Hypotheses REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

strategy in the reading lesson, and the dependent variable was the reading comprehension of the seventh grade learners. The researcher investigated whether the implementation of self-questioning strategy in the classroom, especially in the reading lesson, brings some effects on the seventh grade learners’ reading comprehension. The experiment method employed in this study was One-Group Pretest- Posttest Design Ary Donald., Lucy Cheser Jacob, and Asghar Razavieh, 2002. This method was used to investigate the improvement of reading comprehension after the treatment. The difference of pretest and the posttest results in the single group of sample became the main data for the researcher to conclude whether self-questioning improved students’ reading comprehension or not. Ary et al, 2002 concludes that there are three steps involved in one-group pretest-posttest design. They are as follows: 1. administering a pretest measuring the dependent variable, 2. applying the experimental treatment X to the subjects, 3. administering a posttest, again measuring the dependent variable. As mentioned in step 1, in this study the researcher administered the pretest to measure students’ reading comprehension prior to the treatment. Before conducting the test, the researcher consulted the form of the test to the English teacher. Next, the researcher conducted self-questioning strategy in the reading lesson as the treatment as mentioned in step 2. Having conducted the treatment, the researcher administered the posttest to measure students’ ability in comprehending texts as the last step in one-group pretest-posttest design. The students’ scores obtained from the pretest and the posttest were then compared to see whether there was a significant change or not. According to Ary et al 2002, the major limitation of One-Group Pretest- Posttest Design is that because no control group is used. Thus, this design lacks of internal validity. Therefore, to eliminate the situation, he also suggests ways to control potentially contaminating situational variables which are holding the variables constant and manipulating the variables systematically from the main independent variable. Holding the variables constant means having the same conditions under which this study occur, for example having the same teacher, the same day, the same time, and the same room. In other words, in this study, the teacher who gave the treatment was only the researcher herself. It was conducted every Thursday at 09.45 a.m. up to 10.30 a.m. in the same class. Meanwhile, manipulating the variables systematically means by controlling the order in which experimental conditions are presented.

B. Research Setting and Participants

This study was conducted in SMP Maria Immaculata Yogyakarta located at Jl. Brigjen Katamso no.4 Yogyakarta. As mentioned before, the subjects in this study were the seventh grade students. Since there were 6 classes, it was not feasible to conduct the experimental research to all classes. Therefore, the researcher used the cluster sampling to select the samples. “Cluster sampling is a kind of probability sampling where the unit chosen is not individual but a group of individuals who are