Conceptual Framework LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODS

This chapter presents the methods used in this research. It consists of the type of the research, the settingof the research, the subjects of the research, the time of the research, the techniques of the data collection, the procedures of the research, the techniques of the data analysis, and the validity and reliability of the data. Each of them is presented in the following discussion.

A. Type of The Research

This research is aimed at improv ing students‟ reading comprehension at SMP Muhammadiyah 8 Yogyakarta the eighth grade. Therefore, it is categorized into Action Research AR. According to Burns 2010:2, one of the main aims of Action Research is “to identify a „problematic‟ situation or issue that the participants who may include teachers, students, managers, administrators, or even parents - consider worth looking into more deeply and systematically. In addition, Kemmis and McTaggart 1988:5 propose that action research is a form of collective self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of the own social or educational practices, as well as their understanding of these practices and the situations in which these practices are carried out. The approach is only action research when it is collaborative, though it is important to realize that the action research of the group is achieved through the critically examined action of individual group members. In addition, action research is also designed to bridge 41 the gap between research and practice Somekh, 1995: 340. In action research that is five phases that should be implemented by the researcher, including reconnaissance, planning the action, action and observation, reflection and developing, new plan and cycle Angwin, et.al, 1997. Kemmis, S. and McTaggart, R., eds. 1988 B. Setting of The Research This research was conducted in the second semester of academic year 2013 2014 of the eighth grade students of SMP Muhammadiyah 8 Yogyakarta. SMP Muhammadiyah 8 Yogyakarta is located on Jl. Kenari, Timoho, Yogyakarta. This school was selected for the research settings because of the researcher‟s interest in solving the problems related to students‟ reading comprehension found in the school.

C. Subjects of the Research

This research involved the English teacher, the researcher, and the students of class VIIIC which consists of 20 students who worked cooperatively as a team in conducting this research. The choice of the grade is based on some reasons. First, it was impossible for the researcher to conduct the research in the seventh grade because students were still in the process of adaptation at school and they had not understood yet about text types such as narrative. Second, it was also impossible for the researcher to take research in the ninth grade because students were in the preparation for national examination. They had a particular schedule if the researcher involves them. Therefore, the eighth grade students were taken as the best choice to conduct the research because they had got much input into how to comprehend texts such as narrative texts. In particular, the researcher only took one class Class VIIIC to be the subjects of the research. In reference to the interview with the English teacher, the class selected was the class with the most complicated problems that needed to be solved.

D. Time of The Research

The study was conducted in the second semester of the academic year of 20132014. Then, the action was conducted from February to April 2014. The researcher carried out the actions based on the school schedule, especially the