Theoretical Framework REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

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b. The Criteria of Mastery

As it is written in Peraturan Akademik Universitas Sanata Dharma Yogyakarta 2002: 14, 56 percent is the minimum standard of mastery, while the overall grading system is determined by the lecturers. The following is the list of score category which is used to classify the students’ scores. Score Category 80-100 very good A 70-79 good B 56-69 sufficient C 50-55 insufficient D ≤ 49 poor E Based on the list above, if the students’ scores are below the minimum standard of mastery, it means that they still have difficulties and they have not mastered the non-finite clauses.

B. Theoretical Framework

One of the language elements that should be mastered by students of the English Language Education Study Program is grammar. There are so many grammar topics to be learned, one of which is the non-finite clauses. The non- finite clauses are learned by the students when they are in the fifth semester. The non-finite clauses are important since they can make the sentences more condense. The non-finite clauses always function as subordinate clauses. Subordinate clauses are one of the parts of complex sentences. Subordinate clauses are always 33 embedded to a main clause. In other words, subordinate clauses cannot stand by themselves. Subordinate clauses can be classified into three types according to their syntactic functions. They are adverbial clauses, noun clauses, and adjective clauses. Obviously, the three types of subordinate clauses can occur in the non- finite forms. One thing to keep in mind is that the non-finite clauses have no tense, modal auxiliaries and sometimes also lack a subject and subordinating conjunction. If the clauses still have tense and modal auxiliaries, it means that they are still finite. Therefore, the first thing to do to construct the non-finite clauses is omitting the tense and modal auxiliaries, then change the verb into the non-finite verb forms. There are three forms of the non-finite verbs to introduce the non-finite clauses, namely –ing forms, -ed participle, and to-infinitive. In the study, the students are asked to do a test. The test requires the students to transform the three types of subordinate clauses in the finite forms into the corresponding non-finite forms, and also to combine simple sentences into good complex sentences using the non-finite clauses. The errors commited by the students are discussed further. The errors show some parts in which the students still have difficulties. The results of the elaboration of the errors are used as feedback for both the lecturers and the students to improve the teaching learning processes. Meanwhile, the results of the test administered to the sixth semester students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University is used to show their level of mastery in producing the non-finite clauses. 34

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the research methodology. It consists of six parts. They are the elaboration on the research method, the research participants, the research instrument, the data gathering techniques, the data analysis techniques, and the last is the research procedure.

A. Research Method

The method used in the study was a survey. Survey is “a procedure to gather and describe the characteristics, attitudes, opinions of the students, teachers, or any other people who are important to a study” Brown and Rodgers, 2002: 142. In the study, the writer would like to find out the mastery of the sixth semester students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University on using the non-finite clauses. The writer constructed a test in order to measure the non-finite clauses mastery of the sixth semester students. Bachman 1995: 2 says that tests are commonly applied as a criterion to measure the language capabilities in second language acquisition research. In other words, they can provide information about the effectiveness of teaching and learning processes. In addition, Bachman 1995: 3 states that language teachers usually administer tests to diagnose strengths and weaknesses of the students. Based on those facts, the writer chose a test as the instrument to gather the data.