The Language Features of Descriptive Texts

Discussing about reading, it cannot be separated from the reader‘s understanding on the text being read. In other words, it is discussed about the reader‘s ability to understand at certain levels. The level of understanding can be distinguished as when a reader is possible to comprehend the words but not the meaning of a sentence, and comprehend a sentence but not the organization of the text. Kintsch and van Dijk, as quoted in Alderson, named the former possibility as ―microprocesses‖ and the latter as ―macroprocesses‖. Micro-processes have to deal with local or phase-by phase understanding whereas macro-processes have to deal with global understanding. 36 Based on the levels of understanding presented above, reading ability can be interpreted as the skills that must be mastered by a reader to achieve at expected level of understanding. Davis, as cited in Alderson, defines eight skills as follows: 1. Recalling words meaning 2. Drawing inferences about the meaning of a word in context 3. Finding answers to questions answered explicitly or in paraphrase 4. Weaving together ideas in the content 5. Drawing inferences from the content 6. Recognizing a writer‘s purpose, attitude, tone and mood 7. Identifying a writer‘s technique 8. Following the structure of a passage 37 In addition, reading ability on descriptive text is not merely measured by the ability to answer the questions about the text being read but also to draw inferences until identify a writer‘s purpose, mood and attitude. In other words, to have the ability to read any kinds of text, in this case descriptive text is complex. A reader must have the skills that are mentioned above and combine the skills with his purpose and motivation to read the text. 36 J. Charles Alderson, Assessing Readin g, …, p. 9. 37 J. Charles Alderson, Assessing Readin g, …,, p. 10. In this case, reading ability on descriptive text is measured by the comprehension of descriptive text. In other word, the students‘ ability in comprehending descriptive text is characterized from their ability to identify the topic, main idea and supporting details of the text, the ability to understand the meaning of the word written in the text, to identify the reference and the ability to recognize the purpose of the text.

B. The Nature of Reading Interest

Reading is a skill and it can only be developed by practice a lot. In order to be able to understand any kinds of text, a reader must have some skills that will support his understanding. However, a reader reads for many purposes. He will have different methods for different text being read. A reader may not use the same method when he reads science books and novel. If it measured by the time, it can be guessed that a reader will read novel faster than science books. It is, of course because he has something which makes him reading novel faster than science books. Something that a reader has to support his reading is what known by interest. Interest is defined as interaction between a person and an object within the environment. 38 In other words, there is something happened which made a person and an object interrelated each other. Interest in the field of education can be referred to as a psychological state or selective preference toward particular domain of the study. 39 In accordance with the two definition of interest, it can be revealed that interest is the psychological aspect which can make someone doing a particular activity or predispose to an object. The researchers have divided interest into situational and individual interest. Situational interest refers to a condition when someone prefers to a particular object or to do a particular activity are affected with some factors. This type of interest tends 38 Ulrike I.E. Magner., et al., Triggering Situational Interest by Decorative Illustrations both Fosters and Hinders Learning in Computer-Based Learning Environments, Learning and Instruction xxx 2012, p. 3 39 Huan Shyang Lin., et al., Exploring the Development of College Students‘ Situational Interest in Learning Science, International Journal of Science Education Vol. 35, No. 13, 2013, p. 2153