The Effectiveness of Using Mind Mapping in Improving Students' Reading Comprehension of Narrative Text A Quasi Experimental Study at the Second Grade of SMA Mathla’ul Huda Parung Panjang-Bogor.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING MIND MAPPING IN
IMPROVING STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION OF
NARRATIVE TEXT
(A Quasi Experimental Study at The Second Grade of SMA Mathla’ul Huda
Parung Panjang-Bogor)

By:
Sheira Ayu Indrayani
109014000107

THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TARBIYAH AND TEACHERS’ TRAINING
SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY
JAKARTA
2014

ABSTRACT

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING MIND MAPPING IN IMPROVING
STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION OF NARRATIVE TEXT A
Quasi Experimental Study at the Second Grade of SMA Mathla’ul Huda Parung

Panjang-Bogor. Skripsi of English Education at Faculty of Tarbiyah and
Teachers’ Training of State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, 2014.

The objective of this study is to find the effectiveness of mind mapping in
improving students’ reading comprehension achievement, especially for narrative
text at the second grade students of SMA Mathla’ul Huda Parung Panjang Bogor
academic year 2013/2014. The subjects of this study were 70 students.
Experimental research was used as a method in this study. The study was
carried out in two classes, they are the controlled class and the experimental class.
The data were gathered through tests which were delivered into the pre-test and
the post-test.
The result of the study showed that the mind mapping technique is
effective to use in teaching reading comprehension of narrative text. Gained score
of the experimental class (27.14) is higher than the controlled class (17.71). From
the result of statistic calculation, it is obtained that the value of t-observation (to) is
3.47 and degree of freedom (df) is 68. In the table of significance 5%, the value of
degree of significance is 1.66. Comparing those values, the result is 3.47 > 1.66
which means t-observation (to) score is higher than t-table (tt) score. In other
word, the Alternative Hypothesis (Ha) is accepted and the Null Hypothesis (Ho) is
rejected. Therefore, teaching reading comprehension of narrative text by using

mind mapping technique is effective.
Keywords: Mind Mapping Technique, Reading Comprehension, Narrative Text,
Experimental Study.

SHEIRA AYU INDRAYANI (PBI)

v

ABSTRAK
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING MIND MAPPING IN IMPROVING
STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION OF NARRATIVE TEXT A
Quasi Experimental Study at the Second Grade of SMA Mathla’ul Huda Parung
Panjang-Bogor. Skripsi of English Education at Faculty of Tarbiyah and
Teachers’ Training of State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, 2014.
Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui keefektifan tehnik mind
mapping dalam meningkatkan prestasi belajar siswa dalam memahami bacaan dari
teks narasi pada siswa kelas 2 SMA Mathla’ulhuda tahun akademik 2013/2014.
Subjek penelitian ini terdiri dari 70 siswa.
Penelitian eksperimen adalah metode yang digunakan di dalam penelitian
ini. Penelitian ini diadakan di dalam dua kelas, yaitu kelas kontrol dan kelas

eksperimen. Data dikumpulkan melalui tes yang diberikan melalui pre-test dan
post-test.
Hasil dari penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tehnik mind mapping efektif
digunakan dalam pengajaran memahami bacaan dari teks narasi. Gained score
yang diperoleh kelas eksperimen (27.14) lebih tinggi daripada kelas control
(17.71). Dari hasil kalkulasi statistik, dapat diperoleh bahwa nilai dari t-observasi
(to) adalah 3.47 dan degree of freedom (df) adalah 1.66. Dalam table signifikan
5%, nilai degree of freedom adalah 1.66. Dengan membandingkan nilai-nilai
tersebut, hasilnya adalah 3.47 > 1.66 yang berarti skor t-observasi (to) lebih besar
dari skor t-tabel (tt). Dengan kata lain, Hipotesis Alternatif (Ha) diterima dan
Hipotesis Null (Ho) ditolak. Oleh karena itu, pengajaran memahami bacaan dari
teks narasi menggunakan tehnik mind mapping efektif.
Kata kunci: Tehnik Mind Mapping, Memahami Bacaan, Teks Narasi, Penelitian
Eksperimental.

SHEIRA AYU INDRAYANI (PBI)

vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent and Merciful
Praised be to Allah, Lord of the world, who has given mercy and
blessing to the writer in finishing this skripsi. Peace and salutation be upon to the
prophet Muhammad SAW, his family, his companion, and his adherence.
In this occasion, the writer would like to thank to her beloved family,
Tonny Soelistyo Wahyudi and Suarni as her parents, and her brother Muhammad
Fadel Azhari for their prayers, understanding, support, and motivation.
The writer also would like to address her great honor and attitude to her
advisors, St. Nurul Azkiyah, M.Sc, Ph.D and Yenny Rahmawati, M.Ed for their
guidance and valuable advices during the writer did this skripsi.
The writer’s sincere gratitude also goes to:
1. Drs. Syauki, M.Pd., the Head of English Education Departement.
2. All lecturers of English Education for the useful knowledge and skills
given.
3. Ratu Nurul Ulfah, S.Sos.I.MM., the Headmaster of SMA Mathla’ul Huda
Parung Panjang Bogor for giving permission to the writer to do
observation and research.
4. Ferry Setiawan, S.Pd., and Sita Yulia as the English Teachers at SMA
Mathla’ul Huda Parung Panjang Bogor.

5. All of the teachers and the second year students at SMA Mathla’ul Huda
Parung Panjang Bogor.
6. All of her friends in English Education Department, especially C Class for
academic year 2009 and the members of Bloom Project.
7. All of her friends in PPKT at SMAN 1 Parung Bogor.
8. To any other persons whose are named cannot be mentioned one for their
contribution to the writer during finishing her skripsi.

vii

The writer realizes that her writing is still far from being perfect.
Therefore, she would like to accept some suggestions and criticizes for this skripsi
and it will be so valuable for her.

Jakarta, 12 Mei 2014

The Writer

viii

TABLE OF CONTENT

COVER .....................................................................................................

i

PAGE OF APPROVAL ...........................................................................

ii

ENDORSEMENT SHEET ......................................................................

iii

SURAT PERNYATAAN KARYA SENDIRI .........................................

iv

ABSTRACT ..............................................................................................

v

ABSTRAK ................................................................................................

vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .......................................................................

vii

TABLE OF CONTENT ............................................................................

ix

LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................

xi

LIST OF PICTURE ..................................................................................

xii

LIST OF APPENDICES ..........................................................................

xiii

INTRODUCTION .......................................................

1

A. The Background of The Study ................................

1

B. The Problem of The Study ......................................

4

C. The Limitation of The Problem ..............................

5

D. The Formulation of The Problem ...........................

5

E. The Objective of The Study ....................................

5

F. The Significance of The Study ...............................

5

CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW ...........................................

6

A. Reading ...................................................................

6

B. Reading Comprehension .........................................

7

1. The Definition of Reading Comprehension .....

7

CHAPTER I.

2. The Factors Influencing Reading
Comprehension ................................................

9

C. The Purposes of Reading .........................................

11

D. Narrative Text .........................................................

12

E. Mind Mapping .........................................................

14

1. The Concept of Mind Mapping .......................

14

ix

2. The Purposes of Mind Mapping ......................

18

3. The Procedure of Mind Mapping ....................

18

4. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Mind
Mapping ............................................................

19

F. Teaching Reading Comprehension of Narrative
Text Through Mind Mapping .................................

21

G. Previous Studies ......................................................

22

H. Conceptual Framework ...........................................

24

I. Hypotheses ..............................................................

25

CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ...............................

27

A. The Research Design ..............................................

27

B. The Place and Time of The Research .....................

27

C. The Population and Sample of The Research ..........

28

D. The Data Collection Technique ..............................

28

E. The Content of The Intervention ............................

29

F. The Data Analysis Technique .................................

30

G. The Statistical Hypotheses ......................................

31

CHAPTER IV. RESEARCH FINDING ...............................................

33

A. The Data Description ..............................................

33

1. The Pre-test Scores ...........................................

33

2. The Post-test Scores..........................................

35

3. The Gained Scores ............................................

37

B. The Data Analysis ...................................................

38

C. The Data Interpretation ...........................................

46

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION .......................

48

A. Conclusion ..............................................................

48

B. Suggestion ..............................................................

48

BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................

49

APPENDICES ..........................................................................................

52

x

LIST OF TABLES
Table 4.1 The Students’ Pre-test Scores ..................................................... 33
Table 4.2 The Students’ Post-test Scores .................................................... 35
Table 4.3 The Gained Scores of The Experimental Class and
The Controlled Class .................................................................. 37
Table 4.4 The t-test of Pre-test in The Experimental Class and
The Controlled Class .................................................................. 39
Table 4.5 The t-test of Post-test in The Experimental Class and
The Controlled Class .................................................................. 40
Table 4.6 The t-test of Gained Score in The Experimental Class
and The Controlled Class ........................................................... 41
Table 4.7 The Comparison Scores of Each Student in
The Experimental Class and The Controlled Class .................... 42

xi

LIST OF PICTURE
Picture 2.1 The Sample of Mind Mapping .................................................. 17

xii

LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix 1

: ANATEST result

Appendix 2

: The Instrument

Appendix 3

: The Blueprint Test of Pre-Test and Post-Test

Appendix 4

: The Instrument of Pre-Test and Post-Test

Appendix 5

: The Answer Keys

Appendix 6

: Lesson Planning

Appendix 7

: Students’ Exercises Scores

Appendix 8

: Student’s Mind Mapping

Appendix 9

: Surat Keterangan Telah Melakukan Penelitian

Appendix 10 : Surat Pengesahan Proposal Skripsi
Appendix 11 : Surat Bimbingan Skripsi
Appendix 12 : Surat Pergantian Judul Skripsi

xiii

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter explains about the background of the study, the problem of
the study, the limitation of the problem, the formulation of the problem, the
purpose of the study, and the significance of the study.

A. The Background of the Study
English as an international language has been used for all over the
world in recent years. Jeremy Harmer states that today English is the world’s most
widely studied foreign language.1 In other words, English has important role in
people’s communication. In Indonesia, English is taught in schools as a foreign
language. This subject is tested in the national exam which shows the importance
of this subject.
In teaching and learning process of English, there are four skills taught:
listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In foreign language learning, reading is a
skill that teachers expect learners to acquire. It argues as the most essential skill
for success in all education context. 2 No wonder, the students can learn many
things through reading. In other words, the more they read, the more knowledge
they get; hence, a strong correlation between reading and academic success is
shown.
The act of reading cannot be separated from comprehension. The
students cannot achieve their academic success without comprehending what they
read. In comprehending the text, the students should be monitored by their
teachers, hence the way to teach comprehension should be well understood by the
teachers. Teaching comprehension is an activity through some steps: selecting a
text, explaining the strategy, modelling the strategy, guided support, practicing

1

Jeremy Harmer, Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching-8th Ed, (New
York: Cambridge University Press, 1992), p.1
2
H. Douglas Brown, Language Assessment-Principles and Classroom Practices,
(New York: Longman, 2004), p.185.

1

2

independently, and reflecting. 3 Therefore, it can be concluded that reading
comprehension is a long process.
In addition, having a good comprehension in reading can be facilitated
by many strategies. McNamara whose thinking is adopted by the College Board
underlines growing recognition that the use of reading strategies is essential; high
ability students who use reading strategies are getting successful not only in
comprehending reading, but also in overcoming reading problems and becoming a
better reader and comprehender. 4 In summary, the students should have better
strategies for their good comprehension.
Nowadays, the need of reading comprehension requires teachers to
facilitate students through interesting strategies in learning process. Harmer states
that students are better to be impulsed in responding the context and gaining their
feeling about it than only focussing them on the text construction.5 The teachers
usually ask the students to read without giving the solution about how to read with
pleasure and comprehend through interesting strategies. The students are used to
comprehend the text only by reading normally, as what their habits in learning
process. In conclusion, students are stated having no problems in learning reading
comprehension because of their habits -reading normally.
At the senior high school level, the students are expected to master
some types of text like narrative, discussion, and hortatory exposition. Narrative
as one of those types become a common text used in students teaching and
learning process, moreover used in national exam. Narrative is a text that tells a
story to entertain the audience, let the audience think about an issue, teach them a
lesson, or excite their emoticons.6 Based on the theories, it can be assumed that

3

NSW Department of Education and Training, Teaching Comprehension Strategies,

2010, p. 7.

McNamara, Ozuru, Best, & O’Reilly, “Reading Strategies strand in English
Language Arts College Board Standards for College Success™” as cited by the College Board
College Board Standards, 2006.
5
Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching-Forth Ed (Oxford:
Pearson Longman, 2007), pp.101.
6
Mark Anderson and Kathy Anderson, Text Types in English 3(Melbourne:
MacMillan Education, 2003), p.6.
4

3

narrative text can be studied easily, because it lets the students interested to read
the text; as its purpose is to entertain people.
Based on the writer’s observation, there are many students of the
second grade at SMA Mathla’ul Huda Parung Panjang Bogor who have
difficulties in comprehending a narrative text; they could not find the major
elements of the narrative text including setting, character, conflict or problem, the
goal and resolution in the text based on the writer’s observation. Moreover, they
could not get the main idea and supporting details of the text. Consequently, most
of the students think that reading comprehension is a hard activity to do. Panatda
states that students who faced English as a foreign language have low ability in
reading comprehension; they cannot reorganize and connect the new information
from the text with their own knowledge.7
Moreover, most of the students think twice to read comprehendly the
text given. It can be seen when they prefer to answer the question given suddenly,
without read the text deeper. In addition, commonly the students are taught
through conventional method like delivering the material without any interesting
action in teaching and learning process of reading comprehension. Therefore,
students are getting low in their achievements.
In

summary,

the

students

face

some

problems

in

reading

comprehension activities. First, students have difficulties in getting information
from the text, in this case is narrative text. Then, this situation brings the students
have low achievements in reading activity. In addition, the teaching and learning
process of reading comprehension runs conventionally in class. It makes the
students think twice to do reading activity, moreover reading is a long activity.
Considering that facts, the writer suggests mind mapping as the
technique for teaching reading comprehension. Drawing mind mapping is an
activity which makes the brain easier to accept and remember visually
stimulating, multi-coloured mind maps, rather than monotonous, boring linear
Panatda Siriphanich, Using Mind Mapping Technique to Improve Students’ Reading
Comprehension of Thai EFL University Students (The 2nd International Conference on
Humanities and Social Sciences April 10th, 2010 Faculty of Liberal Arts, Prince of Songkla
University).
7

4

notes. 8 Theoritically, it can be concluded that mind mapping is a creative
technique which let the students to get success in remembering ideas or
comprehending written information. Moreover, this technique enables students to
associate story through pattern, keyword, or symbol.
The writer considers that mind mapping can be an alternative technique
for students when doing reading comprehension in achieving their academic
success later. The writer takes a quasi-experimental research design to get the
evidence about whether mind mapping technique can improve students’ reading
comprehension of narrative text. Mind-mapping is supposed to be an interesting
alternative technique that will help the students to organize their ideas about the
text they have read by their own schema, so that they can comprehend the text
easily. This study focuses on students’ mind-mapping in interpreting the text, not
on their creativity.
Finally, based on the explanation above, the writer entitles this study
“The Effectiveness of Using Mind Mapping in Students’ Reading Comprehension
of Narrative Text (Quasi-Experimental Study at the Second Grade of
SMAMathla’ul Huda Parung Panjang Bogor).”

B. The Problem of the Study
Based on the background above, there are some identified problems:
1. Reading comprehension of English text still becomes a hard activity to
do for students, because they still have difficulties in getting
information from text, especially narrative text.
2. Students’ reading comprehension achievements are low.
3. The teaching and learning process of reading comprehension runs
conventionally in class.

8

Tony Buzan and Barry Buzan, The Mind Map Book (London: BBC Worldwide
Limitied, 2002), p.82.

5

C. The Limitation of the Problem
This study spesifically deals with teaching and learning process of
reading comprehension in narrative text at the second grade of SMA Mathla’ul
Huda Parung Panjang Bogor. This study intends to measure whether or not mind
mapping technique is effective in improving students’ reading comprehension
achievement of narrative text.

D. The Formulation of the Problem
Based on the background above, the writer formulates the problem
question: “Is mind mapping effective to improve students’ reading comprehension
achievement at the second grade of SMA Mathla’ul Huda Parung Panjang
Bogor?”

E. The Objective of the Study
The study is intended to find the empirical evidence of mind mapping’s
effectiveness in improving students’ reading comprehension, especially for
narrative text.

F. The Significance of the Study
The result of the study is expected to be useful for the writer herself;
hence, it will enrich her knowledge in teaching reading. Besides, it can be the
English teachers reference in stimulating their students to read and comprehend
the various reading materials by using mind mapping in the teaching and learning
of reading comprehension. Finally, the students can be motivated to read more,
hence they can improve their reading comprehension.

CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter explains about reading, reading comprehension, purposes
of reading, narrative text, mind mapping, teaching reading comprehension through
mind mapping, previous studies, conceptual framework, and hypotheses.
Specifically, reading comprehension theories deliver into some points: the
definition of reading comprehension and the factor influencing reading
comprehension. While mind mapping theories state into some points: the concept
of mind mapping, the purposes of mind mapping, the procedure of mind mapping,
and the advantages and disadvantages of mind mapping.

A. Reading
Reading is the skill or activity of getting information from books. It is
an important skill for students to learn. Hence, a student who is not engaged in
reading activity, he/she will miss new information. Harmer states that reading is
useful for language acquisition; the more the students read, the better they get at
it. In addition, reading also has positive effect on students’ vocabulary knowledge,
on their spelling, and on their writing.1 Mc Donough supports by stating reading is
clearly one of the most important.2
In order to know correctly what reading is, there are some definitions of
reading below based on some experts.
Grabe states that reading is the ability to draw meaning from the printed
page and interpret this information appropriately.3
McLaughin as cited by Barbara Hawkins points out that reading is the
most complex and difficult skills than others that the child must acquire in

Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching-4thEd., (Oxford:
Pearson Longman, 2007), p.99.
2
Jo Mc Donough and Christopher Shaw, Materials and Methods in ELT: A Teacher’s
nd
Guide-2 , (Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2003), p.89.
3
William Grabe and Fredricka L.Stoller, Teaching and Researching Reading, (Oxford:
Pearson Education, 2002), p.9.
1

6

7

school.4 In addition, based on Goodman, reading is a selective process which
involves partial use of available minimal language cues selected from perceptual
input on the basis of the reader’s expectation. As this partial information is
processed, tentative decisions are made to be confirmed, rejected or refined as
reading progresses.5
In summary, reading is the way to get some ideas and information from
written text through continously process in which the reader can make a decision
to confirm, reject, or refine the ideas itself. In line with Grabe’s statement before,
the writer do agree that reading is a kind of activity that people need to interpret
the printed page through drawing the meaning of that page. Based on the writer
research, drawing the meaning helps readers to easily understand what they
interpret from the text. Here, the writer interprets „drawing the meaning’ by
linking these words with drawing the readers interpretation of the text through
mind mapping. For visual readers and especially students, it really helps them to
understand the text well.

B. Reading Comprehension
1.

The Definition of Reading Comprehension
Comprehension is the ability to understand completely and be familiar

with a situation, facts, etc. Comprehension is not a single unitary process. It starts
from the moving of words on the page to meaning in the mind, the recognizing of
individual words by using memory and knowledge of letter and sound patterns,
matching the resulting pronunciations to meaning, and finally connects these
words into idea units.6

4

Barbara Hawkins, Teaching Children to Read in a Second Language,Teaching
English as A Second or Foreign Language, 2nd Ed. Marianne Celce-Murcia, (Boston: Heinle &
Heinle, 1991), p. 169.
5
Goodman, K. (1970). Reading as a psychologistic guessing game. In H. Singer and
R. b. Ruddell . (Eds). Theoretical models and Processes of Reading. Newark, (N.J.: International
reading Association), p.260 as be cited by Parviz Ajideh, Schema Theory-Based Pre-Reading
Tasks: A Neglected Essential in The ESL Reading Class (The Reading Matrix Vol.3. No.1, April
2003), p.1.
6
JoAnne Schudt Caldwell, Comprehension Assessment-A Classroom Guide, (New
York: The Guildford Press, 2008), p.5.

8

In line with the statements above, Wiggens and McTighe concludes six
facets of understanding or comprehension. The first is explanation or
understanding of why and how. The second facet is interpretation. The third facet
is application or the ability to use knowledge in new situations and contexts. The
fourth facet is perspective. The fifth facet is empathy for the feelings and views of
others. The sixth facet is self-knowledge.7 Thus, it can be concluded that
comprehension is the ability to get enlightenment on something through several
steps in process.
Snow cited by Kurniawan states reading comprehension as the process
to get a precise understanding of the writer’s message through simultaneously
extracting and constructing meaning by collaborating reader’s background
knowledge and interaction and involvement.8 In line with this, Grabe explains that
reading comprehension is the interaction of information between the reader’s
drawing information from a text and the reader’s expectations or information
about the text that already has.9
Lems concludes that reading comprehension is not a static competency.
It depends on reader’s purpose to read and reader’s basic knowledge with the text
in used. In addition, the role of strategies helps the reading comprehension
achieved.10
Wilhelm

cited

in

Kurniawan’s

writing

defines

that

reading

comprehension is the degree to which the readers understand what the readers
read. It is the ultimate end-goal of reading that if the readers do not read to
understand, the readers will read for nothing; Comprehension requires the reader
to be an active constructor of meaning.11

7

Ibid., p. 36-37.
Ashadi Kurniawan, Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension on Narrative Text
Through Story Mapping Strategy (skripsi, teacher training and education faculty, Tanjungpura
University, Pontianak, 2013), p.4.
9
William Grabe and Fredricka L. Stoller, Reading for Academic Purposes: Guidelines
for the ESL/EFL Teacher, Teaching English as A Second or Foreign Language, 3rd Ed. Marianne
Celce-Murcia (Boston: Heinle & Heinle, 2001), p.188.
10
Kristin Lems, et.al.,Teaching Reading to English Languager Learners: Insight from
Linguistics, (New York: The Guildford Press, 2010), p.170.
11
Ashadi Kurniawan, Op.Cit.
8

9

Based on those definitions above, reading is an important activity used
in learning process, but it becomes more useful when the readers can comprehend
what they read. Overall, reading comprehension can be concluded as the ability to
understand the meaning or idea in the written text completely and chronically.
Eventhough reading comprehension has long process, what the readers get are
comparable with the process itself.
In line with those theories, the writer concludes that reading
comprehension ability is a must for people to have it. Based on the writer’s
research, students need to comprehend what they read in order to get academic
success. Of course, reading comprehension is a long activity, but with the
appropriate technique for each student/reader, it is not possible that the long
activity becomes an interesting long activity that makes the students/readers enjoy
and can easily comprehend what they rea.

2.

The Factors Influencing Reading Comprehension
It is undeniable that students’ ability to comprehend the print that they

meet in the class depend on their ability to understand both what a writer says and
what they do not say, except between the lines.12 Comprehension is an active
process which engages the interaction between the reader’s construct meaning and
the information of the text itself.13 Therefore, comprehending depends on the
ability:
a) to evaluate and make a judgment,
b) to distinguish between what an author offers as facts and the author’s
opinions about those facts,
c) to recognize the difference between what is fact and what is assumed to be
fact,
d) to compare,
e) to categorize,
f) to grasp the explanation of a process,
12

Dorothy Piercey, Reading Activities in Content Area-2nd Ed (Boston: Allyn and
Bacon, 1982) p. 26.
13
Ashadi Kurniawan, Op.Cit.

10

g) to identify an author’s theme,
h) to know characters,
i) to recognize a main idea and the data that support it,
j) to distiguish between cause and effect.
In doing comprehension, it cannot be denied that there are several
factors which influencing the reader to become good or poor comprehender.
Perfetti as in Jane V. Oakhill’s writing suggests that comprehension difficulties
arise mainly because certain processes that can potentially become relatively
automatic fail to become so.14
Paris states five foundations of comprehension:15
a) Conceptual knowledge.
In developing the students’ comprehension, they need to be familiar with the
concept of the text like the plot and the character’s thought of the story.
b) Language skills.
The mastery of language skills prove the better comprehension of students
later. It means that a student who at least had mastered one skill, he/she can
easily comprehend the text. As example, the students who good in vocabulary
can easily do reading comprehension.
c) Text features.
In line with the conceptual knowledge, the students need to know how the
concepts of genres, the schematic structures of texts, the titles, and many
terms that related to the meaning of texts. It is used to help the students to
construct the meaning from any types of texts.
d) Strategies.

14

Jane V. Oakhill and Kate Cain, Assessment of comprehension in reading, The
Psychological Assessment of Reading, John R. Beech and Chris Singleton (London: Routledge,
1997), p. 178.
15
Dr. Scott Paris, Developing Comprehension Skills,
http://media.wix.com/ugd/37184e_2c198e440de641efab7a9f78e2be47c3.pdf (Accessed on
February 9th, 2014).

11

It is undeniable that students need a variety of strategies in helping them
learning reading comprehension. The appropriate strategies will make them
easier to comprehend the text, such as summarizing and paraphrasing
important information or asking and aswering questions.
e) Fluent decoding.
Comprehension is difficult when the students only focused on how the words
in a text pronounce correctly. In fact, it is easier when the students learn how
to automatically decoding and recognizing the words quickly and accurately.
In conclusion, the comprehension process is a long activity that has
influencing factors in its process. The plus or the minus of influencing factors
depend on the students’ decision, whether or not they want to maximize the
information gotten from what they read. When they want to take the benefit from
the reading comprehension, they can improve their reading skill through some
points of views above. If they are not, they will just get the information without
the experience.

C. The Purposes of Reading
When people decide to read, it means that they have a purpose. Even
when they read novel for pleasure, at least they want to get information about the
story. Like Nuttall’s statement, people read because they wanted to get something
from the writing; whatever it was, people wanted to get the message that the
writer had expressed.16
There are many experts define about the purpose of reading. Generally,
their definition state that reading has two main purposes: reading for pleasure and
reading for getting information. Here are some reasons below.
Rivers and Temperley list the reason for reading as below17:
1. to obtain information for some purpose or because curious about some topic,
2. to obtain instructions on how to perform some task for work or daily life,

16

Christine Nuttall, Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language, (Portsmouth:
Heinemann, 1989), p.3.
17
Jo Mc Donough and Christopher Shaw, Op.Cit., p.90.

12

3. to keep in touch with friends by correspondence or to understand bussiness
letters,
4. to know when or where something will take place or what is available,
5. to know what is happening or has happened (as reported in newspapers,
magazines, reports),
6. for enjoyment or excitement.
Grabe on his books concludes the purpose of reading into some point,
they are:18
1. Reading to search for simple information and reading to skim quickly.
2. Reading to learn from texts.
3. Reading to integrate information, write, and critique texts.
4. Reading for general comprehension.
To sum up, when the students have purpose in reading materials, it will
let the students to be more focus on what they want to get. Whatever the purpose,
the students will have new information and will be useful for their needs when the
purpose has decided. Moreover, through the suitable technique in comprehending
their reading materials, the students will be more focus in the learning process and
maximize the information gotten.

D. Narrative Text
There are some kind of texts which are learnt at school by the second
grade students of senior high school and narrative takes a part. Narration is any
written English text in which the writer wants to amuse, entertain people, and to
deal with actual or vicarious experience in different ways.19 Narrative uses
conflicts among the participants, either natural conflict, social conflict or
psychological conflict. In some ways, a narrative text combines all these conflicts.
Thus, commonly narrative text is found in story book.20
18

William Grabe and Fredricka L.Stoller, Op.Cit., p.13-15.
Sanggam Siahaan and Kisno Shinoda, Generic Text Structure (Yogyakarta: Graha
Ilmu, 2008), p.73.
20
Anis Apriliawati, Comprehending Text Types (Bekasi: Ganesha Exact, 2009),p.39.
19

13

In addition, there are steps for constructing a narrative text: orientation,
complication, sequence of events, resolution, and coda (an optional step).
1. Orientation includes who is in the story, when the story is taking place, and
where the action is happening.
2. Complication sets off a chain of events that influences what will happen in
the story.
3. Sequence of events tells how the characters react to the complication.
4. Resolution shows how the characters solve the problem created in the
complication.
5. Coda provides a comment or moral based on what has been learned from the
story (an optional step).21

In order to make the generic structure explanation becomes clear, here
the example of narrative text includes its generic structure.22
Once upon a time, there was once a guy who was very much
in love with this girl. This romantic guy folded 1,000 pieces of
papercranes as a gift to his girl. Although, at that time he was just a
small executive in his company, his future doesn’t seem too bright,
they were very happy together. Until one day, his girl told him she
was going to Paris and will never come back. She also told him that
she cannot visualise any future for the both of them, so let’s go
their own ways there and then... heartbroken, the guy agreed.

Orientation

Complication

When he regained his confidence, he worked hard day and
night, just to make something out of himself. Finally with all these
hard work and with the help of friends, this guy had set up his own
company.
“You never fail until you stop trying.” He always told
himself. “I must make it in life!” One rainy day, while this guy was
driving, he saw an elderly couple sharing an umbrella in the rain
walking to some destination. Even with the umbrella, they were
21

Sequence of
events

Mark Anderson and Kathy Anderson, Text Types in English 3 (Melbourne:
MacMillan, 2003), p.3.
22
Joko Priyono, Interlanguage: English for Senior Hifh School Students XI Science
and Social Study Programme (Jakarta: Pusat Perbukuan, Departemen Pendidikan Nasional, 2008),
p.110-111.

14

still drenched. It didn’t take him long to realise those were his exgirlfriend’s parents. With a heart in getting back at them, he drove
slowly beside the couple, wanting them to spot him in his luxury
car. He wanted them to know that he wasn’t the same anymore, he
had his own company, car, condo, etc. He had made it in life!
Before the guy can realise, the couple was walking towards a
cemetery, and he got out of his car and followed them and he saw
his ex-girlfriend, a photograph of her smiling sweetly as ever at
him from her tombstone. He saw his precious papercranes in a
bottle placed beside her tomb. Her parents saw him. He walked
over and asked them why this had happened. They explained that
she did not leave for France at all. She was stricken ill with cancer.
In her heart, she had believed that he will make it someday, but she
did not want her illness to be his obstacle. Therefore she had
chosen to leave him.
She had wanted her parents to put his papercranes beside her,
because, if the day comes when fate brings him to her again he can
take some of those back with him. The guy just wept.

Resolution

Coda

To sum up, narrative can be concluded as a text which is used to amuse
and entertain the readers through its story. In addition, some steps to make a
narrative text should be paid attention for better construction. Narrative sounds an
interesting kind of text. In line with reading comprehension, it must be easy for
students to understand and comprehend narrative text. Although reading
comprehension is the ability that is not easy to do, but by doing this activity
continously in every single leisure time and adding by appropriate technique for
students, it is not possible for them to comprehend narrative text easily.

E. Mind Mapping
1.

The Concept of Mind Mapping
The mind map is an expression of radiant thinking which includes on a

nature function of brain.23 A mind map is a diagram used to visually outline

23

Tony Buzan, Barry Buzan, The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to
Maximize Your Brain’s Untapped Potential (New York: Penguin Group, 1994), p.57;59. Radiant

15

information which often created around a single word or text, placed in the center,
to which associated ideas, words, and concepts are added. Major categories
radiate from a central node and lesser categories are sub-branches of larger
branches. Categories can represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items related to a
central key word or idea.
Based on the definition above, it can be concluded that a mind-map is a
creative way to represent idea or information through diagram.
Mind mapping is a method to optimize learning capacities and
understanding of how the elements of complex structures are connected. Buzan
cited by Maier, “Mind-mapping was designed to use both sides to increase
memory retention and productivity.”24 It is because the brain works in different
ways; different people think in different ways. However, while students thinking
and reasoning follow a structure that is personal to theirselves, they still use a
number of techniques that apply to most people. There are four essential
characteristics of mind mapping:25
a) The subject of attention is crystallised on a central image.
b) The main theme of the subject radiate from the sentral image as branches.
c) Branches comprise a key image or key word printed on an associated line.
Topic of lesser are also represented as branches attached to higher level
branches.
d) The branches form are a connected modal structures.
Mind map may be enhanced and enriched through colour, pictures,
codes, and dimension to add interest, beauty, and individuality. This is used to
help in increasing creativity, memory and specifically the recall of information.26
There are several principles in making mind mapping, as states below:27
a) Use emphasis
Thinking refers to associative thought processes that proceed from or connect to central point;
burst of thought.
24
P.S. Meier, Mind-mapping-a tool for eliciting and representing knowledge held by
diverse informants (Guildford: University of Surrey, 2007), p.1.
25
Tony Buzan, TheMind Map Book: How to Use....Op.Cit., p.59.
26
Ibid., p.60.
27
Tony Buzan and Bary Buzan, The Mind Map Book, (London: BBC Worldwide
Limited, 2000), p.87-88.

16

1) Always use a central image.
2) Use images throughout personal mind map.
3) Use three or more colours per central image.
4) Use dimension in images and around words.
5) Use synaesthesia (the blending of the physical senses).
6) Use variations of size of printing, line, and image.
7) Use organised spacing.
8) Use appropriate spacing.
b) Use association
1) Use arrows when want to make connections within and across the branch
pattern.
2) Use colours.
3) Use codes.
c) Be clear
1) Use only one key word per line.
2) Print all words.
3) Print key words on lines.
4) Make line length equal to word length.
5) Make major branches connect to central image.
6) Connect lines to other lines.
7) Make the central lines thicker.
8) Make the boundaries „embrace’ the branch outline.
9) Make the images as clear as possible.
10) Keep the paper placed horizontally.
11) Keep the printing as upright as possible.
d) Develop a personal style
In summary, mind mapping can be maximized in using through colors,
pictures, and connections. These terms will be more useful when the students also
use their creativity in the process. It is undeniable that creativity lets the students
to think free in mapping their minds about the reading materials. Hence, the
students can comprehend the reading materials much easier.

17

Picture 2.1
The Sample of Mind Mapping28

28

Jennifer Goddard, Fun Activities on Holidays During School Holidays,
http://www.braintraining4kids.com/fun-activities-on-rainy-days-during-school-holidays/
(Accessed on March 5th, 2014).

18

2. The Purposes of Mind Mapping
Everything happens for a purpose. As the way to help the students
easier in reading comprehension, using mind mapping also has purpose.
Generally, the purpose of mind mapping is to associate between ideas, topics or
things.29 Besides, there are several specific purposes of mind mapping below:30
a) Mind mapping activates whole brain.
b) Mind mapping fixes the mental tangled.
c) Mind mapping lets the students focus on main explanation.
d) Mind mapping helps to show the relationship between the separated
information parts.
e) Mind mapping gives clear description wholly and specifically.
f) Mind mapping lets the students to group the concept and compare it.
Based on the explanation above, mind mapping is hoped to help the
students in getting better learning process. By activating the whole brain
activities, it can be concluded that mind mapping is expected to make the students
easier in comprehending the text or written information.

3. The Procedure of Mind Mapping
Making mind mapping is easy. The students can remember many
information through this way. Here are several steps to make mind mapping:31
a) Starting from the center of the blank paper. It is better to rotate the paper, so
you can use it horizontally (it helps the brain feels free to spread the ideas).
b) Using picture or photo as the central of the idea. A picture has thousand
meanings and help the students to use their imagination. A central picture
makes the students focus, concentrate, and feel interested in what they are
mapping.

29

Martin Davies, Concept Mapping, MindMapping and ArgumentMapping: What are
The Differences and Do They Matter?(Springer Science+Business Media B.V, 2010), p.11.
30
Tony Buzan, Buku Pintar Mind Map, terj. Susi Purwoko (Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka
Utama, 2013), p.6.
31
Ibid., Tony Buzan, p.15-16.

19

c) Using colors. Colors have same role as pictures, brain will stimulate an idea
through colorful form. It gives mind map more alive and adds creative
thinking energy for the students.
d) Linking the main branches with the central picture and linking within the
supporting branches. An association has important role in brain activity, by
linking two or more things will make the students easier to understand and
remember.
e) Making curved line, not straight line. The straight line will only make the
brain bored.
f) Using only a keyword to every single line. This is used to give flexibility in
making the mind map.
g) Using pictures. Every single picture has thousand meanings as same as
central picture.

4. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Mind Mapping
Mind mapping as a technique to help the students in learning reading
comprehension cannot be separated with the advantages and disadvantages in its
use. Facilitating these problems, the writer states several views below for these
terms.
Those few headlines shows the advantages of using mind maps
whenever students want to get things done faster, more effectively, and with better
end results. Here are some advantages:32
a) Mind map helps the students to speed up their think rapidity.
b) Mind map takes the students to develop new ideas quickly.
c) Mind map gives easy way for the students to plan, communicate, be creative,
arrange, and explain the ideas fastly and efficiently when they want to work
with others.
d) Mind map facilitates the students to understand a complicated system or
structure because mind map delivers the students to be focused on the ideas.

32

Ibid., Tony Buzan, p. 6;110.

20

Clelford states the advantages and disadvantages of using mind
mapping as below:33
Advantages:
a) Easily add ideas or links later.
b) Helps to concentrate on information structure and relationships between ideas
rather than disconnected facts.
c) Mind map may help people to see other connections and similarities in the
information they receive.
d) Add sketches in making mind map is more memorable than conventional
notes.
e) Mind maps can incorporate a mass of material (For example, a jet’s
maintenance manual was reduced from 1000s of pages to a room-length mind
map. A year's subject notes became an easily reviewed poster).
f) Mind mappings can help revision, even if the course notes are conventional.
They condense material into a concise, memorable format.
Disadvantages:
a) People may want to redraw the maps later-but that will help them remember
the material.
b) Someone’s map may be so personal and it could be difficult for others to
understand. Mind maps are a great help when preparing essays and
presentations, but they may be inappropriate as the final piece of work.
Instead of those views above, Casco explains the advantages of mind
mapping into some points. The first is the flexibility to useby learners with
different levels of proficiency in the target language. Next, mind mapping
empowers the learners by allowing them to decide where to start and what to
leave out. This possibility of making decisions develops a sense of self-efficacy
and fosters autonomy. The last advantage is stimulating the learners’ creativity.34

33

Tony
Clelford,
Taking
Notes
with
Mind
Maps,
http://ebooks.uosiu.info/eBooki/Umys%C5%82/tony%20buzan%20%20taking%20notes%20with%20mind%20maps.pdf (Accessed on February 9th, 2014).
34
Mady Casco, The Use of “Mind Maps” in The Teaching of Foreign Languages,
http://www.madycasco.com.ar/articles/mindmaps.PDF(Accessed on February 9th, 2014).

21

From those explanation above, it can be concluded that mind mapping
naturally just a technique which has both positive and negative things inside.
Oftentimes, the learners can take the advantages through this technique,
meanwhile the disadvantages cannot be separated from its use. Hence, it depends
on the user to maximize the advantages of using mind mapping.

F. Teaching Reading Comprehension of Narrative Text Through
Mind Mapping
The explanation below is the procedures of teaching narrative text
through mind mapping:
First

: introduce the procedure of making mind mapping and review about
narrative text. Later, tells the students about the advantage of using
mind mapping in learning text, especially narrative text.

Second

: at the first meeting, divides the students into some groups which
consist of 3-4 members in each. It is used to let the students learn first
about making mind mapping together. For the second meeting, the
students are asked to make their mind mapping individually.

Third

: give students instruction to read and comprehend the text first. After
comprehending the story, they have to write and draw their
comprehension through mind mapping.

Fourth

: the students tell their mind mapping in front of the class, then some
others give their opinion; whether they have similar thinking about the
text. For the second meeting, there are only some students present
their mind mapping. It is used to maximalize the used of time.

Fifth

: the students have to answer some questions related to the text, in order
to make sure whether