C. The Research Instrument
As stated by Vanderstoep and Johnston 2009: 211, “the researcher’s interpretation is, therefore, only one of many possible valid interpretations of a
given text”. It means that the best instrument for a qualitative research is the human or in a precise way is the researcher herself. It was expected to attain the deep
analysis of the research. The primary instrument of this research is the researcher herself who used her capacity to interpret and analyze the data. The researcher
interpreted and analyzed the data related to the interdependence toward nature and human being as presented in the story according to the researcher’s knowledge that
was supported by the eco-criticism theory. The second instruments were the data tables. In this research, the researcher
used two tables which are essential to categorize the data. The first table, Table 1, is essential to collect the data related to the natural problems faced by Karana in
Island of the Blue Dolphins. Then, the second table, Table 2, was used to collect the data related to the interdependence between nature and human beings which is
revealed in the novel. Both of these tables can be seen in the following.
Table 1
. The natural problems that are faced by Karana in O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins
No Page
Category Quotation
1 72-73
1. Animal Threat
I would soon kill the wild dogs, but there
were many small red foxes on the island.
They were so numerous that I could never
No Page
Category Quotation
hope to get rid of them either by traps or with
arrows. They were clever thieves and nothing I stored would be safe until I had
built a fence.
Table 2.
The interdependence between nature and human being shown in O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins
No Page
Category Quotation
1 86
1. Needing Food The spring was not far off and I rested there,
though I was very thirsty, cutting a lobe from a cactus bush to chew on.
D. The Data Collecting Technique
In collecting the data, the researcher made some steps. First, the researcher read the novel, Island of the Blue Dolphins carefully and thoroughly to attain a better
understanding. Then, the researcher collected the data related to the topic of “interdependences between nature and human being shown in Island of the Blue
Dolphins ”, and “natural problems that are faced by Karana in Island of the Blue
Dolphins
” by making some notes in the form of sentences, and paragraphs.
E. Methods of Data Analysis
The steps of the data analysis were explained as the following:
1. The researcher made some notes in the form of words, phrases, sentences and
paragraphs related to the objectives of the research: natural problems faced by Karana in Island of the Blue Dolphins, interdependence between nature and
human being shown in Island of the Blue Dolphins, and the wilderness that occurs in Island of the Blue Dolphins.
2. The researcher read and re-read the whole data and arranged them into two
major categories related to the objectives of the research. 3.
The researcher categorized the data in those two tables which were related to the objectives of the research.
4. The research sorted the categorized data.
5. The researcher analyzed and interpreted the relevant data based on the novel.
6. The last but not the least, the researcher applied the measure of trustworthiness
of the relevant data by peer debriefing triangulation.
F. Analytical Construct
In order to make this research easier to be understood, the researcher made a data sheet or table which was filled by category, indicator, and description. This
table was named as Table 3 which can be seen below.
Kategori