Grammar Mastery Theoretical Description

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CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter consists of two parts, i.e. theoretical description and theoretical framework. Theoretical description elucidates the theories underlying the study. Theoretical framework elucidates how the theories counterpart the study.

A. Theoretical Description

At this point, the writer elaborates some relevant theories underlying the study. In relation to the first research question, the writer felt the need to give an account for theory about grammar mastery. Since the focus of this study is analyzing the translation of relative clauses, thus the elucidation of translation theories should be stated here. Theories of relative clauses are also essential to be presented. Nevertheless, the writer would also convey some theories of error analysis in relation to the second research question.

1. Grammar Mastery

Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman 1999 concur that “teachers will be better prepared to meet their students’ learning needs if they have a firm grounding in the grammar of the language they are teaching.” As future teachers of English language to Indonesian learners, it is important for the fifth semester students of the English Language Study Program of Sanata Dharma University to PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 12 master grammar, including relative clauses, and be able to translate relative clauses from Indonesian into English. Mastery in language learning is considered as one of many points that a test might be characterized into Payne, 1969. Payne 1969 further mentions that mastery is about the learners’ basic knowledge and skills. Bloom as cited in Kulik 1969 says that If students are normally distributed in aptitude for a subject and all receive exactly the same instruction for the same amount of time, then, the end result will be a normal distribution on achievement in the subject. The final differences in achievement will reflect the initial differences in aptitude. In this study, the researcher intended to find out the mastery of the fifth semester students in translating relative clauses from Indonesian into English. It aimed at measuring the students’ basic knowledge of English relative clauses and tested their skills in grammar and translation. In relation to the study, one is said to have mastered relative clauses if he or she understands the rules of relative clauses and is able to use relative clauses correctly in sentences. As it is written in Peraturan Akademik Universitas Sanata Dharma Yogyakarta 2002, the minimum standard of mastery is fifty-six percent 56, while the overall grading system is determined by the lecturers. The following is the list of score category which is used to classify the students’ scores. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 13 Table 2.1 List of Score Category Score Category 80-100 very good A 70-79 good B 56-69 sufficient C 50-55 insufficient D ≤ 49 poor E Based on the list above, if the students’ scores are below the minimum standard of mastery, it means that they still have difficulties in translating relative clauses and they have not mastered the relative clauses.

2. Translation Theory