievement in mastering English.
Therefore, researcher wanted to analyze the influence of parents’ involvement on students’ achievement in mastering English at eighth grade students of SMPN 2 Kubung
.
II. Review of Related Literature Parents’ Involvement
Parent involvement is factor that influence on students’ achievement in learning English. Trotman (2001:41) states that parents' involvement was design to create a partnership that allowed for greater collaboration between home and school for the expressed purpose of improved student outcomes. It means that parent involvement is collaboration between parent and school.
The collaboration such as doing communication with the teacher about students’ achievement at school, the parent can contact via hand phone or visit the school. The collaboration has purpose to improve students’ achievement a school.
Furthermore, Patrikakou (2008:1) defines that parent involvement is a crucial force in children’s development, learning, and success at school and in life. From this theory it can be assumed that parent involvement has important role in students’
development and determine students’
success in learning or the future. Good or bad parents’ involvement will influence students’ achievement in the future.
Catsambis and Janet (1997:1) state that six different types of parents’ involvement:
A. Type I: Refers to basic parenting obligations for the child’s health, safety, and preparedness for school and for providing positive home conditions that support educational progress.
B. Type II: Refers to the basic obligations of schools to communicate with families regarding school programs and student’s progress (such as communications through memos,
notices, report cards, and conferences with parents).
C. Type III: Refers to parents’
participation in volunteering at school (such as assisting teachers, administrators, or students in classrooms) and in participating in school activities and events (such as student performances, sports, and other events).
D. Type IV: Refers to parents’
involvement in student’s learning at home, to parent-child-initiated requests for help, and to teachers’
ideas about parents’ involvement in home learning activities
E. Type V: Refers to parents’
involvement in decision-making activities at school (such as participation in Advisory Councils, parent-teacher organizations, parent advocacy groups, and other school, district, or state level educational committees).
F. Type VI: Refers to school and parent collaborations with communities and other community agencies that enhance the learning opportunities of children (such as programs for after-school care or health care, cultural events, and community services).
III. Research Methodology
The design of this research was qualitative study. According to Marshall and Gretchen (2006:2), qualitative research is a broad to the study of social phenomena. The researcher used case study research as method of the research. Ary, Lucy, Asghar, and Christine (2010:29) stated that a case study is a type of ethnographic research study that focuses on a single unit. Thus, by conducting this qualitative study, the researcher described deeply the influence about parents’ involvement on students’
achievement in mastering English at eighth grade of SMPN 2 Kubung. In this research, the researcher needed participant to get the information about parents’ involvement on students’ achievement in mastering English.
Creswell (2009:178) mentioned that the behind qualitative research is to purposefully select participats or sites that will best help the researcher understand the problem and
3 the research quetion. This does not necessarily suggest random sampling or selection of a large number of participants and sites, as typically found in quantitative research. Therefore, based on the criteria above, the researcher chose the participants in purposive sampling technique. Cohen, Lawrence, and Keith (2007:114) stated that in purposive sampling, researchers handpick the cases to be included in the sample on the basis of their judgment of their typicality or possession of the particular characteristics being sought. Therefore, the researcher only took three students who have high, moderate, and low achievement at school who was believed that the participants would answered the researcher’s assumed. The participants were taken from school grade by English teacher. Besides that, the researcher made sure that both of their parents were still alive. Furthermore, the researcher used questionnaire, interview, and document as instruments to collecting the data.
IV. Data Analysis and Finding
As the researcher stated in data analysis, the researcher wanted to know how is the influence of parents’ involvement on students’ achievement in mastering English at eight grade of SMPN 2 Kubung. Based on analyses, the data showed that:
1. Data from questionnaire
Student who had high achievement in English had high involvement by the parents at the home. It was seen from the questionnaire that was filled by the student, it was seen that the parents have involved in students’ activity about his/her school. The next participant was students who had moderate achievement in English. After analyzing questionnaire, the researcher found that generally parents’ involvement between high achiever and moderate achiever was same. But the parents did not communicate with the English teacher about student’s achievement in English at school.
On the last participant, the researcher found a lot of differences between parents’
involvement of high achiever,
moderate achiever, and low achiever.
2. Data from interview
To got additional information about the influence of parents’
involvement on students’
achievement in mastering English, the researcher did interview with the parents. Based on the interview, it was seen that each parents have different involvemet in students’ activity about his/her school. The involved also influence to student achievement in mastering English at school.
Based on analyzed of questionnaire and interview, the data showed that:
1. High achiever
The parents had high involvement;
it was seen from the questionnaire that had been distributed to the student and also interview that had been done with the parents. Based on the analyze, the researcher concluded that the student got high involvement from her parents’
involvement at home, thus the involvement influenced on her achievement at school. It is proven by the data from questionnaire and interview, the parents gave participation both at school and home, thus the student got high achievement at school.
2. Moderate achiever
The parents also had high involvement at home, although not all the indicators about parents’
involvement were done at home.
The involvement that not done by the parents was parents’
communication with English teacher about students’
achievement at school. The researcher conclude based on the questioonaire and interview, the parents just gave direct direction to the students itself at school. The communication also influence to stundent’s achievement, because through communication the parents knew the student’s achievement in learning English.
4 Therefore, parent’s involvement influence on students’ achievement in mastering English.
3. Low achiever
On this student, the researcher found that the parents had low involvement on student’s achievement. Based on the researchers’ analyze, the researcher found that the student got low achievement at home was influenced by parents’
involvement at home. It is proven by the data from questionnaire and interview, the parents just prepared the scholl equipments and asked about English homework at home, in order word the parents had low invovement to the students.
The result of two instruments showed that each students had different supported by the parents at home. It was can be inferenced that the parents’ involvement affects the students’ achievement at school.
It means that, if the parents had high involvement automatically their children had high achiever and the other way. Therefore, the parents had important role toward students’ achievement.
V. Conclusion and Suggestion
Parents’ involvement is factors that affect on students’ achievement in learning process. Parents’ involvement is divided as two categories also; they are high and low involvement. To know the distribution of the two categories, the parents must fill some indicators about parents’ involvement at home and school. In providing the statement, the researcher did research in SMPN 2 Kubung, Solok. The purpose of this research was to describe the influenced of parents’
involvement on students’ achievement in mastering English at eight grade students of SMPN 2 Kubung. In getting the data, the researcher used two instruments:
questionnaire and interview. There were some questions on questionnaire and interview that related with parents’
involvement. Based on the research finding, the researcher concluded that student who had high, moderate, and low achievement had different support by the parents at home.
Therefore, the parents’ involvement
influenced students’ achievement in mastering English.
After did this research and analyzed the data from the questionnaire and interview, the researcher hope this researcher has significance to all reader. The researcher asks to the all parents give support to the students, both at the home and school because the support affect on students’
achievement at school. The support can be done like parents’ preparedness for school equipments that was related with learning English, parents’ facility in learning English, parents’ communication with English teacher about students’ achievement in English at school, parents’ involved in English school activities or events, until parents’ support about students’ English homework
References
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Cohen, L. Lawrence, M and Keith, M. 2007.
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