22
able to figure out the types of errors mostly made by tenth grade students in writing descriptive text.
In order to answer the problem formulation number two, the causes of errors in tenth grade students’ descriptive text writings, the researcher employs
interview as the instrument. The participants are selected based on the result of their descriptive text writings. Two students will be those who gain the high score
and minimum errors, two other students will be those who produce the average errors, and the rest is those who produce more errors than the other participants.
Through the interview questions delivered by the researcher, participants are expected to answer appropriately. Thus the researcher is able to know the causes
of errors in participants’ descriptive text writings. The researcher employs Norrish’s theory 1983 to categorize the causes
of errors based on the interview. The causes of errors proposed by Norrish 1983 are carelessness, first language interference, translation, overgeneralization, and
error as a part of language creativity. Interviews conducted by researcher is expected to tell the researcher the cause of errors mostly made by the tenth
graders of SMA GAMA Yogyakarta in writing descriptive texts.
23
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter describes the methodology employed in this study. It is composed of six parts. Those are research method, research setting, research
subject, research instrument and data gathering technique, data analysis technique, and research procedure.
A. Research Methods
In order to answer the first research question, the errors made by the tenth graders of SMA GAMA in writing descriptive text, the researcher conducts a
document analysis. The researcher decides to employ document analysis because the data, descriptive texts written by tenth graders of SMA GAMA Yogyakarta, are
in the form of writings or written forms. According to Ary, Jacob, and Sorensen 2010, “Document analysis is a research method applied to written or visual
materials for the purpose of identifying specified characteristics of materials” p.457. Furthermore, Ary et al. 2010 point out that one of the purpose of
document analysis is to analyze the types of errors in students’ writings p. 457. Thus, as it is written in the previous chapters, in this study the descriptive texts
made by the tenth grade students of SMA GAMA Yogyakarta are used as the written materials, and it is going to be analyzed.
In addition, the researcher conducts a qualitative survey to answer the research question number two, the factors causing errors in writing descriptive
24
text made by the tenth graders of SMA GAMA Yogyakarta. Fink 2003 says, “Qualitative surveys collect information on the meanings that people attach to
their experiences and on the ways they express themselves” p. 61. Thus, to collect information and discover the factors which cause the errors of tenth grade
students in writing descriptive text, the researcher conducts interviews with six students of the tenth grade of SMA GAMA Yogyakarta. Along with it, Fink 2003
says that students have their own experiences. Through descriptive text writing, they can show how they express themselves. In other words, descriptive text can
be considered as a kind of attaching to their experiences and knowledge in writing descriptive text. Furthermore, due to the small number of participants of the
research, qualitative survey is appropriate to be conducted to reveal the factors which are causing errors
of the tenth graders of SMA GAMA Yogyakarta in writing descriptive text. As Fink 2003 states that a qualitative survey is used
when the researcher does not have a large number of participants p. 67.
B. Research Setting
The Researcher conducts the study in SMA GAMA Yogyakarta from January to April 2015. It is located in Jalan Affandi 5 Mrican Yogyakarta. The
reasearcher decided to do the research in SMA GAMA Yogyakarta due to the personal involvement with SMA GAMA Yogyakarta. In 2014 the researcher did
the teaching practice there. Therefore, a clear accomodation to the school has been well depicted. Since descriptive text is taught in semester two of the tenth grade
students, the researcher conducted the study from February to April 2015.
