31 phenomenon occurs and how it can occur. Thus, the researcher used qualitative
research in this study. This study used case study as the method. Ary et al. 2010 state that a case
study focuses on a single unit to produce a rich and holistic in-depth description. Th
e “unit” mentioned before could be a group, an individual, a class, a site, a program, a policy, a process, a community, or an institution. The unit should be
defined within a specific bounded system for its uniqueness or special characteristic. The unit focused on this study was the washback phenomenon of a
religion-based VHS in the preparation for NE. The researcher considered case study can be the best method used to answer the research questions. Ary et al. 2010
point out that case study gives possibility of depth. It seeks to understand the holistic case in the environment. It was not limited only the present actions, but also possible
to the past, emotions, thoughts, and environment. Thus, the holistic data would be optimally obtained through case study.
B. Research Setting
This study was conducted in a private religion-based VHS in Yogyakarta. Due to the consideration of ethical conduct, the researcher must not mention the
school. The setting of time in this research was divided into two phases. The first phase was used for observation. It occurred during the researcher had the Program
Pengalaman Lapangan PPL from July to December 2013. The second phase was data gathering. It occurred from March to April 2014.
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C. Research Participants
The researcher relied on focus groups to obtain the data. Ary, et al. 2010 state that focus groups rely on purposive sampling, just like most quantitative
research did. They further explain that a purposive sampling strategy chooses the focus group’s participants according to the project’s goal.
Purposive sampling is very different from the random sampling that is so common in survey samples. Ary, et al. 2010 state that surveys aim to generelaize
the larger populations by collecting numerically precise data, and it requires selecting a random sample to cover the entire range of the larger population.
Meanwhile, the focus groups aim to gain insight and in-depth understanding by hearing from people, and it requires selecting a purposive sample to generate the
most productive discussions in the focus groups. The participants in this research consisted of three elements
–student element, teacher element, and school element. Student element consisted of seven
students that had been classified into three classifications –high, medium, and low.
The classification was based on their academic capability. A twelfth grade teacher suggested the classification. The teacher acted as an advisor for the researcher in
conducting the research. The teacher, later on, would be known as the advisor. Teacher element came from the English teacher who taught twelfth grade. School
element was the vice principal from the curriculum subdivision.
1. First Student
The first student belonged to the high classification. The first impression when the researcher knew her was she was talkative, brave, and warm. She could
