THE TEACHING OF READING COMPREHENSION BY USING

A SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION AT THE FIRST YEAR

STUDENTS OF SMP 1 WANADADI IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR
OF 2006/2007

SKRIPSI
Untuk memperoleh gelar Sarjana Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris
pada Universitas Negeri Semarang

Oleh
Anteng Ria A.
NIM 2201403631

FAKULTAS BAHSA DAN SENI

UNIVERSITAS NEGERI SEMARANG
2007
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of The Study

English as an international language is spoken in most international

events and is used as the medium of information flow on science, technology

and culture. As we understand that learning a foreign language is more

difficult than learning a national language or learning a mother tongue. It is

because the foreign language has completely different aspects and systems,

which should be understood by the students or the learners, such as

pronunciation, spelling, and the cultural background of the language. Besides

that we also remember that there are some important factors in foreign

language learning, which will mostly influence students, or learners in

mastering the language. Bustami Subhan (1990: 18) in his paper (entitled)

“Some important factors in foreign language learning” explained that learning

a foreign language involved five factors. The first of all is intelligence. It is a

gate for knowledge. Secondly, motivation plays influential role in encouraging

students to learn the language. It covers both intrinsic motivation which comes

from the students themselves and extrinsic one which comes from outside.

The third and fourth ones have close relation with each other that are students’

attitudes and strategy of language learning. Facilities of language learning are

the last factor which is not less important than the others.

1
 In the Basic Course Outline (GBPP) of English curriculum 2004, it is

stated that English is considered as a tool or instrument for expressing

meanings. Based on the concept and the function of English as stated in that

BCO the teaching of English at secondary school aims to develop the four

language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). The Indonesian

students start learning English at the Junior High School (SMP). The process

continues at Senior High School (SMA). In fact, now, English is also taught in

some elementary schools as the local content and even in some kindergartens.

The pupils are introduced to some English vocabularies. In addition to

learning the language in formal education as mentioned above, people also

learn it in non-formal education. English courses and private lessons are the

examples of non-formal education. This indicates the failure of teaching

English in this country; as Ramelan (1992:4) stated that the teaching of

English in Junior high School in Indonesia is not successful. It can be seen

from the quality of SMP graduates’ mastery of English. Ramelan (1992:3)

also stated that most SMU graduates are still very poor in reading

comprehension, since they cannot usually read or understand articles in

English dailies, magazines which are now in circulation in this country, even

though the Basic Course Outline of English (BCOE) 2002 stated that among

the four language skills, (listening, speaking, reading and writing), reading is

the most emphasized in English teaching and learning process. Quite simply,

without solid reading second language readers cannot perform at levels they

must succeed in reading. Thus, reading is not passive but rather an active

2
 process, involving the reader in on going interaction with the text.

Furthermore, reading constantly involves guessing, predicting, checking, and

comprehending.

In group reading, students may enjoy from time to time getting away

from the usual pattern of reading the story or article aloud at sight. This is

particularly true of better readers; what may be undesirable as routine

procedure has real value as an occasional variation. By seeing the problems, it

is important that a study of English especially reading should be done. The

writer hopes there will be an improvement in the teaching of English.

1.2 The Definition of The Title

The title of this final project is” The Teaching of Reading

Comprehension by Using a Small Group Discussion at the First Year Students

of SMP 1 Wanadadi in the Academic Year of 2006/2007”. Before discussing

this final project deeply, however, in order to be clear, the writer wants to

explain some words in the title so that the readers who want to read this final

project will not misunderstand it. They are:

a. Teaching

As stated by Hornby the term” teaching” “ means “to cause somebody to

know or be able to do something “. Teaching a child to read a story book,

for instance, means causing the child to be able to read the story book

(Hornby, 1986: 886).

b. Reading comprehension

3
 Reading is an active and interactive activity to reproduce the word

mentally and vocally and tries to understand the content of reading text. It

is important to bear in mind that reading is not an invariant skill, that there

are different types of reading skills, which correspond to the many

different purposes we have for reading (1989:33).

In classroom, in student’s reading activities, the writer is sure that they

have many purposes, among others are to graduate from their school and

to provide themselves with the knowledge to continue their studies

whatever their purposes are. In order to achieve the goal, the

comprehension ability in reading is needed. According to Olson and Diller

(1982:42), reading comprehension is a term used to identify those skills

needed to understand and apply information contained in a written

material.

c. Small group discussion is a discussion within a group consisting of 3

students

Everyday we use language to communicate with other people. It means

that language can be used for doing social interaction. The process of

interaction exchange may happen between at least two individuals who

have social interaction. One of the ways to have social interaction is by

conducting small group discussion in the classroom.

1.3 Reason for Choosing the Topic

4
 No doubt that in a modern school, reading stands a basic tool as a

means for students to learn about the world around them. All subjects of

school lessons are provided with textbooks as a foundation, so the students

should read them if they want to follow the school lessons well. A modern

school is also characterized by of adversity and quality and quantity of good

reading materials. Reading, thus, is very important in modern schools

(Wiersma, 1991: 38).

Reading competence is essential to personal enrichment and the

development of intelligent citizenship. By reading, the students can enlarge or

enrich their knowledge and experience because most of information they need

is served in written form. The curriculum of English for SMP states that the

teaching of English should cover the four language skills; (listening, speaking,

reading and writing). The teaching of these four skills should be done

integratively. The teaching approach used for the 2002 curriculum,

competency-based curriculum, is communicative approach. Reading skill is

always given the main emphasis. As it is stated in the 2002 curriculum of

English for SMP, the main goal of teaching English is to make students able to

read. It means that the main goal of English teaching and learning for

Indonesian students is to comprehend, that is to fully understand written or

printed information. If we say that a certain student is good at comprehension

we mean that the student can read accurately so as to get the maximum

information from the text with the minimum of misunderstanding (Swan,

1992: 1).

5
 Teaching a foreign language especially English is not as easy as

teaching the first language, because it is something new for the students of

Junior High School. The first year students will certainly face many problems.

Up to this time, we often hear the disappointment of English teachers because

of low scores of their students in the final exam (Bustami Subhan, 1990).

Considering the importance of reading skill, the teacher should improve the

teaching of reading comprehension. The teacher can use some methods of

teaching reading so that the students can enjoy and be stimulated in learning

EFL reading comprehension. One of them is by using small group discussion

teaching technique. The writer has found that teaching reading in junior high

school needs such kind of communicative technique.

1.4 Statement of The Problem

The problem that is going to be discussed in this study is as follows:

Are there any differences on reading comprehension achievement between

students taught using a small group discussion strategy and those taught using

the traditional method?

1.5 Objective of The Study

The objective of the study can be stated briefly as follows: to search

whether there are any different effects on reading comprehension achievement

of junior high schools students between those taught using a small group

discussion strategy and those taught using the traditional strategy.

6
7
 7

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1. Small Group Discussion

Small group itself, according to Baker (1987:159), is three or more people

interacting face to face, with or without an assigned leader in such a way that each

person influences, and is influenced by another person in the group. Johnson

(1975:78) gives solution that students should be arranged so that each student can

see all other members of his group and can be heard without shouting and

disturbing the other groups.

Two opposite tendencies exist with regard to the number of people in a

group. The larger the group, the greater is the pool of talent and experience

available for solving problems or sharing the effort. On the other hand, as the size

increases, fewer members have the chance to participate, and indeed the

differences in relative participation increase to the point where one or two

members begin to dominate.

Barker (1987:159) proposes that the best size in terms of total interaction and

greatest efficiency is somewhere between five and seven members. Nevertheless,

the writer used the teams of four in the experimental class.

2.2. Traditional Strategy

Jacobsen (1989:211) states that when the teacher uses the traditional setting,

or model, he begins with an objective and presents primary instructions to the

7
 8

class. Primary instruction is mostly presented in the form of lectures, text book

readings, teacher-lie discussion, or possible combination of any of these

procedures. He also said that the traditional setting is just with rows of desks and

teacher’s desk at front. So, the writer concludes here that in the traditional

teaching model, the students focuses all attention upon the teacher and

discourages communication among students.

From Jacobsen’s explanation about the traditional strategy the writer

concludes that this is the strategy used by English teachers in SMP 1 Wanadadi.

By using this strategy, the teacher doesn’t need to divide her students into small

groups, she just discussed the lesson in large group or in classroom setting.

Students have only a little chance to express their opinion because the teacher

speaks all the time. They get knowledge just from the teacher’s explanation. In the

traditional teaching mode, the students focus all attention upon the teacher and

discourage communication among students. All that they have to do is just listen

to their teacher and make notes for the useful information. This strategy is a

strategy without group’s work. The students only receive the knowledge from

their teacher; they do not explore the knowledge themselves.

2.3. Reading Comprehension

David Nunan says: “It is important to bear in mind that reading is not an

invariant skill, that there are different types of reading skills that correspond to the

many different purposes we have for reading” (1989:33).

 9

So, in the classroom, in students’ reading activities, the writer is sure that

they have many purposes, among others are to graduate from their school and to

provide themselves with the knowledge to continue their studies whatever their

purposes are. In order to achieve the goal, the comprehension ability in reading is

needed.

The concept of reading comprehension could be bottom-up and top-down

approaches. Nunan (1989:33) mentions that with the bottom-up approach, the

reading is viewed as a process of decoding written symbols, working from smaller

units (individual letter) to larger ones (words, clauses and sentences).

According to Olson and Diller (1982:42), what is meant by reading

comprehension is a term used to identify those skills needed to understand and

apply information contained in a written material. This statement is supported by

Harris and Sipay (1980:179), who say that reading comprehension ability is taught

to be a set of generalized knowledge acquisition skills that permits people to

acquire and exhibit information gained as a consequence of reading printed

language.

2.4. Small Group Discussion

A student with good comprehension can be categorized as the one who reads

accurately and efficiently, so as to get the maximum information from the text

with the minimum of misunderstanding. However, language is not the only factor

for successful comprehension.

 10

The reason for failure in comprehension is connected with defective habits.

Several things can go wrong in comprehension ability. Michael Swan (1975:1)

illustrates:

a. Some students find it difficult to “see the wood for the trees.” They may

read slowly and carefully, paying a lot of attention to individual points, but

without succeeding in getting a clear idea of the overall meaning of a text.

b. Other students do not always pay enough attention to detail. They may

have a good idea of the general meaning of a text, but misunderstanding

particular points.

c. Some students are “imaginative readers.” Especially if they know

something about the subject, or have strong opinion about it, they may

interpret the text in the light of their own experience and viewpoints, so

that they find it (is) difficult to separate what the writer says from what

they feel themselves.

Other types of comprehension problem arise directly from the text itself.

Even when a student is familiar with all words and structures in a passage,

complexities in the way the writer expresses himself may present obstacles to

efficient comprehension (Swan, 1975:1)

Thus, to cope with those kinds of problem, the writer gives an alternative

teaching technique in reading comprehension class, that is a small group

discussion teaching technique.

Because of the many passages written in English as an international

language, foreign language students, including Indonesian, learn English to

 11

broaden their knowledge by reading passages. It is not surprising that the

Indonesian students may find some difficulties in comprehending English

passages. What makes a passage difficult to understand is that the students are not

really familiar with the language.

The writer has observed that the teaching of reading in foreign language

classes still emphasizes the passive way. Furthermore, students of a foreign

language class may read slowly and pay much attention carefully to individual

points, but cannot get a clear idea of the overall meaning of the text. Using a small

group discussion teaching technique, a student is able to get the meaning of a

passage by getting information from his fellows and teacher. Students can share

the difficulties in the reading text to each other and provide themselves with the

knowledge.

The small group discussion learning can be conceptualized in various ways

and that proponents of the technique have assessed only certain types of model.

But when the group has found out how to plan and work together, they may not

all agree. The members of the group know well enough to really trust each other,

and they still have to determine each other’s skills, knowledge, situation and

attitudes. They often feel comfortable and “lost.” (Barker, 1989:168).

2.5. The Process of Small Group Discussion in Classroom

2.5.1. The Classroom Management

The classroom organization does not deal directly with the reading process,

or with materials, methods, or approaches to teaching reading comprehension. Yet

 12

without good classroom organization and classroom management, reading

instruction may be totally ineffective. It is enough for teachers to know what

organizational patterns and management techniques are conducive in learning.

David Nunan (1989:91) points out that setting in the classroom is important.

Setting here refers to the classroom arrangements specifying or implying the task,

and it also requires consideration whether the task is to be carried out wholly or

partly in the classroom. For example, an activity involving small groups will be an

important factor influencing roles and relationship.

In small group discussion, the class has to be in charge in each of the group.

The writer also believes the discussion group applied to junior high school

students still has to get more directions from the teacher. Hence, the students

might have opportunity to arrange the chairs and tables in order to have

communicative class using a small group discussion in the classroom after they

get the instructions from the teacher.

David and Roger Johnson (http:/www.clcc.com/pages/cl.html, cited on

March 26, 2004) explained that there are many ways to build a communicative

class:

1) Jigsaw

Group with five students are set up. Each group member is assigned some

unique material to learn and then to teach to his group members. To help

in the learning, students across the class working on the same sub-section

get together to decide what is important and how to teach it. After
 13

practicing in these “expert” groups the original group reform, and students

teach each other. Test assessment follows.

2) Think-pair-share

It involves three steps of cooperative structure. During the first step

individuals think silently about a question posed by the instructor.

Individuals pair up during the second step and exchange thoughts. In the

third step, the pairs share their responses with other pairs, other teams, or

the entire group.

3) Three-step interview

Each member of a team chooses another member to be a partner. During

the first step individuals interview their partners by asking or clarifying

questions. During the second step partners reverse the roles. For the final

step, members share their partner’s response.

4) Round Robin Brain Storming

Class is divided into small groups (4 to 6) with one person appointed as

the recorder. A question is posed with many answers. After the “think

time,” members of the team share responses with one another round robin

style. The recorder writes down the answer of the group members. The

person next to the recorder starts and each person in the group in order

gives an answer until time is called.

5) Three Minute Review

 14

Teachers stop anytime during a lecture of discussion and give team three

minutes to review what has been said then ask clarifying questions or

answer questions.

6) Numbered Head

A team of four is established. Each member is given numbers of 1,2,3,4.

Questions are asked of the group. Groups work together to answer the

question so that all can verbally answer the question. Teacher calls out a

number (two) and each two is asked to give the answer.

7) Team Pair Solo

Students do problem first as a team, then with a partner, and finally on

their own. It is designed to motivate students to tackle and succeed at

problems, which initially are beyond their ability. It is based on a simple

notion of media led learning. Students can do more things with help

(mediator) than they can do alone. By allowing them to work on problem

they could not do alone, first as a team and then with a partner, they

progress to a point they can do alone that which at first they could do only

with help.

8) Circle the Sage

First the teacher polls the class to see which students have a special

knowledge to share. For example the teacher may ask who in the class was

able to solve a difficult math homework question, who had visited Mexico,
 15

who knows the chemical reactions involved in how salting the streets help

dissipate snow. Those students (the sages) stand and spread out in the

room. The teacher then has the rest of the classmates each surround a sage,

with no two members of the same team going to the same.

The sage explains what she knows while the classmates listen, ask

questions, and take notes. All students then return to their teams. Each in

turn, explains what they learned. Because each one has gone to a different

sage, they compare notes. If there is disagreement, they stand up as a team.

Finally, the disagreements are aired and resolved.

9) Partners

The class is divided into teams of four. Partners move to one side of the

room. Half of each team is given an assignment to be able to teach the

other half. Partners work to learn and can consult with other partners

working on the same material. Teams go back together with each set of

partners teaching the other set. Partner quiz and tutor teammates. Team

reviews how well they learned and taught and how they might improve the

process.

In this study the writer uses the Think pairs-share strategy in teaching

reading comprehension in the experimental class. This strategy encourages

students to think about the content, compare their thoughts with those of their
 16

partners, and share their answers with the work group. This procedure of the

experiment will be discussed in chapter III.

2.5.2 Teacher’s and Learner’s Role in the Reading Comprehension Activities

The teaching of reading comprehension using a small group discussion

means that the class has to be communicative. David Nunan (1989:10) informs “I

too will consider the communicative task a piece of classroom work that involves

learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target

language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than form”

The researcher in communicative classroom according to Breen and Caldin

as quoted by Nunan (1989:87) has three main roles. The first is to act as facilitator

for the communicative process, the second is to act as participant, and the third is

to act as an observer and learner. While the learners have more active role. They

can communicate directly with each other, rather than exclusive with the teacher.

As an activity is carried out in a small group work, it makes it possible for a

greater amount of individual participation than when it is done in the class-

teaching situation.

Thus, it is clear that using a small group discussion, the learner and the

teacher can interact with each other in the classroom. Nunan (1989:87) then points

out that the interaction can be either between the teacher and the students, or

between students as they interact in small group works. The writer here concludes

that in a classroom, students will be motivated by cooperative interaction in a

group.
 17

2.6 The Process of Traditional Strategy in Classroom

The problem of classroom management has long been recognized as

complex. Traditional strategy is a strategy without small group discussion. It

means that the teacher doesn’t divide their students into groups. It is the most

time-consuming and energy-draining activities to run a class of 30-40 students.

An activity carried out in the traditional strategy doesn’t involve an individual

participation.

Jacobsen (1989:211) said that the traditional strategy is just with rows and

desks and teacher desks at front. He also added that this might be ideal when a

teacher is presenting a lesson to the entire class, but students tend to physically

separate from the teacher and most likely to be ones causing problems.

Richards and Rodgers (1986) as quoted by Nunan (1989:84) suggest that learner

roles are closely related to the functions and status of the teacher. They point out

that traditional strategy is totally teacher-dependent.

From this statement the writer can conclude that if the teacher doesn’t give

information, students will never get the information. It is true because in this

strategy, the teacher is considered as the only source of information. The learners

have a passive role. They just receive the information given by their teacher.
18
 18

CHAPTER III

METHOD OF INVESTIGATION

This chapter deals with population and sample, data collecting, using the

instrument, the administration of experiment, and data processing.

3.1 Population and Sample

Brown (1988:81) said that a population is any group of individuals that have

one or more characteristic in common that is of interest to the researchers. While

according to Gay (1987:120), population is the group of interest to the researcher;

the group to which she or he would like the results of the study to be generalized.

William Wiersma (1987:247), states that a sample, by definition is a subset of the

population to which the researcher intends to generalize the results.

The population of this study was the first year students of SMP N 1Wanadadi

in the academic year of 2006/2007. Since the total population was more than 100

students, purposive technique was used to take the sample.

As stated before, the writer chose the first year students of SMP N 1

Wanadadi in the academic year of 2006/2007 as the population of this research

based on the following consideration:

1) The writer is an English teacher of SMP N 1 Wanadadi. From the

experiences the writer found that the students had difficulty to comprehend

the text when they had silent reading

2) It was hard for the students to have the meaning from the overall passages

when the writer taught them using large group discussion

18
 19

3.2 Sampling Technique

The writer determined the sample by using purposive technique. The writer

took the sample based on the students’ numbers and the same average score of the

first year students of SMP N 1 Wanadadi in the academic year of 2006/2007. The

numbers of students in each class are as follows:

VII-A: 40 VII-C: 40 VII-E: 40

VII-B: 40 VII-D: 40 VII-F: 40

On the basis of these data, the writer then took the two classes with the same

average score and have the same numbers of students; VII-A and VII-C then were

taken as samples. They were taken randomly as experimental class and control

class. In this study, the writer chose 30 students in each class to be her respondent.

3.3 Variables

According to Wiersma (1987:25), a variable is a characteristic that takes on

different or considerations for different individuals. There were two types of

variables: independent and dependent variables. The independent variable, as

Wiersma states (1987:26), is simply a classifying variable; it classifies the

individual of the study. He also says that the values of the dependent variable

depend on the independent variable.

So, the variables of this study are:

1) Independent variable: the use of a small group discussion in teaching

reading comprehension
 20

2) Dependent variable: the score of reading comprehension test

3.4 Data Collecting

Documentation study was used to get the number of students, number of

classes, students’ name list and teaching schedule. In this study, tests were used to

measure the students’ reading comprehension skill and were administered twice;

namely, the pre test and the post test. Also, the writer did some observations when

she was teaching using a small group discussion learning format to know about

the major strength about this teaching method. Here, the pre test was used to see

the students’ reading comprehension mastery before the treatment, and the post

test was used to see the reading achievement after the treatment. In collecting the

required data in the post test the writer used multiple choice. The choice of

multiple-choice type was based on the following considerations:

1) It was easy and consistent

2) It was easy to compute and determine the reliability of the test

3) It was economical because the number of items can be answered in a short

period of testing time

4) It was more practical for the students to answer. They just marked the

most appropriate answer in the answer sheet

Each of the tests consisted of 4 reading passages and 5 multiple choice reading

comprehension questions followed each reading passage. Correct answers were

scored 1 each and wrong answers were scored 0. Total score was 20.
 21

3.5 Writing the Instrument

The writer selected the reading passages, which have equal levels of

vocabulary, she asked the teacher in composing her instruments in order to get the

most suitable reading passages for her research. The passages were at 200

vocabularies level in line with the suggestion of The National Department of

Education.

According to Kerlinger (1965:84) instrument is an important tool for

collecting the data in a research study. He also says that for the most part, the

instrument used to measure the achievement in education in a test. From the

certain kind of test, a teacher or an experimenter will be able to collect the data

that is the scores which can be used to identify, classify, or evaluate the test

takers.

For the sake for this study, the writer chose some kind of reading passages

taken from other sources. The reasons were:

1) It was difficult to make good texts by herself because of her limited

ability.

2) There were various reading materials or articles that could be used.

The try out of the instrument was conducted at VII-B class with the

sample of 30 students. It was conducted on 22 January 2007. The instrument

contained 20 comprehension questions and the instructional objectives in SMP

English curriculum2002 were used as indicators of the test in this study.

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In order to be able to collect valid and reliable data, the instrument must fulfill

the requirements of validity and reliability. Using the Product Moment Formula,

the writer tested the validity of the instrument. The formula is as follows:

NΣ xy − (Σx) (Σy )
r xy =
{ Nx 2
}{ N Σy
− ( Σx 2 ) 2
}
− ( Σy 2 )

In which;

rxy : correlation index

x : the score number of odd items

y : the score number of even items

(Saleh, 2001:63)

The reliability refers to the stability of test scores. Test reliability can be

estimated in a number of ways. In this study, K-R 20 formula was used to test the

reliability of the instrument as follows:

K V − pq
r II = * 1
K −1 Vt

In which;

r II : instrument reliability

K : the number of items in the test

Vt : total variance

pq : sum of variance of items scored dichotomously (right/wrong)

(Ali, 1995:184)
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3.6 Administration of Experiment

3.6.1 Experimental Class

This class had the pretest before the experiment. The score of this test

reflected the students’ reading comprehension ability before they were taught

using a small group discussion teaching technique.

The experimental class used a small group discussion as the teaching strategy.

As stated in chapter II the writer used Think-Pair-Share method to build

communicative class. The procedure of the experiment was as follows:

1) The students read silently the reading passages for 10 minutes. During this

step, individuals thought silently about a question posed by the instructor

2) Individuals pair up and exchange thoughts for 20 minutes

3) The pairs are given 30 minutes to share their responses with other pairs,

other teams, or the entire group

4) The students had their post-test

The pre test of experimental class was held on 22 March 2007 and post test

was held 1 May 2007.

3.6.2 Control Class

This class had the pretest before the experiment. The score of this test

reflected the students’ reading comprehension ability before they discussed the

reading using the traditional method.

The control class used the traditional method as the teaching technique. The

procedure of experiment is as follows:

 24

1) The students read silently the passages given by their teacher for 10

minutes

2) The teacher explained the passages for 50 minutes. The students were not

divided into groups of four, they discussed the reading passages with the

setting of classroom

3) The students had their post test

The pre test of control class was held on 22 January 2007 and the post test was

held on 27 May 2007.

3.7 Data Processing

T-test formula was applied to see whether there was a significant difference

between a small group discussion and traditional method teaching technique in

teaching reading comprehension.

The t-test formula is as follows:

x1 − x 2
t=
⎛ Σ x1 + Σx 2 ⎞ ⎛ 1 1 ⎞
⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ ⎜⎜ + ⎟⎟
⎝ n1 + n 2 − 2 ⎠ ⎝ n1 n2 ⎠

In which;

x and x 2 = means of the two samples

Σ x1 and Σx 2 = sums of the squares in the two samples

n1 and n2 = numbers of subject on two samples

(Saleh, 2002: 67)

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In order to measure the students’ reading comprehension achievement

difference in pre test, the percentage achievement formula was used. The formula

is as follows:

F
P= x 100%
N

In which;

P : Percentage achievement

F : Total score

N : Maximum score

(Ali, 1995:184)
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CHAPTER IV

RESULT OF THE STUDY

This chapter deals with reading comprehension achievement of the students

who were given the small group discussion teaching method, and reading

comprehension achievement of the students who were given traditional or large

group teaching method, also it deals with the difference in reading comprehension

achievement between the two groups of the students.

4.1. Students’ Reading Comprehension Achievement

The score of reading comprehension for both experimental and

control class in percentage was calculated using the formula below.

F
P= x 100%
N

In which;

P : Percentage achievement

F : Total score

N : Maximum score

4.1.1 Reading comprehension achievement of students taught without using

small group discussion teaching strategy.

The students’ pretest score taught without the small group teaching

technique was 182 or 60. 72%. The post test score was 183 or 61%.

Their score rose slightly from 182 to 183 or it rose 0. 33% (see chart 1)

26
 27

Chart 1

Students’ Reading Comprehension Achievement without Using Small

Group Discussion Teaching Strategy

= pretest
200

150 = post test

100
50
0

We can see in chart 1 that by using the traditional teaching strategy, the

score rose only 0. 33%. This teaching strategy is a strategy without small

group discussion. The teacher was the only source of information so the

students did not explore the information by themselves.

4.1.2 Reading Comprehension Achievement of students taught Using the

Small Group Discussion Technique

The students’ pretest score was 184 or put in percentage their reading

comprehension ability was 61. 3%.

The students’ post test score using the small group teaching technique

was 231. In other words their reading ability was 77%.

Thus, it could be seen that the students’ score rose from 184 to 231. In

other words, it rose 15. 7% (see chart 2)

 28

Chart 2

Students’ Reading Comprehension Achievement Using the Small Group

Discussion Technique
250
= pretest
200
150 = post test

100
50
0

Small group discussion teaching strategy has proved its effectiveness.

The score rises 15. 7%. The score is higher than that of the students

taught using the traditional strategy. The teacher was not the only source

of information so that there was rich information in class because the

students shared their thought. The teacher here just acted as a facilitator

in group discussion.

4.2 Data Analysis of the Differences in Reading Comprehension

Achievement Between Experimental Class and Control Class

Examination of the means, as well as a t-test for independent

samples (p=0. 5) indicates that the groups were equivalent (see chart

4.1). At the second session of both classes, the posttest was given to all

students in the study. A t-test for independent samples was again used to

compare the reading comprehension scores of the two groups and the

result was found significantly (see chart 4.1). In addition, the working

hypothesis that reads “there is a significant difference in reading

comprehension proficiency between the students taught using the small

 29

group discussion and those that using the small group discussion

teaching technique” is accepted.

The difference in scores between the students who were given the

small group discussion teaching technique and those who were given the

traditional or large group technique was 10. 7. It was obtained from the

deduction of percentage of the achievement score of both classes.

Note

- Maximum score= 9

- a) df= 58, p>,05

- b) df= 58, p<,05

Chart 4.1

Percentage Achievement for the class which was given the Small Group
Discussion technique and the Class which was not given the Small
Group Discussion technique.

300
= Experimental Class
200

100 = Control Class

The result of this study supports the study hypothesis that there is a

significant difference in reading comprehension proficiency between the

first year students who were taught using the small group discussion

teaching technique and those who were taught using the traditional or
 30

large group teaching technique at SMP N 1 Wanadadi in the academic

year of 2006/2007.

The total score of experimental group was 183. 48 points top the

control group. In percentage the control group had 77% and the

experimental group had 61% reading comprehension proficiency. Thus,

when they were contrasted, there was a 16% difference.

The experimental class had better comprehension than the control

class. From this, the writer can conclude that the students got more

understanding and knowledge while they were discussing the reading

passage in groups. Nevertheless, in small group discussion teaching

technique, the teacher must be able to manage the students so that they

could discuss the passage orderly.

In experimental class, each member of a group could communicate

freely and could cooperate effectively, so they could achieve more than

they would as individuals.

The students here were motivated by cooperation in planning

group activities. Hence, the students can be more active and are able to

read and willing to cooperate with each other better than in silent way.

4.3 Test of Significance

To check whether the difference between the mean of the control

group and the experimental group is statistically significant, the t-value

obtained should be consulted with the critical value in the t-table. Before

the experiment was conducted, the level of significant should have been
 31

decided so that the decision making would not be influenced by the

result of experiment.

In this research, the number of subjects of both experimental and

the control groups was large. The degree of freedom (df) was 58 which

was obtained from the formula Σ Ne1 + ΣNe 2 . The critical value with the

degree of freedom 58 at the 5 percent alpha level of significance is

2.000. The obtained t-value is 2.352; it means that the t-value is higher

than the critical value (2.000).

It can be concluded that the difference is statistically significant.

Therefore, the null hypothesis saying that, “there is no significant

difference in reading comprehension proficiency between the students

taught using the small group discussion teaching technique and those

taught using the traditional teaching technique” is rejected.

 32

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION and SUGGESTIONS

5.1 Conclusion

In EFL reading comprehension, efficient reading comprehension requires the

ability to relate the textual material to one’s own knowledge. Considering the

importance of reading process, the teacher should improve the teaching of reading

comprehension. In this attempt to find out the teaching reading comprehension

technique, the writer has conducted a study to reveal the difference in reading

comprehension proficiency between the students who were taught using the small

group discussion teaching technique strategy and the traditional or large group

teaching strategy. The technique used in analyzing the data was one tailed t-test in

the level of significance alpha= 0. 05. Based on the results of the study, the writer

comes to following conclusion:

The small group discussion teaching strategy applied in reading

comprehension class of EFL students could be an effective method. It is proper

since there was a significant difference between the control group and the

experimental group when the study was conducted. In addition, the data showed

that the means of students’ proficiency in reading comprehension of the

experimental group in the post test was 7.70 and the mean of the students’

proficiency of the control group in the post test was 6.10.

By having strategy in experimental class, the situation in this class was very

enjoyable, the students freely communicated with each other and they were more

enthusiastic when they were joining this class. The writer had observed that the

32
 33

comprehension scores of experimental class students were higher than those of the

students taught using the traditional strategy. It means that when the students

enjoyed the lesson they were focusing on what the teacher gave to them and of

course because of this they comprehended better than the students in the control

class.

5.2 Suggestions

On the basis of the results, some suggestions are presented in an effort to

improve the EFL students’ reading comprehension.

1) The writer suggests that the teacher should use the small group discussion

teaching strategy as an alternative in teaching reading comprehension class.

This study shows that the experimental group got the higher score in the post

test than the control group after they got small group discussion teaching

strategy. The students of both groups used the reading passages from the

handbook material. So it means that the small group discussion teaching

strategy can motivate students wile they are discussing the reading passages

because the students interest sometimes is stimulated by classroom “give and

take” process.

2) In conducting a small group discussion teaching technique the teacher should

know her students well so that she can divide the students properly. By

dividing the group properly the interaction process will work and of course

there will be a competition in the class.

3) The writer had observed that class condition had affected the students’

comprehension in this study. But, it is only the writer’s prediction and not
 34

intensively analyzed. The writer suggests that a research about the correlation

between class condition and students’ achievement scores be made so that this

study can be further verified.

 35

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 37

Appendik 1
INSTRUMENT TRY OUT
The Students’ List of SMP N 1 Wanadadi
CLASS VII-B
No. NAME No. NAME
1 Abdiyatun Khayati 16 Galih Priyanto
2 Achmad Ichwan 17 Hardhika Gita Dewantara
3 Adi Susilo 18 Izzatul Ikhsan
4 Agus Eko Widiyanto 19 Kiki Wulandari
5 Anggi Novia Chair 20 Lolita Febriana Kusuma AS
6 Ati Muzzulloh 21 Marwanto
7 Bayu Ismoyojati 22 Mekatama Bayu Aji
8 Beni Septio Nugroho 23 Merina Wulan Sari
9 Bintang Tri Anggoro 24 Monika AmartaErliana
10 Catur Sigit Haryanto 25 Muhammad Nur Faiz
11 Dhiafah Qotrunnada 26 Nora Wahyu Imansari
12 Dwi Indriyani 27 Nuri Afriliyani
13 Eron Khotim Abdulloh 28 Prayoga Pangestu
14 Erviana Wulandari 29 Rahmawati Rahayu
15 Friska Fajar Hidayat 30 Rani Riyandini

Appendix 7
EXPERIMENTAL CLASS
The students’ list of SMP N 1 Wanadadi
Class VII-A

No. NAME No. NAME

1 Elok Marliana Zain 16 Puji Rujik Suswanto
2 Eni Latifah 17 Retnosari Hastuti
3 Erni Febriyanti 18 Rizki Zuliati
4 Ervita Luluk Sahara 19 Siti Nurhayati
5 Fitari Indriyanti 20 Solikhatun
6 Fitria Nur Laeli 21 Tika Wahyuningsih
7 Gina Sarwo Aji 22 Tino Ali Nurahmat
8 Irhas Solehudin 23 Titi Santiyani
9 Latif Adiyana 24 Triyono
10 Lia Nur Isnaeni 25 Wahyu Adi Nugroho
11 Mumbi Agustina 26 Wahyu Indiyah
12 Ngudi Setyanto 27 Wahyuni
13 Nunung Nur Faidah 28 Wikawan Indra Waluyo
14 Nurjanah Lengkong Putri 29 Yosrezha Nugrah Pinastika
15 Operasiana Husada 30 Yuni Prihatin
 38

Appendix 8
CONTROL CLASS

The students’ list of SMP N 1 Wanadadi

Class VII-C

No. NAME No. NAME

1 Ade Alim Muhdor 16 Hery Setiawan
2 Adit Dwi Purnomo 17 Herlina Budi Utami
3 Arif Riyanto 18 Ika Fishiami Putri
4 Agustina Rahayu 19 Intan Kriswaluyani
5 Anggun Pinda Witantra 20 Isti Nurazijah
6 Anita Apriliyaning Tyas 21 Jaka Prima Hari
7 Anto Purwoko 22 Lukman Munajat
8 Asep Setyo Budi 23 M. Ridwan Dika Candra
9 Bangkit Bagus Setiawan 24 Maharani Cahyaningtyas
10 Dewangga Wisnu Pradana 25 Mitra Surya Darojat
11 Diah Dwi Oktaviani 26 Muhammad Jafar Sidiq
12 Dwi Rahayu Indriyani 27 Muslimin
13 Elga Wulandari 28 Mutoharoh
14 Fariz Rahman 29 Nur Ikhsan
15 Fita Rinti Rahayu 30 Rina Dwi Yunestis