Phenomenological Research and Research on Perception

60 In this research, thus, the meaning of the 2015 English National Examination is structured as themes. As the researcher I reflected the lived experiences of the participants by looking and relooking at them with my judgment, perception, memory, and my own meanings. Not only reflection and intentionality, another process which is important in the process of seeking meaning is empathy. Empathy is intuitive understanding to other human. It is the way we understand the individuals who live certain phenomena. When empathizing, we implement intersubjectivity, the process of looking and interchanging at each other self. When reflecting, I always tried to put myself in the participants‟ position. It was not difficult since I my self has already had similar lived experience with the participants of this research. When reflecting, I looked at the partic ipants‟ presentation of selves. I then communicated my reflection to the participants and they responded to my reflection regarding their lived experiences. When seeking meaning, a phenomenologist must perform reduction. Reduction is the process of abstracting from the real world and thus bracketing the real world and concluding the generalinvariance from the individualvariance. The process of abstracting from the real world was especially done when I reflected while the process of concluding the general from the individual was especially done when I abstracted themes and meaning in the writing process. When writing a phenomenology research report, a phenomenologist can do it narratively or through interpretation. When a phenomenologist writes narratively, shehe implements narrative phenomenology. Shehe does not abstract meaning and only describe individuals‟ lived experience. When a phenomenologist writes PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 61 by interpreting, shehe implements hermeneutic phenomenology. Hermeneutic phenomenology research destination is meaning of certain lived experience. Since this research attempts to seek meaning, thus this research implements hermeneutic phenomenology. All phenomenological research I found implemented hermeneutic phenomenology as well. Almost all focuses on implementation in English education. Only one of them discusses English education design. From ten research reports on implementation, seven of them tried to discover meaning from the perspective of the learners. The rest three focused on meaning from the perspective of the teachers. Similar to the seven previous research reports, this research focuses on learner‟s perspective. Different from almost all previous research reports found and similar to one previous research, this research discovers how the participants experienced a subject matter within the scope of evaluation , or, more specifically, national examination. Before gathering or collecting phenomenological data text, a researcher needs to explicate hisher pre-assumptionpre-understanding. Pre-assumption is the process of bracketing the researcher‟s understandings, beliefs, biases, theories, suppositions, assumptions, andor existing bodies of scientific knowledge by explicating them. The explication is important so that this knowledge do not come back to and distract the researcher when shehe reflects on the lived experience. The knowledge is explicated not to be forgotten. The pre-assumption, or what can also be called as the theoretical meaning of the National Examination, is drawn from the elaboration in the Theoretical Framework. The pre-assumption of the National Examination can be divided into 62 five themes. They include: 1 inclusive and sustainable globalization, 2 an assessment which must be valid, 3 the National Examination and empathy to students , 4 a controversial examination , 5 significant visions, failing implementation . 1 Inclusive and sustainable globalization: For World Bank, national assessment is one of the tools which is needed to provide information regarding individual student achievement in knowledge and skills. This information is important to help the World Bank to maintain assessment of effectiveness and support the World Bank‟s role as a unique and special institution of knowledge and learning. The role was one of the roles needed to play by the World Bank to achieve inclusive and sustainable globalization. The World Bank considers national assessment important for the governments. The immediate advantage which the governments would get from national assessment is the data to monitor achievement levels, to figure out how changes in enrollment and budgetary conditions affect the quality of learning, and to gain skillful and knowledgeable workers to help the state compete successfully in globalization. 2 An assessment which must be valid: Validity is test quality which was discussed the most in research on the National Examination. Two research reports conducted showed that the 2012 English National Examination as a not completely valid exam. One research showed that the National Examination content validity as not completely valid and another one showed that its content validity was low. One research showed that the National Examination was not valid in the context of criterion-related validity. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 63 3 The National Examination and empathy to students: The definition of National Examination and its meaning to the World Bank and the government, showed less empathy to students. Their elaboration on the National Examination did not involve students‟ insight. Indeed, their elaboration involved the significance of the examination for students. However, this significance was designed by them without involving students. Different from the World Bank and the government, the elaboration on the definition and meaning of the National Examination for the teacherscritics and researchers, showed more empathy to students. Their elaboration involved students. Three of six research reports found had students as the participants. 4 A controversial examination: Especially since the National Examination was used to determine graduation, the government and the criticsteachers were always in the different directions. They kept arguing on many aspects regarding the National Examination. The following table shows the difference between the arguments of the government and the criticsteachers on the National Examination. The Government The Critics and Teachers The National Examination functioned to map education quality. The National Examination alone was not enough to be used to map education quality. The National Examination could improve students‟ intelligence. The National Examination could not improve students‟ intelligence. What improves students‟ intelligence is input and process. The National Examination could improve st udents‟ motivation. The National Examination could improve students‟ motivation but what improve motivation the most is social and economic factors. The National Examination, on the other hand, gave more pressure to students. The National Examination was to evaluate students‟ achievement. The National Examination should have evaluated the government performance. Table 2.2 The Goverment and CriticsTeachers on the National Examination