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CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD
A. Research Design
Based on the objective of this study, the aim of this study was to improve the
students‟ reading comprehension through the Semantic Mapping Strategy especially for Grade VIII C students of SMPN 3 Pakem. Therefore the type of the
research is an action research. This action research study focused on improving the real condition of the English teaching and learning process to reach the
improvement of the students‟ reading comprehension.
The researcher decided to use Kemmis and McTaggart model which consists of five steps: planning, action, observation, and reflection Burns: 2010
with some modification. The researcher conducted the research collaboratively with a collaborator, the English teacher, and the students. The action will be in the
form of cycles based on Kemmis and McTaggart model. Kemmis and McTaggart model can be illustrated as this following picture.
Figure 4. Kemmis and McTaggart Model of Action Research
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B. Research Setting
The research was conducted in SMPN 3 Pakem. The school is located in Pojok, Harjobinangun, Pakem, Sleman, Yogyakarta 55582. It has 24 teachers and
305 students. There are some facilities at this school such as a headmaster‟s room, a
teacher‟s room, an administration room, a library, a school health unit, a science laboratory, a language laboratory, a room for guidance and counseling, Students‟
Association room, a mosque, a meeting room, a basketball field and a storehouse. Grade VIII C students use the right wing building of the school. There are
31 students in the classroom. The classroom has a whiteboard, an attendance board, 16 Tables, 32 chairs, and an LCD projector. The research study was
conducted from the 15
th
of January to the 8
th
of March in the second semester of the academic year 20132014.
C. The Research Subjects
The research subjects of this study were the students of Grade VIII C of SMPN 3 Pakem in the academic year of 20132014. The class consists of 31
students; 16 of them are female students and the others are male. They were chosen as the subject of the research because their English achievement was still
low though English is one of the requirements they will face in national exam. Besides, based on the observation, the students had problems in reading
comprehension.
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D. Data Collection Techniques
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