Increasing students mastery in the simple past tense by using information-GAP activity ( A Classroom action research at the second grade of SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong)

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INCREASING STUDENTS’ MASTERY IN

THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

BY USING INFORMATION-GAP ACTIVITY

(A Classroom Action Research at the Second Grade of SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong)

By:

ERMA AMALIANI

106014000351

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TARBIYA AND TEACHERS

TRAINING

SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

JAKARTA


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ABSTRACT

AMALIANI, ERMA,

2011,

Increasing Students’ Mastery of the Simple Past

Tense by Using Information-Gap Activity

(A Classroom Action Research

in the Second Grade of SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong), Skripsi, English

Education Department, The Faculty of Tarbiya and Teachers‟ Training,

UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta.

Advisor

: Drs. H. Bahrul Hasibuan, M.Ed.

Keywords

: Information-Gap Activity, Simple Past Tense, Second Grade,

SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong.

This research is aimed to increase the students‟ mastery of the Simple Past

Tense in which less knowledge of the form and the use have been the problem in

the second grade of SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong.

Because of this kind of problem, the writer did Classroom Action

Research. Moreover, this research was conducted on August until October 2010 at

SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong that involved second grade students that consist of

twenty eight students as the respondent. Furthermore, this research used two

cycles that consist of four stages: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting for

each cycles. In order to get the accuracy in data collecting, the writer combined

both qualitative and quantitative data which are observation, interview, and test.

After two cycles done, the writer finds that there is a significant

improvement in teaching Simple Past Tense by using Information-Gap Activity.

From th

e students‟ score in cycle 1 calculated by N

-Gain Formula, the

improvement is still low, which is 0.28. Furthermore, the improvement of

students‟ score in cycle 2 is 0.53 which is categorized medium.


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ABSTRAK

AMALIANI, ERMA,

2011,

Increasing Students

’ Mastery of the Simple Past

Tense by Using Information-Gap Activity (A Classroom Action Research

in the Second Grade of SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong), Skripsi, Jurusan

Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Fakultas Tarbiyah, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah

Jakarta.

Pembimbing : Drs. H. Bahrul Hasibuan, M.Ed.

Kata Kunci

: Information-Gap Activity, Simple Past Tense, Second Grade,

SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong.

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan penguasaan siswa dalam

Simple Past Tense dimana kurangnya pengetahuan mengenai rumus maupun

penggunaannya menjadi permasalahan di kelas dua SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong.

Oleh karena itu, penulis melakukan Penelitian Tindakan Kelas. Penelitian

ini dilakukan pada bulan Agustus sampai Oktober 2010 di SMP IT Annajiah

Cibinong yang melibatkan siswa kelas dua yang terdiri dari dua puluh delapan

siswa sebagai responden. Penelitian ini terdiri dari dua siklus yang pada

masing-masing siklus meliputi empat tahap: Planning, Acting, Observing, dan Reflecting.

Agar mendapatkan keakuratan dalam pengumpulan data, maka penulis

memadukan data kualitatif dan kuantitatif, yakni observasi, wawancara dan tes.

Setelah melalui dua siklus, penulis menemukan peningkatan yang

signifikan dalam pengajaran Simple Past Tense dengan menggunakan kegiatan

Information-Gap. Dari perolehan nilai siswa pada siklus satu yang dihitung

dengan rumus N-Gain, peningkatannya masih rendah, yakni sebesar 0,28.

Peningkatan perolehan nilai siswa pada siklus dua adalah sebesar 0,53 dan

dikategorikan sedang.


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Praised be to Allah, Lord of the world, who has given the writer His love

and compassion to finish the last assignment in her study. Peace and salutation be

upon to the prophet Muhammad SAW, his family, his companion, and his

adherence.

This „skripsi‟ under

the title “Increasing Students‟ Mastery in the Simple

Past Tense by Using Information-

Gap Activity” is presented to the Faculty of

Tarbiyah and Teachers‟ Training in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

degree of S.Pd (Bachelor of Art) in English Education.

First of all, the writer would like to express her greatest love to her

beloved family: her grand mothers (Kuna and Maryam), her grand fathers (Sarbini

and Lettu. Opik Sukarsa), her wonderful mother and father (Aam Amsyari and

Siti Nuraini S.Pd), her beloved sisters (Hesti Permata Sari and Auliannisa), her

great brothers (Eka Firmana, S.Pd., Pradi Khusyufi Syamsu, MA., and Egi

Sugiana) and all extended families who always give the spirit to keep up the

struggle in finishing this „skripsi‟.

The greatest honor and deepest gratitude are expressed to her advisor,

Drs.H.Bahrul Hasibuan, M.Ed. for his valuable helps, guidance, and suggestions,

who has been very patient to devote his attention, energy and time to assist the

writer so that the writer i

s able to finish this „skripsi‟.

The writer‟s sincere gratitude also goes to:

1.

Prof. Dr. Dede Rosyada, M.A., the Dean of the Faculty of Tarbiyah and

Teachers‟ Training Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta.

2.

Drs. Syauki, M.Pd., the head of English Education Department.

3.

Neneng Sunengsih S.Pd.,the Secretary of English Education Department.

4.

All lecturers in English Education Department

who have taught the writer


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5.

H. Dudung Adimyati, S.Ag. the principal of SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong

who has given the opportunity to do the research.

6.

Siti Hawa, S.Pd., the English teacher who has given ideas, time, advice

and support during conducting the research.

7.

All her beloved friends in English Education Department 2006/2007

academic year with whom she exchanged ideas, especially Dewi Yusuf,

Nuraeni, Rella Agustin, Irna Purnama Sari, Isty Anggraputri, Mega

Muharram, Umi Ruchaniyah, Ulfiana, Eka Nurul Hayat, Mulyani Ratna

Wulan, and all members of A class. The great gratitude is also expressed

to her special friend, Abdul Rahman, who always encourages and supports

her during finishing this „skripsi‟. The writer hopes that Allah will always

bless them all.

The writer does realize that this „skripsi‟ cannot be considered perfect

without critiques and suggestions. Therefore, it is such a pleasure for her to get

critiques and suggestions to make this „skripsi‟ better.

Jakarta, Desember 2010

The Writer


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TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE

………..

i

APPROVAL

………...

ii

ABSTRACT

……….

iii

ABSTRAK

……….

iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

………

v

TABLE OF CONTENT

………..

vii

LIST OF TABLES

...x

LIST OF FIGURES

……….……….

xi

LIST OF APPENDICES

……….

xii

CHAPTER I

: INTRODUCTION

A.

The Backg

round of the Research………...

1

B.

The Limitati

on of the Research………..

4

C.

The Objectiv

es of the Research………..

4

D.

The Significance of the R

esearch………...

5

E.

The Organization of

Writing ……….

5

CHAPTER II

: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

A.

Information-Gap Activity

1.

The understanding of Information-Gap Activity

……...

7

2.

The characteristics of Information-Gap Activity

……...

8

3.

The techniques of Information-GapActivity

………….

9

4.

The advantages of Information-Gap Activity

………..

12

5.

The disadvantages of Information-Gap

Activity…….

12

B.

Simple Past Tense

1.

Understanding of Simple Past Tense………...

13

2.

The form of Simple Past Tense

………...

.14

3.

The use of Simple Past Te

nse………..

17

4.

The teaching Simple Past Tense through

Information-Gap Activity

………

18

5.

The Technique of Information-Gap Activity Modified in

Teaching Simple Past Tense

……….. 19


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C.

Classroom Action Research

1. The understanding of Classroom Action Research……..……..

21

2. The designs of Classroom Action Research……...…………...

23

3.

Collabora

tive Action Research ………..…….24

CHAPTER III

: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A.

The objective of the re

search……….

26

B.

The place and time of the research………

.26

C.

The method of the research

………..

...26

D.

The design of the research

.………...…...…27

E.

The subject of the research

……….…29

F.

The role of the writer on the research

……….

...29

G.

The procedures of the classroom action research………

...29

1.

Planning………..

29

2.

Acting………...……..29

3.

Observing………..……….30

4.

Reflecting………..……….30

H.

The technique of data collecting

……….

...30

1.

interview………...…………..30

2.

Observation………..………..31

3.

Test………...………..31

I.

The technique of data analysis………...………..…..32

J.

The validity of data………...

.33

K.

The criteria of action success………...…………..

34

CHAPTER IV

: RESEARCH FINDING

A.

The description of data

………..…....35

1.

Before implementing the action

……….

35

2.

The implementation of CAR

……….

37

3.

After implementing the action

………...

43


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C.

The interpretation of data

……….50

CHAPTER IV

: CONCLUSION AND RECOMENDATION

A.

Conclusion

……….………...52

B.

Rec

ommendation………….………...53

BIBLIOGRAPHY………..

54


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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. The Background of the Research

Language is a means of communi atio i hu a s life. As i Oxford Advanced

Lear er’s Di tio ary, la guage is the s ste of sou ds a d o ds used hu a s to e p ess thei thought a d feeli g. 1

In addition, Carlyle in Millward defines language as a systematic and conventional means of human communication by way of vocal sounds; it may (or may not) include written symbols corresponding in some way to these vocal sounds.2 The writer may infer that language is a common way in which people can exchange information both oral and written. With language people can share their ideas and express their feelings besides its social function in order to communicate and socialize with each other.

English as the first foreign language in Indonesia has an important role both in social aspect and educational aspect. Nowadays, English has become a need in social aspect since many job institutions place a good English ability as one of the requirements of good positions. English fluency both oral and written tends to be a marketable skill in Indonesian trade world. Besides that, English also has an important role in educational aspect since English has become a subject in every educational level in Indonesia. English in Primary School is as a local content, a compulsory subject in Secondary Schools, and a complementary subject in university. Moreover, English in Secondary Schools is as one of the subjects in the national examination.

In English learning, a student has to master the four basic language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Besides those skills, a student also has to increase his/her knowledge on grammar aspect because it is inseparable aspect from the four skills above. It means that grammar places an important role in learning English as Ur states, there is no doubt that a knowledge –implicit or explicit- of grammatical rules is essential for the mastery of language: you cannot use words unless you know

1

A.S. Hornby. Oxford Advance Learner’s Dictionary, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), 5th ed., p.662.

2

C.M. Millward, A Biography of the English Language, (Boston: Ted Buchlhlolz, 1996), 2nd ed., p.2.


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how they should be put together. 3 From the citation above the writer may infer that a language, in this case English, cannot be constructed without grammar.

The a of tea hi g g a a i flue es stude ts u de sta di g of the grammar itself. Teachers need to develop their strategy in teaching grammar since a monotonous grammar teaching leads to an unattractive learning process for students. It makes them feel bored and have less motivation in learning grammar, so they also have less understanding in grammar knowledge.

This sort of problem can be minimized through the appropriate ways of teaching grammar. Harmer states that one way of teaching grammar is to use an explain and practice procedure.4 In addition, according to Ur the stage of practice consists of a series of exercises done both in the classroom and for home assignments, whose aim is to cause the learners to absorb the structure thoroughly; or, to put in another way, to transfer what they know from short-term memory to long-term memory. 5 It may be inferred that teaching grammar needs practice in order that students can acquire the structure and retain it in their memory for a long time.

Teachers need to create grammar practice in communicative way so as to motivate students in such interesting activities. Pe i gto states, oti atio a d accessibility of input are provided in the present volume by activities that attend to

o u i ati e eed a d pu pose. 6

In other words, communicative activity is one of the ways that can motivate and facilitate students in learning grammar.

One of the communicative grammar practices is Information-Gap Activity which is one of the tea hi g te h i ue i Co u i ati e App oa h as F ee a states, the most obvious characteristics of the Communicative Approaches that almost everything that is done is do e ith o u i ati e i te t 7. Furthermore, the activities that are truly communicative according to Morrow have three features: information-gap,

3

Penny Ur, Grammar Practice Activities: A Practical Guide for Teachers, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002), p.4.

4

Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach English, (Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2007), new ed., p.88.

5

Penny Ur, Grammar Practice Activities: A Practical Guide for Teachers, …, p.7.

6

Martha C. Pennington (ed), New Ways in Teaching Grammar, (Alexandria: Teachers Of English To Speakers Of Other Languages Inc, 1995), p. x.

7

Diane Larsen-Freeman, Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1986), p. 132.


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choices, and feedback.8 It means that according to Freeman and Morrow, Information-Gap is one of the activities in Communicative Approach which provides students with communicative purposes.

The definition of Information-Gap Activities itself according to Hilles and Murcia is in the course of doing the activity, one participant should be in position to tell one or more other people something that the others do not know yet.9 It can be inferred that Information-Gap Activity is the activity that provide a gap between one and the other students in order to share information they need.

Information-Gap Activity can both motivate and stimulate students by interesting pictures and exchanging information that could be held in pair or even in group. “ i e e states, Such gaps of information between people gives us a need and desire to communicate with each others. 10 The writer may infer that according to Scrivener, Information-Gap Activity is a stimulation to create communicative class activity between one student and others.

According to the interview that was conducted by the writer to the teacher in SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong, she knew that the students had less motivation in learning grammar in which the problem of learning Simple Past Tense appeared. It was supported by the observation in which the writer found that the students tend to be passive in learning grammar.

Based on the phenomenon described above, the writer is interested in doing a research in the school under the title: INCREA“ING “TUDENT“’ MA“TERY IN THE “IMPLE PAST TENSE BY USING INFORMATION-GAP ACTIVITY. Itis a Classroom Action Research at the Second Grade Students of SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong.

B. The Limitation and Formulation of the Problem

The problem that will be discussed is limited only on the using of Information-Gap Activity as a part of Communicative Approach in understanding the Simple Past

8

K. Morrow, Principle of Communicative Methodology, (Essex: Longman, 1981), p.59.

9

Marianne Celce-Murcia and Sharon Hilles, Technique and Resources in Teaching Grammar, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), p.27-28.

10

Jim Schrivener, Learning Teaching: A Guidebook for English Language Teachers, (New York: Mcmillan), 2nd ed., p. 423.


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Tense which covers the irregular verbs required in learning the Simple Past Tense in SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong.

To make it clearer, the writer formulates the problem as follow: Can Information-Gap A ti it i ease stude ts u de sta di g of the “i ple Past Tense?

C. The Objective of the Research

There are three objectives of this research. First, to increase stude ts understanding of the Simple Past Tense both cognitively and affectively. Second, to develop learning strategy to place students as a subject in teaching learning activity. Third, to involve students communicatively in applyi g Lea i g Doi g st ateg .

D. The Significance of the Research

This research has several significances both for teacher and also for student. For teacher it can develop learning strategy in teaching Simple Past Tense and i ease tea he s p ofessio alis uality as an English teacher. On the other hand, for student it can create an enjoyment in learning Simple Past Tense, increase stude t s oti atio i lea i g g a a , eati g o u i ati e lass a ti it , and acquire the Simple Past Tense knowledge through the activity.

E. The Organization of Writing

This paper is divided into five chapters. The following is a short description about what each paper contains.

Chapter I

Introduction contains the background of the research, the limitation and formulation of the problem, the objective of the research, the significance of the research, and the organization of writing.

Chapter II

Theoretical framework consists of three parts. Part A is Information-Gap Activity which covers the understanding of Information-Gap Activity, the characteristics of Gap Activity, the techniques of Information-Gap Activity, and the advantages of Information-Information-Gap Activity. Moreover, in


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part B is Simple Past Tense which consists of the understanding of Simple Past Tense, the form of Simple Past Tense, the use of Simple Past Tense, and the teaching Simple Past Tense through Information-Gap Activity. Besides, part C is Classroom Action Research which consists of the understanding of Classroom Action Research, and the design of Classroom Action Research. Chapter III

Research methodology. Research methodology consists of the objective of the research, the place and time of the research, the subject and the object of the research, the method of the research, the design of the research, the role of the writer on the research, the procedure of Classroom Action Research, the instrument of the research, the technique of data analysis, and the interpretation of data.

CHAPTER IV

Research finding. Research finding covers the description of data, the data analysis, and the interpretation of data.

Chapter V


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CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

A. Information-Gap Activity

1. The Understanding of Information-Gap Activities

A o di g to P a hu, I fo atio -Gap Activities are where each person i a pai has o l pa t of the e ui ed i fo atio . 11

Furthermore, according to Morrow, an information gap means that the speaker must tell the listener something that he or she does not know yet.12 Scrivener defines information gap as one person knows something that the othe does t, a d su h gaps of i fo atio et ee people gi es us a eed a d desire to communicate with each other.13

Based o Ha e s opi io , i fo atio gap a ti it is he o e student has to talk to partner in order to solve a puzzle, draw a picture (describe and draw), put things in the right order (describe and arrange), or find si ila ities a d diffe e es et ee pi tu e. 14

Joycey states that informational gap are mental processes in which a speaker transfer information, makes choices in terms of what he will say and how he will say it, and interprets feedback he receive.15

In addition, Werner, Nelson, and Spaventa state that information gap activity is a communicative activity to be done orally in pairs in which each student is given part the information required to complete a particular task and

11

Jo McDonough and Christopher Shaw, Materials and Methods in ELT: A Teacher’s Guide, (Oxford: Blackwell Publisher, 1993), p.60.

12

K. Morrow, Principle of Communicative Methodology, (Essex: Longman, 1981), p.59.

13

Jim Schrivener, Learning Teaching: A Guidebook for English Language Teachers, (New York: Mcmillan), 2nd ed., p. 423.

14

Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching, (Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2007), 4th ed., p.349.

15

Ed Joycey, Modern English Teacher: Groupwork, The Information gap, and The Individual, Vol. X, No. 1, September 1982.


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should look only at his/her own information by listening and speaking to exchange the information to successfully complete the task.16

Finally, According to Harmer in How to Teach English, I fo atio Gap activities are those where students have different pieces of information about the same subject and have to share this information (usually without looking at what their partner has got) in order for them both to get all the information the eed to pe fo a task. 17

The writer may infer that information-gap activities is the activities that are carried out in pair or group where the first learner must exchange the information he/she has to the second learner through verbal interaction that is followed by completing the worksheet since they have diffrent information related to the worksheet, so that it can create a stimulation to communicate with each other.

2. The Characteristics of Information-Gap Activities

Information gap activity is characterized as follow:18 a). In each activity the student is given a task.

b). Since the information they need for the task is split into two parts (Student A and Student B), no student has enough information to be able to do it alone. c). The students have to ask each other for the information they need and come

to a decision together.

d). The activities are not exercises, but contexts in which the students can use language to find out about things they genuinely need to know and to share ideas.

The writer infers that there are four main points as the characteristics of Information-Gap Activity: task-based learning, work in pair or group, there is

16

Patricia K. Werner, John P. Nelson, and Marilynn Spaventa, A Communicative Grammar, (Boston: MoGraw-Hill, 1997), 2nd ed., p.xi.

17

Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach English, (Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2007), new ed., p.275.

18

David Nunan, Designing Task for the Communicative Classroom, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992), p.124.


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i fo atio sha i g th ough speaki g, a d use la guage to idge a gap between them.

3. The Techniques of Information-Gap Activities

Legutke and Thomas give several examples of various manifestations of the information-gap s te h i ues:19

Example 1: Using pictures (adult and high-school learners of English at Intermediate level)

a). The class is subdivided into pairs and one person in the pair is given an unusual, abstract drawing which he has to describe to his partner so that the latte a d a it u see . The d a e a ask la ifi atio uestio s ut des i e a ot help poi ti g to the d a e s o k a d o e ti g on its likeness or otherwise to the original drawing.

b). When the participants agree that the drawing is finished, the versions from the other members of the class are displayed and learners exchange comments on the various representations produced.

c). The teacher elicits from the class the areas of difficulty in the task and feeds in the key vocabulary items.

d). The two learners exchange roles and are given a different picture to work with.

Example 2: Spot the difference (adult and high-school learners at elementary/intermediate/advanced level)

a). Learners working in pairs are given a picture each which is identical apart from a number of small alteration.

b). Without showing each other the picture they must describe them to each other in such a way that they can identify all the differences.

Example 3: Memorizing the picture (adult and high-school learners at elementary/intermediate/advanced level)

19

Michael Legutke and Howard Thomas, Process and Experience in the Language Classroom, (London: Longman, 1991), p.96-99.


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a). The class is divided into sub-groups of five. Each group selects one person ho is goi g to d a . All the d a e s lea e the oo fo o e i ute. b). The teacher projects the picture onto a screen for thirty seconds. The

learners are asked not to talk during this time.

. The d a e s etu a d the other group members, who have seen the pi tu e, des i e the pi tu e f o hat the e e e ed. The d a e s , who now has five minutes to complete the drawing, may ask questions. d). After about two minutes the picture is projected again for ten seconds so

that correction can be made.

e). The pictures from each sub-group are displayed on the wall and the groups discuss which of them is closest to the original

Example 4: Using objects: Assembling a toy (adult and high-school learners, all level)

a). The class is divided into sub-groups of three learners. Each sub-group is given a plastic toy, e.g. a Lego car or similar taken from a breakfast cereal packet which has to be assembled from the parts provided.

b). Two members of the group are given the assembly instructions and have to explain to the third member how to assemble the object.

Example 5: Using the jigsaw technique (jigsaw listening/reading)

a). The class is divided into three groups each of whom is given a listening/reading text relating to a theme common to all three texts. In order to find a solution to a problem, information from all three listening/reading text is required.

b). When a group members have discussed and understood the information on their text, the class is regrouped in groups of three to include one member each from one of the previous groups.

c). Each person in the sub-group of three has information which the other two do not have. They now share their information and try to solve the problem.


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a). The class is divided into sub-groups of four and each sub-group is given a text which has been photocopied and cut into several pieces according to the number of paragraphs in the text.

b). Each individual in the sub-group reads a piece of the text and shares the information with the others. From this collective pool of information, they try to sequence the paragraphs and thus reassemble the text.

From the six examples and their techniques above, the writer may conclude that there are three main points in the technique of information-gap activities: First, it can be carried out both in pair and in group. Second, it can use pictures, realia, or even texts as teaching materials. Third, it can be used to present the four skills, not only listening and speaking but also writing and even reading. However, the technique of information-gap activities used by the writer is out of the techniques explained above since she modifies and creates it to fit i the stude ts a ilit le el a d the la guage fo us.

4. The Advantages of Information-Gap Activities

Based o Ha e s state e t, I fo atio gap is as a ke to the enhancement of communicative purpose and the desire to communicate.20

According to Scrivener, by creating classroom activities that include such information gaps, we can provide activities that mimic this reason for communication, and this may be more motivating and useful to language learners than speaking without any real reason for doing so.21

I li e ith these ideas, Nu a poi ts out, It has ee fou d that small-group, two-way information gap tasks seem to be particularly appropriate for sti ulati g su h la guage. 22

20

Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching, (Essex: Longman, 2001), 3th ed., p. 85

21

Jim Schrivener, Learning Teaching: A Guidebook for English Language Teachers, (New York: Mcmillan), 2nd ed., p. 53.

22

David Nunan, Designing Task for Communicative Classroom, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992), p.64.


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Ha e states, I the lass oo e ill a t to eate the sa e ki d of information-gap if e a e to e ou age eal o u i atio . 23

Based on the citations above, the writer sees that the advantages of applying information-gap activities in the classroom are it can stimulate and motivate students in interesting teaching learning process, and also it can encourage students by real communication strategies.

5. The Disadvantages of Information-Gap Activities

Legutke and Thomas see that information-gap activities help learners to appreciate that they use the target language to communicate without the direct intervention of the teacher.24 From this citation, the writer underlines the ph ase o u i ate ithout the di e t i te e tio of the tea he as the unstated weakness of information-gap activity. Without direct intervention of the teacher, it means that the teacher will not be involved in such information-gap activity to prevent the mistakes or errors done by the students or even to help them.

In line with this idea, Joycey points out that such group work in an information-gap a ti it do ot al a s o plete the lea e s a ilit to communicate in the target language.25

The writer may infer that at least there are two disadvantages of using information-gap a ti it i the lass oo . Fi st, tea he s ole is passi e, so that the students need to be active and independent in doing this activity. Second, information-gap activity in group work may not be sufficient to give the learners complete ability to communicate in the target language.

23

Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching,..., p. 48

24

Michael Legutke and Howard Thomas, Process and Experience in the Language Classroom, (London: Longman, 1991), p.96.

25

Ed Joycey, Modern English Teacher: Group work, The Information gap, and The Individual, Vol. X, No. 1, September 1982.


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B. Simple Past Tense

6. The Understanding of Simple Past Tense

A o di g to Close, The “i ple Past Te se is a sig al of specification of past ti e, just as the is a sig al ea i g that the speake is efe i g to a spe ified o je t. 26

I li e ith this idea, Lee h a d “ta t ik state, The Past Te se efe s to a definite time in the past which may be identified by a past-time adverbial in the same sentence, the preceding language context or the context outside la guage. 27

Based o Woods a d Coppiete s opi io i the Communicative Grammar of English Workbook, The Simple Past Tense refers to a definite time in the past and is identified by a past time adverbial, the preceding language context or the context outside language.28

Hu fo d states, The Past Te se of a e is a fo t pi all i di ati g that the event or state of affairs expressed by the verb took place or existed

efo e the p ese t. 29

Da esi fu the highlights, “i ple Past Te se, also k o as p ete it, allows you to refer to actions that occurred in the past without reference to the p ese t. 30

The writer sees The Simple Past Tense is defined as The Tense refers to the event dealing with a past time that is expressed by past verb form, past time adverbial, preceding language context, or even context outside language.

26

R.A. Close, A Teachers Grammar: An Approach to the Central Problems of English, (London: Language Teaching Publication, 1998), p.57.

27

Geoffrey Leech and Jan Svartvik, A Communicative Grammar of English, (Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2002), 3rd ed., p.69.

28

Edward Woods and Rudy Coppieters, The Communicative Grammar of English Workbook, (London: Pearson, 2002), p.48.

29

James R. Hurford, Grammar: A Student’s Guide, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), p. 160.

30

Marcel Danesi, Basic American Grammar and usage : An ESL/EFL Handbook,


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7. The Form of Simple Past Tense

A o di g to Joh East ood, I the “i ple Past Te se, a egula past form ends in ed, so e e s ha e a i egula past fo . ….We use did and also were and wasi egati es a d uestio s. 31

Table 2.1 Regular Verb

V1 V2

Study Studied

Listen Listened

Walk Walked

Dance Danced

Look Looked

Table 2.2 Irregular Verb

V1 V2

Teach Taught

Speak Spoke

Sing Sang

Write Wrote

Draw Drew

The formula in Simple Past Tense contains three parts: affirmative, negative, and interrogative.

a. Affirmative

1) The verb other than be:

Examples:

- I rose my hand. - You walked to the door. 31

John Eastwood, Oxford Practice Grammars With Answers, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 2nd ed., p.18.


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- You and I met at school. - She entered the room. 2) The verb be:

Examples:

- He was a doctor.

- Martha was at park yesterday. - You were in the car just now. - Andy and I were happy at that time. b. Negative

1) The verb other than be:

Examples:

- Dia a did t leave the house. - M fathe did t o k t o da s ago. - You did t k o a thi g.

- The did t do thei ho e o k. 2) The verb be:

Examples:

- It as t the e at o lo k. - ‘ose as t a tea he . - We e e t hu g .

- The e e t i the hall last night. c. Interrogative

1) The positive form of verb other than be:

Examples:

S + was/were + Substantive Universal + ....

S + Did + not + V1 + ...

S + Was / Were + not + Substantive Universal + ...


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- Did you call me last night? - Did we know him?

- Did Erick come here? - Did she invite you?

2) The negative form of verb other than be:

Examples:

- Did t ou se d e a essage? - Did t siste gi e ou so ethi g? - Did t the o o ou a pe il? - Did t it ite he este da ?

3) The positive form of verb be:

Examples:

- Were they in the bank three days ago? - Was Sarah angry with you?

- Were you sleepy last night? - Was I in the hospital yesterday? 4) The negative form of verb be:

Examples:

- Was t Ma sad last ight? - Was t he at ho e last eek?

- We e t the i the lass oo this o i g? - We e t e at the o ie este da ?

Did t + “ + V + ... ?

Was/Were + S + Susbtantive Universal + ... ?


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8. The Use of Simple Past Tense

Based upo Fole a d Hall s opi io , e ofte use the Past “i ple Te se fo si gle o pleted e e ts a d past states. 32

According to Michalek, The Simple Past Tense is used to express an action that is definitely past and whose time is given either expressly or understood from the context, e.g.: He went to London Yesterday.

Past He went Now Future

Yesterday

Figure 2.1

Tense Diagram of Ewa Michalek

The o l poi t o the left of o a ks the ti e of the past a tio a d of the adverbial at the same time. 33

According to Murcia and Freeman, the uses of The Simple Past Tense are to express:34

1) A definite single completed event/action in the past e.g.: I attended a meeting of that committee last week.

2) Habitual or repeated action/event in the past (suggest that some change in this habit/event has taken place)

e.g.: It snowed almost every weekend last winter.

3) An event with duration that applied in the past with the implication that it no longer applies in the present

e.g.: Prof. Nelson taught at Yale for 30 years. 4) An event with stative verbs in the past tense

e.g.: He owed me a lot of money.  Relationship Perception I saw a large house in the corner.  Sensory Perception

32

Mark Foley and Diane Hall, Advanced Learners’ Grammar: A Self Study Reference and Practice Book with Answers, (Essex: Longman, 2003), p.54.

33

Ewa Michalek, English Teaching Forum: Tense Diagrams, Vol. XXII, No. 1, January 1984.

34

Marianne Celce-Murcia and Diane Larsen-Freeman, The Grammar Book: An


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I knew that John is a teacher. Mental & Emotions Perception

5) Past Conditional / imaginative events in the subordinate clause e.g.: If he took ette a e of hi self, he ould t e a se t so ofte .

C. The Teaching of Simple Past Tense through Information-Gap Activity

Ur states, one of the implementations of active language use is put certain constraints on the process of achieving task objective in order to make sure that maximum language use in fact take place, such as practicing Simple Past Tense which include oral work and both interrogative and affirmative forms by information gap activity.35

According to Johnson, information-gap activity which practice grammar is as communicative drills to provide a focus on form.36

Based o Cook s opi io , the e a t epetitio d illi g also allo s g eater time for processing and creates a generally more secure and relaxed atmosphere which may aid receptivity.37

I li e ith this idea, Ha e states, the pu pose of d illi g is ha it- formation through constant repetition of correct utterances, encouraged and suppo ted positi e ei fo e e t. 38

The writer may conclude that the implementation of information-gap activity to i ease stude ts aste i the “i ple Past Te se is as a o u i ati e d ill which allows constant repetition providing a focus on the form and the use of this kind of tenses

35

Penny Ur, Grammar Practice Activities: A Practical Guide for Teachers, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002), pp.18-19.

36

Keith Johnson, An Introduction to Foreign Language Learning and Teaching, (Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, 2008), 2nd ed., pp. 259-263.

37

Guy Cook, Language Play Language Learning, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), p.30.

38

Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching, (Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2007), 4th ed., p.64.


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D. The Technique of Information-Gap Activity Modified in Teaching Simple Past Tense Since the research is conducted in Secondary School at elementary level, the technique of information-gap activity is made as simple as possible by using information-gap worksheet which contains some pictures they have to inform to their pairs. The information-gap task itself is split into two parts: Task A and Task B. Task A, which is required for students A, contains of some pictures which did not exist in Task B, and vice versa. So, they have to exchange the information related to so e a ti ities i the pi tu es. It is suppo ted Foste s state e t, I information-gap type of interactive task, learners have to transfer information to a pa t e ho does ot ha e it. 39

This sort of information-gap activity is emphasized on grammar aspect, in this case Simple Past Tense, by combining three skills: Listening, Speaking, and Writing. Beside the students must transfer the information through speaking, they also need to listen the information related to the incomplete pictures of theirs and write the information according to what their pairs say.

Since there are two models of information-gap worksheet given to students for each cycle, so that it produces different procedure of information-gap activity. The procedure of information-gap activity itself is divided into five steps:

MODEL 1

Title : A y ody Call a d Da ’s Big Date

Step 1: The students is introduced the concept of Information-gap activity and how it works in the classroom.

Step 2: The students are informed that they may not show their own tasks which contain the pictures and make sure that no one try to show it. In line with these ideas, F ee a poi ts out, Fo i fo atio -gap activities to work, it is vitally important that students understand the details of the task (for example, that they should ot sho ea h othe thei pi tu es. 40

39

Pauline Foster, English Teaching Forum: Information-Gap Task , Vol. 53, 1 January 1999.

40

Diane Larsen-Freeman, Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 2nd, p. 129.


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Step 3: The students have to work in pair that consists of student A, who is given worksheet A, and student B, who is given worksheet B. Besides, the teacher read aloud the example of the dialogue.

Step 4: The students A have the first chance to ask students B concerning the incomplete information they have by using Simple Past Tense in the form of Yes/No Question and WH Question. However, students B must listen about the question and give feedback by answering the question orally based on the information they have.

Step 5: The students and the teacher evaluate the worksheet which have been done.

MODEL 2

Title : My Frie ds’ a tivities yesterday

Step 1: The students is introduced the concept of Information-gap activity and how it works in the classroom.

Step 2: The students are informed that they may not show their own tasks which contain the pictures and make sure that no one try to show it. Students have to work in pair that consists of student A, who is given worksheet A, and student B, who is given worksheet B.

Step 3: students A have the first chance to ask students B concerning the incomplete pictures they have by using Simple Past Tense in the form of WH Question. On the other hand, students B must listen about the question and give feedback by answering the question orally based on the picture they have by using Simple Past Tense in the form of affirmative statement. Furthermore, at the same time students A have to write down the information they get from students B on their worksheet, and vice versa.

Step 4: after each of the students has already answered the task, she/he has to work in pairs again with different pairs. In this step, Students A must make sure that the information they get is correct by asking to their pairs (Students B) in the form of Yes/No Questions, and Students B have to give feedback by answering the questions in the form of affirmative and negative statements, and vice versa.


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Step 5: The students and the teacher evaluate the worksheet which have been done.

F. Classroom Action Research

1. The Understanding of Classroom Action Research (CAR)

According to Millan and Schumacher, classroom action research is the process of using research principles to provide information that educational professionals use to improve aspect of day-to-day practice.41

In line with these ideas Creswell states, classroom action research are systematic procedures done by teachers (or other individuals in an educational setting) to gather information about, and subsequently improve, the ways their particular educational setting operates their teaching, and their student learning.42

Elliott defines actio esea h i edu atio iefl as the stud of a so ial situatio ith a ie to i p o i g the ualit of a tio i it. 43

Ca a d Ke is see lass oo a tio esea h as: self-reflexive inquiry, undertaken by participants in social situation in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own practices, their understanding of these p a ti es, a d the situatio i hi h these p a ti es a e a ied out. 44

According to Cohen and Manion, Classroom Action Research is first and foremost situational, being concerned with the identification and solution of problem in specific context.45

Nunan further highlight, Classroom Action Research is a descriptive case study of a particular classroom, group of learners, or even a single learner counts as action research if it initiated by a question, is supported by data and

41

Mc. Millan, James H, and Sally Schumacher, Research in Education: Evidence-Based Inquiry, (Boston: Pearson Education, 2006), p. 414.

42

John W. Creswell, Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, (Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008), 3th ed., p.597.

43

J. Elliott, Action Reseach for Educational Change, (Milton Keynes: Open University Press, 1991), p.69.

44

W. Carr and S. Kemmis, Becoming Critical: Knowing Through Action Research. (London: The Falmer Press, 1986), p, 220.

45

L. Cohen and L. Manion, Research Methods in Education, (London: Croom Helm, 1985), p.18


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interpretation, and is carried out by a practitioner investigating aspects of his or her own context and situation.46

Fi all , Ha e states Class oo A tio ‘esea h is the a e given to a series of procedures teachers can engage in, perhaps because the wish to improve aspect of their teaching, or alternatively, because they wish to evaluate the su ess a d o app op ia of e tai a ti ities i p o edu es. 47

From the citations above, the writer may infer that classroom action research is the research that is started because of the crucial problem that appears in the classroom (group of learners) about specific context where the researcher or (and) the teacher attempt to solve the problem by such ways and new strategies until the learners get a significant improvement of their learning.

2. The Designs of Classroom Action Research

In line with Kurnianto and his team, there are four models or designs of Classroom Action Research (CAR).

Dala pe ge a ga a dike al ada a e pat odel PTK, aitu: Model Ku t Lewin, Model Mcel Kemmis and Mc Taggart, Model John Elliot, dan Model Dave E ut. 48

Based on the four kinds of action research designs mentioned above, the writer chooses Kurt Lewin Design as the model of this Classroom Action Research.

Kurt Lewin design has been fundamental reference of the other classroom action research designs since he is as the first one who introduces Action Research. According to Kusumah and Dwitagma, Konsep pokok penelitian tindakan Model Kurt Lewin terdiri dari empat komponen yaitu: a) perencanaan, b) tindakan, c) pengamatan, d) refleksi.49 The asi o ept of Ku t Le i

46

David Nunan, Research Methods in Language Teaching, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992), p.18

47

Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching, (Essex: Pearson Limited Education, 2007), 4th ed., p.414.

48

Rido Kurnianto et.al, Penelitian Tindakan Kelas, (Surabaya: Aprinta, 2009), 1st ed., p. 5-11

49

Wijaya Kusumah and Dedi Dwitagma, Mengenal Penelitian Tindakan Kelas, (Jakarta: Indeks, 2009), p.20


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Designs in Classroom Action Research consists of four components: a) Planning, b) Acting, c) Observing, and d) Reflecting.)

In Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, the four components are defined as follows:

a. Planning is an action to address a problem issue or question in his/her own context.

b. Acting is a small-scale intervention.

c. Observing is systematic observation of the outcome through a variety of procedures for collecting data.

d. ‘efle ti g is the p o ess of the esea he s efle tio o the out o e a d planning a subsequent action after which the cycle begins again.50

Figure 2.2

Action Research Design of Kurt Lewin

50

Marianne Celce-Murcia (editor), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, (Boston: Heinle & Heinle, 2001), 3rd ed., p.490.


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3. Collaborative Classroom Action Research

According to Wallace, there are five kinds of collaborative action research:51

a. Collaboration with students

It create benefit both for teacher and students. With regard to composition, writing processes and comparing the result could be, for students at certain level, a very helpful exercise.

b. Collaboration with colleagues in the same department / school / institution The main advantage here is ease of contact. Proximity means that it is more

convenient when planning activity and analysing data. c. Collaboration with colleagues outside school / institution

Teacher who collaborate in action research with colleagues in other institutions often remark how stimulating it is to get insights from fellow-professionals operating in diffrent context.

d. Collaboration with colleagues with a diffrent area of expertise This kind of collaboration can be useful division of labour. e. Collaboration with colleagues in other contries

This is becoming much more possible with facilities such as e-mail and internet. Moreover, interesting comparative data could be found.

Based on the kinds of collaborative classroom action research above, the writer applies collaborative classroom action research in the sort of collaboration with colleagues outside school / institution.

51

Michael J. Wallace, Action Research for Language Teachers, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988), p. 209


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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH

A. The Objective of the Research

There are three objectives of this research. The first one is to increase stude ts u de sta di g of the “i ple Past Te se oth og iti el a d affe ti el . The second one is to develop learning strategy to place students as a subject in teaching learning activity. Finally, to engage the students in communicative activities

hi h is ell k o as Lea i g Doi g .

B. The Place and Time of the Research

The research is held at SMP Islam Terpadu Annajiah Cibinong which is located at Jl. Kayumanis no. 25, Cibinong-Bogor. The research is conducted for three months started from August up to October 2010.

C. The Method of the Research

In this research, the writer uses Classroom Action Research. Furthermore, this research is going to employ two cycles, each of which consists of four stages: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting for each cycles. In order to get the accuracy in data collecting, the writer combines both qualitative and quantitative data. It means that this study uses observation and testing technique. For the observation, the aspect that is observed is the activity when the students learn Simple Past Tense, including their participation and their enthusiastically in information-gap activity. However, for the testing the writer uses Pre-test and Post-test to measure the effectiveness of the using information-gap activity in understanding of the Simple Past Tense.

D. The Design of the Research

As stated in chapter two page 23, this research uses Kurt Lewin Design in which there are two cycles, and each cycle consists of four phases: Planning, Acting, Observing, and Reflecting.


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CYCLE 1

CYCLE 2

Figure 3.1

Kurt Lewin Design of CAR Modified by the Writer

CYCLE 1

Acting

Planning

Observing

Reflecting

Acting Planning

Reflecting Observing

Teaching learning process done by the teacher in teaching simple past tense by using information-gap

activity as the

implementation of the lesson plan.

The writer finds the problem in teaching by observing the class, interviewing the teacher, and by giving a pre-test. Then the teacher and

the writer work

The writer as observer

o se es the tea he s a ti it , stude ts a ti it

and class condition based on the observation form. She also writes other additional information on the field

The writer does a feedback discussion with the teacher about the result of acting to perfect the acting in the next


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CYCLE 2

Figure 3.1

The Procedure of CAR Modified by the Writer

E. The Subject and the Object of the Research

The subject of the research is second grade students of Junior High School at SMP IT Annjiah Cibinong which consist of 28 students, 10 girls and 18 boys. Furthermore, the object of the research is information-gap activity to increase stude ts u de sta di g of the “i ple Past Te se.

F. The Role of the Writer on the Research

The role of the writer on this research is as an observer who collaborates with the English teacher. As an observer, beside she makes lesson plans and research instruments (test, fieldnotes, interview, and observation form), she also manages teaching materials used by the teacher. However, the teacher carries out

the a tio ased o the lesso pla s ade by the writer.

The teacher and the writer modify the lesson plan collaboratively by designing

the new teaching strategy and make the irregular verb

list. The writer implements the

new lesson plan which is emphasized on the problem

occured in the first cycle.

The writer observes the

tea he s a ti it , stude ts

activity and class situation based on the observation forms and takes other information on the field

The writer discusses the result of the second cycle with the teacher. If it achieves the criteria of action success, the second cycle is the final cycle.


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G. The Procedures of Classroom Action Research 1. Planning

There are four points done in planning phase. The planning starts from observation to SMP IT Annajiah Cibinong while teaching learning grammar is carrying out. After observing, the planning moves to make lesson plan based on the syllabus used. Moreover, making research instrument including test and observation form both for teacher and students are done in this phase. The last one is preparing teaching material including irreguler verb list and information-gap worksheet.

2. Acting

As stated in the method of the research above, the writer collaborates with the English teacher. It means that in acting phase, the researcher as observer observes the teacher, the students and the activity of teaching learning process. On the other hand, there are three main points done by the teacher in acting phase. They are giving test (pre-test and post test), conducting information-gap activity, and giving the understanding of Simple Past Tense based on information-gap worksheet given to students. Since teaching and learning period for Simple Past Tense is limited, the writer and the teacher sets two actions for each cycle.

3. Observing

Observing phase is conducted while the acting is being carried out, so that both of them are done at the same time. It is completely done by the writer as observer by noticing the activity, filling in the form of observation and taking otes elated to tea he s pe fo a e, stude ts eha io a d stude ts feeli g expressed. At last, the outcome of the observing becomes one of the parts that is used in reflecting phase.

4. Reflecting

Reflecting is done in the end of each cycle in which the process of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation are done. The three prosesses are conducted toward


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the result of observing, test, and worksheet done by the students. After analyzing the result of those three things, the researcher with the teacher does synthesis by combining them into a whole and evaluating by assessing an idea of the quality of teaching learning process that is carried out. Moreover, in this phase, the teacher tells the writer as observer which part that seems to be well performed and which one that is not, and vice versa. At last, the result of reflecting is aimed to perfect the acting of next cycle.

H. The Technique of Data Collecting

The instrument in this research uses qualitative data and quantitative data. Qualitative data is taken from interview and observation. However, qualitative data is taken from pre-test and post-test.

1. Interview

The interview used is semi-structure interview in which for this sort of interview the writer can find the problem by asking the informant related to her opinion and ideas. Semi-structure interview is used because to find the problem and ask the opinion deeply since the writer can be freer to improvise the question list. The interview is conducted with the teacher before and after the research is carried out. The interview before the research is conducted to know the problem faced by the students concerning grammar and their insight toward teaching grammar. However, the interview after the research is conducted to know about her view toward teaching grammar through information-gap activity that has been done.

2. Observation

The observation used is participant observation in the role of passive participation. It means that the observer is present at the scene of action but does not interact or participate. The observation is carried out by using both the form of observation as a guideline during the research and field notes as an additional data. According to Spradley, there are nine elements as the object of observation: space, actor, activity,


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object, act, event, time, goal, and feeling.52 In this case, the researcher chooses the object of the observation around three main elements: the actor including teacher and students, the activityi ludi g tea he s pe fo a e a d stude ts attitude i doing information-gap activity, and the feeling including the emotional felt and expressed by the students concerning the use of information-gap activity.

3. Test

The tests used in this research are pre-test and post-test. Pre-test is carried out before information-gap activity is applied. However, post-test is carried out after the implementation of information-gap activity in the end of each cycle. Both pre-test and post-test are presented in the form of multiple choices.

I. The Technique of Data Analysis

Since there are two kinds of data collecting, the technique of data analysis is divided into two different ways. For the qualitative data including observation and interview are analyzed by using Miles and Huberman Model which consists of three steps: reducing the data taken from the result of instrument of the research, displaying the data in the form of systematic sentence and narrative text, and the last drawing conclusions.53 However, the quantitative data is analyzed by descriptive statisti , i hi h the esea he atte pts to get the a e age s o e of stude ts grammar test, the improvement of stude ts “i ple Past Te se s o e, a d the percentage of the students get 70 score and above.

The following is the analyzing of the quantitative data by using statistic descriptive:

The fi st step is a al zi g the a e age s o e of stude ts g a a test i each cycle, the researcher uses formula:54

52

Sugiyono, Memahami Penelitian Kualitatif, (Bandung: Alfabeta, 2005), pp. 68-69.

53

Sugiyono, Memahami Penelitian Kualitatif, (Bandung: Alfabeta, 2005), p.91

54


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X

: mean xi : total score

n : number of students

Afte a al zi g the a e age s o e of stude ts test, the ite dete i es the stude ts pe e tage that gets s o e of ≥ as passi g-grade score which is widely known as Minimum Mastery Criterion –Kriteria Ketuntasan Minimal(KKM) - by the formula:

P : the stude ts percentage

F : total students with score 70 and above N : number of students

The last, a al zi g the i p o e e t of stude ts “i ple Past Te se s o e i cycle 1 and cycle 2 are obtained from normalization gain score:55

Sf: mean of post-test

Si: mean of pre-test

55

Lia Yuliati, Pe ge a ga P og a Pe elaja a u tuk Me i gkatka Ke a pua A al

Me gaja Gu u Fisika , dess., (Bandung: Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, 2005), p.92.

n

xi

X

N

F

P

x 100%

)

%

100

(

)

%

(%

Si

Si

Sf

Gain

N


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By the criterion:

g- high : (<g>) score > 0.70 g- medium : . ≥ <g> s o e ≥ .3 g-low : (<g>) score < 0.30 J. The Validity of Data

The validity of data refers to the credibility of the data being used. According to Borg and Gall in Wiriaatmadja, there are five criteria of validity in Classroom Action Research: Outcome Validity, Process Validity, Democratic Validity, Catalytic Validity, and Dialog Validity.56 Furthermore, Luther in Arikunto submits four kinds of validity, which are Face Validity, Triangulation, Critical Reflection, and Catalytic Validity.57 Based on the viewpoints above the researcher chooses Outcome Validity, Dialog Validity, and Critical Reflection as the criteria of the validity in data collecting. Outcome Validity is taken from the result of the test in each cycle. Dialog Validity refers to the discussion and analysis between the researcher and the teacher as a collaborator to agree on the decision of intervention and suitable alternative intervention based on the outcome of the research in the reflective phase. The Critical Reflection refers to plan and arrange each cycle of Classroom Action ‘esea h to i p o e the ualit of stude ts aste .

K. The Criteria of the Action Success

Based on the agreement between the researcher and the teacher who is know well a out stude ts ge e al skill in English, the criteria of being success in this classroom action research is the 70% achievement of Minimum Mastery Criterion, Kriteria Ketuntasan Minimal (KKM), which is seventy. It means that a student is o side ed to su eed if he/she gets ≥ s o e of 70. In addition, the number of students who get that score have to reach 70%. When the students can reach these criteria, the cycle is stopped. However, if they do not reach them yet, it means that the students, the teacher, and the researcher must move to another alternative action in the next cycle.

56

Rochtiati Wiriaatmadja, Metode Penelitian Tindakan Kelas: Untuk Meningkatkan Kinerja Guru dan Dosen, (Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 2006), pp. 164-167.

57


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CHAPTER IV

RESEARCH FINDING

A. The Description of Data

1. Before Implementing the Action

a. The Result of Interview

The interview was conducted on Wednesday, 12

th

of August,

2010

. The writer gave ten questions around the problem of students‟

grammar knowledge faced in term of Simple Past Tense and her usual

approach in teaching grammar, especially in Tenses.

According to the teacher, Simple Past Tense became one of the

problems faced by eighth grade students of SMP IT Annajiah

Cibinong. When the students were in seventh grade, they had been

introduced with Simple Past Tense, so that the teacher knew well about

the problem itself. Most of the students had difficulty to make a

sentence in the form of Simple Past Tense. That was because they

didn‟t have any idea whether they must use regular or irregular verb. In

addition, they also had lack Irregular verb knowledge.

Concerning with the teacher‟s usual way in teaching Tenses,

she told that she used to use deductive approach in teaching Tenses

included Simple Past Tense. She always started from the basic pattern

of Simple Past Tense and then moved to give the example.

b. The Result of Observation

The observation was carried out on Wednesday, 25 of August

2010. It was started form 7.30 up to 8.45. Since the observation is

aimed to observe the teacher‟s way of teaching grammar and the

students‟ attitude toward the teaching itself, the observation was done

when the teacher taught preposition.

There were 28 students in the class, 10 were females and 18

were males. Since the seat of the male and female students was

separated, the researcher could see clearly the difference between male


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and female‟s attitude toward the teaching and learning p

rocess. The

female students tended to be quiet and passive in the class. On the

other hand, the male students were active but talkative. Some of them

looked listening to the teacher‟s presentation, but most of them chatted

with the other friends, drew something, or even slept. When the

students who didn‟t pay attention to the explanation were asked

something related to the material and they could not answer it, she

gave them punishment by sticking the eraser to their cheeks. As the

result, the students list

ened to the teacher‟s explanation just for the

time being and backed to the previous activities again.

The teacher tended to dominate the teaching learning process.

She took almost one hour to present the material, and left only fifteen

minutes to let the students did grammar practice. Moreover, the teacher

asked the students to do student‟s handbook (LKS) for the grammar

practice. It seemed to make most of the students got bored and ignored

it. As additional information, she told that she used to use the

handbook for every learning practice in the class.

c. The Result of Pre-Test

The pre-test was carried out on Tuesday, October 12

th

, 2010. It

was started from 8.15 until 8.45 for doing thirty items. It meant that the

students had one minute for each item.

From the pre-test result, it found that only five students or

16.42% who could pass the Minimum Mastery Criterion (KKM).

Furthermore, the average score of the pre-test was only 45 with the

highest score was 76 and the lowest score was 23.


(45)

2. The Implementation of CAR

a. Cycle 1

1).

Planning

In this phase, the writer made lesson plans for the first and

the second meeting in cycle 1 based on the discussion between the

writer and the teacher. The writer with the teacher also discussed

on teaching material chosen including the text and the

information-gap worksheet. Therefore, recount texts by the title “Beny‟s Diary”

and information-

gap worksheets by the title “Anybody call” and

“Dany‟s Big Date” were used since they thought that those texts

and worksheets were fit in the indicators of the lesson plan used.

Moreover, making research instrument including test and

observation form both for the teacher and the students were done

by the writer in this phase.

2).

Acting

Acting phase in cycle 1 was conducted on 13

rd

and 19

th

of

October 2010. In acting phase, the teacher‟s job was presenting the

Simple Past Tense and guiding the student through

Information-Gap activity. Besides, the students‟ job was listening and

responding to the teacher‟s explanation and d

oing information-gap

activity. So, the acting phase is divided into two sections:

presenting section and Information-Gap section.

In presenting section, the students were presented the

Simple Past Tense in inductive way. It means that, the students

must analyze the form of the Simple Past Tense based on the

examples given. The students also had to mention several events

when they could use Simple Past Tense in daily activity based on

the function of the using of Simple Past Tense explained. The

students

did substitution drill by the teacher‟s guiding. The teacher

explained about regular and irregular verbs and gave the students


(46)

reading texts which were used by them to determine the irregular

and regular verbs. Moreover, the students wrote five examples of

Simple Past Tense in the form of affirmative, negative, and

interrogative sentence.

In information-Gap section, firstly, the teacher explained

the techniques of Information-Gap activity under the title

“Anybody call” and “Dany‟s Big Date” and told some

thing that the

students had to do and avoid in this activity. After that, the teacher

modeled the language output used in information-gap activity.

While modeling, the teacher encouraged the students to practice it.

Next, the students worked in pairs and did Information-Gap

activity as already pointed in chapter 2. After conducting

Information-Gap activity, the teacher and the students discussed

the information-gap worksheet.

3).

Observing

In observing phase, there were several things observed by

the w

riter: teacher‟s performance, students‟ attitude, and students‟

feeling expressed.

Concerning with the teacher‟s performers, the writer

noticed that she spoke too fast while explaining the material, so

that the students looked confused in understanding the Simple Past

Tense. The teacher also presented the techniques of

information-gap activity by giving the example before distributing the

worksheet (indirectly toward the worksheet), so that it made the

students looked confused how it worked. As the results, most of

the students didn‟t do information

-

gap activity since they didn‟t

know what had to do and at last the teacher explained it again and

they did it. The teacher‟s management time was bad since she took

a long time in drilling. However, the teacher presented the material

systematically and guided the students to analyze well.


(47)

The students‟ attitude was not really good. Some of the

students fell asleep and chatted while the teacher was presenting

the material. While Information-gap activity was going on, there

were some students who didn‟t exchange the information by

speaking in English, but they just used Bahasa Indonesia or even

looked at their pairs‟ worksheet. However, almost all of the

students took a note of teacher‟s explanation.

Students feeling expressed toward information-gap activity

were quiet good. Most of the students looked enthusiastic in doing

information-gap activity.

4).

Reflecting

In reflecting phase, the writer and the teacher shared their

ideas about the teaching learning process and the test that had been

done. They exchanged their insight about the strengths and the

weakness of the actions and the first post-test.

Related to the actions, they discussed on the field notes and

the observation forms both for the teacher and the students. From

those research instruments, they found that the teacher needed to

present both the material and the techniques of Information-Gap

activity slowly in order to make the students were able to

understand them. Furthermore, the teacher also needed to improve

her management time in teaching by avoiding substitution drilling

for a long time. The teacher also needed to ask some students who

used to chat to sit on the front line seats. Since some students were

not active in doing information-gap activity, the teacher suggested

that the activity should be conducted in the front of the class.

From the result of first post-test, it showed that only seven

students (25%) who passed the Minimum Mastery Criterion

(KKM). So, the teacher and the researcher still needed at least

thirteen students (45%) who could pass the KKM since the target


(48)

of action success was 70% passed the Minimum Mastery Criterion

(KKM) students. Based on the observation on students‟ score

result, most of the students got the problem on the items in the term

of determining the using of „was/were‟ and „did‟. Besides that,

most of them also did the mistake in answering the distracter items

in the term of the Present Continuous, the Present Future, and the

Simple Present.

Since both the observation and the test result indicated that

the action in first cycle did not achieve the action success yet, so

the teacher and the writer had to move to the next cycle.

b. Cycle 2

1). Planning

The planning phase of cycle 2 was started from making

lesson plans. The lesson plans were made based on the result of

reflecting phase done, so that the writer modified the lesson plans

to make the teaching learning process was on the same line with

the problem occurred. Furthermore, preparing teaching material

was also done in this phase. The teaching material itself included

information-

gap worksheet by the title “My friends‟ Activities

Yesterday” and recount text by the title “Maya Gazali”. Besides

that, the writer also managed for the Irregular Verb List given to

the students.

2).

Acting

Acting phase in cycle 2 was conducted on 26

th

and 27

th

of

October 2010. In acting phase of cycle 2, the acting was still

divided into two sections: presenting section and information-gap

section. However, in both sections the teacher did several changes

concerning with teaching learning process.


(1)

Penutup

1. Menyimpulkan poin penting dalam pelaksaan belajar mengajar

2. Mengucapkan salam

H. Penilaian

e. Teknik : Tes Bicara & Tulis f. Bentuk : Lisan & Tertulis.

I. Pedoman Penilaian a. Lisan

No Aspek Skor

1. 2. 3.

Grammar Spelling Pronunciation

1 – 100 1 – 100 1 – 100 b. Tertulis

Nilai siswa = Skor prolehan x 10 Max. score: 100


(2)

RENCANA PELAKSANAAN PEMBELAJARAN

Nama Sekolah : SMP IT Annajiah Siklus ke- : 2 Mata Pelajaran : Bahasa Inggris Pertemuan ke- : 2

Kelas / Semester : VIII / 1 Alokasi Waktu: 2 x 40 menit Tema : Simple Past Tense

J. Standar Kompetensi

Mengungkap kan makna dalam teks lisan fungsional dan monolog pendek sederhana yang berbentuk descriptive dan recount untuk berinteraksi dengan lingkungan sekitar

K. Kompetensi Dasar

Mengungkapkan makna dalam monolog pendek sederhana dengan menggunakan ragam bahasa lisan secara akurat, lancar, dan berterima untuk berinteraksi dengan lingkungan sekitar dalam teks berbentuk recount.

L. Indikator

 Memilih kata yang termasuk Regular Verb dan Irregular Verb

 Membedakan kalimat yang berbentuk Simple Past Tense dengan Present Continuous Tense, Present Future Tense, dan Simple Present Tense

 Mengungkapkan pertanyaan dan statement yang berbentuk Simple Past Tense secara oral

 Membandingkan Nominal Sentence dan Verbal Sentence dalam Simple Past Tense

 Membuat contoh kalimat Verbal Sentence yang menggunakan Regular dan Irregular Verb

G. Tujuan Pembelajaran

Pada akhir pembelajaran siswa dapat:


(3)

 Membedakan kalimat yang berbentuk Simple Past Tense dengan Present Continuous Tense dan Simple Present Tense

 Mengungkapkan pertanyaan dan statement Simple Past Tense secara oral  Membedakan Nominal Sentence dan Verbal Sentence dalam Simple Past Tense  Membuat contoh kalimat Verbal Sentence yang menggunakan Regular dan

Irregular Verb

E. Materi Pembelajaran

 Contoh Regular Verb dan Irregular Verb

Regular Verb : walked, talked, studied, moved, liked, danced, listened, etc. Irregular Verb : grew, spoke, saw, bought, swam, sang, drove, rode, rose, etc.  Nominal Sentence

 kalimat yang di dalamnya terdapat kata benda (noun) atau kata sifat (adjective).

- I was a students of Elementary school two years ago. - She was so sad yesterday.

 Verbal Sentence

 kalimat yang di dalamnya terdapat kata kerja (verb). - We studied English three hours ago.

- They ran to the yard yesterday afternoon.  Biography

Maya Gazali

Maya Gazali was born in Palu. She grew up in a small village. She began school when she was six years old. She went to elementary school, but she didn‟t go to high school. Her family was very poor, and she had to go to work when she was thirteen years old. She worked on an assembly line in a shoe factory.

When Maya was seventeen years old her family moved to West Java. First, they lived in Bogor, and then they moved to Bandung. When Maya arrived in Java, she wasn‟t very happy. She missed her friends back inPalu and she didn‟t speak like other children. She began to learn to speak like other children, and she practiced with her new friends at the factory in Bandung.

Maya also studied hard. She learned English, and after a few months she got a job as a secretary. Now Maya still studies at night, but now she studies advertising at a business school. She wants to work for an advertising company some day and write commercials.


(4)

F. Metode, Sumber, dan Alat Pembelajaran

 Metode : Communicative Language Teaching  Sumber : www.esl-library.com

 Alat Pembelajaran : Information-Gap Worksheet dan Teks

G. Skenario Pembelajaran

No Kegiatan Waktu Ket

1.

2.

Pendahuluan

4. Guru mengucapkan salam dan menyapa siswa.

5. Guru mereview mengenai fungsi Simple Past Tense dan konsep Nominal dan verbal sentence.

Kegiatan Inti

21. Guru menjelaskan tentang regular dan irregular verb. 22. Guru membagikan teks recount yang berbentuk biografi

yang pada hari sebelumnya digunakan.

23. Guru meminta kepada siswa untuk menggaris bawahi kata yang termasuk regular dan irregular verb dan mendiskusikannya.

24. Guru menerangkan perbedaan fungsi dan bentuk kalimat Simple Past Tense dengan Simple Present Tense, Present Future Tense dan Present Continuous Tense.

25. Melakukan grouping dengan meminta siswa di bagian paling depan untuk menyebutkan A dan kemudian teman disampingnya B, dan begitu seterusnya sampai semua siswa memiliki identitas A atau B.

6. Siswa dijelaskan mengenai teknik pelakasanaan dan aturan Information-Gap Activity.

7. Siswa dibagikan Information-Gap Wo ksheet M F ie ds A ti ities Yeste da a g digu aka pada kegiatan sebelumnya.

3

20

57

Apersepsi

Penanamn dan penguatan

konsep


(5)

8. Guru mencontohkan dialog yang akan digunakan dengan suara nyaring.

9. Siswa melakukan kegiatan information-gap di depan kelas untuk memastikan jawaban yang telah digunakan sebelumnya benar dengan menggunakan yes/no question yang berbentuk past tense, kemudian menceklis bila jawabannya benar atau mebenarkan jawaban apabila tidak sesuai dengan jawaban partner. 10. Selagi siswa maju ke depan untuk melakukan kegiatan

information-gap, siswa yang lain diminta membuat contoh kalimat Simple Past Tense yang berbentuk Nominal Sentence.

11. Siswa dan guru memeriksa dan membahas Information-Gap worksheet yang telah dikerjakankan siswa.

Penutup

1. Menyimpulkan poin penting dalam pelaksaan belajar mengajar

2. Mengucapkan salam

dan penguatan

Penilaian

H. Penilaian

g. Teknik : Tes Bicara & Tulis h. Bentuk : Lisan & Tertulis.

I. Pedoman Penilaian a. Lisan

No Aspek Skor

1. 2. 3.

Grammar Spelling Pronunciation

1 – 100 1 – 100 1 – 100


(6)

b. Tertulis

Nilai siswa = Skor prolehan x 10 Max. score: 100


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