Data Validity and Reliability

H. Data Validity and Reliability

In data analysis, the researcher needed to ensure the validity and reliability of the data. The validity of the data was essential to make the research acceptable and valid. Meanwhile, reliability was urgently needed in analyzing the data to gain the consistency of the data of the research, so that the research fulfilled the trustworthiness. The following section presented how to fulfill the data validity and reliability of the research.

1. Data Validity

To validate the data, Anderson in Burns 1999: 161-162 proposes five criteria of validity test which can be explained as follows: 1 Democratic validity To achieve the democratic validity, the researcher represented several perspectives from all parties under the study. These involved the students, the English teacher and the collaborator. The researcher interviewed the students, the English teacher, and the collaborator regarding their perspectives concerning the result of the study. 2 Outcome validity This validity was achieved as the results of the study led into successful resolution of the problem. The researcher found that the results of the study meet the intended purposes of the research. 3 Process validity To achieve process validity, the researcher needed to prove that the research action which was conducted was dependable. Thus, the data of the research were examined from several perspectives and through different data sources. 4 Catalytic validity The catalytic validity is attained as the research process allows the participants to expand their understanding of social realities of the context and how they could make progresses within it. To achieve this validity, the researcher did interviews with the students as the participant of the research to gain their perceptions relevant to the issues investigated. 5 Dialogic validity This validity was achieved by conducting peer review process or by critical and reflective conversations. The researcher was monitored through publication, and then the researcher had a reflective dialog to discuss the action with the English teacher and the collaborator.

2. Data Reliability

Additionally, to check the consistency of the data and whether the data was dependable or reliable, Burns 1999:164 suggests triangulation which is presented as follows: 1 Time triangulation By using time triangulation, the researcher attempted to collect data in one period of time. The purpose is to get the consistency of the data over a period of time, so that the researcher could clearly see the factors that involved in changes process. In this study, the action was conducted from April – June 2015. 2 Investigator triangulation Investigator triangulation means that there is more than one investigator working together on a study in order to avoid observer bias. In this case, the investigators do observation to examine the data collection of the research. In this study, there were three investigators consisting of the researcher, the collaborator, and the English teacher.

I. Research Procedure

This research belonged to classroom action research which has several sequenced procedures. According to Burns 2010:8, there are four procedures in doing this kind of research including planning, action, observation, and reflection. The details of each procedure were explained as follows:

1. Planning

In the first stage, the researcher attempted to seek some problems encountered by the students in relation to their reading comprehension. Observations and interviews were carried out to derive the problems that the students faced while they were having reading activities. After the problems were identified, then the problems were analyzed to find the major problem causing some other related underlying problems, and then those were narrowed down based on the urgency and feasibility level. After the problems were limited, the researcher planned some actions to solve the problems. In this case, the researcher selected the experience-text-relationship method to solve the problems. Before conducting the actions, some preparations were done including writing course grid, designing lesson plans using experience- text-relationship ETR, writing test items, and so on. Additionally, the researcher did some planning and preparation regarding what text would be used, how long the treatment would take, how to manage students, and what properties and materials that would be needed. 2. Action In the second stage, the researcher performed the actions based on the lesson plans prepared before which employed Genre-Based Approach as the teaching method and adapted the use of the experience-text-relationship method in reading process. The kind of text was selected based on the SKKD Standard of Competence and Basic Competency in that semester which was narrative text. All activities during this stage of action was observed and recorded through field notes and photographs. 3. Observation In this stage, observation was focused on students’ reading process during the teaching learning process using ETR method. The researcher investigated the students’ attitude toward ETR, and the problems occurred during the process. The researcher and collaborator made field-notes and filled observation checklist to collect the data of observation. 4. Reflection In the final stage, the researcher did reflection and evaluation to analyze the effects of ETR on students’ reading comprehension, to see the strengths and weaknesses of the action implemented, and to decide the next actions. In doing the reflection, the researcher analyzed the results of the observations and interviews. The researcher looked at the observation results and field-notes to see which part of the action that had been successful, and which part that still needed better treatments. The researcher also did some interviews with the students to hear their responses and testimonies towards the implemented actions as the sources for the evaluation. In addition, the researcher also had discussions with the collaborator to meet decision of overall teaching learning process and to plan for the next actions.

CHAPTER IV GENERAL FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION