Research Method Research Participants

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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, the researcher discusses the methodology which is used to conduct the research. The methodology covers the research methods, research participants, research instruments, data gathering technique, data analysis technique, and the research procedures.

A. Research Method

This research was qualitative research. Brown and Rodgers 2002: 10-12 state that “a qualitative research is a research which is aimed to understand the phenomenon by focusing on the total picture rather than breaking it down into variables”. Meanwhile, Best 1970: 117 says that “descriptive research is a kind of research which estimates the degree of achievement of a large number of individuals involved in educational and environmental influences.” Therefore, it was suitable if the research was defined as descriptive research since it describes students’ achievements and mastery over the basic clause patterns which are reflected through their distributions. In addition, since the description was the basic clause patterns that students used in their written compositions, this study used document. “Document analysis focuses on analyzing and interpreting recorded material within its own context and the material may be public records, textbooks, letters, films, tapes, diaries, themes, reports, and so on” Ary, Jacobs, and Razavieh, 2002: 27. The researcher decides to use document analysis because the data were the materials which were in the form of texts or, in this research, are called students’ written descriptive compositions.

B. Research Participants

The syllabus of the tenth grade, eleventh grade, and twelfth grade include the material which discusses the topic of description. Therefore, students have been learning to make a description since they were in the tenth grade. This condition assured the researcher to choose the eleventh grade students as research participants since they have already had the knowledge about description and since they are able to make descriptive compositions which were needed as the data to be analysed. The subjects of the research were the eleventh grade students of SMKN 2 Depok of the 20082009 academic year. The eleventh grade students were chosen because it was necessary for the teacher to know their understanding about English including their mastery over basic clause patterns. Knowing their understanding, the teacher was supposed to be able to determine the most appropriate teaching techniques in order to teach English in a better and more suitable ways. Therefore, students could continue their study in the following grade with better result as well as better English skill to communicate. In conducting the research, the writer chose two classes. Those classes were XI Teknik Pemesinan A TPA and XI Geologi Pertambangan B GPB. Out of 32 students of class XI Teknik Pemesinan A TPA, there were 24 students who became the research participants. Meanwhile, out of 32 students of class XI Geologi Pertambangan B GPB, there were 26 students who became the research participants. In addition to those participants, they were chosen because the researcher should adjust his schedule to get the data and the teacher’s teaching schedule. As a result of the agreement of the schedule, the participants which were chosen were XI Teknik Pemesinan A TPA and XI Geologi Pertambangan B GPB.

C. Research Instrument