38
Students’ Work
Another instrument used in this study was students’ work. Here, the students’ work referred to the Venn diagrams. From the Venn diagrams, the
researcher could see whether or not the students had understood how to fill in it. The researcher used the Venn diagrams in both cycles. In the first cycle,
students worked on the Venn diagrams individually. In the second cycle, students worked in groups so they could discuss and stimulate richer
background knowledge. Thus, the Venn diagrams were done together in groups.
E. Data Analysis Techniques
After conducting the acting stage, the researcher analyzed the data as the part of the observing stage. In analyzing the data, first the researcher found
out the Index of Difficulty and assessed the tests. The researcher then calculated the mean of the scores by using descriptive statistics. Then the
researcher analyzed the observation results by using qualitative approach. The researcher also analyzed students’ work by using the content analysis.
1. Exploring the Index of Difficulty
The researcher firstly analyzed the answers of the tests by examining each question and saw how many students answered correctly and incorrectly.
The number of the individuals who answered correctly was then used to find the Index of Difficulty for each test item Marshall Hales, 1972. From the
resulted number, it could be seen which questions that were considered PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
39 difficult for students so their area of difficulty could be detected. According to
Nation 2005, difficulties in reading comprehension “must be related to weaknesses” in particular components p.250. Therefore, it is necessary to
diagnose students difficulties and find precisely the right techniques to remediate them Drummond, 2009. Therefore, the Index of Difficulty is
formulated as follows.
Note: R
: the number of test takers who answered correctly n
: total number of test takers
2. Descriptive Statistics
The researcher also employed descriptive statistics when analyzing the students’ reading tests scores. The researcher measured the average or the
mean of the scores since measuring the average is a convenient way of reviewing data to find a single index that is able to represent a whole set of
measures Ary, Jacobs Sorensen, 2010. Besides, the measurement of the average is also used to see where the majority of scores are located Cohen,
Manion, Morrison, 2011. To find the mean of the scores x̄, the researcher
used the formula: D
=
� �
x̄ =
∑� �
40 Note:
∑x : total scores
n : the number of test takers
3. Observation Data Analysis
To see the implementation of the Venn diagram strategy in the class, the researcher used observation as the main technique. The researcher used a
discourse analysis to analyze the observation. Meanings in a discourse analysis were obtained through the observation and language. Thus, the
researcher combined the data from peer-observers and direct observation done by the researcher herself. The data recorded in the observation sheets were
more about students’ behavior and the class situation in general. In addition, the data from the researcher’s direct observation were more on students’
utterances in a form of conversation, questions, and complaints. However, the data were kept confidential and the researcher made it available upon request.
4. Content Analysis
A content analysis technique was used to analyze students’ work
particularly the Venn diagrams. In a broader definition, a content analysis is “any technique for making inferences by objectively and systematically
identifying specif ied characteristics of messages” Holsti, 1969, p. 14. Since
students’ work was considered as documents, a content analysis could also be used for examining trends and patterns in documents Stemler, 2001. Thus,
through the content analysis, the researcher interpreted students’
41 understanding in filling in the Venn diagrams. The researcher provided the
samples of students’ work in Appendix F p. 131 and kept the name of the students confidential.
F. Research Procedure
The researcher conducted this research in procedural steps from the preliminary study to the making of the thesis. First of all, the researcher did a
preliminary study by conducting library study, asking permission letters, and interviewing the English teacher. The preliminary study was done in February
and March 2016. Then, the researcher conducted cycle one on April, 8, 2016 and cycle two a week after, April 15, 2016. Afterwards, the researcher
analyzed the data from the research instruments in April and May 2016. While analyzing the data, the researcher also wrote the research report during May
and June 2016. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
42
CHAPTER IV RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter presents the research results and discussion. The researcher presents them in a form of evident explanation of the procedural
steps in classroom action research in order to answer the research question.
A. The Implementation of the Venn Diagram Strategy
The researcher presents the explanation of the use of the Venn diagram strategy in order to help students improve reading comprehension of analytical
exposition texts. The implementation of the Venn diagram strategy was done in two cycles.
1. Preliminary Study
In the preliminary study, the researcher conducted library research, asked for permission letter, and interviewed the English teacher. The
researcher did the interview to the English teacher on Friday, February 26, 2016.
This was intended to see the teacher’s way of teaching reading, the students’ characteristics, and the students’ interest in reading. Based on the
summary of the interview, the English teacher informed that in terms of English proficiency, students
’ scores in social classes tended to be lower than the scores of students in science classes.
She then talked about students’ reading habit which was still low. Students were likely to complain if they had
to read. Therefore, in teaching reading, she varied the activities in the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
43
observing stage as the initial stage of a scientific approach to grab students’
attention. However, she never used a certain method or strategy to improve reading comprehension.
In regards to text types, she admitted that analytical exposition texts were the most difficult ones. Students usually found difficulties in
understanding the flow of the arguments in the text. Based on the summary of the interview, the researcher then designed the activities in the class in the
form of a lesson plan. The researcher also consulted the text and the exercise which would be used in the first cycle to the English teacher. Besides, the
researcher taught the students and acted as a teacher-researcher.
2. Cycle 1
The researcher conducted the first cycle on Friday, April 8, 2016. In this cycle, the researcher applied the stages of CAR which consisted of the
planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. In conducting the activities in the class, the researcher also referred to the scientific approach which was one of
the main characteristics in Kurikulum 2013.
a. Planning
In the planning stage, the researcher designed the lesson plan Appendix D1, p. 105 to help the researcher conduct the teaching and
learning process in the class. The lesson plan was also helpful for the researcher to control the time allotment in each stage of the scientific
approach. Besides, the researcher also prepared an analytical exposition text PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
44
that would be given to the students as well as the reading comprehension exercise. The researcher consulted the materials to the English teacher on
Wednesday, April 6, 2016.
b. Acting
The researcher conducted the first cycle in one meeting. The researcher was helped by three peer-observers to record and write down everything
happened in the class. In the meeting, there were seven students who were absent and thus the total number of present students were twenty-four. The
researcher presents the results in the acting stage in a form of a story as the researcher only reported what had happened in the class.
After entering the class, the English teacher told the students that there would be another teacher that would teach them. The researcher then greeted
the students and introduced herself as well as the observers. After that, the researcher asked the students about the difficulty of reading. Most of them
answered that reading was not really difficult but there was almost no particular method or strategy to help them understand the text deeper.
However, when the researcher stated that they would read a text today, some students seemed to complain and express their disinterest. This reaction might
indicate students’ reading habit which was still low and it had been informed by the English teacher in the preliminary study. The researcher also added that
they were going to try a strategy called the Venn diagram to help them in reading the text.
45
Afterwards, the researcher informed the students about the analytical exposition text. The researcher asked students what they had known about this
text type. The researcher also asked them what the main element of an analytical exposition text was. Only few students answered. However, they
seemed unsure about their answers. Therefore, the researcher wanted to play a video as a part of the observing step. The researcher played a video to help
students get a glimpse of what was contained in an exposition text. Watching a video might give a clearer image since it provided visualization. However,
after several searcher minutes trying to connect the laptop to the projector, the researcher could not play the video. To save the time, the researcher then
continued the lesson by directly stating the main topic: same-sex marriage. This activity was included in the gathering data step. This particular topic was
chosen since the researcher this topic debatable. This topic also facilitate students to see how others perceived this issue.
For some time, the students laughed and were quite noisy after being informed the topic. The researcher then asked what their opinion was toward
this issue and some students gave various opinions. The researcher somehow tried to relate their opinions and arguments to the text that they were going to
read. After that, the researcher drew a Venn diagram in the whiteboard. The teacher explained the use of each circle and how to fill in the intersection part.
The researcher told them the general function of the diagram which was to compare two or more concepts. The researcher also explained how to use a
Venn diagram in reading. The researcher told that the first circle was labeled PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
46
‘Before’ and filled in with what they had known about the topic. After that, the researcher asked them to write what they had known about same-sex
marriage in the first circle of the Venn diagram. While going around, the researcher found that some students were still confused about what to write.
The researcher then gave some examples of the researcher’s background knowledge of this issue. Besides, most students tended to discuss it with their
peers instead of writing down their own opinions andor understanding. Furthermore, the researcher explained the generic structure of an analytical
exposition text. The researcher also gave some simple sentences as the examples of the text structure. Based on the observation, most students
nodded their heads when the researcher gave simple sentences as the examples.
After writing down what they had known about the topic, the students were given the text entitled Gay Marriage should be Justifiable. Before the
students started to read, the researcher asked the students to identify the main idea of each paragraph, analyze the text structure, and also highlight the
important points. This was a part of the associating step in the scientific approach. However, when the researcher distributed the texts, there were some
students who said that the text was too long. Some students directly read the text and some others still talked to their friends. Yet, when students were
reading, the class was quiet because the students seemed to read it seriously. The researcher then went around and found that most students analyzed the
text structure and underlined or highlighted important sentences as instructed. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
