Objectives of the Study Benefits of the Study Definition of Terms

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D. Problem Formulation

Referring to the previous explanation, the writer formulates two problems that are to be discussed. They are stated as follows. 1. How is a set of supplementary reading materials using the adaptation of Language Experience Approach for the seventh grade students of SMP N 8 Yogyakarta designed? 2. What does the designed set of materials look like?

E. Objectives of the Study

In accordance with the problem formulation above, this study aims to: 1. design a set of supplementary reading materials using the adaptation of Language Experience Approach for the seventh grade students of SMP N 8 Yogyakarta. 2. present the designed set of materials.

F. Benefits of the Study

This study is expected to give beneficial contribution to those who are concerned with education especially for: 1. English teachers The materials presented in this study may assist the teachers of the seventh grade of junior high school in teaching reading by implementing Language Experience Approach as a new method to help the students enhance their reading enjoyment and motivation and to develop their reading skill. 11 2. The seventh grade students of junior high school The students are hopefully encouraged to build their reading motivation by learning using Language Experience Approach since the students are given freedom to participate in creating the reading materials pursuant to their interest and daily life experiences. Furthermore, assisted by the teacher, the students could learn integrative language skills: speaking, listening, writing, and reading. 3. Other researchers The results of the study hopefully provide beneficial information and give a stimulus for further study. By using the adaptation of Language Experience Approach, better and more interesting materials could be presented.

G. Definition of Terms

The following are some definitions of terms which are used by the writer in the study. 1. Design Design is defined as “the general arrangement of developing plan to guide educational activity in situation” Ho ule, 1978: 230. In the study, the writer develops a set of supplementary reading materials using the adaptation of Language Experience Approach. 2. Supplementary materials The word “supplementary” is the adjective form of the verb “supply”. 12 In Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary, Hornby, 1995: 1200 supply means ‘’to give something that can be added to something else to improve or to complete it.” Thus, supplementary means addition of something to improve something else. In this study, supplementary means that a set of reading materials is designed to improve or to develop the existing reading materials used in the classroom. 3. Reading Reading is regarded as “the ability to make sense of written or printed symbols. The reader uses the symbols to guide the recovery of information from his memory and subsequently uses this information to construct a plausible interpretation of the writer’s message” Mitchell, 1983: 1. According to Ibson and Levin 1979: 5, reading is extracting information from a text. It is stated that the text is not merely the printed words but also the combination of text and pictures, diagrams, graphs, illustration and so on. In this study, reading can be understood as the ability to make sense of the combination of printed words with pictures, diagrams, graphs, illustration and so on by recalling the information based upon individual experiences. 4. Language Experience Approach Language Experience Approach is a reading instruction approach that uses the student’s own vocabulary, language patterns, and background of experiences to create the reading text and make reading a meaningful process Dixon and Nessel, 1981: 9. LEA puts an emphasis on the holistic paradigm of language instruction. The holistic paradigm of language instruction emphasizes multilevel of language skills, i.e. 13 speaking, reading, writing and listening as comprehensive components of language instruction. In practice, LEA recommends unstructured, spontaneous, and meaningful contexts to be provided. Therefore, the students’ prior knowledge, background experiences, and participation in preparing the reading materials are of paramount importance in this approach. 5. The Adaptation of Language Experience Approach The word “adaptation” is the noun form of the verb “adapt”. Adapt means “make suitable for a new use, situation, etc” Hornby, 1995: 13. Therefore, adaptation can be understood as something which is made suitable for a new use or situation. In the study, the writer considers the use of the adaptation of LEA as the appropriate fo undation for designing the supplementary reading materials for the seventh grade students of SMP N 8 Yogyakarta rather than the implementation of the original LEA. Initially LEA was implemented to teach students of English as a second language. However, Indonesian students learn English as a foreign language. They need learning techniques and materials which consider their language skills and the function of English as a foreign language. To this end, the writer uses the adaptation of LEA which has been broadly developed by many educators. To design the suitable materials for the students, the writer uses Language Experience Charts developed by Doris Lee 1943 and key word concept developed by Sylva Ashton- Warner 1963. 14

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW