in the VII E class, and asked questions to the English teacher and VII E students to know the changes they made after the researcher applied the actions during the
study. For dialogic validity, the researcher asked the English teacher as the
stakeholder to participate in the process of the study by giving criticism and suggestions. For this purpose, the researcher conducted reflective dialogs with the
English teacher for criticism or suggestion to the action done in the class.
b. The reliability of the data
To obtain trustworthiness, the researcher used triangulation technique. Burns 1999:164 proposed four types of triangulation. They are time
triangulation, space triangulation, investigator triangulation, and theoretical triangulation. Nevertheless, only time triangulation and investigator triangulation
to validate the data in this research. They were as follows. 1.
Time Triangulation The data were collected in a period of time. It was done to get a sense of
what factors were involved in change processes. In this research, the researcher did the action from February to May 2014. The data collected were compared to
formulate research questions and the treatment used to improve students’ reading comprehension through the use of semantic mapping technique.
2. Investigator Triangulation
Investigator triangulation involved more than one observer used in the same research setting to avoid observer bias and provide checks on the reliability
of the observations. The data were related to the teaching and learning process,
especially the implementation of semantic mapping to improve students’ reading
comprehension. In this case, the researcher and the collaborators crosschecked the data to see the fitness of the data.
G. Research Procedure
The research followed the model of classroom action research suggested by Kemmis and McTaggart in Burns 2010. The steps are shown in the form of
cycle by the following diagram.
Figure 3. The model of classroom action research by Kemmis and McTaggart in Burns 2010
