Helping Students To Be Enthusiastic to Learn Reading at Kumon City Square Bandung.

 

ABSTRACT
Tugas akhir ini membahas tentang anak anak yang tidak menunjukkan
keseriusan untuk membaca bacaan yang terdapat dilembar kerja mereka di
KUMON. Di KUMON, setiap anak bekerja sesuai dengan kemampuannya
sendiri dan secara perorangan. Dengan sistem belajar seperti ini, anak dapat
mengerjakan pelajarannya secara mandiri dan kemampuan setiap anak
dapat berkembang secara maksimal.
Dalam tugas akhir ini, saya membahas penyebab dan akibat dari
permasalahan yang saya hadapi yaitu beberapa anak tidak menunjukkan
keseriusan mereka dalam belajar, terutama dalam membaca suatu kata,
frasa, ataupun kalimat. Dalam hal ini, saya mencari penyebab serta akibat
yang dapat membuat anak enggan untuk membaca. Salah satu penyebab
dari masalah ini ialah anak kurang termotivasi. Masalah ini juga dapat
disebabkan oleh ruangan yang terbuka. Seorang anak akan merasa
terganggu belajarnya jikalau mereka melihat situasi di sekeliling mereka yang
ramai. Akibat dari masalah ini adalah bahwa anak akan ketinggalan pelajaran
dan kurang memahami maksud dan isi dari teks yang akan dibaca.
Berdasarkan observasi dan studi kepustakaan, maka saya menemukan
beberapa pilihan solusi untuk mengatasi masalah ini. Solusi yang dapat

diterapkan ialah dengan mengajak setiap anak berkomunikasi dan
memberikan mereka beberapa kegiatan sebelum membaca. Dengan
berkomunikasi, seorang anak akan merasa bahwa ia diperhatikan. Selain itu,
komunikasi juga dapat menjalin hubungan yang baik antara anak dan
pengajar. Sedangkan memberikan beberapa kegiatan sebelum membaca
dapat membantu anak untuk lebih memahami maksud dari teks yang akan
dibaca. Dengan demikian, maka anak akan termotivasi untuk membaca
dengan kemauannya sendiri.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………….……..i
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY…………………………………………..ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………….………………….iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………….iv
CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION…………………………………………….1
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.

Background of the Study
Statement of the Problem
Objectives and Benefits of the Study
Description of the Institution
Methods of the Study
Limitation of the Study
Organization of the Term Paper

CHAPTER II : PROBLEM ANALYSIS………………………………………7

CHAPTER III : POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS…………………………………..11
CHAPTER IV : CONCLUSION……………………………………………….17
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES 

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APPENDIX

 

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study
Nowadays it is important for children to master a foreign language.
One of the most important foreign languages is English. Moreover,
English has become an international language. On top of that, it is
getting more common to use English as a foreign language in the fields
of education and entertainment. Therefore, children should learn
English as early as possible in order to have a better access of
education and eventually to have better opportunities for work.
Considering the importance of learning English, many parents try to
find a reputable English course for their children. As we know, there are
many English courses in Bandung, and KUMON is one of the proper
English courses for children in Bandung.
Considering that KUMON has spread into 45 countries all over the
world, I choose to teach children at KUMON. Moreover, I want to have
an experience in teaching children and like to socialize with children.

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What is more, KUMON course has established KUMON methods as
the basis of teaching, where the children learn individually and they do
not learn in a classroom style. This method also encourages the
children to do the homework each day. The material is designed from
the low level until the high level.
At KUMON EFL, the English course only has one class and the
classroom has no partition. There are 9 tables, 3 CD players for
listening, 3 shelves for putting the students’ pocket books, and a
bookcase for displaying the story books. In the class there are two
teachers and 21 students with age level from 4 to 7 years old. The
material of KUMON EFL is very interesting. The worksheets are
colorful, and the CD contains ‘sound effect’, ‘shadowing voice’, and
also it has an attractive music background for the students. In spite of
the fact that KUMON EFL class is enjoyable, some children seem
unwilling to read the reading text on the worksheets. This problem
appears because the students have lot activities from their school and
their feel tired to read the reading text. It can be the teachers give the

same topic of the reading text and make the students unwilling to read.
Considering the above explanation, I would like to discuss how to
deal with children at KUMON EFL class who are reluctant to read the
reading text on the worksheets.

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B. Identification of the Problem
There are a lot of difficulties when I did my apprenticeship. One of
the difficulties is the students do not want to read the reading text on
their worksheets and it is not easy to encourage them to read.
Therefore, the statements of the problem are defined as follows:
1. Why the students at KUMON EFL are reluctant to read the reading
text on the worksheet?
2. How should the teachers deal with the problem?
3. What is the best solution to solve the problem?

C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study
My objectives of writing this Term Paper are:
1. to find out the causes and the effects of students being reluctant to
read the reading text on their worksheets
2. to analyze the possible solutions to deal with the problem
3. to present the best solution for the problem.
The benefit for the readers when they read this paper is that they
can get information and insight about how to make the students enjoy
reading in class.
The benefit for the institution is that the English teachers at KUMON
City Square can know how to make the students enjoy reading and
how to manage the class well.
Meanwhile, the benefit for me is that I can get the knowledge and
insights about how to make the students enjoy reading. Therefore,

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when I really turn into a teaching job in a school and face the same
problem, I will know how to handle it properly.

D. Description of the Institution
KUMON was first established in 1954 by Japanese named Toru
Kumon, who was a high school Mathematic teacher. The concept of
KUMON started with the following story. One day, Toru Kumon’s wife
asked him to help his son, Takeshi, with mathematic lesson. Then, he
created a system in order to help his son learn mathematic effectively
and systematically. Afterwards, Toru Kumon applied this learning
system to other children in his home area. The result was satisfying
and until now KUMON has developed the learning system not only in
Japan but also in 45 other countries.
Meanwhile, KUMON EFL was first established around 2000 when
the government in Thailand and Brazil asked KUMON center in Japan
to design English material for children in Thailand and Brazil. The
reason is that both governments wanted the children in their country to
be able to learn English well by using KUMON methods.

KUMON EFL learning material is truly designed for children whose
first language is not English, such as children in Indonesia. The
material of KUMON EFL is compiled in a systematic way, with various
levels which are developed step by step and are given to each child
based on their own ability. The purpose of the learning system, the
material, and the guidance at KUMON EFL is developing the potential

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of each child so that their ability in learning English can be enhanced
continuously. Whereas, in KUMON EFL, reading is an important activity
to do by the students in order to increase the vocabulary and to check
the comprehension and pronunciation.
KUMON has a lot of branches in Bandung. KUMON EFL was first
opened in Bandung in September 2007. I did my apprenticeship
programme at KUMON City Square from June 17 to August 15, 2008 at

City Square complex B-9. The owner of KUMON City Square is Mrs.
Handayani Lestantun. KUMON EFL at City Square was first
established in March 2008, but originally the owner has opened her first
office at Jalan Nakula before the office was moved to City Square in
2007 with Mathematics as the first subject.

E. Method of the Study
Based on my experiences during the apprenticeship programme, I
find a significant problem to discuss as the topic of my Term Paper. I
analyze the causes and the effects of the problem as well as choose
the best solution based on the data and the library research.
I got the data for this study from several books and sources from
the Internet. Besides, I also got the data from my apprenticeship
journal. I have got a lot of data from my own experience while I was
teaching the students. The owner and the other teachers at KUMON

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City Square also gave me some information about how to handle the
problem.

F. Limitation of the study
The subject of my term paper is limited to one English class of 21
students at KUMON EFL at City Square. The discussion focuses on
dealing with the students with the age level from 4 to 7 years old who
are reluctant to read the reading text on the worksheets.

G. Organization of the Term Paper
In this term paper, I would like to divide the content into four
chapters. The first chapter is the Introduction, which contains seven
sub-chapters namely Background of the Study, Identification of the
Problem, Objectives and Benefits of the Study, Description of the
Institution, Method of the Study, Limitation of the Study, and the last is
Organization of the Term Paper.
In the second chapter, which contains Problem Analysis, I will
analyze the causes and the effects of the problem that I faced. The
third chapter is the Potential Solution. In this chapter I will give the
possible solutions of my problem including the positive and negative
effects of each solution. The fourth chapter is the Conclusion, in which I
present the best solution to the problem. In the final part, I present the
Bibliography and the Appendices.

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CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION

Based on the analysis in the previous chapters, there are three causes
of the problem that make the students reluctant to read. First, they are tired
because they have lot activities at school. The second is lack of pre-reading
activities and the third is unsupportive classroom management. Moreover, the
effects for the problem are the students have less practice of comprehension
and pronunciation and they will skip the material. It is also take much time for
the students to take an achievement test to continue to a higher level. The
possible solutions for the problem are the teacher should try to communicate
with the students, give them some pre-reading activities, and re-arranging the
classroom.
In this chapter, I would like to present the best solution to the problem. The
problem is why the students at KUMON EFL are reluctant to read the reading
text on the worksheet. The chosen solution is the combination of the first and
the second solution namely the teachers should try to communicate with the

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students and giving them some pre-reading activities that can increase their
learning spirit in reading.
Communicating with the students is one way to encourage students to
read the reading text on the worksheet. Asking them questions about their
life, their friends, and their family can make the students respond and enjoy
the conversations. This solution is really effective although it needs a long
time to communicate with the students. Referring to my apprenticeship
programme from June to August 2008, I have applied this solution for the
students at KUMON EFL and the effect of this solution on the students is they
have motivation to read the reading text. It is not difficult to ask the students
to read if the teachers try to communicate with them nicely. Moreover, the
students are willing to read the reading text by themselves. Communicating
with the students may also build a good relationship between the teachers
and the students. With this solution, the learning process of KUMON EFL will
go smoothly. What is more, giving some pre-reading activities for the students
will also be helpful. I choose this solution because using various pre-reading
activities will help the students to enjoy the activities and the learning
process, then they are willing to read the reading text on the worksheet. The
fact is that not all pre-reading activities have been applied at KUMON EFL.
The pre-reading activities that have been applied at KUMON EFL are the
students have to listening to the CD and the teachers ask some questions
that related to the topic.

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     Communicating with the students and giving them some pre-reading

activities are suitable ways to increase the learning spirit of the students in
reading the reading text on the worksheet. Moreover, I suggest that KUMON
should have a separate classroom for the KUMON EFL. Having a separate
classroom of KUMON EFL will help the students to learn English effectively.
Especially, when the students read the reading text on the worksheet, they
can read it seriously without any noise from other class. Meanwhile, at
KUMON EFL in City Square, this solution can not be applied because the
area of KUMON EFL on the first floor is too narrow and too close with the
KUMON Mathematics for the beginner level.  

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Printed Sources
Dörnyei, Zoltán. Teaching and Researching Motivation. London: Pearson,
2001.
Harmer, Jeremy. The Practice of English Language Teaching. London:
Longman,2001.
Paul, David. Teaching English to Children in Asia. Hongkong: Longman, 2003
Scoot, Wendy A., and Lisbeth H. Ytreberg. Teaching English to Children.
New York: Longman, 2000

Electronics Sources
Ajideh, Parvij. “A Neglected Essential in the ESL Reading Class”. The
Reading Matrix April 2003. 27November 2008
.
Cluff, Debbie. “Classroom Arrangement”ğ. Education Articles 28 May 2006.
Article MS. 27 November 2008 .
Karakaş, Müge. :”The Effects of Pre-Reading Activities on ELT Trainee

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Teachers’ Comprehension of Short Stories”. Eğitimde Kuram ve Uygulama
19 Desember 2008 .
Sasson, Dorit. “Improving EFL Reading Skills.” The Genuine Article 09
February 2007. Suite 101. 16 Oktober 2008
.

Scoville, Heather. “How TO Verbally Communicate with Students.” How to Do
Things 2008. 04 Oktober 2008 .

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