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xlv Likewise, the tutors mastery of the content of tutoring is likely to be less than that
of a professional teacher.
F. Rationale
Reading comprehension is not only a receptive of taking information from page in word by word but also an active process to comprehend the text. In fact,
most of students in my class have low ability in reading comprehension. This problem was indicated by students incorrectly interpreted main idea with specific
details; they could not identify the unstated information from text. They could not relate one clue to another. And they were not able to recognize the word meanings
from the context. Also, they kept silent during lecturing. They were passive and had no courage to share ideas with their friends and tended to work individually.
There were three causes of reading problems; from the students, the teacher and the class conditions.. First, the students had low mastery of
vocabulary. Furthermore, the students had low motivation to learn in reading class. They did not have curiosity and interest on the passage which will be read.
They thought that the passage was too long and too difficult. In addition, students had lack of guided session in group activity. Second, the teacher less monitored
the students’ activities. The teaching learning process was monotonous. The teacher seldom used varied technique to make the students become a better reader.
The technique which was applied during teaching-learning process made the students passive. Teacher dominated class with broad oral explanation. The
teachers just read the passage and discussed with the whole class until the students
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xlvi did not have time to share their ideas about the passage freely. Moreover, the
teacher’s explanation was considered fast. Third, the class condition is not alive, uninspiring and boring. Instead of having made a crowd in the class, students
stayed silent when they were in reading class. Most of them could not participate actively in reading class.
Knowing this condition, Peer Tutoring is selected to solve the problem. It is so because first, the students work in pairs to help one another learn the material
being studied. This technique gives both students the opportunity to better understand it. In other words, they have more opportunities to practice what they
are learning by talking about what they are learning. The students gain a deeper understanding of how to apply the skills and lessons.
Second, students receive feedback and error correction immediately and more frequently. In large group or teacher-directed settings, it is impossible to
provide feedback and error correction to every student for every response. With peer tutoring, students receive feedback and correction immediately for every
response. Third, students are engaged in active learning, not passive learning. For
example, when using peer tutoring, students are actively asking each other questions, responding with answers, correcting mistakes, and providing positive
feedback, as opposed to simply watching and listening to the teacher passive learning. Active learning has been shown to be more effective in promoting
student achievement.
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xlvii Fourth, many students tend to learn more and experience more
engagement and “on-task” behavior when instruction is at a brisk pace. Peer tutoring allows for a faster pace as students are more frequently responding to
academic material than in a large-group setting. Fifth, students are more “on-task” and motivated to learn, which means
they are less likely to engage in behaviors that are disruptive or problematic. For example, students ask more questions at the tutorials and that hardly happen in
lectures where there are over 40 students sitting in the class. Sixth, Peer tutoring provides students with valuable opportunities to
practice their social skills in a structured environment, whereby the teacher can directly monitor social interaction and provide feedback as necessary.
G. Action Hypothesis
