THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP TECHNIQUES TO TEACH READING DESCRIPTIVE TEXT AT 8th GRADE OF MTs TERPADU KALIPANG TIMUR, GRATI
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP
TECHNIQUES TO TEACH READING DESCRIPTIVE TEXT
AT 8th GRADE OF MTs TERPADU KALIPANG TIMUR, GRATI
THESIS
By:
Maisyatul Hasanah
201010100311270
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG
2015
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP
TECHNIQUES TO TEACH READING DESCRIPTIVE TEXT
AT 8th GRADE OF MTs TERPADU KALIPANG TIMUR, GRATI
THESIS
This thesis is submitted to fullfil one of the requirements
to achieve Sarjana Degree in English Education
By:
Maisyatul Hasanah
201010100311270
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG
2015
This thesis written by Maisyatul Hasanah was approved on May 7th, 2015
By:
Advisor I
Advisor II
Puji Sumarsono, M.Ed
Wahyu Taufiq, M.Ed
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE…………………………………………………………….…………
i
LEGALIZATION………………………………………….……………….
ii
MOTTO AND DEDICATION…………………………………………….
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT…………………………………………………..
iv
ABSTRACT……………………………….………………………………..
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………..…………
vi
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study…………………………………………….………
1
1.2 Statements of Problem……………………………………………………
5
1.3 Purpose of Study…………………………………………………………
5
1.4 Significance of Study……………………………………………………
6
1.5 Scope and Limitation…………………………………………….………
6
1.6 Definition of Key Terms…………………………………………………
7
CHAPTER II REVIEW RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Definition of Reading……………………………………….……………
9
2.1.1 Definition of Reading Comprehension…………………...........
11
2.1.2 Types of Reading………………………………...…………….
15
2.2 Teaching Reading………………………………………………………..
18
2.2.1 Principle in Teaching Reading…………………………………
21
2.3 Technique of Teaching Reading………………………...……………….
24
2.3.1 Top-Down Technique………………………………….............
24
2.3.1.1 Definition of Top-Down Technique………….............
24
2.3.1.2 Teaching Reading Steps Using Top-Down Technique
26
2.3.1.3 Advantages of Top-Down Technique………………..
28
2.3.1.4 Disadvantages of Top-Down Technique……………..
29
2.3.2 Bottom-Up Technique………………………………………….
30
2.3.2.1 Definition of Bottom-Up Technique ……………...…
30
2.3.2.2 Teaching Reading Steps Using Bottom-Up Technique
31
2.3.2.3 Advantages of Bottom-Up Technique …...………….
34
2.3.2.4 Disadvantages of Bottom-Up Technique ……………
35
2.4 Interactive Process of Reading………………………………………..…
37
2.5 The Problems of Understanding Text…………………………………...
38
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design………………………………………………………….
41
3.2 Research Subject……………………………………………………..….
42
3.3 Research Instruments………………………………………………..…..
42
3.3.1 Classroom Observation Checklist…………………………..…
43
3.3.2 Interview…………………………………………………….....
44
3.4 Procedures of Data Collection……………………………………………
44
3.5 Data Analysis……………………………………………………………..
45
CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Research Findings…………………………………………………………
4.1.1 The Implementation of Top-Down and Bottom-Up Technique
47
a. The Result of First Observation.…………………………….…….
48
b. The Result of Second Observation…………………….………….
52
4.1.2 The Problems Faced by the Teacher in Implementation of Top-Down
and Bottom-Up Technique…………………………………………
57
4.1.3 The Ways Teacher Cope with the Problems……………………….
59
4.2 Discussion…………………………………………………………..........
63
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1 Conclusion………………………………………………………………..
70
5.2 Suggestions………………………………………………………….........
71
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES
APPENDICES
Appendix 1
Observation Checklist
Appendix 2
Interview (For The Teacher)
Appendix 3
Rencana Pelaksanaan Pembelajaran (RPP)
Appendix 4
Text 1: The Life of Endangered Animal
Appendix 5
Text 2: All About Flower
Appendix 6
Pictures
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abraham, Paul. 2000. Skilled Reading: Top-Down, Bottom-Up. Boston: Field Notes,
Vol. 10, No.2. SABES/World Education.
Anderson, R., and P. D. Pearson. 1988. “A schematheoretic view of basic processes
in reading comprehension.” In Carrell, Devine, and Eskey 1988, 37–55.
Anderson, R.C., and P.D. Pearson. 1984. A schematheoretic view of basic processes
in reading comprehension. In P.D. Pearson, R. Barr, M. Kamil, and P.
Mosenthal (Eds.), Handbook of reading research, 1 (pp. 255-291). White
Plains, N.Y.: Longman Publishing Group
Anderson,N.J. 1999. Exploring Second Language Reading: Issues and Strategies.
Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.
Anne P. Sweet. 2000. State of the Art: Transforming Ideas for Teaching and
Learning Reading. National Education Association Federal Project Officer,
Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA)
Ary, Donald., Jacobs Cheser, Lucy., Sorensen, Chris., 2010. Introduction to
Research in Education. 8th ed. United States: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Barnett, M. A. 1988. “Teaching Reading in a Foreign Language.” ERIC Digest.
Block, E. L. 1992. “How They Read: Comprehension Monitoring of L1 and L2
Readers.” TESOL Quarterly 26(2)
1988, Interactive
approaches
Cambridge University Press.
to
In Carrell, Devine,
second
language
and Eskey
reading.Cambridge:
Brown, H. Douglas. 2000. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. 4th ed.
San Francisco State University: Longman
Brown, H. Douglas. 1994. Teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language
pedagogy, Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall Regents.
Carrell, Patricia L. Devine, Joanne. Eskey, David E. 1988. Interactive Approaches to
Second Language Reading. Cambridge University Press.
Cohen, L., Manion, Lawrence., Morrison, Keith., 2007. Research Methods in
Education. 6th ed. London and New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francais
Group.
Erten, İ.H, and S. Razı (2003). “An experimental investigation into the impact of
cultural schemata on reading comprehension.” Paper presented at 2nd
International Balkan ELT Conference, 20-22 June 2003, Trakya University,
Edirne, Turkey.
Farrell, Thomas S.C. 2009. Teaching Reading to English Language Learners: A
Reflective Guide. Corwin Press
Fauziyah, Alfian. 2007. Teaching Reading Using Top-Down and Bottom-Up at SMU
3 Muhammadiyah Surabaya. Unpublished Thesis UNESA.
Fuchs, Jennifer Lynn. 2007. Need for Speed: The Relationship Between Oral
Reading Fluency and Minnessota Comprehensive Reading Assessment.
Unpublished Dissertation. Capella University.
Goodman, K. 1988. The reading process. In Carrell,
Devine, and Eskey 1988, 11–
21.
Harmer. 1991. The Practice of English Language Teaching, ISBN 0582 04656 4
page 190
Hatch, J. Amos. 2002. Doing Qualitative Research in Education Settings. New
York: State of University of New York Press, Albany.
Kvale, S. 1996. Interview. London: Sage.
Mishler, E. G. 1986. Research Interview: Context and Narrative. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
Morrison, K. R. B. 1993. Planning and Accomplishing School-Centred Evaluation.
Dereham, UK: Peter Francais.
Moyles, J. 2002. Observation as a research tool. In. M. Coleman and A. J. Briggs
(eds) Research Methods in Educational Leadership. London: Palu Chapman,
172-91.
Omaggio, M. A. 1993. Teaching language in context. Boston: Heinle and Heinle.
Pearson, P.D., L.R. Roehler, J.A. Dole, and G.G. Duffy. 1990. Developing expertise
in reading comprehension: What should be taught? How should it be taught?
Technical Report No. 512. Champaign, Ill.: Center for the Study of Reading.
Pardede, Parlindungan. 2006. A Review on Reading Theories and its Impication to
the teaching of Reading. Unpublished Thesis UKI.
Pinker, Stephen. 1994. Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language. New
York: William Morrow.
Suzanne S.H, Jennifer. 2008. Improving The Oral Reading Fluency in Elementary
Students of American Indian Heritage with Learning Disabilities Using the
Repeated Readings Methods. Unpublished Dissertation. The University of
South Dakota
Smith, F. 1997. Reading without Nonsense. New York: Teachers College Press.
Smith, F. 1994. Understanding Reading. 5th ed. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Snow, Catherine. 2002. Reading for Understanding: toward a research and
development program in reading comprehension. Santa Monica, Arlington:
RAND Education
Spradley, J. P. 1979. The Ethnographic Interview. New York: Holt, Rinehart &
Winston.
Tarigan, Henry Guntur. 2008. Membaca Suatu Keterampilan Berbahasa. Bandung:
Angkasa.
Tierney, R. J., and P. D. Pearson. 1994. “Learning to learn from text: A Framework
for Improving Classroom Practice.” In Rudell, Ruddell, and Singer, eds. 1994.
496–513.
Urquhart,S. and Weir, C. 1998. Reading in a Second Language: Process, Product and
Practice. London: Longman
Woodward, Tessa. 2001. Planning Lessons and Courses.Cambridge: University
Press.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
Language learning is not a set of easy steps that can be programmed in a
quick do-it-yourself kit (Brown, 2000: 1). Language learning is a long and
complex undertaking. When people try to learn a language, they will take even a
long or a short education process. According to Pinker’s The Language Instinct
(1994):
Language is a complex, specialized skill, which developed in the child
spontaneously, without conscious effort or formal instruction, is deployed
without awareness of its underlying logic, is qualitatively the same in every
individual, and is distinct from more general abilities to process information
or behave intelligently. (p.18)
In the other words, language is systematic, used for communication. It is
operate in a speech community or culture, and it is also acquired by all people in
the same way with the universal characteristics. Language learning for English
foreign or second language focuses on developing the ability to communicate in
target language.
English is one of languages in the world. Nowadays, English as
international language has important role in facing globalization era. Most of
people need English for several reasons such as for transferring knowledge,
information, and also for doing international trip.
Learning English can be achieved in various ways; one of them is education
in schools. Recently, there are many schools providing the language courses or
1
lesson which could help the students in mastering a language, especially English.
English has become an important language in education field, not only in the
universities, but also in primary and secondary schools in Indonesia and other
developing countries. In tertiary education, for instance, most of the references
are written in English regardless of the students' subject matters. Those
situations certainly encourage the government to rise up the qualities of teaching
and learning English by providing some qualified institutions.
Learning English usually covers four basic skills, they are reading, writing,
speaking, and listening. These skills are joined closely together as the same
treatment during English lesson. In this research, the researcher will take a
specialization in teaching reading. The researcher will conduct a research about
technique in teaching reading in Junior High School.
Reading is one of important skills in learning language. With reading skill,
the learner will try to process each single word and understand its meaning.
According to Ministry of Education and Culture (2013: 66), as one of the core
competence, reading has an important role to help students to be able to
communicate in English and to create a discourse. Therefore, the students must
be able to read a text in English.
In reading process, learner will know that language is about a set of arbitrary
symbols that is not only primarily visual, but may also be vocal. In other way,
reading can take longer process and have higher complexity than the other skills.
2
Frequently, reading is possibly the most extensively and intensively studied by
expert in the field of language teaching and learning.
In this study, the researcher focuses on the reading activity. There are lots of
ways in teaching reading and making interesting reading activity. There is
notable interaction between language and though in reading. Reading is a
receptive psycholinguistic process wherein the actor uses strategies to create
meaning from text. It means that students speak the language in the
psychological circumstance; started with linguistic surface representation
encoded by researcher and ended with meaning with the reader’s construct
(Goodman 1988: 22)
According to statement above, the researcher sums up that a good reader has
two ways to generate the knowledge processing in reading activity. First,
information is processed based on linguistic input from the text. Second,
information is processed using prior knowledge of the reader to make some
prediction about the data they found in the text.
The English teacher also has important role in teaching his students to read.
The role of English teacher is very essential in the classroom. He is a leader in
managing his classes. The English teacher has important role in developing his
or her students’ response through reading activity, as a mediator or facilitator to
clarify the difference and creating the effectiveness in classroom. Teacher has a
big responsibility in creating students’ creativity and in motivating their
3
students’. The teacher knows how to handle and to encourage the students to be
motivated in reading.
To make a good reading comprehension the teacher can use top-down and
bottom-up technique in teaching reading. According to Farrell (2009: 18), by
top-down technique, reading is directed to the brain. Reading by top-down
technique is bringing the students’ knowledge and experiences to read the text. It
will influence the students’ understanding and interpreting the text. Reading by
bottom-up technique is taking and constructing the meaning only from the text
itself, from each word and sentence. It builds textual meaning from the smallest
unit to the largest.
According to Pardede (2006),in his research, he finds that with a basic
understanding of theoretical basis of top-down and bottom-up processing,
teachers can be better take advantage of the most useful methodologies
associated with the different approaches.
The other previous research related to top-down and bottom-up technique
which is conducted by Fauziyah, 2007, she finds that the top-down and bottomup technique could be used to teach reading. This technique is recommended as
alternative aid to teach reading comprehension.
The researcher is interested in conducting the research because most of
students or learners who are learning second or foreign language assumed that
reading is the most essential skill to master due to some reasons. First, reading is
service skill. Harmer (1991: 190) describes writing and speaking as productive
4
skills and listening and reading as receptive skills. On the other hand, writing
and speaking English can be skill that produce a product or performance that has
a wide improvement and creativity of language learning; and reading and
listening English can be skill that the learner accept their forms or concept from
English language. It means after learning how to read effectively, students will
be able to learn effectively. Second, students are performance highly in reading
than other skills. They more understand the context of learning by read the text.
Indirectly, this condition will motivate the students to learn more.
Realizing how important reading for learner, the researcher see the great
chance to develop the learner’s or student’s ability. This research will be taken at
MTs Terpadu Kalipang because each class in this school consists of 23 students.
The small class is making the research easy to get valid data because the
students will get maximal attention from their teacher. Therefore, the researcher
decides to do the research in that school. The top-down and bottom-up technique
can help the students comprehend the text. Thus, the researcher intends to
observe how that technique applying in classroom. The researcher wants to
know the teacher’s way in applying top-down and bottom-up technique reading
and the problems probably happen while the teaching undergo.
1.2 Statement of Problem
1. How does the teacher apply top-down and bottom-up technique in teaching
reading?
5
2. What are the problems faced by the teacher in using the top-down and
bottom-up technique in teaching reading?
3. How does the teacher solve the problems faced in applying the top-down and
bottom-up technique in teaching reading?
1.3 Purpose of Study
The purpose of the study is based on the statements of problem. This research
will be aimed at finding out:
1. Describing the way teacher applies the top-down and bottom-up technique in
teaching reading
2. Identifying the problems which are faced by the teacher in using top-down
and bottom-up technique in teaching reading
3. Findings the solutions for the problems which are faced by the teacher in
applying the top-down and bottom-up technique in teaching reading
1.4 Significance of Study
The result of the study are hoped to give benefits for teachers, the readers, and for
the next researchers:
a. For teachers
The result of this study can be one of the techniques in teaching reading. In
addition, it can solve teacher’s problem in preparing the material and the way
of teaching reading using the top-down and bottom-up technique.
b. For students
6
Through this study, it is hoped that it can give valuable contribution in
increasing the students’ ability to read the other text comprehensively.
c. For next researchers
For next researchers, the results of this study can be used as reference and for
materials research that can be developed in the future.
1.5 Scope and Limitation
The scope of this study is the use of top-down and bottom-up technique to
teach reading which covers three types of texts; recount, narrative, and
descriptive at 8th grade (B Class) MTs Terpadu Kalipang Grati (year 2014-2015).
Meanwhile, it limits on descriptive text as material during the research is
undergo. The researcher limits her research on descriptive text because it is
presented more frequently than other texts. It is hoped the researcher can get
deeper result.
1.6 Definition of Key Terms
To avoid ambiguity, the explanations of the terms that are used are as follows:
1. Reading: the process of making meaning from text to gain an overall
understanding of what is described in the text ratherthan to obtain meaning
from isolated words or sentences.
2. Top-down processing: the uptake of information is guided by an individual’s
prior knowledge and expectations (Treiman, 2001). The students begin
reading from the main idea, then evaluating the ideas and ends by conclusion
and predicting outcomes (Djuharie, 2008)
7
3. Bottom-up processing: take in stimuli from the outside world, letters and
words, for reading and deal with that information with little recourse to
higher-level knowledge (Treiman, 2001).The students calls attention to
grammatical forms, discourse markers, and other surface structure details for
the purposes of understanding literal meaning, implications, rhetorical
relationship, and the like while they are reading (Brown, 1989).
4. Top-down and bottom-up technique: the way of information processing and
knowledge ordering which involves an active cognitive process in which the
reader’s background knowledge plays a key role in the creation of meaning
(Tierney and Pearson, 1994) and make readers decode a text word by word,
linking the words into phrases and then sentences (Gray and Rogers, cited in
Kucer 1987).
8
TECHNIQUES TO TEACH READING DESCRIPTIVE TEXT
AT 8th GRADE OF MTs TERPADU KALIPANG TIMUR, GRATI
THESIS
By:
Maisyatul Hasanah
201010100311270
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG
2015
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP
TECHNIQUES TO TEACH READING DESCRIPTIVE TEXT
AT 8th GRADE OF MTs TERPADU KALIPANG TIMUR, GRATI
THESIS
This thesis is submitted to fullfil one of the requirements
to achieve Sarjana Degree in English Education
By:
Maisyatul Hasanah
201010100311270
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MUHAMMADIYAH MALANG
2015
This thesis written by Maisyatul Hasanah was approved on May 7th, 2015
By:
Advisor I
Advisor II
Puji Sumarsono, M.Ed
Wahyu Taufiq, M.Ed
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE…………………………………………………………….…………
i
LEGALIZATION………………………………………….……………….
ii
MOTTO AND DEDICATION…………………………………………….
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT…………………………………………………..
iv
ABSTRACT……………………………….………………………………..
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………..…………
vi
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study…………………………………………….………
1
1.2 Statements of Problem……………………………………………………
5
1.3 Purpose of Study…………………………………………………………
5
1.4 Significance of Study……………………………………………………
6
1.5 Scope and Limitation…………………………………………….………
6
1.6 Definition of Key Terms…………………………………………………
7
CHAPTER II REVIEW RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Definition of Reading……………………………………….……………
9
2.1.1 Definition of Reading Comprehension…………………...........
11
2.1.2 Types of Reading………………………………...…………….
15
2.2 Teaching Reading………………………………………………………..
18
2.2.1 Principle in Teaching Reading…………………………………
21
2.3 Technique of Teaching Reading………………………...……………….
24
2.3.1 Top-Down Technique………………………………….............
24
2.3.1.1 Definition of Top-Down Technique………….............
24
2.3.1.2 Teaching Reading Steps Using Top-Down Technique
26
2.3.1.3 Advantages of Top-Down Technique………………..
28
2.3.1.4 Disadvantages of Top-Down Technique……………..
29
2.3.2 Bottom-Up Technique………………………………………….
30
2.3.2.1 Definition of Bottom-Up Technique ……………...…
30
2.3.2.2 Teaching Reading Steps Using Bottom-Up Technique
31
2.3.2.3 Advantages of Bottom-Up Technique …...………….
34
2.3.2.4 Disadvantages of Bottom-Up Technique ……………
35
2.4 Interactive Process of Reading………………………………………..…
37
2.5 The Problems of Understanding Text…………………………………...
38
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design………………………………………………………….
41
3.2 Research Subject……………………………………………………..….
42
3.3 Research Instruments………………………………………………..…..
42
3.3.1 Classroom Observation Checklist…………………………..…
43
3.3.2 Interview…………………………………………………….....
44
3.4 Procedures of Data Collection……………………………………………
44
3.5 Data Analysis……………………………………………………………..
45
CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Research Findings…………………………………………………………
4.1.1 The Implementation of Top-Down and Bottom-Up Technique
47
a. The Result of First Observation.…………………………….…….
48
b. The Result of Second Observation…………………….………….
52
4.1.2 The Problems Faced by the Teacher in Implementation of Top-Down
and Bottom-Up Technique…………………………………………
57
4.1.3 The Ways Teacher Cope with the Problems……………………….
59
4.2 Discussion…………………………………………………………..........
63
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1 Conclusion………………………………………………………………..
70
5.2 Suggestions………………………………………………………….........
71
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES
APPENDICES
Appendix 1
Observation Checklist
Appendix 2
Interview (For The Teacher)
Appendix 3
Rencana Pelaksanaan Pembelajaran (RPP)
Appendix 4
Text 1: The Life of Endangered Animal
Appendix 5
Text 2: All About Flower
Appendix 6
Pictures
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abraham, Paul. 2000. Skilled Reading: Top-Down, Bottom-Up. Boston: Field Notes,
Vol. 10, No.2. SABES/World Education.
Anderson, R., and P. D. Pearson. 1988. “A schematheoretic view of basic processes
in reading comprehension.” In Carrell, Devine, and Eskey 1988, 37–55.
Anderson, R.C., and P.D. Pearson. 1984. A schematheoretic view of basic processes
in reading comprehension. In P.D. Pearson, R. Barr, M. Kamil, and P.
Mosenthal (Eds.), Handbook of reading research, 1 (pp. 255-291). White
Plains, N.Y.: Longman Publishing Group
Anderson,N.J. 1999. Exploring Second Language Reading: Issues and Strategies.
Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.
Anne P. Sweet. 2000. State of the Art: Transforming Ideas for Teaching and
Learning Reading. National Education Association Federal Project Officer,
Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA)
Ary, Donald., Jacobs Cheser, Lucy., Sorensen, Chris., 2010. Introduction to
Research in Education. 8th ed. United States: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Barnett, M. A. 1988. “Teaching Reading in a Foreign Language.” ERIC Digest.
Block, E. L. 1992. “How They Read: Comprehension Monitoring of L1 and L2
Readers.” TESOL Quarterly 26(2)
1988, Interactive
approaches
Cambridge University Press.
to
In Carrell, Devine,
second
language
and Eskey
reading.Cambridge:
Brown, H. Douglas. 2000. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. 4th ed.
San Francisco State University: Longman
Brown, H. Douglas. 1994. Teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language
pedagogy, Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall Regents.
Carrell, Patricia L. Devine, Joanne. Eskey, David E. 1988. Interactive Approaches to
Second Language Reading. Cambridge University Press.
Cohen, L., Manion, Lawrence., Morrison, Keith., 2007. Research Methods in
Education. 6th ed. London and New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francais
Group.
Erten, İ.H, and S. Razı (2003). “An experimental investigation into the impact of
cultural schemata on reading comprehension.” Paper presented at 2nd
International Balkan ELT Conference, 20-22 June 2003, Trakya University,
Edirne, Turkey.
Farrell, Thomas S.C. 2009. Teaching Reading to English Language Learners: A
Reflective Guide. Corwin Press
Fauziyah, Alfian. 2007. Teaching Reading Using Top-Down and Bottom-Up at SMU
3 Muhammadiyah Surabaya. Unpublished Thesis UNESA.
Fuchs, Jennifer Lynn. 2007. Need for Speed: The Relationship Between Oral
Reading Fluency and Minnessota Comprehensive Reading Assessment.
Unpublished Dissertation. Capella University.
Goodman, K. 1988. The reading process. In Carrell,
Devine, and Eskey 1988, 11–
21.
Harmer. 1991. The Practice of English Language Teaching, ISBN 0582 04656 4
page 190
Hatch, J. Amos. 2002. Doing Qualitative Research in Education Settings. New
York: State of University of New York Press, Albany.
Kvale, S. 1996. Interview. London: Sage.
Mishler, E. G. 1986. Research Interview: Context and Narrative. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
Morrison, K. R. B. 1993. Planning and Accomplishing School-Centred Evaluation.
Dereham, UK: Peter Francais.
Moyles, J. 2002. Observation as a research tool. In. M. Coleman and A. J. Briggs
(eds) Research Methods in Educational Leadership. London: Palu Chapman,
172-91.
Omaggio, M. A. 1993. Teaching language in context. Boston: Heinle and Heinle.
Pearson, P.D., L.R. Roehler, J.A. Dole, and G.G. Duffy. 1990. Developing expertise
in reading comprehension: What should be taught? How should it be taught?
Technical Report No. 512. Champaign, Ill.: Center for the Study of Reading.
Pardede, Parlindungan. 2006. A Review on Reading Theories and its Impication to
the teaching of Reading. Unpublished Thesis UKI.
Pinker, Stephen. 1994. Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language. New
York: William Morrow.
Suzanne S.H, Jennifer. 2008. Improving The Oral Reading Fluency in Elementary
Students of American Indian Heritage with Learning Disabilities Using the
Repeated Readings Methods. Unpublished Dissertation. The University of
South Dakota
Smith, F. 1997. Reading without Nonsense. New York: Teachers College Press.
Smith, F. 1994. Understanding Reading. 5th ed. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Snow, Catherine. 2002. Reading for Understanding: toward a research and
development program in reading comprehension. Santa Monica, Arlington:
RAND Education
Spradley, J. P. 1979. The Ethnographic Interview. New York: Holt, Rinehart &
Winston.
Tarigan, Henry Guntur. 2008. Membaca Suatu Keterampilan Berbahasa. Bandung:
Angkasa.
Tierney, R. J., and P. D. Pearson. 1994. “Learning to learn from text: A Framework
for Improving Classroom Practice.” In Rudell, Ruddell, and Singer, eds. 1994.
496–513.
Urquhart,S. and Weir, C. 1998. Reading in a Second Language: Process, Product and
Practice. London: Longman
Woodward, Tessa. 2001. Planning Lessons and Courses.Cambridge: University
Press.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
Language learning is not a set of easy steps that can be programmed in a
quick do-it-yourself kit (Brown, 2000: 1). Language learning is a long and
complex undertaking. When people try to learn a language, they will take even a
long or a short education process. According to Pinker’s The Language Instinct
(1994):
Language is a complex, specialized skill, which developed in the child
spontaneously, without conscious effort or formal instruction, is deployed
without awareness of its underlying logic, is qualitatively the same in every
individual, and is distinct from more general abilities to process information
or behave intelligently. (p.18)
In the other words, language is systematic, used for communication. It is
operate in a speech community or culture, and it is also acquired by all people in
the same way with the universal characteristics. Language learning for English
foreign or second language focuses on developing the ability to communicate in
target language.
English is one of languages in the world. Nowadays, English as
international language has important role in facing globalization era. Most of
people need English for several reasons such as for transferring knowledge,
information, and also for doing international trip.
Learning English can be achieved in various ways; one of them is education
in schools. Recently, there are many schools providing the language courses or
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lesson which could help the students in mastering a language, especially English.
English has become an important language in education field, not only in the
universities, but also in primary and secondary schools in Indonesia and other
developing countries. In tertiary education, for instance, most of the references
are written in English regardless of the students' subject matters. Those
situations certainly encourage the government to rise up the qualities of teaching
and learning English by providing some qualified institutions.
Learning English usually covers four basic skills, they are reading, writing,
speaking, and listening. These skills are joined closely together as the same
treatment during English lesson. In this research, the researcher will take a
specialization in teaching reading. The researcher will conduct a research about
technique in teaching reading in Junior High School.
Reading is one of important skills in learning language. With reading skill,
the learner will try to process each single word and understand its meaning.
According to Ministry of Education and Culture (2013: 66), as one of the core
competence, reading has an important role to help students to be able to
communicate in English and to create a discourse. Therefore, the students must
be able to read a text in English.
In reading process, learner will know that language is about a set of arbitrary
symbols that is not only primarily visual, but may also be vocal. In other way,
reading can take longer process and have higher complexity than the other skills.
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Frequently, reading is possibly the most extensively and intensively studied by
expert in the field of language teaching and learning.
In this study, the researcher focuses on the reading activity. There are lots of
ways in teaching reading and making interesting reading activity. There is
notable interaction between language and though in reading. Reading is a
receptive psycholinguistic process wherein the actor uses strategies to create
meaning from text. It means that students speak the language in the
psychological circumstance; started with linguistic surface representation
encoded by researcher and ended with meaning with the reader’s construct
(Goodman 1988: 22)
According to statement above, the researcher sums up that a good reader has
two ways to generate the knowledge processing in reading activity. First,
information is processed based on linguistic input from the text. Second,
information is processed using prior knowledge of the reader to make some
prediction about the data they found in the text.
The English teacher also has important role in teaching his students to read.
The role of English teacher is very essential in the classroom. He is a leader in
managing his classes. The English teacher has important role in developing his
or her students’ response through reading activity, as a mediator or facilitator to
clarify the difference and creating the effectiveness in classroom. Teacher has a
big responsibility in creating students’ creativity and in motivating their
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students’. The teacher knows how to handle and to encourage the students to be
motivated in reading.
To make a good reading comprehension the teacher can use top-down and
bottom-up technique in teaching reading. According to Farrell (2009: 18), by
top-down technique, reading is directed to the brain. Reading by top-down
technique is bringing the students’ knowledge and experiences to read the text. It
will influence the students’ understanding and interpreting the text. Reading by
bottom-up technique is taking and constructing the meaning only from the text
itself, from each word and sentence. It builds textual meaning from the smallest
unit to the largest.
According to Pardede (2006),in his research, he finds that with a basic
understanding of theoretical basis of top-down and bottom-up processing,
teachers can be better take advantage of the most useful methodologies
associated with the different approaches.
The other previous research related to top-down and bottom-up technique
which is conducted by Fauziyah, 2007, she finds that the top-down and bottomup technique could be used to teach reading. This technique is recommended as
alternative aid to teach reading comprehension.
The researcher is interested in conducting the research because most of
students or learners who are learning second or foreign language assumed that
reading is the most essential skill to master due to some reasons. First, reading is
service skill. Harmer (1991: 190) describes writing and speaking as productive
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skills and listening and reading as receptive skills. On the other hand, writing
and speaking English can be skill that produce a product or performance that has
a wide improvement and creativity of language learning; and reading and
listening English can be skill that the learner accept their forms or concept from
English language. It means after learning how to read effectively, students will
be able to learn effectively. Second, students are performance highly in reading
than other skills. They more understand the context of learning by read the text.
Indirectly, this condition will motivate the students to learn more.
Realizing how important reading for learner, the researcher see the great
chance to develop the learner’s or student’s ability. This research will be taken at
MTs Terpadu Kalipang because each class in this school consists of 23 students.
The small class is making the research easy to get valid data because the
students will get maximal attention from their teacher. Therefore, the researcher
decides to do the research in that school. The top-down and bottom-up technique
can help the students comprehend the text. Thus, the researcher intends to
observe how that technique applying in classroom. The researcher wants to
know the teacher’s way in applying top-down and bottom-up technique reading
and the problems probably happen while the teaching undergo.
1.2 Statement of Problem
1. How does the teacher apply top-down and bottom-up technique in teaching
reading?
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2. What are the problems faced by the teacher in using the top-down and
bottom-up technique in teaching reading?
3. How does the teacher solve the problems faced in applying the top-down and
bottom-up technique in teaching reading?
1.3 Purpose of Study
The purpose of the study is based on the statements of problem. This research
will be aimed at finding out:
1. Describing the way teacher applies the top-down and bottom-up technique in
teaching reading
2. Identifying the problems which are faced by the teacher in using top-down
and bottom-up technique in teaching reading
3. Findings the solutions for the problems which are faced by the teacher in
applying the top-down and bottom-up technique in teaching reading
1.4 Significance of Study
The result of the study are hoped to give benefits for teachers, the readers, and for
the next researchers:
a. For teachers
The result of this study can be one of the techniques in teaching reading. In
addition, it can solve teacher’s problem in preparing the material and the way
of teaching reading using the top-down and bottom-up technique.
b. For students
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Through this study, it is hoped that it can give valuable contribution in
increasing the students’ ability to read the other text comprehensively.
c. For next researchers
For next researchers, the results of this study can be used as reference and for
materials research that can be developed in the future.
1.5 Scope and Limitation
The scope of this study is the use of top-down and bottom-up technique to
teach reading which covers three types of texts; recount, narrative, and
descriptive at 8th grade (B Class) MTs Terpadu Kalipang Grati (year 2014-2015).
Meanwhile, it limits on descriptive text as material during the research is
undergo. The researcher limits her research on descriptive text because it is
presented more frequently than other texts. It is hoped the researcher can get
deeper result.
1.6 Definition of Key Terms
To avoid ambiguity, the explanations of the terms that are used are as follows:
1. Reading: the process of making meaning from text to gain an overall
understanding of what is described in the text ratherthan to obtain meaning
from isolated words or sentences.
2. Top-down processing: the uptake of information is guided by an individual’s
prior knowledge and expectations (Treiman, 2001). The students begin
reading from the main idea, then evaluating the ideas and ends by conclusion
and predicting outcomes (Djuharie, 2008)
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3. Bottom-up processing: take in stimuli from the outside world, letters and
words, for reading and deal with that information with little recourse to
higher-level knowledge (Treiman, 2001).The students calls attention to
grammatical forms, discourse markers, and other surface structure details for
the purposes of understanding literal meaning, implications, rhetorical
relationship, and the like while they are reading (Brown, 1989).
4. Top-down and bottom-up technique: the way of information processing and
knowledge ordering which involves an active cognitive process in which the
reader’s background knowledge plays a key role in the creation of meaning
(Tierney and Pearson, 1994) and make readers decode a text word by word,
linking the words into phrases and then sentences (Gray and Rogers, cited in
Kucer 1987).
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