The readability level of reading texts in pathway to english 2: a descriptive analysis on the textbook for the eleventh grade of senior high school students published by penerbit Erlangga

High School Students Published by Penerbit Erlangga)

By:

N. YANI SANIYATUL AMANIY 1110014000027

THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

THE

FACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHERS’ TRAINING

THE SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

JAKARTA

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by Penerbit Erlangga. Skripsi of English Education at Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers’ Training of State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, 2014. This study was carried out to find the readability level of reading texts in Pathway to English 2 textbook for the eleventh grade of senior high school students. The writer used Descriptive Analysis method in which the writer attempted to analyze, elaborate, and describe the readability level of the selected reading texts in Pathway to English 2 textbook by using the Flesch Reading Ease Formula. The data analyzed in this study were 19 reading texts that consist of 2 formal invitation letters, 1 personal letter, 3 procedural texts, 5 factual academic reports, 4 analytical exposition texts, 3 biographies, and 1 song. Based on the analysis by using the Flesch Reading Ease Formula, 1 text was classified into Very Easy Level, 2 texts were classified into Fairly Easy Level, 6 texts were classified into Standard Level, 4 texts were classified into Fairly Difficult Level, 5 texts were classified into Difficult Level, and 1 text was not classified into any level because it could not provide the relevant information about the readability score. The result of the data analysis showed there were only 4 texts that were basically suitable for the eleventh grade of senior high school students. Additionally, the 4 texts are classified into 3 levels of reading difficulty based on the Cloze Procedure Test, 1 text is in Independent Level, 2 texts are in Instructional Level, and 1 text is in Frustrational Level.

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by Penerbit Erlangga. Skripsi pada Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Fakultas Ilmu Tarbiyah dan Keguruan, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, 2014.

Penelitian ini ditujukan untuk menemukan tingkat keterbacaan teks-teks reading pada buku Pathway to English 2 untuk siswa kelas XI SMA. Penulis menggunakan metode Descriptive Analysis untuk menganalisis, mengelaborasi, dan mendeskripsikan tingkat keterbacaan beberapa teks reading pada buku Pathway to English 2 dengan menggunakan rumus Flesch Reading Ease. Data yang dianalisis pada penelitian ini adalah 19 teks reading yang terdiri dari 2 surat undangan formal, 1 surat pribadi, 3 teks prosedur, 5 laporan ilmiah faktual, 4 teks eksposisi analitis, 3 biografi, dan 1 lagu. Berdasarkan analisa dengan menggunakan formula Flesch Reading Ease, 1 teks digolongkan kedalam tingkat Sangat Mudah, 2 teks digolongkan kedalam tingkat Cukup Mudah, 6 teks digolongkan kealam tingkat Standar, 4 teks digolongkan kedalam tingkat Cukup Sulit, 5 teks digolongkan kedalam tingkat Sulit, dan 1 teks tidak digolongkan ke tingkat manapun karena teks tersebut tidak menyajikan informasi yang relevan tentang nilai keterbacaan. Hasil analisa data tersebut menunjukkan bahwa hanya ada 4 teks yang pada dasarnya cocok untuk siswa kelas XI SMA. Selanjutnya, keempat teks tersebut digolongkan kedalam 3 tingkat kesulitan berdasarkan Cloze Proedure Test, 1 teks berada di tingkat Independen, 2 teks berada di tingkat Instruksional, dan 1 teks berada di tingkat Frustrasional.

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the Lord of the world who has given His Mercy and Blessing upon the writer in completing this Skripsi. Peace and salutation always be upon the prophet Muhammad shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, his family, his relatives, and his faithful followers.

In this occasion, the writer would like to express her greatest appreciation, honour and gratitude to her beloved parents (Masykuri, S. Pd. I. and Siti Farichah), for their valuable supports and moral encouragement in motivating the writer to finish her study. Then, the writer thanks to her beloved old and younger sisters (Zulfatul Khoeriyah, S. S, A’thi Inayati, and Vina Syakira Masykur) for their love and support to the writer in writing this Skripsi.

The writer also would like to express her deepest gratitude to her advisors, Drs. Bahrul Hasibuan, M.Ed and Drs. Syauki, M. Pd, for their advices, guidances, corrections, and suggestions in finishing this Skripsi.

Her gratitude also goes to:

1. All lecturers of the Department of English Education who have taught and educated the writer during her study at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. 2. Drs. Syauki, M.Pd, the Head of the Department of English Education. 3. Zaharil Anasy, M.Hum, the Secretary of the Department of English

Education.

4. Dra. Nurlena Rifa’i, MA, Ph. D, the Dean of Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers` Training.

5. Her academic advisor, Didin N. Hidayat, MA TESOL, for giving advices, guidance, suggestions, and support.

6. Her beloved best friends, Solehah girls, Robi’atul Adawiyah, Ummu Salamah, Nur Pratiwi, Sita Pradhita, Listianty R. Maksum, Ranny J. Amalia, Siti Afifah, Sari Febrianti, and Nur Maw’izatillah, for sharing knowledge, care, motivation, time, support, laugh and happiness.

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class A, for giving motivation and support.

8. Her beloved best friends in “Republik Nahel”, Ainul Arifatul Ulum, Aidah Fitriyati, Siti Nurjannah, Dzurwatul Muna, Alfa Syifa, Luthfi Ahsanuddin, Muhammad Fahmi, Gilar Rizqi Nugroho, and Abdul Latif Mahfudz for giving motivation, support, and care.

9. Her beloved family in IMPP-J (Ikatan Mahasiswa Pelajar Pemalang Jakarta) for sharing happiness, care, and help.

10.Her beloved seniors, Anisa Primadini, S. Pd. and Dewi Maria, S. Pd., for giving love, care, and support.

11.All of her dorm-mates at “Oot Empire” for sharing happiness.

12.Any other person who cannot be mentioned one by one for their contribution to the writer during finishing her Skripsi. The words are not enough to say any appreciations for their help.

May Allah bless them for all of what they have done.

Finally, the writer feels that it is really pleasure for her to receive criticism and suggestions to make this Skripsi better. She also hopes that this Skripsi would be beneficial, particularly for her and for those who are interested in it.

Jakarta, October 15, 2014

The writer

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT ... iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... v

LIST OF TABLES ... vii

LIST OF APPENDICES ... viii

CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION A. TheBackground of the Study ... 1

B. The Formulation of the Problem ... 4

C. The Limitation of the Problem ... 4

D. The Objectives of the Study ... 5

E. The Significance of the Study ... 5

CHAPTER II : THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK A. Textbook ... 6

1. The Understanding of Textbook ... 6

2. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Textbook ... 7

3. The Selectionof Textbook ... 10

B. Text ... 11

1. The Understanding of Text ... 11

2. The Types of Text ... 13

3. The Selection of Text ... 14

4. The Matching of the Texts to Students ... 15

C. Readability ... 16

1. The Understanding of Readability ... 16

2. The Methods of Readability Measurement ... 18

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B. TheMethod of the Study ... 32

C. The Source of the Data ... 32

D. The Technique of Data Collection and Analysis ... 33

CHAPTER IV : RESEARCH FINDING A. The Description of the Data ... 35

B. The Analysis of the Data ... 37

C. The Interpretation of the Data ... 53

D. The Discussion ... 54

CHAPTER V : CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION A. Conclusion ... 56

B. Suggestion ... 57

REFERENCES ... 58

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Table 2.2 The Flesch Reading Ease Score ... 22 Table 2.3 The English Curriculum for the Eleventh Grade of Senior

High School ... 24 Table 3.1 The Reading Ease Scale of the Flesch Reading Ease

Formula ... 33 Table 3.2 The Judgment of the Cloze Procedure Test Score ……….. 34 Table 4.1 The Description of Syllables, Words, and Sentences

Calculation of Reading Texts ... 36 Table 4.2 The Result of ASL and ASW Calculation of Texts ... 41 Table 4.3 The Readability Score of the 18 Reading Texts …………... 47 Table 4.4 The Texts Number and Types ... 51 Table 4.5 The Number of the Deleted Words of the Texts ……….…. 52 Table 4.6 The Score of Cloze Procedure Test and the Reading

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APPENDIX 2 The Cloze Procedure Test ... 85

APPENDIX 3 Answer Keys ... 90

APPENDIX 4 Table of the Frequency of the Students’ Right Answers ... 93

1

A.

The Background of the Study

In Indonesia, English is taught and used as a foreign language. It is officially taught as a local-content subject at elementary school and a compulsory subject at secondary (junior and senior) schools. One of the objectives of English language teaching and learning in Indonesia is to equip and prepare students to read English both in textbook and other references.

English language teaching and learning includes the teaching of four basic language skills; listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Those basic language skills are taught integratedly by the teachers because they cannot be separated.

In relation to the objective of the English language teaching and learning, teachers need to facilitate students to achieve it. Teachers need to provide good materials to create a successfull English language teaching and learning. Further, those materials can be in the form of textbooks, newspapers, magazines, journals, videos, audios, etc.

Michael W. Apple in Reed et al. states that 75 percent of time in classroom is used with the text materials.1 Therefore, the materials that mostly used in the classroom are textbooks. This becomes an important task for schools that they have to provide good textbooks as one of the English material sources.

In Indonesia, many textbooks are produced to support English language teaching and learning. Beside the textbook that are published by the Ministry of Education and Culture- Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan (Kemendikbud), there are also textbooks that are published by

1

Arthea J. S. Reed, Verna E. Bergemann, and Mary W. Olson, In the Classroom: An Introduction to Education, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998), third edition, p. 256.

public publishers. These textbooks can be used as additional materials by the teachers. Thus, teachers and schools need to choose and select suitable textbooks for their students in order to match the students’ learning needs because the suitability of textbooks and students’ reading level will help students in comprehending the reading texts.

Furthermore, selecting textbooks carefully is important because textbooks have dominant role in the success of foreign language teaching and learning.2 Textbooks are used as a guideline by teachers to meet students’ need, especially in reading comprehension. Therefore, the effect of choosing unsuitable textbook can cause students’ low achievement in reading comprehension because there is no suitability between the textbook and the students’ reading level.

To support the selection of suitable textbook, teachers need to see if the texts in the textbook are readable and suitable with the students’ reading level. It deals with Nuttall’s statement that there are three points of view in selecting text for reading material. They are readability, suitability of content, and exploitability.3 Thus, readability becomes one of the points that make the selection of reading materials is important. This also deals with the statement that in the English language teaching and learning, teachers have a role as the ones who provide materials, not the ones who create them. Therefore, teachers have an important role in textbook selection.

In addition, texts readability has to be analyzed in order to see their level of suitability. Asem states in her article that since the beginning of the readability study, many researchers believe that reading difficulty relates to the reading materials.4 This statement implies that students’ assumption about the difficulty of a text relates to the text itself.

2

Roger Bowers and Christopher Brumfit, Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching, (London: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 1991), p. 298.

3

Christine Nuttal, Teaching Reading Skills, (Oxford: Heinemann, 1982),p. 25. 4

Bidyarani Asem, Readability Assessment of Printed Materials: Going Beyond Readability Formulas, International Journal of Environment, Ecology, Family and Urban Studies (IJEEFUS), Vol. 2, Issue 4, Dec. 2012, p. 46.

Additionally, Ornstein in Reed in terms of the benefits of textbooks states “the reading level and knowledge base of most textbooks match the developmental level of the students.” Therefore, the readability level of reading texts has to relate to the students’ reading ability in order to be matching. To find out how all of these are interconnected, the writer would like to investigate the readability level of reading texts in the textbook used in English language teaching and learning.

Furthermore, as Indonesia applies the new curriculum this year and Kemendikbud publishes the textbooks that are used in schools that apply the curriculum, teachers do not need to worry about selecting a good textbook as the main source in English language teaching and learning. This is because the schools which apply the new curriculum are obligated to use the textbooks published by Kemendikbud. Therefore, as the writer states before that teachers are able to use commercial textbooks as the additional materials, they still need to select the textbook carefully because they need to select suitable ones for their students.

In addition, based on the writer and her friends’ experience when doingIntegrated Teaching Profession Practice- Praktek Profesi Keguruan Terpadu (PPKT), they found that there were many students who gained low score in reading. It was caused by their low understanding of the reading texts. In many classes, they found that there were some students who understood the reading texts while others did not. Thus, students’ low score might be caused by their low understanding of the reading texts.

In relation to the students’ understanding of texts, Perekeme and Abgor state that one of the factors determining students’ understanding of a text is text readability.5

Thus, this becomes the reason that the writer decides to conduct this study on analyzing the readability level of selected reading texts in the Pathway to English 2 textbook for the eleventh grade

5

Bertola A. D. Perekeme and Catherine Alex Abgor, Readability of Language Textbooks Prescribed for Junior Secondary Schools and Students’ Performance in Reading Comprehension in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2012, p. 90.

of senior high school students published by Penerbit Erlangga to see their readability level.

Further, the writer chooses Pathway to English 2 as the textbook to be analyzed because it is intentionally compiled to provide a framework for teaching and learning English based on Kurikulum 2013. In addition, the writer also chooses this textbook because this is claimed to allow students to practice the four-skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing in order to help them develop their discourse competence. This competence, according to the textbook compilers, enables students to express themselves in different kinds of texts.6

Finally, this study is aimed to know the the readability level of reading texts in Pathway to English 2 textbook for the eleventh grade of senior high school students published by Penerbit Erlangga.

B.

The Limitation of the Problem

Based on the background of the study, the writer limits this study on analyzing the readability level of selected reading texts in Pathway to English 2 textbook for the eleventh grade of senior high school students published by Penerbit Erlangga.

C.

The Formulation of the Problem

Based on the limitation of the problem above, the writer formulates the problem of the study as follows: how is the readability level of reading texts in Pathway to English 2 textbook for the eleventh grade of senior high school students published by Penerbit Erlangga?

6

Th. M. Sudarwati and Eudia Grace, Pathway to Englishfor Senior High School Grade XI, (Jakarta: Penerbit Erlangga, 2014), p. i.

D.

The Objective of the Study

Based on the formulation of the problem, the objective of this study is to find out the readability level of the reading texts in Pathway to English 2 textbook for the eleventh grade of senior high school students published by Penerbit Erlangga.

E.

The Significance of the Study

By conducting this study, the writer expects that this will have some significant contribution in the process of English language teaching and learning at the senior high school. First, this study may give the teachers useful information in selecting suitable textbook as the additional material for their students. Second, this may help the students in improving their reading comprehension skill by providing suitable textbook with readable texts. Finally, this study may become a guideline in conducting readability study for the next researchers.

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A.

Textbook

1.

The Understanding of Textbook

The role of textbook in teaching and learning process is very important because it dictates the content and form of teaching. 1 It is used as a guideline for teachers to teach students in the teaching and learning process and as a coursebook for students. Ornstein in Reed states “The textbook has had the longest and most obvious influence on curriculum, to the extent of, in effect, standardizing teaching and instructional practices.”2 Thus, textbook is used to standardize the teaching and the instructional practices and finally to influence the curriculum as it is said that textbook has an important influence on it. In addition, textbook is said to be a reflection of the curriculum and a form of curriculum package.3 That makes textbook has a very important role in educational pragram.

Many experts have defined textbook differently.4 This makes us cannot specify textbook only by one definition beacuse all textbook definitions cover what textbooks are. According to Reed et al., textbooks are the instructional tool that is used mostly in the classroom. It deals with their statement that 75 percent of time in the classroom is used with the text materials.5 Thus, textbooks are used as instructional tool by the teachers in the the teaching and learning process in most of the time.

Van Els et. al. define textbook as “a coherent body of teaching materials which may consist of either just the course book (s), but also of a

1

Theo van Els et. al., Applied Linguistics and the Learning and Teaching of Foreign Language, (London: Edward Arnold Ltd., 1984), p. 298.

2

Arthea J. S. Reed, Verna E. Bergemann, and Mary W. Olson, In the Classroom: An Introduction to Education, (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998), third edition, p. 256.

3_Ibid. 4_Ibid. 5_Ibid.

learning package consisting of several parts.”6

Textbook is a collection of teaching materials that is used as the teaching sources or as a guideline for teachers in the teaching and learning process. Textbook consists of materials needed both in the course book and in the teaching and learning gudeline.

Additionally, UNESCO in Kolahi and Shirvani defines “Textbook is the core learning composed of text and/or images designed to bring about a specific set of educational outcome; traditionally a printed and bound book including illustrations and instructions for facilitating sequences of learning activities.”7 As we find textbook that we usually see or use, it is a printed book that consists of materials with instructions and/or illustrations that is designed based on the sequence of learning activities. Textbook is intended to be used as one of learning facilitations and to make a specific educational outcome.

From those definitions, the writer concludes that textbook is a coherent body consisting of some materials in form of printed text and/or images that is used as an instructional material in the teaching and learning process.

2. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Textbook

The important role of textbooks in the teaching and learning process has caused many writers and publishers to publish a large number of textbooks, and those published textbooks have now been commercialized because of the high demand. However, since textbook has an important role in the teaching and learning process, teachers have to pay attention to its advantages and disadvantages in order to provide them the knowledge of textbooks.

6

Van Els, loc. cit. 7

Sholeh Kolahi and Elaheh Shirvani, A Comparative Study of the Readability of English Textbooks of Translation and Their Persian Translations, International Journal of Linguistics, Vol. 4, No. 4, 2012, p. 346.

There are some advantages and disadvantages of using commercial textbooks in teaching and learning process. Those advantages and disadvantages depend on how teachers use them and the context for their use.8 The advantages of commercial textbooks are:

a. They provide structure and a syllabus for a program b. They help standardize instruction

c. They maintain quality

d. They provide a variety of learning resources e. They are efficient

f. They can provide effective language models and input g. They can train teachers

h. They are visually appealing9

As it is mentioned before, there are also disadvantages of commercial textbooks. They are:

a. They may contain inauthentic language b. They may distort content

c. They may not reflect students‟ need

d. They can deskill teachers e. They are expensive10

In addition, Harmer states that there are obvious advantages of textbook for both teachers and students.

Good textbook often contain lively and interesting material; they provide a sensible progression of language items, clearly showing what has to be learnt and in some cases summarizing what has been studied so that students can revise grammatical and functional points that they have been concentrating on. Textbook can be systematic about the amount of vocabulary presented to the student and allow students to study on their own outside the class. Good textbooks also relieve the teacher from the pressure of having to think of original material for every class. Indeed there is a greater variety of published material for teaching and learning English than ever before.11

8

Jack C. Richard, Curriculum Development in Language Teaching, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001), p. 254.

9

Ibid., p. 254-255. 10 _Ibid.,

p. 255-256. 11

Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching, (New York: Longman Publishing, 1991), p. 257.

From the statement above, the writer concludes that some of the advantages of a good textbook are: textbook can interest the students because it is easy to read so they can study on their own, textbook provides suitable materials for students, and textbook can be used as a good guidance by teachers so they do not feel burdened to prepare different material for different class.

Moreover, Harmer also mentions some disadvantages of textbooks. He states:

But textbooks can also have an adverse effect on teaching for a number of reasons. As we have already said they tend to concentrate on the introduction of new language and controlled work: a teacher relying too heavily on the textbook will often not be encouraged to provide enough roughly-tuned input or output practice. Textbooks also tend to follow the same format from one unit to the next. There are good reasons why this should be the case: they are thus easier to „get to know‟ and to handle, both for teacher and student, and they are also easier to design and write. But this similarity of format generally involves a rigid sequence. Alost all textbooks at the elementary level start by introducing new language, for example, and they then follow a sequence of practice combining the new language with language the students already know. Reading and listening generally have a set place in the sequence and each unit looks more or less like those that come before and after it.12

Teachers who rely so much on the use of textbook without using other materials often find it difficult to improve the teaching of the language. They tend to focus on what is written better than to provide other materials that support the language teaching. This is one of the disadvantages of textbook. Further, another disadvantage is textbook form a same format from one unit to the next. This may make students feel bored for learning in same sequence.

To sum up, the use of commercial textbooks in teaching and learning process has advantages and disadvantages as mentioned before. Thus, teachers have to be able to select a suitable textbook for their students in

order to give the advantages and finally make students to be able to achieve the objective of the learning especially in reading comprehension.

3. The Selection of Textbook

In the selection of textbooks, teachers first need to obtain some information or data related to those textbooks. The data can be obtained from both the textbook and the textbook users.13 The data obtained from the textbook means the data collection and description on the form and content of the textbook itself. The sources of this data are authors and publishers‟ information, textbook reviews, checklists, and textbook descriptions and the development of new descriptive tools. Furthermore, the data obtained from textbook users means the data collection and description on the effects textbooks have on their users. These effects include the effects on teachers, students and the process of teaching and learning. The sources of this data are users‟ judgements and experimental research into the effects of textbooks.14

In addition, since teachers are not the ones who create materials (in this case is in the form of textbook) but provide them and they need to rely largely on commercial textbooks, they have to make a good decision on selecting a suitable textbook for their students.

According to van Els et. al., there are two stages in the selection of a textbook:

1. Global selection. This is a first selection of textbooks which have sufficient superficial appeal. The information needed to make such a choice can be obtain from textbook reviews, users‟ judgement,

information from authors and publishers, and the teahers‟ own

global analysis (based, for intance, on a textbook typology).

2. Analysis of the textbooks remaining after first selection. For this purpose checklists, comparative textbook descriptions, detailed comments from users, and, where available, reports on empirical

13

Van Els, op. cit., p. 298. 14_Ibid.,

research into the effects of the textbooks in question can be very useful.15

In other words, there are two steps that teachers need to do in selecting textbook for their students. The first step is obtaining textbook information. Teachers can obtain the information from the textbook reviews, user judgement, authors and publishers‟ information, or their own global analysis. The second step is analyzing the textbook. After obtaining the textbook information as mentioned before, teachers have to analyze the textbook for further information. This analysis can be in the form of checklists, comparative textbook description, detailed comments from users, or reports on empirical research into the effects of textbooks.

Those steps can be done by the teachers in order to obtain good information about the suitability of textbook for their students. Once the teachers have done the two steps, they can decide whether they will use the textbook for their students or not.

B.

Text

1. The Understanding of Text

Anderson and Anderson state that a text is words that are put together to communicate a meaning.16

It is not only a form of words that are put together but further, it reflects a meaning of those words.

In addition, according to Nuttall “The text is the core of the reading process, the means by which the message is transmitted from writer to reader.”17

It means that the meaning communicated in the words that are put together consists of message that is intended to be delivered by the writer to the reader.

15

Ibid., p. 299 – 300. 16

Mark Anderson and Kathy Anderson, Text Types in English 3, (South Yarra: Macmillan Education Australia, 1998), p. 2.

17

Further, it is not only written words that are called as a text but also spoken words.18 The spoken words here mean the words that have been transmitted. This is in line with statement that a text could be either written or transcribed version of speech.19 In addition, Siahaan and Shinoda define a text as a linguistic unit (phoneme, morpheme, phrase, clause, sentence or discourse) that has a full meaning in its context.20 They also state that a text is both a spoken and a written text. Thus, a text is generally not only a form of written words that are put together but also a form of spoken words that are transcribed.

Furthermore, Wallace in Hedgcock and Ferris defines a text as the physical manifestation of language which includes autographic symbols and non-verbal elements. Thus, a text is formed not only by words that are put together but also by many elements. Those elements are non-verbal and autographic symbols. Non-verbal elements here are such as capitalization, punctuation, paragraphing, and format, and autographic symbols include letters of the alphabet or characters.21

There is a number of parameters of texts that are considered in expecting students to be able to read them. They are:

Text types include: text books, handouts, articles (in newspapers, journals or magazines), poems/verse, encyclopaedia entries, dictionary entries, leaflets, letters, forms, diary, maps or plans, advertisements, postcards, timetables, novels (extracts) and short stories, reviews, manuals, computer help systems, notices and signs.

Text forms include: description, exposition, argumentation, instruction, narration (these can be broken down further if it is thought appropriate: e.g. expository texts could include outlines, summaries, etc.)

Graphic features include: tables, charts, diagrams, cartoons, illustrations.

18

Anderson, lop. cit.

19

John S. Hedgcock and Dana R. Ferris, Teaching Readers of English: Students, Texts, and Contexts, (New York: Routledge, 2009), p. 79.

20

Sanggam Siahaan and Kisno Shinoda, Generic Text Structure, (Yogyakarta: Graha Ilmu, 2008), p. 1.

21

Topics may be listed or defined in a general way (such as non-technical, non-specialist) or in relation to a set of candidates whose background is known (such as familiar to the students).

Style may be specified in term of formality.

Intended readership can be quite specific (e.g. native speaking science undergraduate students) or more general (e.g. young native speakers).

Length is usually expressed in number of words. The specified length will normally vary according to the level of the candidates and whether one is testing expeditious or careful reading (although a single long text could be used for both).

Readability is an objective, but not necessarily very valid, measure of the difficulty of a text. Where this is not used, intuition may be relied on.

Range of vocabulary may be indicated by a complete list of words (as for the Cambridge tests for young learners), by reference either to a word list or to indications of frequency in a learners‟ dictionary. Range may be expressed more generally (e.g. non-technical, except where explained in the text).

Range of grammar may be a list of structures, or a reference to those to be found in a course book or (possibly part of) a grammar of the language.22

Those parameters should be considered by teachers when they expect students to be able to read a text. That is why teachers have to pay attention to many aspects of texts such as readability, length, types etc. when they select them for their students.

To sum up, a text is the physical manifestation of language that is formed by words that are put together along with their non-verbal and autographic symbols elements. Teachers need to consider some parameters of texts when they are expecting students to be able to read them. Thus, students‟ ability to read texts is measured in consideration of those parameters.

2. The Types of Text

According to Anderson and Anderson, there are two main categories of text. They are literary and factual.23 These two categories cover the

22

Arthur Hughes, Testing for Language Teachers, second edition,(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 140

other types of text in which each text has a common structure. It means that those two categories, literary and factual, are general. More specifically, there are some categories of texts that are covered by them.

The literary text types include narrative texts, poems, and drama scripts.24 Those three kinds of text have function to entertain or elicit an emotional response.

Further, the factual text types include explanation, information report, discussion, exposition, recount, factual description, procedure, and procedural recount.25 Those kinds of texts then have function to inform, instruct, or persuade the readers by giving facts and information.

From the explanation above, we can state that each category of the text has different function. Literary texts, according to Anderson and Anderson, have function to entertain or elicit an emotional response by using language to create mental image while factual texts is to inform, instruct, or persuade by giving facts and information.26 Thus, texts that entertain the readers or listeners and finally create their mental image are categorized as literary texts. Other texts that give the readers or listeners an information, instruction or facts are categorized as factual texts.

3. The Selection of Texts

Textbooks publishing are now handled by both government and public publishers. Thus, although the government provides the books for all schools that apply curriculum 2013, the government also allows schools to use commercial ones. The difference is, students do not need to pay for the textbooks published by government while they need to pay for the commercial textbooks.

23

Anderson, loc. cit.

24_Ibid. 25

Ibid.

26

NSW Department of Education and Communities, Text Types (Different Types of Writing), 2014, p. 1, ( http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/english/english-a-to-z/-/english_glossary/bZx8/1062/factual+text+types).

Selecting comercial textbooks carefully is important because teachers need to choose a suitable textbook for their students. They also need to select a good one because students have paid for it. Since textbooks are not only published by our government but also other publishers, teachers need to know the suitability of the textbook for their students.

Furthermore, one aspect that support the selection of a suitable textbook is the selection of the texts. Nuttal in his book Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language mentioned three points of view in selecting texts. They are readability, suitability of content, and exploitability.

... we shall consider how to choose supplementary material for the reading lesson. You will need to look at possible material from three points of view... the combination of structural and lexical (i.e. vocabulary) difficulty is readability...One criterion for a class library therefore should be the inclusion of a variety of books on subjects known to appeal to the students....you really need to carry out an investigation of what your own students like before you order many books or select class reading materials.... We are using the term exploitation to mean facilitation of learning. When you exploit a text,

you make use of it to develop your students‟ competence as readers.27

In selecting a text, teachers need to know if the text is readable for their students or not. Teachers also need to know if the text contains something interesting for their students. Finally, teachers need to see if the text they select will be able to comprehend students‟ reading ability.

4. The Matching of the Texts to Students

It is important to match texts as the reading materials to the students as the readers. It deals with the purpose of readability assessment.28 In readability assessment, beside the use of readability formula to measure the readability of the texts, teachers also need to know the students‟ reading ability, students‟ background knowledge, and the purpose of the texts in order to see the suitability between the texts and the students.

27

Nuttal, op. cit., p. 25-31. 28

Jeanne S. Chall and Edgar Dale, Readability Revisited: The New Dale-Chall Readability Formula, (Cambridge: Brookline Books, 1995), p. 45.

... to make a best match between readers and text it is necessary to obtain information about the intended readers, information about the readability of the material, and information about the purpose for its use.

Information on the intended readers might include – when available – their reading ability, their previous knowledge and interest in the topic, and how the material is to be read – whether independently or as part of instruction by a teacher.

A students‟ reading ability may be estimated by scores or bands on a

recently administered reading test. If these are not available, estimates of reading ability may be made by noting readability of the books, magazines, and newspaper they read.29

Therefore, as there are some aspects that should be considered in readability assessment, the writer would like to focus only on one aspect, it is the use of readability formula n measuring the readability of selected texts.

C.

Readability

1. The Understanding of Readability

Bidyarani Asem in her article Readability Assessment of Printed Materials: Going beyond Readability Formulas points out, “Readability is a term used to determine the ease with which people read and understand a particular text. It is one of the most important factors that depict the

comprehensibility of the concerned text.”30

Readability, according to Asem, is a term related to the comprehensibility of a text in which the readers understand or not regarding to the ease of the text.

Furthermore, DuBay defines “Readability is what makes some texts easier to read and understand than others.”31 Readability, according to DuBay, is a factor that makes a text easy to be read and understood by particular readers.

29_Ibid. , p. 46. 30

Bidyarani Asem, Readability Assessment of Printed Materials: Going Beyond Readability Formulas, International Journal of Environment, Ecology, Family and Urban Studies (IJEEFUS), Vol. 2, Issue 4, Dec. 2012, p. 45.

31

William H. DuBay, the Principles of Readability, (Costa Mesa: Impact Information, 2004), p. 3.

George Klare in DuBay defines readability as “the ease of understanding or comprehension due to the style of writing.” This definition is based on writing style out of content, coherence, and organization of the texts.32 In the same book, Gretcen Hargis et.al. defines readability as the “ease of reading words and sentences.”33 They also add that readability is an attribute of clarity. Thus, the clarity of words and senetences leads to the ease of the texts. Further, G. Harry McLaughlin points out that readability is “the degree to which a given class of people

find certain reading matter compelling and comprehensible.”34

When a class of people find a text is comprehensible for them, they have met the text‟s readability that suits their reading level.

Edgar Dale and Jeanne Call in DuBay define readability as “the sum total (including all the interactions) of all those elements within a given piece of printed material that affect the success a group of readers have with it. The success is the extent to which they understand it, read it at an optimal speed, and find it interesting.” 35

We can also say that when students find a text is interesting for them and they are able to read and understand it, then the text is readable for them.

In the book Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language, Nuttal defines readability as the combination of structural and lexical difficulty.36 Thus, the term readability is not only refers to the lexical difficulty of a text but also the structural difficulty. To sum up, readability is a combination of the difficulty in vocabulary and the structure of the text.

From various definitions above, it can be concluded that readability is the ease and difficulty level of texts related to students‟ reading ability.

32_Ibid. 33

Ibid. 34_Ibid. 35_Ibid. 36

2. The Methods of Readability Measurement

According to Smith, there are three ways in assessing the readability of a text. They are comprehension testing, cloze procedure test, and statistical readability.37

a. Comprehension Testing

Comprehension testing is conducted by asking students to do silent reading and ask them questions about the author‟s message in the text. The text is said to be readable when students understand it about 70% to 80%.38

In addition, Harjasujana et.al. state that a reading text is easy to read when readers understand 98% of the vocabularies used in the text and master 75% of the content.39

b. Cloze Procedure Test

Cloze Procedure Test was introduced by Wilson Taylor in 1953. He used this test to measure students‟ individual understanding of texts.40 Originally, this Cloze Procedure Test was intended to measure texts‟ reading difficulty level. This test was created to determine if a text is suitable for a group of students or not.41 Hence, to measure reading difficulty level of a text by using Cloze Procedure Test is to measure students‟ understanding of the text.

Cloze Procedure Test, according to Alderson, is typically constructed by deleting every n-th word. The n-th word is said to be the words between every 5th and 12th. Cloze procedure test requires students to restore the deleted words. To help students understand the

37

Nila B. Smith and Alan R., Reading Instruction for Today’s Children, (New York: Prentice Hall Inc,, 1980), p. 115-116.

38_Ibid. 39

Ahmad Slamet Harjasujana et.al., Evaluasi Keterbacaan Buku Teks Bahasa Sunda untuk Sekolah di Jawa Barat, (Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, 1999), p. 11.

40

DuBay, op. cit., p. 27. 41

J. B. Heaton, Writing English Language Test, (New York: Longman Inc., 1988), p. 131.

text, one or two sentences of the beginning and end of the text are usually left intact.42

Furthermore, Nuttal states that Cloze Procedure Test is an indicator of readability. It is a technique that involves the deletion of words in a text. The deleted words are between every 5th and 10th word.43 The cloze procedure test is used to assess the readability of a text in which teachers give students a text that is deleted its some words and ask them to fill the deleted words. The deletion of word is done systematically by the teachers.44 If the teacher deletes the 8th word of a sentence, then she/he has to delete the 8th word of the next sentence. Additionally, according to Heaton, the most favoured deletion words are the fifth, sixth, and seventh.45

After distributing the test to students, teachers have to correct the

students‟ answer and find out the percentage. To find out the

percentage of the Cloze Procedure Test, Anas Sudjiono had formulated a formula as follows:

x 100%

p = percentage

f = frequency of the right answer N = number of item.46

Furthermore, after finding the percentage of the Cloze Procedure Test, teachers try to find out the cloze score. Heaton classifies the cloze score level as below:

If the mean score of the group is over 53 percent, the material can be used by the students for reading at „the independent level‟, the text being considered easy enough for students to read on their own without any help. If the mean score obtained is between 44

42

J. Charles Alderson, Assessing Reading, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), p. 207.

43

Nuttal, op. cit., p. 28. 44

Heaton, op. cit., p. 131-132. 45_Ibid.

, p. 131. 46

Anas Sudjiono, Pengantar Statistik Pendidikan, (Jakarta: PT. Raja Grafindo Persada, 2007), p. 43.

and 53 per cent, however, the material is suitable for use at „the instructional level‟- i.e. with the help of the teacher. If the mean sore is below 44 per cent, the text is described as being as „the frusttational level‟ and should not be used even with the help of a teacher.47

Thus, a text is said to be at independent level when the score gained by the students in Cloze Procedure Test is over 53 percent, a text is at instructional level when the score gained by students is between 44 and 53 percent, and a text is in frustrational level when the score gained by students is below 44 percent. From the explanation before, we can state that the lower the score, the more difficult the text.

Furthermore, each level of reading difficulty determines what treatment teachers need to give students in teaching reading comprehension. Therefore, after finding the readability level of the selected reading texts by using the Flesch Reading Ease Formula, the writer would like to conduct Cloze Procedure Test to see the texts reading difficulty level.

c. Statistical Readability Formula

There are nearly fifty different readability formulas that are available to use, but Klare has summarized and updated them into four. These four formulas are representative of those fifty that can be used for classroom purpose.48 The four readability formulas are as follow:

1) The Dale - Chall Formula

This formula was developed by Edgar Dale and Jeanne Chall in 1948.

The steps in conducting this formula are as follow:

a) Select 100-word samples throughout the text (for books, every tenth page is recommended).

b) Compute the average sentence length in words.

47 _Ibid. 48

Walter R. Hill, Secondary School Reading: Process, Program, and Procedures, (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, Inc., 1979), p. 193.

c) Compute the percentage of words outside the date list of 3,000 words.

d) Compute this equation:

Score = .1579PDW + .0496ASL + 3.6365 Where:

Score = reading grade of a reader who can answer one-half of the questions on a passage.

PDW = Percentage of Difficult Words (words not on the Dale – Chall word list)

ASL = Average Sentence Length in words.49

The chart for correcting the grade-level scores at the higher grades is as follow:50

Table 2.1 The Grade-level Scores

Formula Score Corrected Grade Levels

4.9 and below Grade 4 and below

5.0 and 5.9 Grade 5 – 6

6.0 and 6.9 Grade 7 – 8

7.0 and 7.9 Grade 9 – 10

8.0 and 8.9 Grade 11 – 12

9.0 and 9.9 Grade 13 – 15 (college) 10 and above Grade 16 and above (college

graduates)

2) The Flesch Reading Ease Formula

The Flesch Reading Ease Formula is said to be a simple formula to assess the readability or the difficulty of reading passage written in English.51 Chall and Klare in

DuBay state “Flesch‟s Reading Ease Formula became the

most widely used formula and one of the most tested and

49

DuBay, op. cit.., p. 24. 50_Ibid.

51

Readability Formulas, The Flesch Reading Ease Readability Formula, 2013, (http://www.readabilityformulas.com/flesch-reading-ease-readability-formula.php).

reliable.”52

For this reason, the writer would like to use this formula to measure the readability of selected texts.

The specific formula of The Flesch Reading Ease Formula is as follows:

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 x ASL) – (84.6 x ASW) Where:

Score = position on a scale of 0 (difficult) to 100 (easy), with 30 = very difficult and 70 = suitable for adult audiences. ASL = average sentence length (the number of words divided by the number of sentence).

ASW = average number of syllable per word (the number of syllables divided by the number of words).53

The Flesch Reading Ease Score is as follows:

Table 2.2

The Flesch Reading Ease Score 54 Reading Ease

Score

Style Description Estimated Reading Grade

90 – 100 Very Easy 5th grade

80 – 89 Easy 6th grade

70 – 79 Fairly Easy 7th grade

60 – 69 Standard 8th and 9th grade 50 – 59 Fairly Difficult 10th to 12th grade 30 – 49 Difficult 13th to 16th grade

0 – 29 Very Difficult College graduate

3) The Fry Readability Estimate

This formula is developed by Edward Fry. The procedure of this formula is as follow:

52

DuBay, op. cit., p. 22. 53_Ibid.

a) Choose three typical passages of 100 words each form near the beginning, middle and end of the text. b) Count the number of sentences in each passage to

the nearest 0.1 of a sentence. Add the three totals and divide by 3. The answer is A, the average number of sentences in 100 words.

c) Count the number of syllables in each passage. Add the three totals and divide by three. The answer is B, the average number of syllables in 100 words.

d) Plot the answer, A and B.55

Furher, DuBay also gives directions in applying this formula. They are:

a) Select samples of 100 words.

b) Find y (vertical), the average number of sentences per 100-word passage (calculating o the nearest tenth).

c) Find x (horizontal), the average number of syllables per 100-word sample.

d) The zone where the two coordinates meet shows the grade store 56

4) The SMOG Index

This formula is developed by G. Harry McLaughlin in 1969. McLaughlin believes that word length and sentence length should not be added, but be multiplied.57 This formula is used by counting the number of words of more than two syllables (polysyllable count) in 30 sentences. The simple formula of this SMOG Index is:

SMOG Grading = 3 + square root of polysyllable count.58 The procedure in applying this formula is as follows:

a) Choose three passages of ten sentences each from near the beginning, middle and end of the text.

55

Nuttal, op. cit., p. 27 – 28. 56

DuBay, op. cit., p. 45-46. 57_Ibid.

, p. 47. 58_Ibid.

b) Count all words of three or more syllables in the 30 sentences. The total is DW (= difficult words). c) Calculate the square root of DW.

d) Add 3 to the square root: the total is the SMOG index.59

D.

The English Curriculum for Senior High School

In curriculum 2013, English materials that are taught is emphasizedin language competence as the medium of communication. Students are also made accustomed to reading and understanding texts, and to summarizing and re-writing them using their own language. Furthermore, students are made accustomed to arranging text systematically, logically and effectively through exercises of text arrangement. Then, students are given the knowledge of text structure to make them arrange the text correctly. In addition, students are made accustomed to expressing themselves and their knowledge using trusted language spontaneously.60

The statement above deals with English curriculum for senior high school. Because the writer is going to analyze the English textbook for the eleventh grade of senior high school students, the writer will only explain English curriculum for the eleventh grade. The English curriculum for the eleventh grade of senior high school is as follow:

Table 2.3

The English Curriculum for the Eleventh Grade of Senior High School 61

Core Competence Basic Competence

1. Comprehending and applying religious values.

2. Comprehending and applying

59

Nuttal, op. cit., p. 27. 60

Kementrian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Kerangka Dasar dan Struktur Kurikulum 2013, (Jakarta: KEMENDIKBUD,2013), p. 39.

61

Th. M. Sudarwati and Eudia Grace, Pathway to Englishfor Senior High School Grade XI, (Jakarta: Penerbit Erlangga, 2014), p. ii – iii.

the values of honesty, self-discipline, responsibility, care (mutual aid, cooperation, tolerance, peace), polite, responsive and proactive; demonstrating such attitudes in solving various problems in interacting affectively with the social and natural environment as well as in being a model in the global society.

3. Understanding, applying, analyzing factual, conceptual and procedural knowledge based on the interest in science, technology, arts, culture and humanities with humanistic, nationalistic and civilized insights in relation to the causes of phenomena

and events; applying

procedural knowledge in desired specific field of studies in solving problems.

3.1. Analyzing the social functions, the structure and language features of expressing and responding a suggestion and offer, according to the contexts. 3.2. Analyzing the social functions,

the structure and language features of giving and asking for opinions, according to the contexts.

3.3. Analyzing the social functions, the structure and language features of expressing hopes, according to the contexts. 3.4. Analyzing the social functions,

the structure and language features of formal invitation letters, according to the contexts.

3.5. Analyzing the social functions, the structure and language features of personal letters, according to the contexts. 3.6. Analyzing the social functions,

the structure and language features of procedural text in the forms of manual and tips, according to the contexts. 3.7. Analyzing the social functions,

the structure and language features of stating and inquiring actions / activities / events without stating the doer, according to the contexts. 3.8. Analyzing the social functions,

the structure and language

features of expressing

conditional forms, according to the contexts.

3.9. Analyzing the social functions, the structure and language features of simple factual academic report about persons, animals, natural and social phenomena, according to the contexts.

3.10. Analyzing the social functions, the structure and language features of analytical exposition texts, according to the contexts.

4. Processing, analyzing and presenting developments of the concrete and abstract domains of the learned materials; being able to apply various methods according to scientific principles.

3.11. Analyzing the social functions, the structure and language features of simple biographies of famous people, according to the contexts.

3.12. Analyzing the social functions, the structure and language features of simple songs.

4.1. Constructing spoken and written texts to express and respond to a suggestion and offer according to its social functions, structure and language features.

4.2. Constructing spoken and written texts to express and asking for opinions, according to its social functions, structure and language features.

4.3. Constructing spoken and written texts to express hopes, according to its social functions, structure and language features. 4.4. Understanding the message in

formal invitation letters.

4.5. Editing formal invitation letter according to its social functions, structure and language features. 4.6. Writing formal invitations,

according to its social functions, structure and language features. 4.7. Understanding the message in a

personal letter.

4.8. Writing personal letters, according to its social functions, structure and language features. 4.9. Understanding spoken and

written procedural texts, in the form of manual and tips.

4.10. Editing procedural texts, in the form of manual and tips, according to its social functions, structure and language features. 4.11. Constructing spoken and

written text of stating and asking about actions / activities / events without stating the doer, according to its social functions, structure and language features. 4.12. Constructing spoken and

written text of conditional expressions, according to its social functions, structure and language features.

4.13. Understanding message in spoken and written academic factual reports about persons, animals, things, and natural and social phenomena, according to its social functions, structure and language features.

4.14. Understanding message in analytical exposition texts.

4.15. Understanding message in short and simple biographies. 4.16. Understanding message in

songs.

Based on the English curriculum above, there are 7 types of text that students need to learn. They are: formal invitation letters, personal letters, procedural texts, factual academic reports, analytical exposition texts, biographies and songs. In learning those texts, students are asked to analyze the texts‟ social functions, structure, and language features according to the contexts. Further, students are also asked to understand, construct, edit and finally write them.

In analyzing the readability level of the texts in Pathway to English, the writer is going to select some texts based on the requirement of English curriculum as mentioned above. The detail explanation will be presented in chapter III.

E.

The Previous Study

The relevant previous studies that deal with the analysis on the readability level of reading texts on the English textbook was done by Yuli Darmayanti, Nur Afni Meilia, and Bertola A. D. Perekeme and Catherine Alex Abgor.

The first previous study is done by Yuli Darmayanti. It is Analyzing the Readability Level of Reading Texts on the English Textbook Entitled

‘Link to the World’. This book was used by students of grade X of MA Pembangunan UIN Syarif Hidayatullah. Yuli conducted the study based on the problem that she found the teachers at MA Pembangunan found their students encounter the difficulties in understanding the reading texts on the textbook they used. For that reason, Yuli intended to analyze the

readability level using the Flesch Reading Ease Formula and Cloze Test. From her study, she found that there are 5 of 6 reading texts which are analyzed of the total 12 texts in the textbook, are readable for the students of grade X of MA Pembangunan UIN Syarif Hidayatullah after she analyzed it by using Flesch Reading Ease Formula, but there is only one text that is appropriate for the students‟ level. In analyzing the texts using Cloze Test, she found that there are 4 texts categorized as independent level and 2 texts as instructional level. 62

The second previous study was conducted by Nur Afni Meilia on Analyzing the Readability Level of the Reading Texts on the Textbook

‘English on Sky’ published by Airlangga at grade VIII of MTs. Soebono Mantofani. The writer conducted this study because she found from the observation that the eighth grade students of MTs Soebono Mantofani had difficulty in understanding the reading texts written on the textbook. Finally, this study was intended to see how the readability level of the reading texts on the textbook English on Sky is. In this study, the writer used two methods. They are Flesch Reading Ease Formula and Cloze Test. As the result, she found that by using Flesch Reading Ease Formula, from the total 14 texts that are analyzed, 6 texts are categorized in the Very Easy Level, 3 texts are in the Easy Level, 1 text is in the Fairly Easy Level, and 4texts are in the Standard Level. Furthermore, in analyzing texts using Cloze Test, she found that there are 9 texts in the Independent Level as the scores are over 53%; this means that the texts can easily be understood by students and can be learned independently by them, 5 texts are in the Instructional Level as the scores are between 44-53%; this means that the texts are suitable for the students, but still with the help of the teacher.63

62

Yuli Darmayanti, “The Readability Level of the Reading Texts on Link to the World:

an English Textbook for Senior High School”, Skripsi of Undergraduate of State Islamic University Jakarta, Jakarta, 2010, unpublished.

63

Nur Afni Meilia, “An Analysis on the Readability Level of the Reading Texts on the Textbook English on Sky Published By Airlangga”, Skripsi of Undergraduate of State Islamic University Jakarta, Jakarta, 2010, unpublished.

Another previous study was done by Bertola A. D. Perekeme and Catherine Alex Abgor on Readability of Language Textbooks Prescribed

for Junior Secondary Schools and Students’ Performance in Reading

Comprehension in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. This study is conducted to investigate the readability level of English Language Textbook prescribed for Junior Secondary School for students‟ performance in reading comprehension. Thus, this study is conducted based on the problem that students from primary school become poor readers when they come to secondary level because the reading materials do not match the students‟ reading level. The methods used in this study are Fry Readability Graph and Cloze Test. The result of this study shows that English Language Textbook that is prescribed for Junior Secondary School is Intensive English for Junior Secondary Schools written by Oluikpe, B.O., Obah, T. Y., Otagburuagu, E. J. and Onuigbo S. M. The researchers found that the readability level of prescribed textbook, after they analyzed using Fry Readability Formula, is on level 9. It means that the reading materials are in frustrational level for the students. Furthermore, the result of Cloze Test shows that there are 120 students who read at independent level, 178 students at Instructional level and 322 read at frustrational level.64

Those relevant previous studies show a strong relation to this study because the variables are almost the same and the methods used are so.

64

Bertola A. D. Perekeme and Catherine Alex Abgor, Readability of Language

Textbooks Prescribed for Junior Secondary Schools and Students‟ Performance in Reading

Comprehension in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2012, p. 89 – 95.

32

A.

The Object of the Study

The object of this study is reading texts in Pathway to English 2 textbook for the eleventh grade of senior high school students published by Penerbit Erlangga. As the English curriculum for the eleventh grade of senior high school requires students to learn 7 types of text, the writer selects all those types to be analyzed. Further, the writer takes 19 texts out of 32 as the representatives of all the types.

B.

The Method of the Study

In this study, the writer uses Descriptive Analysis method in which the writer attempts to analyze, elaborate, and describe the readability level of the selected reading texts in Pathway to English 2 textbook. In addition, the writer also conducts a library research to find more references that support the data from the Descriptive Analysis method.

C.

The Source of the Data

The source of the data in this study is all the reading texts in Pathway to English 2 textbook. It is 32 reading texts (3 formal invitation letters, 2 personal letters, 5 procedural texts, 9 factual academic reports, 7 analytical exposition texts, 5 biographies and 1 song).

Further, the writer takes 19 texts (2 formal invitation letters, 1 personal letter, 3 procedural texts, 5 factual academic reports, 4 analytical exposition texts, 3 biographies, and 1 song) to be analyzed. Those texts are selected as the representatives of all types of text in the textbook.

In addition, as the writer conducts the Cloze Procedure Test, 29 students of the eleventh grade of MA AN-NAJAH are also become the source of the data.

D.

The Technique of Data Collection and Analysis

To collect the data, the writer firstly selects the textbook that is used as the object of this study. After selecting the textbook, she analyzes its content by finding the types and the number of text. Then, the writer continues to select some reading texts to be analyzed in this study.

Furthermore, in analyzing the data, the writer uses the Flesch Reading Ease Formula. The writer firstly counts the number of sentences, words, and syllables of each text. The writer then continues to look for the Average Sentence Length (ASL) and the Average Number of Syllable per Word (ASW) of each text.

After finding the ASL and ASW, the writer attempts to find out the readability score by using formula:

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 x ASL) – (84.6 x ASW)

Further, after finding the readability score of each text, the writer determines the readability level and reading grade of the text by using Reading Ease Scale of Flesch Reading Ease Formula.

Table 3.1

The Reading Ease Scale of the Flesch Reading Ease Formula

Reading Ease Score Style Description Estimated Reading Grade

90 – 100 Very Easy 5th grade 80 – 89 Easy 6th grade 70 – 79 Fairly Easy 7th grade 60 – 69 Standard 8th and 9th grade 50 – 59 Fairly Difficult 10th to 12th grade 30 – 49 Difficult 13th to 16th grade 0 – 29 Very Difficult College graduate

Finally, the writer selects some texts that are basically suitable for the eleventh grade of senior high school students and attempts to find out the texts‟ reading difficulty level by using Cloze Procedure Test. The test is made by using the texts that are deleted their between every 5th and 10th

word, then the students are asked to complete them with the words provided in a list.

After distributing the test, the writer counts the students correct answer and finds out the percentage by using the following formula:

x 100%

Finally, after finding the percentage, the writer determines the texts‟ reading difficulty level by referring to judgment of the Cloze Procedure Test Score:

Table 3.2

The Judgment of the Cloze Procedure Test Score No. Percentage of the

Correct Answers

Score Judgment

1. Over 53% Independent level

2. 44% - 53% Instructional level

35

A.

The Description of the Data

The textbook that is analyzed by the writer is Pathway to English 2 textbook for the eleventh grade of senior high school students, published by Penerbit Erlangga. This textbook is compiled by Th. M. Sudarwati and Eudia Grace and is claimed to be based on Curriculum 2013.

This textbook consists of 244 pages and 12 chapters for 2 semesters. In this textbook, each chapter presents its social function, skills development (listening, speaking, reading and writing), cultural awareness and ways to say words in English.

As it is claimed that this textbook is based on Curriculum 2013, each chapter presents the 5 scientific methods in presenting the material to the students. These 5 scientific methods are observing, questioning, exploring, associating, and communicating. Therefore, teachers are able to use them as a guideline.

This textbook contains 7 types of text with 32 reading texts. They are 3 formal invitation letters, 2 personal letters, 5 procedural texts, 9 factual academic reports, 7 analytical exposition texts, 5 biographies, and 1 song. From the 32 reading texts, the writer selects 19 texts to be analyzed. They are 2 formal invitation letters: Invitation 2 and Prof. Dr.

……… MBA, 1 personal letter: Dear Melodi, 3 procedural texts: How to Use Chopsticks, How to Make a Bookmark, and Tips of Treating a Washing-machine Well, 5 factual academic reports: Auctions, The Advantages of Broccoli, Mining Accident Again, Mobile Phones, and Panda, 4 analytical exposition texts: Why Books are Important for Us?, Save Your Money Now!, Script 1, and Cheating on the Test Doesn’t Take Any Benefits at All, 3 biographies: Cut Nyak Dhien, Abdul Haris Nasution, and William Shakespeare, and 1 song: This Land is Mine.

Furthermore, the writer counts the number of syllables, words, and sentences of each text in http://www.countwordsworth.com/. The procedure in counting them is by typing the text in the column in the website page. Then, the number syllables, words, and sentences of the text are automatically detected. Finally, the writer finds the calculation result as follows:

Table 4.1

The Description of Syllables, Words, and Sentences Calculations of Reading Texts

Text Number of Syllables

Number of Words

Number of Sentences

Text 1 217 144 12

Text 2 287 151 11

Text 3 254 184 10

Text 4 249 179 13

Text 5 187 151 14

Text 6 218 137 19

Text 7 288 182 11

Text 8 234 127 9

Text 9 202 135 11

Text 10 623 342 16

Text 11 432 260 14

Text 12 378 249 21

Text 13 564 344 26

Text 14 218 137 9

Text 15 448 294 16

Text 16 261 166 8

Text 17 570 331 21

Text 18 249 168 13

B.

The Analysis of the Data

After counting the number of syllables, words, and sentences, the writer then analyzes the data by using the Flesch Reading Ease Formula. Firstly, the writer tries to find out the ASL (Average Sentence Length) and ASW (Average Number of Syllables per Word). The data analysis is as follow:

1. Text 1

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 144: 12 = 12

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 217: 144 = 1.5

2. Text 2

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 151: 11 = 13.7

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 287: 151 = 1.9

3. Text 3

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 184: 10 = 18.4

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 254: 184 = 1.4

4. Text 4

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 179: 13 = 13.8

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 249: 179 = 1.4

5. Text 5

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 151: 14 = 10.8

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 187: 151 = 1.2

6. Text 6

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 137: 19 = 7.2

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 218: 137 = 1.6

7. Text 7

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 182: 11 = 16.5

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 288: 182 = 1.6

8. Text 8

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 127: 9 = 14.1

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 234: 127 = 1.8

9. Text 9

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 135: 11 = 12.3

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 202: 135 = 1.5

10. Text 10

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 342: 16 = 21.4

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 623: 342 = 1.8

11. Text 11

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 260: 14 = 18.6

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 432: 260 = 1.7

12. Text 12

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 249: 21 = 11.9

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 378: 249 = 1.5

13. Text 13

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 344: 26 = 13.2

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 564: 344 = 1.6

14. Text 14

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 137: 9 = 15.2

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 218: 137 = 1.6

15. Text 15

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 294: 16 = 18.4

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 448: 294 = 1.5

16. Text 16

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 166: 8 = 20.8

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 261: 166 = 1.6

17. Text 17

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 331: 21 = 15.8

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 570: 331 = 1.7

18. Text 18

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 168: 13 = 12.9

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 249: 168 = 1.5

19.Text 19

ASL = Number of Words: Number of Sentences = 157: 1 = 157

ASW = Number of Syllables: Number of Words = 182: 157 = 1.2

To make it easier, the writer presents the result of ASL and ASW calculations of the texts in the following table:

Table 4.2

The Result of ASL and ASW Calculation of Texts

Text Average Sentence Length Average Syllable per Word

Text 1 12 1.5

Text 2 13.7 1.9

Text 3 18.4 1.4

Text 4 13.8 1.4

Text 5 10.8 1.2

Text 6 7.2 1.6

Text 7 16.5 1.6

Text 8 14.1 1.8

Text 9 12.3 1.5

Text 10 21.4 1.8

Text 11 18.6 1.7

Text 12 11.9 1.5

Text 13 13.2 1.6

Text 14 15.2 1.6

Text 15 18.4 1.5

Text 16 20.8 1.6

Text 17 15.8 1.7

Text 18 12.9 1.5

Text 19 157 1.2

Furthermore, after counting the ASL and ASW, the writer tries to find out the readability score of each text by using the Flesch Reading Ease Formula.

Text 1

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 12) – (84.6 X 1.5) = 206.835 – (12.18) – (126.9)

= 67.755 = 67.8 = 68

Text 2

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 13.7) – (84.6 X 1.9) = 206.835 – (13.9055) – (160.74)

= 32.1895 = 32.2 = 32

Text 3

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 18.4) – (84.6 X 1.4) = 206.835 – (18.676) – (118.44)

= 69.719 = 69.7 = 70

Text 4

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 13.8) – (84.6 X 1.4) = 206.835 – (14.007) – (118.44)

= 74.388 = 74.4 = 74

Text 5

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 10.8) – (84.6 X 1.2) = 206.835 – (10.962) – (101.52)

= 94.353 = 94.4 = 94

Text 6

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 7.2) – (84.6 X 1.6) = 206.835 – (7.308) – (135.36)

= 64.167 = 64.2 = 64

Text 7

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 16.5) – (84.6 X 1.6) = 206.835 – (16.7475) – (135.36)

= 54.7275 = 54.7 = 55

Text 8

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 14.1) – (84.6 X 1.8) = 206.835 – (14.3115) – (152.28)

= 40.2435 = 40.2 = 40

Text 9

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 12.3) – (84.6 X 1.5) = 206.835 – (12.4845) – (126.9)

= 67.4505 = 67.5 = 68

Text 10

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 21.4) – (84.6 X 1.8) = 206.835 – (21.721) – (152.28)

= 32.834 = 32.8 = 33

Text 11

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 18.6) – (84.6 X 1.7) = 206.835 – (18.879) – (143.82)

= 44.136 = 44.1 = 44

Text 12

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 11.9) – (84.6 X 1.5) = 206.835 – (12.0785) – (126.9)

= 67.8565 = 67.9 = 68

Text 13

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 13.2) – (84.6 X 1.6) = 206.835 – (13.398) – (135.36)

= 58.077 = 58

Text 14

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 15.2) – (84.6 X 1.6) = 206.835 – (15.428) – (135.36)

= 56.047 = 56

Text 15

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 18.4) – (84.6 X 1,5) = 206.835 – (18.676) – (126.9)

= 61.259 = 61.3 = 61

Text 16

Score = 206.835 – (1.015 X ASL) – (84.6 X ASW) = 206.835 – (1.015 X 20.8) – (84.6 X 1.6) = 206.835 – (21.112) – (135.36)

= 50.363 = 50.4 = 50

Cut Nyak Dhien

Cut Nyak Dhien was born into an Islamic aristocratic family in Aceh Besar in VI Mukim district in 1848. Her father, Teuku Nanta Setia, was a member of (1) ________ ruling Ulee Balang aristocratic class in VI Mukim, (2) _______ her mother was also from an aristocrat (3) ______ . She was educated in religion and household (4) ______ . She was renowned for her beauty, and (5) _______ men proposed to her until her parents (6) _______ for her marriage to Teuku Cek Ibrahim Lamnga, the son (7) _______ aristocrat family, when she was twelve.

In (8) _______ 1873, during the Second Aceh Expedition the (9) _______ successfully captured VI Mukim in 1873, followed (10) _______ the Sultan’s Palace in 1874. In 1875, (11) ________ and her baby, along with other mothers (12) ________ evacuated to a safer location while her (13) ________ Ibrahim Lamnga fought to reclaim VI Mukim. Lamnga (14) ________ in action in Gle Tarum on June 29, (15) _______ . Hearing of this, Cut Nyak Dhien was enraged and swore to destroy the Dutch.

Arranged husband November and

90

APPENDIX 3

Answer Keys

A. Auctions

1. Auctioneer 11. With 2. Auction-room 12. Sold

3. Various 13. Can

4. Bid 14. The

5. Bidder 15. Printed

6. Is 16. Sold

7. Ends 17. A

8. On 18. Auction

9. Is 19. Cars

B. Save Your Money Now!

1. Everything 21. Contribute

2. Putting 22. On

3. A 23. To

4. Different 24. Items

5. Some 25. Lot

6. Money 26. You

7. Is 27. Bali

8. Aside 28. If

9. An 29. Purchases

10.An 30. The

11.Your 31. To

12.Six 32. Not

13.Need 33. Is

14.And 34. People

15.Survive 35. Or

16.Another 36. For

17.Your 37. Better

18.Retirement 19.In

92

C. Script 1

1. And 7. Money

2. Street 8. Investment

3. For 9. Building

4. Cramped 10. The 5. Efficiently 11. As 6. That

D. Cut Nyak Dhien

1. The 9. Dutch

2. And 10. By

3. Family 11. Cut Nyak Dhien

4. Matters 12. Were

5. Many 13. Husband

6. Arranged 14. Died

7. Of 15. 1878

APPENDIX 4

Table of the Frequency of the Students' Right Answers

No. Student

Text 1 Text 2 Text 3 Text 4

Deleted Words

19 37 11 15

1 Student 1 5 10 6 9

2 Student 2 2 19 5 10

3 Student 3 11 17 5 15

4 Student 4 7 20 0 13

5 Student 5 15 23 7 11

6 Student 6 13 20 9 13

7 Student 7 4 12 3 4

8 Student 8 9 0 1 5

9 Student 9 9 6 2 0

10 Student 10 12 18 9 9

11 Student 11 13 11 5 13

12 Student 12 11 17 4 15

13 Student 13 10 16 5 10

14 Student 14 4 16 3 3

15 Student 15 17 13 10 13

16 Student 16 11 17 5 15

17 Student 17 14 0 6 13

18 Student 18 14 20 7 15

19 Student 19 11 15 7 10

20 Student 20 4 11 5 5

21 Student 21 6 10 8 8

22 Student 22 14 17 5 15

23 Student 23 4 11 6 10

24 Student 24 8 5 7 10

25 Student 25 11 18 4 7

26 Student 26 9 3 10 11

27 Student 27 13 6 8 12

94 APPENDIX 5

Table of the Percentage of the Students' Right Answers

No. Student Text 1 Text 2 Text 3 Text 4

1 Student 1 26.32% 27.03% 54.55% 60.00% 2 Student 2 10.53% 51.35% 45.45% 66.67% 3 Student 3 57.89% 45.95% 45.45% 100.00%

4 Student 4 36.84% 54.05% 0% 86.67%

5 Student 5 78.94% 62.16% 63.64% 73.33% 6 Student 6 68.42% 54.05% 81.82% 86.67% 7 Student 7 21.05% 32.43% 27.27% 26.67%

8 Student 8 47.37% 0% 9.09% 33.33%

9 Student 9 47.37% 16.22% 18.18% 0%

10 Student 10 63.16% 48.65% 81.82% 60.00% 11 Student 11 68.42% 29.73% 45.45% 86.67% 12 Student 12 57.89% 45.95% 36.36% 100.00% 13 Student 13 52.63% 43.24% 45.45% 66.67% 14 Student 14 21.05% 43.24% 27.27% 20.00% 15 Student 15 89.47% 35.14% 90.91% 86.67% 16 Student 16 57.89% 45.95% 45.45% 100.00%

17 Student 17 73.68% 0% 54.55% 86.67%

18 Student 18 73.68% 54.05% 63.64% 100.00% 19 Student 19 57.89% 40.54% 63.64% 66.67% 20 Student 20 21.05% 29.73% 45.45% 33.33% 21 Student 21 31.58% 27.03% 72.73% 53.33% 22 Student 22 73.68% 45.95% 45.45% 100.00% 23 Student 23 21.05% 29.73% 54.55% 66.67% 24 Student 24 42.11% 13.51% 63.64% 66.67% 25 Student 25 57.89% 48.65% 36.36% 46.67% 26 Student 26 47.37% 8.11% 90.91% 73.33% 27 Student 27 68.42% 16.22% 72.73% 80.00% 28 Student 28 26.32% 29.73% 54.55% 100.00% 29 Student 29 26.32% 29.73% 45.45% 46.67%

Total 1,426.28% 1,008.12% 1,481.81% 1,973.36%