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CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHODS
This chapter presents research methods applied in this research. It includes research design, operational definition of key terms, area determination method,
research subjects, data collection method, research procedure, data analysis method and the criteria of success of the action. Each section will be explained in
the following parts.
3.1 Research Design
The design of this research was Classroom Action Research. It was because the aim of this research was
to improve the students’ active participation and their reading comprehension achievement by using Webbing Technique to
VIII-F students at SMP Negeri 1 Banyuputih Situbondo. According to McMillan 1992:12, Classroom Action Research is a type of
applied research that its aim is to solve a specific classroom problem or make decision at the single local site. Therefore, this Classroom Action Research was
intended to overcome the students’ problem in reading activity and encourage the
students’ participation in teaching reading in class. Sagor
in O’Connor et al., 2006:3 states that Action Research is a tool that is used to help teachers and other educators expose strategies to improve
teaching practices. This research used Lewin’s theory Lewin in Elliot, 1991:70
which each cycle consisted of four stages of activity. They were the planning of the action, the implementation of the action, the classroom observation and
evaluation, data analysis and the reflection of the action. Classroom Action Research can be conducted by the individual teacher, a
group of teachers working cooperatively within one school, or a teacher or teachers working alongside a researcher or researchers in a sustained relationship,
possibly with other interested parties like advisers, university departments and sponsors on the periphery Holly and Whitehead in Cohen et al., 2007:297. This
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Classroom Action Research was conducted collaboratively with the eighth grade English teacher of SMP Negeri 1 Banyuputih Situbondo. It was conducted
collaboratively from the start up to the end of the research when the research target had been achieved.
The following diagram was the illustration of Classroom Action Research that was implemented in each cycle of this research.
Figure 3.1 The Design of the Classroom Action Research Adapted from Lewin, 1980 in Elliot, 1991:70
Preliminary study - Interviewing the
English teacher - Fact finding
- Problem identification and
analysis - Formulating the
problems
The results meet the research target
Reflection Evaluation
Analysis Reflection
The results do not meet the research
target Unsuccessful
Implementation - Teaching reading of
descriptive texts through Webbing
Technique
- Doing classroom observation
- Administering the reading
comprehension test Revising some weak
aspects that made the Cycle 1 fail to meet
the research target.
CYCLE STOPPED Reporting the result
Planning
-Constructing the lesson plans
-Preparing materials -Preparing the
observation guide -Constructing the
reading test -Setting the criteria
of success.
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The detailed procedures of the activities of this research were as follows:
1. Doing the preliminary study by interviewing the eighth grade teacher for
finding out the problems and taking some documents needed to gain the supporting data
covering the students’ names and the previous students’ English test.
2. Finding out the class with the lowest mean score as the research subjects
from the English teacher’s information and the documents.
3. Observing the classroom activities while the English teacher was teaching in
order to know the students’ active participation in the teaching learning process.
4. Planning the action by constructing the lesson plans collaboratively with the
English teacher. 5.
Implementing the actions based on the lesson plans in the first cycle through Webbing Technique Meeting 1 and Meeting 2.
6. Observing the classroom activities done by the English teacher in the first
meeting and the researcher in the second meeting in cycle 1. 7.
Administering the test of reading comprehension to the students at the end of the teaching learning process of Webbing Technique Meeting 3.
8. Analyzing the results of observation that were done by the researcher and the
English teacher. 9.
Analyzing the result of reading comprehension test quantitatively using the percentage of the students’ reading comprehension achievement.
10. Reflecting the results of the observation and the reading comprehension test.
The result of the observation and reading test in the first cycle had not met the research target. Therefore, the cycle was continued to the second cycle by
revising some problems that were found in cycle 1. The cycle was stopped when the result of the actions had met the research target.
11. Drawing a conclusion.
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3.2 Operational Definitions of Key Terms