The Readability Level of English Textbooks and Students’

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CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

A. Conclusion

This study u sed Fry’s readability graph formula and cloze test to measure the readability level of English textbooks Get Along with English 1 and English for SMK 1. The results showed that these two measures produce contradictive findings. The Fry’s readability graph formula measured that readability lavel of Get Along with English 1 was at the 7 th grade. The readability lavel of English for SMK 1 was at the 8 th grade. These grades were at 2 —3 levels below the real grade of the students that was the tenth. It can be interpreted that the English textbooks both Get Along with English 1 and English for SMK 1 should be understandable by the tenth grade students of vocational schools easily. It was in accordance with Dubay opinion that the readability level, 2 —3 below the real grade of the students, was useful to increase students’ comprehension for those who have a low interest in reading. The cloze tests measured students’ comprehension on both English textbooks. The results were average correct answers of test participants found that X TKJ 1 of SMKN 1 Kadipten was 44,43, X ATPH 3 of SMKN 1 Maja was 42,10, X TPM-B of SMKN 1 Majalengka was 49,23, X TIK 3 of SMKN 1 Panyingkiran was 43,43 and X UPW of SMKN 1 Palasah was 45, 43. Based on Taylor’s Reading Level the entire students as the participant of cloze test were at 35 —50. Taylor interpreted that the students were at the instructional or assissted level. It meant that they needed teachers assistant to make sense the content of their English textbook. These contradictive findings could be influenced by many factors among others: - Students of vocational school in Majalengka had a low interest in reading that influence to their comprehension on English textbook. - The lack of images that was supporting the reading text of both textbooks had a great deal contribution towards students’ comprehension. - The low motivation of students to learn the subjects especially English rather than their vocational subjects. - The limited English textbooks provided by the schools assumed as the other factor that hamper the students to have a good curiosity in understanding the content of English textbooks. - The content of English textbooks that far from their program caused the students reluctant to make sense them. Therefore, they have a low interest in English subject. 84

B. Suggestion

Based on the conclusion above, it could be suggested: - For the institutions, schools and publishers  The Ministry of education in this case books center and curriculum should introduce the way teachers selecting the right textbook for their students openly.  There are various program of vocational schools, enriching the passage containing the matter which close to their programs would have much influence to enhance students’ curiousity to read rather than the lower level matters.  Introducing the materials of English for Special Purposes in vocational English textbooks according to their competency is necessary to enhance their motivation to learn English.  Schools should facilitate the library with the appropriate English textbooks, not only what they got from the goverment but also what the students needs related to their various programs.  Publishers ought to launch the English textbooks which equip the students with proper knowledge based on the major they took in vocational schools.  Publishers should enrich the passage with images properly, to enhance students comprehension. - For the English teachers  They should be aware that vocational schools students have different needs and interest. Therefore measuring the readability of English textbooks is necessary before they choose and use them in their classrooms, particularly at the tenth grades.  Perceiping that students have similar background knowledge should be reviewed, since their comprehensible inputs are not quit the same.  Evaluating a whole content of English textbooks before adopting it should be based on the students’ needs not their own perceptions.  Teachers do not to rely on the textbooks, since they are only one of the teaching learning resources.  Writing their own textbooks even spend much time but worthy to close the contents to the stude nts’ needs rather than the published ones. - For the other researchers The writer realizes that there are limitation in this study. Therefore, she suggests for other researchers who are interested in the same field, that:  They should focus on the readability of more English textbooks which are spread in their regions, either vocational English textbooks or other senior high English textbooks. 85  They should concern with the readability of sentences involving instructions and commands, in particular, for exrecises which are commonly dry and not attactive for students.  They should remember that learning a language means learning its skills namely listening, reading, writing and speaking. They are supposed to find out how the readability of English textbooks supporting these skills. 87 REFERENCES Badan Standar Nasional Pendidikan. Standar Isi untuk Satuan Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah, Standar Kompetensi dan Kompetensi Dasar SMKMAK. Jakarta; BSNP. 2006. Barr, Rebecca, Michael L. Kamil, Peter B. Mosenthal and P. David Pearson. Handbook of Reading Research Vol II. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 1996. 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