Nowadays, there is research done to propose strategies to improve reading comprehension. Singer 1985 as cited in Muljani 2005 conducted a study that
classified research-based hypotheses for testing strategies for improving reading comprehension into three categories. The first was related to input stimuli, the second
was related to cognitive process for encoding, storing and retrieving information, and the third was related to output products. Concerning the second category, which
focuses on instructional procedure, he mentioned some studies on questioning strategies. The studies proposed that self-questioning or readers’ generating questions
could cause a greater degree of comprehension. Self-questioning is the ongoing process of asking questions before, during,
and after reading that are used by a reader to understand texts anonymous, 2005. Wong 1985 and Rosenshine and Chapman 1990 as cited in King 1992 concluded
“when students receive adequate training in how to generate questions, their use of self-questioning during or after reading usually results in improved comprehension”.
In line, Muljani 2005 also states that readers who are accustomed to self- questioning are able to engage themselves in independent reading activity effectively
and efficiently. Using this strategy, readers or students are expected to be more critical with the reading text that they are dealing with. In other words, readers or
students can be led to become an active reader in their attempts to achieve comprehension through self-questioning strategy. Helfeldt and Henk 1990 as cited
in Muljani 2005 state “it is expected that through this self-questioning, the reader can be led become aware of what and how he learns through his reading”.
Considering that comprehension is an essential goal in reading activities and that self-questioning strategy may develop students’ reading comprehension actively,
therefore this research is intended to find out whether or not self-questioning strategy really brings positive impacts on the students.
B. Problem Identification
Reading is regarded as one of important subjects in language learning. Carrell 1988 states that “reading is by far the most important of the four skills in a second
language, particularly in English as a second or foreign language”. For some students, reading is regarded as a complicated task since they have not mastered
English yet i.e. lack of vocabulary. In consequence, it is hard for them to achieve comprehension as the goal in reading. Regarding the situation, a good strategy is
needed in reading process. Thus, teachers attempt to provide students some instructional help to lead students become independent and critical in their purpose to
achieve comprehension. Questions are a common tool for teachers to guide students to comprehend
reading texts. Miciano 2002 states that teaching learning process invariably uses questions and answer format because the questions focus on reader’s attention and
increase the potential of learning. However, Miciano 2002 also states “this format place the initiative and option of defining the parameters of learning on the teacher,
relegating students to a passive, reactive role, fostering dependency and removing a sense of responsibility, initiative and a kind of energy.” In the typical reading
classroom, the teachers directly present the students with texts which they have to read. After reading the texts, the teachers ask questions and the students answer.
Such a conventional classroom provides one-way interaction in which the students will not be critical and not be involved with the reading text. Frase 1967 as cited in
Miciano explains 2002“where teachers ask pre-posed questions and the students read to answer them, comprehension tends to narrow because students are likely to
focus only on the passages related to the pre-posed questions”. Considering the situation, the researcher found that self-questioning strategy
might become a good strategy to help students to gain comprehension in reading process. Besides, there are many researches have proved that self-questioning is able
to improve reading comprehension. However, this strategy has not been implemented widely by many teachers in Indonesia Muljani, 2005. Therefore, in order to find out
whether this strategy really brings positive impacts on Indonesian students, an investigation is apparently needed by applying self-questioning as the treatment for
the students.
C. Problem Formulation
Implementing self-questioning strategy for grade 7 of SMP Maria Immaculata Yogyakarta leads the researcher to some questions which are formulated below:
1. How is the implementation of self-questioning strategy in the English
classroom of the seventh grade students at SMP Maria Immaculata Yogyakarta?
2. Does the implementation of self-questioning strategy in the English
classroom improve the seventh grade students’ reading comprehension?
D. Problem Limitation
This research is limited on two important factors. The first factor is that the subjects of this study are the seventh grade students of SMP Maria Immaculata
Yogyakarta. Based on the interview with the English teacher before the study, it turned out that this junior high school has realized the importance of increasing
students’ reading ability, since the students in the future will face UAN Ujian Akhir Nasional National Examination of which the most questions are about reading
. Due
to the difficulties in getting permission and administrative requirement, this research is only conducted in one class, which was randomly chosen, for the experiment.
Second, this research focuses on the implementation of self-questioning strategy in reading lesson. It is taken into consideration because it might help both the
teacher and the students in reading lesson especially in English reading comprehension. The English reading texts or the materials used in this research are
based on the syllabus of Junior High School.
E. Research Objectives
This research shares some objectives of self-questioning strategy in English reading comprehension. They are:
