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CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD
A. Research Design
This study uses a descriptive qualitative research. Creswell 2007:37 explains qualitative research begins with assumptions, a worldview, the possible
use of a theoretical lens, and the study of research problems inquiring into the meaning of individuals or groups assign to a human or social problem. The result
of the analyzing process is also presented in the form of words, clauses, and sentences as a replacement of numerical data.
B. Data and Source of the Data
Data source used in this research was taken from a novel entitled The Fault in Our Stars. Since this research is a qualitative research, the data are the
expressions, symbols, words, phrases, clauses and sentences taken from the novel. The data were related to the kinds of life perfection that gives meaning to Hazel as
the main character in the novel and analyzes the struggle of Hazel in getting her life perfection.
The Fault in Our Stars was written by John Green which was published for the first time in 2012 by Dutton Books Penguin Group Inc.. Its luminous
story has made it as 1 bestseller all around the globe. The novel has 313 pages which are divided into twenty-five chapters. In this study, the researcher also uses
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some books, journals, and websites which refers to psychological analysis. Those resources were taken to improve the researcher
’s knowledge and comprehension in conducting this study.
C. Research Instruments
The primary instrument in analyzing the data was the researcher himself, as it is stated by Creswell 2007:38 that in qualitative research, the researchers
collect data themselves through examining documents, observing behavior, and interviewing participants. The researcher is the one who gather the information
and he does not use or rely on questionnaires or instruments developed by other researchers. He uses his own capacity to gather, reduce and analyze the data.
In addition, the researcher’s secondary instrument is a set of data
collected from the novel entitled The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 2012. This instrument functions as the primary data for the researcher in the process of
identification and analysis.
D. Data Collection Technique
In this study, the researcher used the technique of analysis of documents and material culture since the source of the data was a written text Vanderstoep
and Johnston, 2008:189. The process of data collecting technique consists of four steps, to be precise careful and comprehensive reading, taking notes, interpreting
data and categorizing data. First, the writer read Green’s The Fault in Our Stars
carefully and comprehensively. In order to get the trustworthiness and reliability
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of the data, the researcher read and reread the novel to get a more rich understanding of it.
To acquire the required data, the researcher also took notes and underlined the data which were related to life struggle of a girl towards the life perfection that
she dreamed of. The data which had been gathered through note taking process were interpreted using psychological criticism. Finally, the data were categorized
into the parts which were relevant with A kinds of life perfection that giving meaning to Hazel as the main character in the novel and B analyzing the
struggle of Hazel in getting her life perfection. The researcher wrote the categorized data in a table of data collection and classification. To conclude the
conclusion, the researcher marked some sentences bold which support and emphasize the categories he made to simplify the analyzing process.
E. Data Analysis
Here is the sequence of seven steps the researcher used in analyzing the data of the research.
1. The researcher identified the data which were taken from the novel by making some notes.
2. The researcher read and re-read the whole data and placing them into two major topics under the study questions. The first analysis was kind of life perfection that
gives meaning and the second analysis was the struggle to get the life perfection.
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3. The researcher categorized the data into thematic categories related to life perfection and the struggle to get it.
4. The researcher sorted the data to get the most relevant data. Hence, the irrelevant data were excluded in this step.
5. The researcher making the relation between the data and theories to get findings based on the objectives of the research: to reveal what kinds of life perfection that
gives meaning to Hazel and her struggle to get the life perfection in Green’s The
Fault in Our Stars. 6. The researcher focused on making interpretation of the findings based on his
comprehension with the theories which were used in the study. 7. The researcher entered the data into table as seen as follows
Table 1. Data Sheet Table of Analysis
No Sub-
category Quotation
Chapter Page Explanation
1 Fiction
Finalism “...seemed to understand
me in weird and impossible ways.
An Imperial
Affliction was my book, in the way my body was my
body and my thoughts were my thoughts.”
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F. The Trustworthiness of the Data
According to Moleong 2006:326, there are four criteria to gain research trustworthiness. They are credibility, transferability, dependability, and
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