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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the methodology of the study, such as the research method, participants, instruments, data gathering technique, data analysis
technique and research procedure.
A. Research Method
The method utilized in this research was a survey. Brown and Rodgers 2002: 142 state that surveys are “procedures which are used to gather and
describe the characteristics, attitudes, views, opinions, etc of people who are important to a study.” Ary et al. 2002: 142 say that “surveys typically take the
form of interviews or questionnaires or both.” Therefore, the writer used a test and a questionnaire to gather the data. In this research, the writer intended to find out
the errors which the fifth semester students made and the possible causes of the errors in using conditional sentences.
The writer constructed test and questionnaire to answer the research questions. The tests were frequently used as criterion measures of language
abilities in second language acquisition research. It could also be valuable sources of information about the effectiveness of learning and teaching. Besides, language
teachers also usually used tests “to help in diagnosing students’ strengths and weaknesses, to assess students’ progress, and to assist in evaluating students’
achievement” Bachman, 1995: 2-3. Moreover, questionnaire is “commonly used
24 for data collection in survey research” Wiersma, 1969: 179. Backstrom and
Cesar 1981: 187 state in their book that the questionnaire is “the physical form of all theories, hypotheses, and hunches that have gone into planning the survey.”
Therefore, the writer used test and questionnaire as the instruments for collecting data.
B. Research Participants
The participants of this study were the fifth semester students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University in the
academic year of 20102011. They were chosen since they had learnt conditional sentence in Structure III course. As they had learnt conditional sentences, it was
assumed that they would not make a lot of errors in the conditional sentences test. Because the fifth semester students of the English Language Education
Study Program of Sanata Dharma University were in a great number, the writer selected a sample to represent the population as a whole. In choosing the sample,
the writer chose the cluster sampling procedure. Wiersma 1995: 292 gives the definition of cluster sampling in his book as “a procedure of selection which
involves the random selection of clusters from the larger population.” The writer chose this sampling because this sampling is in groups, not individuals, were
randomly selected. Therefore, the writer did not need to make new cluster. Besides, the existing cluster consisted of the fifth semester students who had
learnt conditional sentences in the same semester, and it was supposed to have the
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