Research Method Research Participants

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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents an overall research methodology used in processing this research. They include research method, research participants, research instruments, data gathering technique, data analysis technique, and research procedure.

A. Research Method

Qualitative study was used as the approach of this research. It was more suitable because “qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meaning people bring to them.” Denzin and Lincoln, 2005 as cited in Merriam, 2009 This study did not manipulate the process of learning. It sought the problems in the learning by investigating the product of the learning process that is the students’ works. Because this study used stu dents’ papers as the data, the method falls specifically into one of qualitative research types that is document analysis. Ary et al. 2002 defined document analysis as “a research method applied to written or visual materials for purpose of identifying specified characteristics of the material”. The “written materials” in this study are the students’ works, while the “specified characteristics” here are the problems in writing quotations. Further, Ary et al. added the purpose of content analysis which is “to analyze types of errors in students’ writings” as another reason for applying document analysis as the method for this study. In addition, this research also employed survey research as the minor research method. As Wiersma pointed out, surveys are “used to measure attitudes, opinions, or achievements – any number of variables in natural setting 1995, p. 196.” This survey research was only used to gain extra information to complement the data from the students’ papers. It was intended to investigate students’ opinions and considerations on quotations and plagiarism, which also play parts in citing.

B. Research Participants

The participants involved in this research were students of Academic Essay Writing Classes in the academic year of 2011 – 2012. The total numbers of students were 160 and they were divided into five classes. Three classes were chosen with total participants of 77 students. There were two considerations behind the researcher ’s decision in holding the research in Academic Essay Writing class. First, Academic Essay Writing is the first stage where students learn to compose academic essays. Writing an academic essay requires ide as from experts to support students’ point of view. Therefore, it is crucial for the students to learn how to cite properly in order not to plagiarize other people’s work. Second, as for being the second stage for students to learn citing after the introduction in Paragraph Writing class, lecturers will find the research beneficial by seeing the results. If the result reveals that students find difficulties in citing, lecturers can revise or add materials or techniques in teaching. It is hoped that students can write better and more effectively in the early stage of writing before they go further to writing more important documents such as journals or thesis. This is also for preventing the students to take major and general mistakes to the next level of writing.

C. Research Instruments