Background of the Study

5 reading class? 2. What are the teacher’s reasons in applying the learning techniques? 3. What are the students’ responses on the learning techniques?

D. Objectives of the Study

The general objective of this study is to investigate how English teachers in SMA Stella Duce 2 Yogyakarta conduct the English reading class for their students. Whereas the specific research objectives can be stated as follows: 1. to find out the learning techniques the teacher applies in conducting the English reading class. 2. to find out the reasons why the teacher applies the learning techniques. 3. to find out how the students’ response to the learning techniques. This study aims to find out how teachers apply the learning techniques in English reading class, and then contrasts the result with the students’ acceptance toward the activities they have.

E. Benefits of the Study

This study is also expected to give some benefits for the education in Indonesia, especially for the English teaching-learning process in schools. The benefits of the study can be stated as follows: 1. For the English Teachers in SMA Stella Duce 2 Yogyakarta The English teachers in SMA Stella Duce 2 Yogyakarta may find out whether the English reading classes they conduct are in the same line with what the applied curriculum says. The English teachers may figure it out by considering 6 the comparison between what they do in conducting the English reading activities and what teacher must do in teaching reading based on the applied curriculum, KTSP. The teachers may also find out whether the learning activities and the teaching techniques they planned and applied are useful to encourage students in following the reading class. In addition, English teachers may also find out whether the learning activities enable students to learn the learning materials easier. 2. For Future Researchers This study concerns on learning techniques in English reading activities. Future researchers may conduct other research with the same topic but on other language skills to know how the result of this study is on the other language skills. Similar research result on other language skill may also be needed in order to obtain the better teaching-learning activities in English. 3. For the Policy Maker This study investigates the students’ learning activities which are independently prepared by teachers as suggested in KTSP. By considering the results of this study, the government, as the policy maker, may find out how effective and useful the curriculum is for students, for teachers themselves, and for the education in Indonesia. In other words, the results of this study can be a means of curriculum evaluation.

F. Definition of Terms

This study deals with learning strategies and some related terms. This sub chapter presents the definition of terms used in this study. The terms are: 7 1. Learning techniques Learning is acquiring or getting knowledge of a subject or a skill by study, experience, or instruction Brown, 2000:7. In this study, learning techniques are teachers’ techniques through which they conduct learning activities for students by learning and experiencing a subject in order to acquire and gain knowledge, and reach the subject’s instructional goals. 2. English reading activities According to Nunan 2003: 68, reading is a fluent process of readers combining information from a text and uses their own background knowledge to build meaning. In this study, therefore, reading activities refer to students’ activities where they try to obtain information from written texts they read and then compare the information with their background knowledge. English reading activities are learning activities under the English subject which facilitate students in learning English language through texts and reading activities. 3. Curriculum Curriculum is a set of plans and arrangement on goals, contents, and materials of instructional activities which is used as guidelines in conducting learning activities to achieve certain educational objectives BSNP, 2006: 1. In this study, the term curriculum refers to an official document established by Departemen Pendidikan Nasional, which is used as a practical guideline in applying learning techniques for students in school. 4. Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan is an operational curriculum which is