Designing a combination of reading and writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta.

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DESIGNING A COMBINATION OF READING AND WRITING TEST FOR RSBI SEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS OF SMP PANGUDI LUHUR I

YOGYAKARTA

A THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

Rika Raswitasari Student Number: 061214096

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

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DESIGNING A COMBINATION OF READING AND WRITING TEST FOR RSBI SEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS OF SMP PANGUDI LUHUR I

YOGYAKARTA

A THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

Rika Raswitasari Student Number: 061214096

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

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I dedicate this Thesis

to my dearest family

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ABSTRACT

Raswitasari, Rika. (2010). Designing A Combination of Reading and Writing Test for RSBI Seventh Grade Students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program Sanata Dharma University.

In learning English, every learner’s goal is to be able to master four skills namely Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing skill. Thus, there are four tests to measure learner’s skill in mastering English. Those tests are Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing test. Usually, Speaking and Listening skills are measured together at the same time. On the other hand, Reading skill is measured together with Writing skill. Therefore, there is a test called a combination of Reading and Writing test. In SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta, there was a need for a combination of Reading and Writing test designed specially for RSBI seventh grade students. The test was designed specially in order to meet the needs and characters of the students who had higher level of English skill being compared to the students from regular classes. In order to achieve that goal, the test must be made more challenging. This study attempted to solve the problem by designing a combination of Reading and Writing test that is able to make the students perform their high English skill.

In the effort to create a more challenging test, the researcher designed the test by using authentic materials. Authentic materials were used because they provided real life language, vocabularies and structures that would create certain challenge to the learners. Authentic materials also provided topics and tasks that were similar to real-life tasks that would be challenging for the intermediate learners.

In designing the test, the researcher employed Educational Research and Development method proposed by Borg & Gall (1983). There were ten steps in R & D. However, the researcher only applied seven steps out of those ten steps. Those steps were (1) research and information collecting, (2) planning, (3) preliminary form of product development, (4) preliminary field-testing, (5) main product revision, (6) main field-testing, and (7) operational product revision. In conducting the study, the researcher used interview to gather data and information. The interview was done twice. The first interview was done in step 1 to find out the students’ needs. The second interview was done in step 4 to gather experts’ suggestions and comments to revise the test before it was field tested in step 6.

The result of the main field testing showed that the highest score was 87 achieved by two students, the lowest score was 50 achieved by one student and the average score was 77.03. This data proved that students did much more efforts in dealing with real-life language structures and grammar and writing tasks that were made similar to real-life tasks in the test designed by the researcher. Thus, it can be concluded that the combination of Reading and Writing test designed by using authentic materials was successfully able to challenge the students to perform their high English skills.

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ABSTRAK

Raswitasari, Rika. (2010). Designing A Combination of Reading and Writing Test for RSBI Seventh Grade Students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Dalam belajar bahasa Inggris, tujuan setiap pembelajar adalah untuk dapat menguasai empat keterampilan yaitu Berbicara, Mendengarkan, Membaca, dan Menulis. Jadi, ada empat tes untuk mengukur keterampilan peserta didik dalam penguasaan bahasa Inggris. Tes tersebut adalah tes Berbicara, Mendengarkan, Membaca, dan Menulis. Biasanya, keterampilan Berbicara dan Mendengarkan diukur pada saat yang sama. Di sisi lain, keterampilan Membaca diukur bersama-sama dengan keterampilan Menulis. Oleh karena itu, ada tes yang disebut dengan tes gabungan Membaca dan Menulis. Di SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta, ada kebutuhan akan tes gabungan Membaca dan Menulis yang dirancang khusus untuk siswa kelas tujuh RSBI. Tes ini dirancang khusus untuk memenuhi kebutuhan dan karakter siswa yang memiliki tingkat keterampilan bahasa Inggris yang lebih tinggi dibanding dengan dengan siswa dari kelas reguler. Untuk mencapai tujuan tersebut, tes harus dibuat lebih menantang. Maka, studi ini berusaha untuk menjawab permasalahan dengan merancang suatu tes gabungan Membaca dan Menulis yang mampu membuat para siswa menampilkan kemampuan bahasa Inggris mereka yang tinggi.

Dalam upaya untuk menciptakan tes yang menantang, peneliti merancang tes dengan menggunakan teks-teks otentik. Teks-teks otentik digunakan karena teks-teks tersebut mampu memberikan kosa-kata dan struktur kebahasaan yang digunakan dalam kehidupan nyata yang akan menciptakan tantangan tertentu kepada para peserta didik. Teks-teks otentik juga memberikan topik dan tugas-tugas yang mirip dengan kehidupan nyata yang akan menantang bagi pembelajar level menengah

Dalam merancang tes, peneliti menggunakan metode Educational Research and Development dari Borg dan Gall (1993). Ada sepuluh langkah dalam siklus R & D. Namun, peneliti hanya menggunakan tujuh dari sepuluh langkah tersebut. Langkah-langkah tersebut adalah (1) research and information collecting, (2)

planning, (3) preliminary form of product development, (4) preliminary field-testing, (5) main product revision, (6) main field-testing, dan (7) operational product revision. Dalam melakukan penelitian ini, peneliti menggunakan wawancara untuk mengumpulkan data and informasi. Wawancara dilakukan dua kali. Wawancara pertama dilakukan pada langkah 1 untuk menemukan kebutuhan siswa. Wawancara kedua dilakukan pada langkah 4 untuk mengumpulkan saran dan komentar para ahli guna merevisi tes rancangan pertama sebelum tes diujikan pada langkah 6.

Hasil main field-testing menunjukkan bahwa nilai tertinggi adalah 87 dicapai oleh dua siswa, nilai terendah adalah 50 dicapai oleh satu siswa, dan nilai rata-rata adalah 77,03. Data ini membuktikan bahwa siswa melakukan lebih banyak usaha

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dalam menghadapi struktur dan tata bahasa nyata dan tugas-tugas menulis yang dibuat sedemikian rupa hingga menyerupai tugas yang sesungguhnya dalam tes yang dirancang oleh peneliti. Dengan demikian dapat disimpulkan bahwa tes gabungan Membaca dan Menulis yang dirancang oleh peneliti berhasil menantang siswa untuk menampilkan kemampuan bahasa Inggris mereka yang tinggi.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My greatest thank is for Jesus Christ as He has given me the very valuable

experience of searching for knowledge that will keep me survive till the end of my

life. I would like to thank the angels He has sent for me to guide me to accomplish

my goal and keep my spirit burnt in enthusiasm and eagerness. Further, my deepest

thanks are special for those who have supported me

First, I thank very very much to Made Frida Yulia, S.Pd., M.Pd., my thesis

sponsor, for guiding me to accomplish my mission of finishing my study in the

university. I would like to give my greatest respect and appreciation for her help,

kindness and patience in evaluating and correcting any errors and mistakes I made in

writing my thesis.

Second, my deepest thank is special for Andrea Ismargyaning Utami, S.Pd.,

my PPL pamong teacher who then inspired me to write a thesis about designing a

combination of reading and writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP

Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. She not only inspired me but also helped me to provide

any important information and references so that I was able to do my research so

well.

Third, I would like to give my warmest thanks for the big family of SMP

Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta especially RSBI seventh grade students for being the

subjects of this study and the honorable headmaster Br. Heribertus Triyanto, FIC., for

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Fourth, my deepest thank and appreciation is for Drs. J.B. Gunawan, M.A.

and Tri Sukartini, S.Pd for being willing to spend times for me in the middle of their

busy days to check my preliminary-designed test. Their feedbacks and suggestions

were one of most important parts in this research. Without their helps and kindness I

would not have made this far.

Next, my endless thank and gratitude is special for my family. I would like to

thank to my mother Anastasya Sumarni, and my sister Bernadheta Emmy Yulida for

their prayers and supports day and night for me. They gave me the reason to be

successful in my study and my life.

Last, my sweetest thanks are special for my boyfriend Coco, and my best

friends Yenny Setyawati, Arum Widyastuti, Arif Rusna Pratiwi, Rina Seabaya

Kristinasari, Farida Noor Rohmah, Denza Saputra, and Dani ‘Morron’ for bringing

smiles, laughter, and colors in to my life. They are the boredom and desperation

killers who always give me new energy to confront with stress and depression I face

during my study. Actually, there are still so many other friends who cheered up my

life I met in my beloved university, Sanata Dharma Yogyakarta, yet I can hardly have

enough space to write their names in this thesis. Even so, their names have been

typed in the story of my life and will endure forever in my heart.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ... i

APPROVAL PAGES ... ii

PAGES OF DEDICATION ... iv

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY... v

ABSTRACT ... vii

ABSTRAK... viii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS... x

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... xii

LIST OF TABLES... xvii

LIST OF FIGURES ... xviii

LIST OF APPENDICES ... xix

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study... 1

1.2 Problem Formulation ... 5

1.3 Problem Limitation ... 5

1.4 Objectives of the Study ... 6

1.5 Product Specification ... 6

1.6 Benefits of the Study... 7

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CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Theoretical Description... 12

2.1.1 Language Testing ... 12

2.1.1.1 Reliability... 12

2.1.1.2 Validity... 14

2.1.1.3 Practicality... 16

2.1.1.4 Authenticity... 17

2.1.2 Testing Reading ... 18

2.1.2.1 General Form of the Reading Test ... 18

2.1.2.2 Selection of the Test Passages... 18

2.1.2.3 Advice on Item Writing ... 19

2.1.2.4 Assembling the Final Form... 22

2.1.3 Testing Writing ... 22

2.1.3.1 Comparison of the Composition and Objective of Writing ... 22

2.1.3.2 Objective Tests of the Elements of Writing ... 23

2.1.3.3 Testing Ability to Organize Material ... 25

2.1.3.4 Testing the Mechanic of Writing ... 26

2.1.3.5 Improving the Effectiveness of Composition Tests... 26

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2.1.4.1 Definition ... 27

2.1.5 Authentic Language Test ... 29

2.1.5.1 Authenticity Definition ... 30

2.1.5.2 Authenticity as ‘real-life’ language use .. 30

2.2 Theoretical Framework ... 30

CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research Method... 33

3.2 Research Participants ... 38

3.3 Research Instruments ... 39

3.4 Data Gathering Technique ... 39

3.5 Data Analysis Technique ... 40

3.5.1 Participants’ Needs ... 41

3.5.2 Item Analysis ... 41

3.5.2.1 Item Facility ... 41

3.5.2.2 Item Discrimination ... 42

3.5.3 Validity, Reliability, and Authenticity ... 42

3.5.3.1 Validity... 42

3.5.3.2 Reliability... 43

3.5.3.3 Authenticity... 43

3.6 Research Procedure... 44

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CHAPTER IV. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 The Designing Process of the combination of Reading and

Writing Test ... 46

4.1.1 Research and Information Collecting... 46

4.1.1.1 Students’ Needs Based on the Interview with the English Teacher... 47

4.1.1.2 The References to Design the Test... 48

4.1.2 Planning the Test... 48

4.2 Findings and Discussion on the Designed of the combination Reading and Writing Test ... 49

4.2.1 Experts’ Comments and Suggestions on the Test ... 49

4.2.2 Final Product Revision... 51

4.3 The Result of the Main Field Testing ... 52

4.3.1 Data Presentation ... 52

4.3.1.1 Frequency Distribution... 52

4.3.1.2 The Item Facility ... 53

4.3.1.3 The Item Discrimination ... 54

4.3.2. Validity... 55

4.3.2.1 Face Validity ... 55

4.3.2.2 Content and Construct Validity... 55

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4.4 Presentation of the Combination of Reading and

Writing Test ... 56

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

5.1 Conclusions ... 57

5.2 Suggestions ... 59

5.2.1 Suggestions for English Teacher of RSBI Seventh

Grade Class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I

Yogyakarta ... 59

5.2.2 Suggestions for the Future Researchers ... 59

REFERENCES ... 61

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LIST OF TABLES

Table

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure

3.1. The Elaboration of R & D Cycle ... 37

4.1. The Frequency Graph of the Main-Field testing Result ... 52

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LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: Letter of Permission from Sanata Dharma

University... 63

APPENDIX B: Letter of Statement of Having Done A Research in SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta... 64

APPENDIX C: Result of the Interview on the Preliminary Need-Analysis ... 65

APPENDIX D: Objective and Specification of the Test, and Scoring Rubric ... 68

APPENDIX E: Test before Revision ... 74

APPENDIX F: Result of the Post-Designed Interview... 83

APPENDIX G: Syllabus ... 91

APPENDIX H: Result of the Main Field-Testing ... 94

APPENDIX I: Tabulation of Item Facility, Item Discrimination, Reliability... 96

APPENDIX J: Reading and Writing Behaviors Blue Print ... 99

APPENDIX K: References and Materials to Design the Test ... 100

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

This chapter consists of seven parts. The first part is the background of the

study, which describes the researcher’s reasons conducting the study. The second

is the problem formulation, which conveys the problem that will be discussed in

the study. The third is problem limitation, which specifies the problem being

discussed. The fourth is the objective of the study, which reveals the aim of the

study. The fifth is product specification, which defines the product being designed

in this study. The sixth is benefit of the study, which explains the benefits of the

study that either the researcher or other parties may gain through reading the study

and the last is definition of terms, which clarifies the terms used in the study.

A. Background of the Study

Applying the School Based Curriculum or Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan

Pendidikan (KTSP), schools in Indonesia have become so much more autonomous

being compared to the previous years. They have more freedom to set up policies

to provide a better education for their students. As a result, many schools in

Indonesia establish international classes for the sake of education quality

improvement and SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta belongs to one of those

schools. The establishment of international classes is meant to be a process of

building a school that has international standard quality. The school that is

conducting the process is called Rintisan Sekolah Berbasis Internasional (RSBI)

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with international standard teaching and learning which is called RSBI classes. In

the future, when a school has been already successful in applying international

standard teaching and learning in every class, the school will be called Sekolah

Berbasis International (SBI) or International-Based School. This policy is in

accordance with the policy set up by the Management General Directorate of

Elementary and Intermediate Education or Direktorat Jenderal Manajemen

Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah.

In 2009, SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta became an RSBI School by

establishing an international class started from the lowest grade. Thus, the school

started from the seventh-grade class. The class is called RSBI seventh grade class.

There are certain requirements that need to be fulfilled by the students to be able

to join in this class. The requirements for the students are (1) students must have

minimum 8 of the average academic score, (2) have good computer skill, (3) have

basic English skill, (4) have above average intelligence, and (5) have critical

thought. To see whether the candidates are eligible to join RSBI class, the school

has a committee that is assigned to check the candidates’ qualifications. The

committee’s tasks are to see students’ scores report whether all the scores are

above 8, and to conduct an interview to see the candidates’ level of English skills.

From the interview results, the interviewers also can measure the candidates’ level

of intelligence and how critical the candidates are. Meanwhile, the computer skill

can be seen from the enclosed certificate that proves students’ having computer

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Meeting all those requirements, the students of RSBI class are considered

to be smarter and more qualified than other students from regular classes.

Therefore, the English lesson for them is designed differently which is obviously

more challenging. As a result, their English test must also be designed more

challenging than the one designed for the regular classes. Here, the researcher

attempts to design a combination of Reading and Writing test for the RSBI seventh

grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta by using authentic materials.

The researcher chose RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur

I Yogyakarta because she was a teacher trainee who has experienced a

three-month internship there. While being a teacher trainee, the researcher was assigned

by the English teacher to teach the RSBI seventh grade students and to design a

combination of Reading and Writing test for them. In designing the test, the

researcher was asked by the teacher to make a combination of Reading and

Writing test that was relatively more challenging than that given to students in

regular classes.

English test with high level of challenge is given to the RSBI seventh grade

students because (1) they have high level of English skill, (2) they learn in an

international standard teaching and learning environment where they are expected

to be able to use English as good as use their mother tongue, and (3) they deal so

much with scientific English in their teaching-learning process. Thus, the test

must be able to fit in their needs.

In order to be able to produce a combination of Reading and Writing test

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According to Wallace (1992), as cited by Berardo (2006: 61), authentic materials

are real-life texts, not written for pedagogic purposes. Materials that belong to

authentic materials are articles in newspapers, magazines, the internet, songs,

films, advertisements, and so on. Those materials can provide the students with

exposure of words, grammar, and sentences used in real life context/everyday life.

As the authentic materials are not designed for the teaching and learning activity,

they can create certain challenge for the learners.

In authentic materials, too many structures are mixed so lower levels have

a hard times decoding the texts (Martinez, 2002: 1). Obviously, high level of

English skill is needed to learn with the materials. It is in accordance with the

statement, “Using authentic materials is one of the mainstays of an imaginative

and motivating higher level course, but rarely features at levels lower than

Intermediate” (anonymous,www.teachingenglish.org/uk/think/articles/using-auth

entic material).

The problem found in RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I

Yogyakarta above has led the researcher to design an appropriate combination of

Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur

I Yogyakarta. The researcher only designed a test to measure Reading and Writing

skills because in mid semester and in the final examination the students will only

face an achievement test which only measure Reading and Writing skills.

Meanwhile, Listening and Speaking skills have been measured by an achievement

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B. Problem Formulation

From the illustration above the researcher formulates the problem as:

1. How is a combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade

students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta designed?

2. What does a combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade

students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta look like?

C. Problem Limitation

There are four skills in English that must be learnt and mastered by the

learners in order to be able to speak English well, namely Listening, Speaking,

Reading and Writing. To find out whether learners have been mastered those four

skills or not, learners’ four English skills must be measured. Generally, Listening

and Speaking skills are measured in the same time, while Reading skill is

measured together with Writing skill. In this research, the researcher only focuses

on Reading and Writing skills. Thus, the researcher only designed a combination

of Reading and Writing test.

The researcher only designed a test that only measured Reading and

Writing skills because Listening and Speaking skills have been measured by an

achievement test conducted weekly by the English teacher. Here, the test designed

by the researcher was a combination of Reading and Writing test for final

semester examination.

RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta were

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teaching English in this class and found a problem that the English teacher made

the test for them relying only on an assumption that the test should be more

challenging. However, any evaluation has never been done to see the evidences

that the test was effective and already appropriate for the students. Therefore, the

researcher attempted to conduct a study to find out the appropriate combination of

Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur

I Yogyakarta.

D. Objective of the Study

This study is aimed at designing a combination of Reading and Writing

test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta.

E. Product Specification

The product in this study was a combination of Reading and Writing test

for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. The test

had two main parts namely multiple choices and essay questions. The multiple

choices had 50 items and the essay questions had 5 items. There were 42

questions for Reading skill and only 8 questions for Writing skill. There were only

8 numbers of questions for the Writing in the multiple choices part because the

school set criteria that maximum number for the Writing questions in the multiple

choices part is 10 only. Meanwhile, the essay questions measured only writing

skill and those ten items weighted 50% of the total score. Therefore, each part

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F. Benefits of the Study

The investigation of this study is expectantly able to give beneficial

contribution to English teachers of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi

Luhur I Yogyakarta, RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I

Yogyakarta, and other researchers.

1. English teachers of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I

Yogyakarta

This study not only provides information about the appropriate

combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP

Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta but also encourages the teachers to develop the next

tests with the same criteria.

2. RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta

The RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta

may have an opportunity to take a test, specifically a combination of Reading and

Writing test which is designed specially in order to be in accordance with their

level of English skill, intelligence and competence.

3. Other researchers

The findings of this study may inform other researchers about the criteria

of a test, specifically a combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh

grade students that will expectantly encourage them to develop it further.

Moreover, it is hoped that other researchers are curious to investigate more about

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Speaking skills for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I

Yogyakarta or RSBI students from other schools.

G. Definition of Terms

1. Authentic Materials

There are several definitions of authentic materials. According to Peacock

(1997), as cited by Martinez (2002: 1) authentic materials are materials that have

been produced to fulfill some social purposes in the language community. While

according to Widdowson (1990), as cited by Martinez (2002: 1) authentic

materials are materials designed for native speakers of English used in the

classroom in a way similar to the one it was designed for. Further, Martinez

(2002: 1) described several advantages of using authentic materials (1) students

are exposed to real discourse, (2) authentic materials keep students informed

about what is happening in the world so they have an intrinsic educational value,

(3) textbooks often do not include incidental or improper English, and (4)

authentic materials can produce a sense of achievement.

Looking at to those definitions and advantages of authentic materials, the

researcher believed that authentic materials would be able to create challenge for

the RSBI students. Thus, in this study the researcher designed a combination of

Reading and Writing test for seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I

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2. Rintisan Sekolah Berbasis International (RSBI)

RSBI in Bahasa Indonesia stands for Rintisan Sekolah Berbasis

International. In English it means international based school pioneering. The

missions of RSBI School as it is quoted from www.smp1slawi.sch.id (2009) are to

fulfill the service national standard in every aspect, including graduates

competence, content, process, teachers, facilities, financial, management,

assessment, and have produced graduates with international quality, and to

develop a conducive school environment that supports the school to fulfill those

aspects. In the future, when the school has been already successful in fulfilling the

service national standard in every aspect, the school will be Sekolah Bertaraf

Internasional (SBI) or in English it is called international standard school.

SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta pioneered the process of becoming an

international standard since 2009. As a result, seventh grade RSBI class was

established as the first class with international standard teaching and learning

quality supported by international standard teaching and learning facilities with

English as the language used in the teaching and learning process. The

requirements of joining in this class are (1) students must have minimum 8 of the

average academic scores, (2) have good computer skill, (3) have basic English

skill, (4) have above average intelligence, and (5) have a critical thought. In

addition, students have to pay more expensive school fee in this class. Fulfilling

those requirements, the students of RSBI seventh grade class are obviously highly

qualified in terms of intelligence and second language skill. Their high level of

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a combination of Reading and Writing test that is able to fit in high level of

English.

3. Reading

Mitchell (1982), as quoted by Clapham (1996: 11) defined reading as the

ability to make sense of written or printed symbols. Reading is an interactive

process that goes on between the reader and the text, resulting in comprehension.

The text presents letters, words, sentences, and paragraphs that encode meaning.

The reader uses knowledge, skills, and strategies to determine what the meaning is

(Byrnes, http://www.nclrc.org/essestial/reading/reindex.htm). In this study, the

researcher designs a combination of Reading and Writing test by taking the

reading passages from real life sources for the reading comprehensions.

Therefore, the materials are called authentic materials. The researcher expected

that authentic materials which provide letters, words, sentences structure,

grammar and language style used in the real life (used by native speaker of

English) can challenge the RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I

Yogyakarta as the test takers in using their knowledge, skills, and strategies to

determine meanings in the texts. Thus, they will feel a sense of challenge in

dealing with the passages.

4. Writing

According to Hyland (2003: 2), L2 writing teaching is organized in

different focus. It focuses on language structures, texts function, themes or topic,

creative expression, composing processes, content, genre and context of writing.

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that will measure the Writing skill of RSBI seventh grade students of SMP

Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta as the test takers in making sentences or to complete

sentences with the good and proper language structures, analyzing the genre of

writing, analyzing the texts function, and composing paragraphs with the right

generic structure. Here, the Writing test materials are taken from real life sources

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

There are two main parts in this chapter. The first part is theoretical

description and the second part is theoretical framework. Theoretical description

provides the underlying theories relevant to the study. It reviews some related

literatures to support the study. On the other hand, theoretical framework

synthesizes and summarizes the theories as the base to design a combination of

Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur

I Yogyakarta.

A. Theoretical Description 1. Language Testing

Harris (1969: 13) states that all good tests should possess three qualities:

validity, reliability, and practicality. However, Brown (2004: 19) mentions five

principles of language testing namely practicality, reliability, validity,

authenticity, and washback. This study combines both theories. However,

washback is not included as the researcher did not conduct a further observation

on the effect of the test on teaching and learning.

a. Reliability

A good test must be reliable. A reliable test is consistent and dependable

(Brown, 2004: 20). It means that a test must be consistent in order to be able to

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performances, the more reliable their knowledge and ability of assessment will be.

A reliability of a test it self is affected by several factors. Brown (2004: 20-22)

stated some factors that may contribute to the unreliability of a test. The factors

are:

1) Student-related reliability

The most common issue in reliability is caused by temporary illness,

fatigue, a “bad day”, anxiety, and other physical or psychological factors, which

may make an “observed” score deviate from one’s “true” score.

2) Rater reliability

There are two kinds of rater-reliability; they are inter-rater reliability and

intra-rater reliability. Inter-rater reliability occurs when two or more scorers yield

inconsistent scorers of the same test, possibly for lack of attention to scoring

criteria, inexperience, inattention or even preconceived biases. Intra-rater is a

common occurrence for classroom teachers because of unclear scoring criteria,

fatigue, bias toward particular “good” and “bad” students, or simple carelessness.

3) Test administration reliability

Unreliability may also result from the condition in which the test is

administered. For example, the street noise outside the building may cause

distraction during the listening test. Other sources of reliability can be found in

photocopying variation, the amount of light in different part of the room,

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4) Test reliability

Test unreliability can happen. For example, if a test is too long and it

makes test-takers fatigued by the time they reach the later items and hastily

respond incorrectly. Another example is poorly written test. Poorly written tests

are tests which are ambiguous and/or have more than one correct answer. It is also

another source of unreliability.

b. Validity

In the selection of any test, two questions must always be considered (1)

what precisely does the test measure? and (2) how well does the test measure?

(Harris, 1969: 19). A test can be said to be valid if it tests what is intended to be

tested. For example, a valid test of reading actually measures reading ability-not

20/20 vision, nor previous knowledge in a subject, nor some other variable of

questionable relevance (Brown, 2004: 22).

There are several types of validation. Brown (2004: 22) mentions five

types of validations as follows.

1) Content-Related Evidence

If a test actually samples the subject matters about which conclusions are

to be drawn, and if it requires the test-takers to perform the behavior that is being

measured, it can be said to have content validity. A test can be considered to have

content validity if for example, a test is to measure foreign students’ mastery of

English sentence structure, an analysis must first be made of the language itself

and decision made on which matters need to be tested, and in what proportion. To

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skills area and the test then reflects such an analysis, it may be said to have

content validity (Harris, 1969: 19).

2) Criterion-Related Evidence

Brown (2004: 24) defined criterion-related evidence as the extent to which

the “criterion” of the test has actually been reached. Further, Brown mentioned

that

In the case of teacher-made classroom assessments, criterion-related evidence is best demonstrated through a comparison of results of an assessment with results of some other measure of the same criterion. For example, in a course unit whose objectives is for students to be able to orally produce voiced and voiceless stops in all possible phonetic environments, the results of one teacher’s unit test might be compared with an independent assessment-possibly a commercial produced test in a textbook-of the same phonemic proficiency

3) Construct-Related Evidence

The third category of validity that a teacher must pay attention to is

construct validity. Brown (2001: 389) mentions that

One way to look at construct validity is to ask the question “Does this test actually tap into the theoretical construct as it has been defined?“ ”Proficiency” is a construct. “Communicative competence” is a construct. “self esteem” is a construct. Virtually every issue in language learning and teaching involves theoretical construct.

Tests are, in a manner of speaking, operational definitions of such

construct in that they operationalize the entity that is being measured (Hudson &

Lynch, 1985) as cited by Brown (2001: 389).

4) Consequential Validity

Brown (2004: 26) mentioned that consequential validity encompasses all

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measuring intended criteria, its impact on the preparation of test-takers, its effect

on the learner, and the (intended and unintended) social consequences of a test’s

interpretation and use.

5) Face Validity

Face validity means the way the test looks to the examinees, test

administrators, educators, and the like (Harris, 1969: 21). Face validity refers to

the degree to which test looks right, and appears to measure the knowledge or

abilities it claims to measure, based on the judgment of the examinees who take it,

the administrative personnel who decide on its use, and other psychometrically

unsophisticated observers (Mousavi, 2002) as cited by Brown (2004: 26).

Moreover, Brown (2004: 27) mentions that

Face validity will likely be high if learners encounter (1) a well-construct, expected format with familiar tasks, (2) a test that is clear doable within the allotted time limit, (3) items that are clear and uncomplicated, (4) directions that are crystal clear, (5) tasks that are related to their course work (content validity), and (6) a difficulty level that represents a reasonable challenge.

c. Practicality

An effective test is practical. This means that is not excessively expensive,

stays within appropriate time constraints, is relatively easy to administer, and has

a scoring/evaluation procedure that is specific and time-efficient (Brown, 2004:

19). Harris (1969: 21) mentions three considerations of practicality as follows.

1) Economy

Testing can be expensive. Thus, it should be determined whether several

administrations and/or scorers will be needed, for the more personnel who must

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Economy in time is also a main consideration. In writing or selecting a test, the

test administrator should certainly pay attention to how long the administering and

scoring of it will take.

2) Ease of Administration and Scoring

To find out the ease of a test, the test administrator should answer the

questions: Does the test provide clear directions so that the test administrator can

perform his tasks quickly and efficiently? Does the test call for elaborate

mechanical devices (such as audio equipment) that may not be readily accessible

or cannot easily be installed in the rooms available? Must each test be

administered separately, thereby greatly complicating the testing process?

3) Ease of Interpretation

The test administrator needs to have some general guidance as to the

meaning of test scores to begin with, for without this it is extremely difficult to

use an instrument in an efficient manner.

d. Authenticity

Bachman and Palmer (1996) as quoted by Brown (2004: 28) define

authenticity as the degree of correspondence of the characteristic of a given

language test to the features of a target language task. When a test maker makes

a claim for authenticity in a test task, he makes the test in the “real world.” Brown

(2004: 28) states that in a test, authenticity may be presented in the following

ways: (1) The language in the test is as natural as possible, (2) items are

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the learners, (4) some thematic organization to items is provided, such as through

a story line or episode, (5) task represent, or closely approximate, real-world task.

2. Testing Reading

Harris (1969: 58-64) states that readings are generally built around the

grammatical structures and lexical items which the student will need to

communicate orally, and the content of the material is regarded as relatively

unimportant.

a. General Form of the Reading Test

Generally Reading test consists of a number of short passages of varying

styles and content, each followed by a series of multiple choice comprehension

items. By a careful selection of passages, the test writer will be able to test the

examinee’s understanding not only the surface meaning of a passage but also of

the author’s purpose, attitude, and method. Thus, the reading comprehension is

somewhat similar with advance-level listening comprehension test in which the

students are given rather long oral language, perhaps in the form of dialogues,

from which he must examine and interpret a multiplicity of phonological,

grammatical, and lexical occurring simultaneously.

b. Selection of the Test Passages

1) Length

Individual test passages should be kept brief. Passage of between 100 and

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2) Subject Matter

The selection should reflect the various kinds of reading material assigned

in the school courses. For these the test writer may draw up on such works as

biographies, prose fiction, encyclopedia entries, and non technical on the natural

and social sciences.

3) Style and Treatment of Subject

Reading tests should generally include various types and styles. However,

all should possess reasonable sense as a piece of writing. The paragraphs in a

reading test should (a) deal chronologically with series of events, (b) compare or

contrast two or more people, objects or events, (c) present an author‘s

individualistic opinion on a familiar subject.

4) Language

The test writer must always set realistic tasks for his test population, which

consists of a second or foreign language. Therefore, overloaded passages with

extremely difficult lexical items and/or complex structure may have to be adapted.

However, the simplification of reading passages must be carefully controlled so

that the test is made so easy that it fails to discriminate between students on

various level of proficiency.

c. Advice on Item Writing

There are several advices in writing items in a reading test. They are: 1)

vocabulary and syntax items should be kept as simple as possible so that the real

problem is the interpretation of the passage instead of on the questions that are

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2) The “stem” or “lead” of the item should establish the problem so that it makes

clear what kind of information is being asked for.

1. Example:Bad Item

John… .

A. obviously liked what he heard

B. became angry upon hearing Mary’s words C. didn’t understand what he was tol

D. ridiculed Mary’s ideas

Example 1 above has no clues to the readers what is being asked. The above items

might be written:

2. Example: Good Item

It was clear from John’s reactions to Mary’s speech that he… . A. agreed completely with what she said

B. found her remarks highly insulting C. didn’t understand what she said D. consider her ideas to be quite foolish

3) Selection of the correct answer should involve interpretation the passage, not

only matching the words in the choices with the same words in the paragraph.

3. Example:Passage and Bad Item

Early the next morning I received yet another letter from Roger, informing me that he as still confined to his bed with the same mysterious illness and urging me to come to his aid. I set forth at once for Portsmouth, arriving shortly before duck. I went with all possible haste to High Street and thence to the familiar old house, which appeared in no way altered since the days of my previous visit. Yet upon entering, I was amazed to find its dark, cavernous rooms completely deserted.

When the writer found Roger’s house deserted, he felt… . A. angry

B. relieved C. amazed D. happy

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Example 3 above involves only matching word: amazed is the term used in

both passage and test item. A less superficial testing of comprehension would be:

4. Example: Passage and Good Item

The writer mentions his surprise at… . A. receiving a letter from Roger B. learning of Roger’s illness

C. seeing the appearance of Roger’s house D. finding that Roger was not at home

4) All items should require a careful reading of the paragraph. It should not be

possible to answer items correctly purely on the basis of outside knowledge or to

eliminate some of the choices because they are clearly illogical or because they

conflict with one another.

5. Example: Bad item

We may infer from this paragraph that people… . A. all need the same kind of rest

B. do not usually need rest

C. rest much more than any should D. do not all rest in the same way

Choice B is absurd, choices A and D are clearly opposite. On the basis of

logic, D is more likely the answer. D would also seem more likely to be true than

C. the item should be written

6. Example: Good Item

The central idea of the paragraph is that people… . A. cannot maintain good healthy without proper rest B. do not all rest in precisely the same way

C. tend to get more rest than they actually need D. can rest better after they have had exercise.

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d. Assembling the Final Form

After the reading items have been pre-tested, there will be some items that

are eliminated. There is no rule on how many comprehension items should

accompany a passage. However, there should be a reasonable relation between the

length of the passage and the number of questions asked about it.

3. Testing Writing

Harris (1969: 68-79) states five general components of writing. They are

(1) content: the substance of the writing and the idea expressed, (2) form: the

organization of the content, (3) grammar: the employment of grammatical forms

and syntactic patterns, (4) style: the choice of structures and lexical items to give a

particular tone or flavor to the writing, and (5) mechanic: the use of the graphic

conventions of the language.

a. Comparison of the Composition and Objective of Writing

There are several points that must be included in a composition. They are:

1) Composition tests require students to organize their own answers, expressed in

their own words. Thus, composition tests measure certain writing ability (e.g.,

ability to organize, relate, and weigh materials) more effectively than objective

tests do.

2) Composition tests motivate students to improve their writing.

3) Composition tests are much easier and quicker to prepare than objective tests.

The critics of composition testing usually have been answered by these

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1) Students perform differently on different topics and on different occasions;

and the scoring of composition is by nature highly subjective.

2) In writing composition, students can cover up weaknesses by avoiding

problems (e.g., the use of certain grammatical patterns and lexical items) they find

difficult.

3) Composition test require much more scoring time than objective test.

The recent findings in regard to testing writing ability can be summarized,

(1) well-constructed objective test of the language skill have been found.

Therefore, if the scoring of composition would be feasible, objective test can be

used alone as fairly good predictors of general writing skill, (2) at the same time,

it is clear that there are ways to administer and score composition tests so that

they probably used by themselves as reliable instruments, (3) the combination of

objective test and composition test will produce more valid result than would

either two types of measures used by itself.

b. Objective Tests of the Elements of Writing

1) Testing formal grammar and style

Examples of the kind of grammatical matters that may be included in

writing ability test are the following:

7. Example: Subject-verb agreement

The design of the two bridges (are/is) very unusual.

8. Example:Structural parallelism

She enjoyed sewing, reading, and just (to sit/sitting) on the porch watching the people go by.

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9. Example: Case of pronouns

To my little brother and (I/ me), Uncle John was the most wonderful friend.

10. Example: Comparison of adjectives

The afternoon rush hour is the (worse/worst) part of the day in which to drive through the city.

11. Example: Formation of adverbs

The man tipped his hat and spoke very (polite/politely) to the ladies.

12. Example: Formation of irregular verbs

Neither of the children would tell us who had (broke/broken) the window. There are several specific item types. They are:

2) Error recognition

Here the examinee is required to indicate which of several underlined

parts of a sentence is unacceptable for formal written English, or to indicate that

the sentence contains no “error.”

13. Example:

The position taken in his most recent speeches seem to indicate a A B C

Willingness to compromise. No error. D E

3) Sentence completion

The examinee is required to select the best way of completing a sentence

in terms of grammar, diction, tone, and sense.

14. Example:

During his last year in office, his popularity with the voters… . A. descended downward swiftly

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C. declined very suddenly D. rapidly plunged under

This item type provides an excellent method of measuring a wide range

of problems relating to the effective use of written English.

4) Sentence correction

The examinee is required to select the best revision of an underlined

portion of a sentence.

15. Example:

While watching from our window, the great ship slowly entered the harbor, whistle blowing and crew cheering.

A. While watching B. Upon watching C. As we watched

D. Having been watched

c. Testing Ability to Organize Material

Probably the most satisfactory of the test are those of paragraph

organization in which the examinee is required to re-order several “scrambled”

sentences into a coherent paragraph, and to indicate the correct order of the

sentences.

16. Example:

A. The report from Stratford that he “spent at the rate of a thousand pounds a year” is surely very far from the truth, being based no doubt on Stratford gossip.

B. On this income we may be sure that he lived well and comfortably in Stratford.

C. It is difficult t estimate Shakespeare’s income in his last years. D. Probably Shakespeare received from all sources less than a quarter of

that sum, say two hundred pounds.

Which sentence did you put first? A B C D Which sentence did you put second? A B C D

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Which sentence did you put third? A B C D Which sentence did you put last? A B C D

d. Testing the Mechanic of Writing

Punctuation and capitalization are called the mechanic of writing. It can be

tested objectively with simple adaptation of the item completion and correction.

17. Example:

Direction: decide what punctuation, if any, should be used in the numbered space, and indicate the letter that goes with your choice. (“N” means “no punctuation.”)

Returning to his friend Peter Bill asked whether he still wished to continue with the trip.

1-A ; 2-A ; 3-A ? 1-B ; 2-B ,” 3-B ?” 1-C ; 2-C ;” 3-C . 1-D ; 2-D N 3- D.”

e. Improving the Effectiveness of Composition Tests 1) Preparation of the test

The preparation of the test includes (a) arranging the sentence to take

several samples rather than just one, (b) setting writing tasks that are within the

reach of all, (c) making the writing task clear and specific; providing full

directions, (d) allowing no alternatives, and (e) pre-testing the writing test

assignments.

2) Scoring the test

There are several steps in scoring the test, they are (a) deciding in advance

on the precise basis for scoring, (b) treating the paper anonymously during

scoring, (c) scanning a sample of papers to decide upon standards before marking

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compositions are to be used to make critical decisions about a large numbers of

students by beginning with a practice session for all readers in which they agree

together on the rating of a papers sample, making the grade for each composition

the sum or the average of the ratings of the two readers.

4. Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional (RSBI)/ International-Based School Pioneering

Rintisan Sekolah Berbasis Internasional or abrreviated as RSBI is a

program held by schools as a process of becoming a fully international

based-schools. In order to be officially called RSBI, a school must fulfill severals criteria

set by the Government. The following is the explanation of what Rintisan Sekolah

Berbasis Internasional is and the legal basis underlies it.

a. Definition

Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional (RSBI) or international-based

school pioneering is any school that has fulfilled the Service National Standard in

every aspect, including graduates competence, content, process, teachers,

facilities, financial, management, assessment, and have produced graduates with

international quality (http://smpn1kesamben.com/content/view/108/48/).

Prabantoro (2008) in his on line article mentions several characteristic of a

Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional (RSBI) as follows.

1) The implementation of the curriculum is an adaptation of a curriculum

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2) The use of English is combination ofwith other subjects. This bilingual

teaching method can be applied by two categories namely Subtractive

Bilingualism (explanation) and Additive Bilingualism (Dual Language Approach

emphasis).

3) The Emphasis is on the children aspect balance that includes cognitive, social

and emotional and physic aspect.

4) The integration of multiple intelligences in the curriculum.

5) Guidance for students to be able to have critical, creative and analytical

thinking. The curriculum is designed according to the principles of

“Understanding by Design” which emphasizes on Enduring Understanding.

Enduring Understanding can be viewed from six aspects, namely explain,

interpret, apply, perspective, empathy, and self knowledge.

6) The school curriculum may implement semester credit system.

7) The school may provide an internship program for SMA, MA, and SMK.

8) The school emphasizes on the Information and Communication (ICT) Skill.

b. Legal Basis

The government legal basis that underlies Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf

Internasional (RSBI) or international-based school pioneering as quoted in

(http://smpn1kesamben.com/content/view/108/48/) are:

1) Law no. 20 year 2003 about National Education System Chapter 50 verse 3

that stated “government and/or regional government establishing at least a school

at all level to be developed in to an international school”.

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3) Law number 3 year 2004 about Central Government authority and Province

authority as autonomous region.

4) Law number 25 year 2000 about national development program.

5) Government regulation number 19 year 2005 about standard of national

education.

6) National Education Ministerial Decision number 22 year 2006 about content

standard.

7) National Education Ministerial Decision number 23 year 2006 about the

standard of graduates competence.

8) National Education Ministerial Decision number 24 year 2006 about education

implementation standard number 22 and 23 year 2006.

9) Strategic plan of National Education Department year 2005-2009.

5. Authentic Language Test

In order to obtain a complete measurement of an individual’s language

proficiency, language tests should place the same requirements on the test takers

as does language performance in non-test situation (Bachman, 1990: 300-301).

Further, Bachman (1990: 301) states:

This search for authenticity continues to be a major consideration in language testing, and tests described variously as ‘direct’, ‘performance’, ‘functional’, ‘communicative’, and ‘authentic’ have been developed and discussed in recent years. The importance of this consideration to language testing was recognized in the convening of an international in 1984 whose focus was authenticity and the publication of the papers from this meeting.

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a. Authenticity Definition

In defining authenticity, Bachman (1990: 301-302) used two approaches.

The first approach is called ‘real-life’ (RL) approach. The primary concerns of the

first approach are (1) the appearance or the perception of the test and how this

may affect test performance and test use (validity), and (2) the accuracy with

which test performance predicts future non-test performance (predictive utility).

The second approach called ‘interactional/ability’ or IA approach. It measures

language as a mental ability and the current view of communicative language use.

b. Authenticity as ‘real-life’ language use

Based on RL approach, there are three interrelated principles. They are (1)

a view of language ability, or proficiency, as pragmatic ascription, (2) the

reference to ‘real-life performance’ as a criterion, and (3) the belief that ‘face

validity’, content relevance, and predictive utility are sufficient bases to justify

test use.

B. Theoretical Framework

In this study, the researcher is going to design a combination of Reading

and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I

Yogyakarta. A good test should fulfill several principles. Brown (2004: 19)

mentions five principles of language testing namely practicality, reliability,

validity, authenticity, and washback. If a test does not apply all of those criteria,

the test will not be said as a good test. Therefore, here, the researcher attempts to

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In selecting reading passages and designing writing tasks, the researcher is

going to use theories promoted by Harris (1969). Harris (1969: 58) states that

readings are generally built around the grammatical structures and lexical items

which the student will need to communicate orally, and the content of the material

is regarded as relatively unimportant. On the other hand, Harris (1969: 68) states

five general components of writing. They are (1) content: the substance of the

writing; the idea expressed, (2) form: the organization of the content, (3)

grammar: the employment of grammatical forms and syntactic patterns, (4) style:

the choice of structures and lexical items to give a particular tone or flavor to the

writing, and (5) mechanic: the use of the graphic conventions of the language.

Therefore, the Writing test should content those five main components.

As RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta are

students with high level of English that can be categorized as intermediate English

learners, the test for them should be designed more challenging. In the effort to

make a more challenging test, the researcher uses authentic materials. According

to Wallace (1992), as cited by Berardo (2006: 61), authentic materials are real-life

texts, not written for pedagogic purposes. In authentic materials, too many

structures are mixed so lower levels have a hard time decoding the texts

(Martinez, 2002: 1). Therefore, the researcher believes that the use of authentic

materials in the test will be able to create a sense of challenge in the test. In

addition, as the curriculum states that the learning-teaching process is based on

Contextual Language Teaching, several texts were edited and adapted in order to

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In this study, the researcher designs a combination of Reading and Writing

test as the final even semester examination of academic year 2009-2010. The test

only consists of two skills, which are Reading and Writing skills because

Listening and Speaking skills have been measured by an achievement test

conducted weekly by the English teacher.

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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

The researcher used certain methodology to conduct this study. This

chapter aims at discussing the methodology systematically. The discussion covers

research method, research participants, research instruments, data gathering

technique, data analysis technique, and research procedure.

A. Research Method

In this study, the researcher designed a test. Specifically, she designed a

combination of Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP

Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. In designing the test, the researcher used authentic

materials. According to Widdowson (1990) as cited by Martinez (2002: 1),

authentic materials are materials designed for native speakers of English used in

the classroom in a way similar to the one it was designed for

To conduct the study, the researcher employed a method called

Educational Research and Development. According to Borg & Gall (1983: 772),

Educational Research and Development (R & D) is a process used to develop and

validate educational products. Borg & Gall (1983: 774-775) stated ten major steps

in the R & D cycle. The steps were (1) research and information collecting, (2)

planning, (3) preliminary form of product development, (4) preliminary

field-testing, (5) main product revision, (6) main field-field-testing, (7) operational product

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dissemination and implementation. In spite of ten steps of R & D cycle, the

researcher only put seven out of those ten steps. That was because the product was

able to be completely accomplished up to operational product revision step. Thus,

the further steps were considered to be less significant to the study. After

employing seven steps of educational Research and Development, the researcher

was able to gain the result of the study.

The following is the explanations of seven steps of R&D cycle used in this

study. There is some additional information in each step to elaborate the steps

with the study. Elaboration is meant to prove whether the researcher’s framework

is appropriate to be included in R&D cycle. The steps can be seen as follows.

a. Research and Information Collecting

In this step, the researcher conducted a need-analysis by gathering

information from an interview. The researcher conducted a pre-design interview

with the English teacher of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I

Yogyakarta. The interview aimed to find out the existing problem, students’

English proficiency, and opinions. After the information was gathered, the

researcher started to collect sources that were going to be used to design the

product. Here, the researcher searched for authentic materials from magazines,

the internet, and/or newspapers. Moreover, the researcher also gathered some

references to design the test. The references were books and syllabus taken from

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b. Planning

In this step, the researcher made the estimation of the time required to

develop and implement the product so that the researcher would be able to

manage the time. The researcher organized the plans well in this step.

c. Preliminary Form of Product Development

After the planning had been completed, the next major step was

developing a preliminary form of the product. The researcher designed the

educational product in a form of combination of Reading and Writing test based

on the students’ needs. The information gathered from the pre-design interview in

the need-analysis became the guideline for the researcher in designing the test.

Before the test was field-tested, the researcher asked for advices from some

experts to judge whether the test already met validity and authenticity criteria or

not. Then, the researcher did some revisions based on the feedbacks given by the

experts.

d. Preliminary Field-Testing

The term preliminary field-testing in this study means the product was

evaluated and judged by experts to see whether the product (a combination of

Reading and Writing test) could already be said to be valid, reliable, and

authentic. Therefore, in this step the researcher conducted an interview with an

English teacher of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta,

a lecturer from English Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University

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They were chosen to be the subjects of the interview because they were

considered to have enough competence about this study.

e. Main Product Revision

After conducting an interview with the three experts, the researcher soon

revised the product. The data gathered from the interview were used to revise the

product. After the product was completely revised, the product was field tested.

f. Main Field-Testing

In this step the test was field-tested to RSBI seventh grade students of

SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. The test was conducted on June 5, 2010 to 27

students/test takers.

g. Operational Product Revision

In this step, the researcher scored the test. The scores allowed the

researcher to measure item facility, item discrimination, and reliability of the test.

The results showed whether the test was a good test or not. Besides, the results of

the item facility and item discrimination calculation would show which ones were

bad items and which ones were good items. However, the researcher did not do

any revision on the bad items. Bad items here were items with too low or too high

difficulty. It is because very easy items can build some affective feelings of

“success” among lower ability students and to serve warm up items, and very

difficult items can provide a challenge to the highest ability students (Brown,

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In order to make the explanation easily understood, the researcher made a

figure of the researcher’s steps that was manifested in R& D cycle. The cycle can

be seen in Figure 3.1.

R&D Cycle

Figure 3.1. The Elaboration of R&D Cycle

From the explanation above, it can be seen that there are the same

purposes between R&D cycle and researcher’s steps in designing combination of Step 1. Need analysis survey

Step 2. Materials and references collecting

Step 3. Time line, goals and objectives decision

Step 4. Test design

Step 5. Validity and authenticity judgment, and revision

Step 5. Main Product Revision

Step 4. Preliminary field-testing

Step 3. Preliminary form of product development Step 2. Planning

Step 1. Research and information collecting

Step 6. Main-field testing Step 7. Field-testing Step 6. Revision of the test

Step 8. Scoring, Item

Facility, Item discrimination, and reliability measurement Step 7. Operational

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Reading and Writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur

I Yogyakarta. Thus, it can be concluded that the researcher’s framework matches

with R&D framework.

B. Research Participants

There were four types of participants in the study. They are:

1. The first were the RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I

Yogyakarta. This class consists of 27 students. They were the objects of the study.

Their roles were as the test takers.

2. The second was the English teacher of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP

Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta. From the teacher, the researcher was able to gather

information through an interview about the students’ needs from the teacher’s

point of view. The English teacher of RSBI seventh grade class of SMP Pangudi

Luhur I Yogyakarta was involved as the participant of both pre-design and

post-design interview.

3. The third was a lecturer of the English Education Study Program of Sanata

Dharma University Yogyakarta. The lecturer was involved in the post-design

interview. The participant was asked to judge whether the proposed and the

revised product already met the validity and authenticity of an appropriate test or

not.

4. The last participant was a test constructor from Language Training Institute

Yogyakarta. The role of this last participant was similar with the role of the third

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124

English Final Exam of RSBI 7 Grade 2010

The boy stood up and boldly said, “Sir, you give your pant!” The teacher instead of scolding that boy, he showed his anger to me by saying again” Give your pant!”

This irritated me for no fault of me I was told this by the teacher in front of the whole class.

Written by: Naveen

Taken from:http:/ / kidzmagzine.com/ ?p= 49

34. What is the topic of the text above? a. Personal experience

b. Personal description c. Personal persuasion d. Personal narration

35. What is the best title for the text above? a. Have Your Teacher Ever Given You Pant? b. Have Your Teacher Ever Punished You? c. Have Your Teacher Ever I rritated You? d. Have Your Teacher Ever Laughed At You? 36. How did the writer feel for his teacher’s

action?

a. He felt afraid. b. He felt annoyed. c. He felt hopeless. d. He felt threatened.

37. What would the teacher have done to the writer if he told a lie to his teacher?

a. He would be scolded. b. He would be punished. c. He would be threatened.

d. He would be sent out of the classroom. 38. “The boy stood up and boldly said, “Sir, you

give your pant!”” (Par. 2, line 6). What is the synonym of the word boldly?

a. Bravely b. Baldly c. Stupidly d. Foolishly

Look at the card below and answ er question number 39 and 40!

39. What kind of card is it? a. Congratulation card b. I nvitation card

c. Wishing health card d. Wishing a success card 40. Why does Sam receive the card?

a. Sam does not go to school. b. Sam is sick.

c. Sam is missing. d. Sam is sincere.

Look at the Notice below and answ er question number 41!

Taken from:http:/ / images.google.co.id/ imglanding

41. What warning does t he Notice tell you to? a. Be careful because the road is sharp. b. Be careful because the road is winding. c. Be careful because the road is slippery. d. Be careful because the road is way up

hills.

Look at the Notice below and answ er question number 42!

Taken from: icons.mysitemyway.com

42. What warning does the Notice tell you? a. The glass is unbreakable.

b. The thing is fragile. c. The thing is fracture. d. The glass is broken.

43. Arrange the following instructions of using cell phone battery into the right order!

1. Connect to the charger to the phone at the flash symbol. The flash symbol on the charger plug must face upwards.

2. Wait approximately 4 hours or until the icon indicates that the battery is fully charged. I f you do not see the battery icon after this time, press any key or the joystick to activate the display. Please know that we are all

hoping for a quick recovery. Dear Sam, You are sincerely

(2)

125

English Final Exam of RSBI 7 Grade 2010

Taken from: Sony Ericson T610 guiding book

The right order of the instructions is … . a. 4-3-2-1-5

b. 4-3-1-2-5 c. 4-3-1-5-2 d. 4-3-2-5-1

44. Complete the missing parts in the paragraph below! I … a lot with my family when I … a little. I have … around Europe. I … to Paris, France, Majorca in Spain, Greece, I taly and Macedonia. The most interesting place I have ever … is Bali.

Taken from: An interview with Rebbeca Reijman, Sunday Post. May 9, 2010

a. went around, was, been, came, visited b. travelled, was, been, went, visited c. travelled, was, come, went, visited d. tripped, was, visited, went, been

45. Arrange the following sentences into a good paragraph!

1. His name was Stanford.

2. Only I understood his problems and I always helped him out of tough situation. 3. Actually, he was a lovely guy but no one

really liked him. 4. He was an unlucky kid.

5. His parents were so fussy about his studies that even if he got a bad grade, they would start beating him up or something.

6. I used to have a friend when I was in high school.

Adapted from: http:/ / www.echeat.com/ essay.php?t= 26945

a. 6-1-4-3-2-5 b. 6-1-4-5-2-3 c. 6-1-4-5-3-2 d. 6-1-4-3-5-2

46. Arrange the following paragraph into a good order!

Adapted from: http:/ / www.123helpme.com/ view

What is the correct order of the paragraph above? a. 3-2-1-4

b. 1-2-3-4 c. 1-3-2-4 d. 3-2-4-1

47. Arrange the words into a good sentence! medium –– (,) –– fry –– frying –– in –– 1 2 3 4 5 a –– heat –– pan –– Next –– (.) –– with –– 6 7 8 9 10 11 eggs

Adapted from: http:/ / www.mrbreakfast.com/ superdisplay.asp?recip

ei 5.I t may take up to 30 minutes before the

battery charging icon appears in the display. 4.I nsert the SI M card. Make sure the SI M card is placed under the silver slots.

3. Place the battery on the back of the phone and push until you hear a click.

1. Ben and I were on two year relationship based on fighting and lack of trust. There were too many night of tears, rather than smiles. After way too long I realized that I no longer to be with Ben. I became dependent on Ben to make me happy.

4. When Ben and I realized what it was we had become, I made the decision to leave behind that part of my life. I realized how far from God I really had drifted. I now know that true happiness comes from within a person, not based on another individual.

2. Ben and I met in the summer of ninety-nine during a family vacation. At that moment I felt what it was like to have butterflies in my stomach and the racing heart when his eyes caught my own. Due to our encounter, I fell harder and harder for him and he did the same.

3. I dated someone for two and a half years. Although there have been many life defining moments, breaking up with Ben was the biggest challenge I have ever had to face.

(3)

126

English Final Exam of RSBI 7 Grade 2010 a. 9-2-3-5-6-1-7-12-11-4-8-10 b. 9-2-3-3-11-1-7-12-5-6-8-10 c. 9-2-3-12-5-6-1-7-11-4-8-10 d. 9-2-3-12-5-6-4-8-11-1-7-10

48. Arrange the words into a good sentence! lightly –– with –– Second –– the eggs –– (,) 1 2 3 4 5 –– beat –– (.) –– salt and pepper

6 7 8

Adapted from: http:/ / chinesefood.about.com/ od/ ricefried/ r/ b

a. 3-5-6-4-1-2-8-7 b. 3-5-4-6-1-2-8-7 c. 3-5-6-4-2-8-1-7 d. 3-5-1-6-4-2-8-7

Read the love letter and answ er question number 49 and 50!

Read the love letter and answ er question number 49 and 50.

( 49) _______________ ( 50) _______________ My Dear Cheryl,

There are so many reasons why I love you… Do you know I love it when you daydream and you think no one is watching? Do you know I love the way your eyes sparkle when you tell a funny story? It's important to me that you know that I love you - and how much I love you. So whatever it is that you are doing, thinking or saying, as you go about your day -- know that I am there with you, loving you. Much Love,

Nathan

49. Fill in the blank of the love letter?

a. Cokroaminoto Road No.74, Yogyakarta 55244

b. January 10, 2010. c. From Nathan d. To Cheryl

50. Fill in the blank of the love letter? a. From Nathan

b. To Cheryl

c. Cokroaminoto Road No.74, Yogyakarta 55244

d. January 10, 2010. I I . ESSAY

Answer the following questions with the right answer! 1. Write a minimum three steps instruction. You can

choose one of the topics below or decide your own! a. Making omelet

b. Cooking fried/ boiled instant noodle c. (your own free choice)

2. You are the OSI S President. You are going to hold an event to collect money, foods, clothes, and medicine to be donated for natural disaster victims. Write an announcement to tell this event to all other students! 3. New Year is coming soon. Write a greeting card to say

happy New Year to one of your friends or relatives! 4. Holiday is coming. You are going to have a camping.

List minimum 15 things you need to bring for camping!

5. Write a short description paragraph about your favo- rite place to go on holiday! (minimum 4 sentences)

(4)

vii ABSTRACT

Raswitasari, Rika. (2010). Designing A Combination of Reading and Writing Test

for RSBI Seventh Grade Students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta.

Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program Sanata Dharma University.

(5)

viii

ABSTRAK

Raswitasari, Rika. (2010). Designing A Combination of Reading and Writing Test

for RSBI Seventh Grade Students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta.

Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Dalam merancang tes, peneliti menggunakan metode Educational Research

and Development dari Borg dan Gall (1993). Ada sepuluh langkah dalam siklus R &

D. Namun, peneliti hanya menggunakan tujuh dari sepuluh langkah tersebut. Langkah-langkah tersebut adalah (1) research and information collecting, (2)

planning, (3) preliminary form of product development, (4) preliminary field-testing,

(5) main product revision, (6) main field-testing, dan (7) operational product

revision. Dalam melakukan penelitian ini, peneliti menggunakan wawancara untuk

mengumpulkan data and informasi. Wawancara dilakukan dua kali. Wawancara pertama dilakukan pada langkah 1 untuk menemukan kebutuhan siswa. Wawancara kedua dilakukan pada langkah 4 untuk mengumpulkan saran dan komentar para ahli guna merevisi tes rancangan pertama sebelum tes diujikan pada langkah 6.

(6)

Designing a combination of reading and writing test for RSBI seventh grade students of SMP Pangudi Luhur I Yogyakarta.

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to my dearest family

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to my dearest family

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