STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARD THE CONTRIBUTION OF PERSONAL REFLECTION TO THEIR LEARNING AWARENESS A THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education

  STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARD THE CONTRIBUTION OF PERSONAL REFLECTION TO THEIR LEARNING AWARENESS A THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education

  By Arum Widyastuti

  Student Number: 06 1214 086

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

  STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARD THE CONTRIBUTION OF PERSONAL REFLECTION TO THEIR LEARNING AWARENESS A THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education

  By Arum Widyastuti

  Student Number: 06 1214 086

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

  

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY

  I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and references, as a scientific paper should.

  rd

  Yogyakarta, August 23 , 2010 The Writer

  Arum Widyastuti 06 1214 086

  

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIK

  Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma: Nama : Arum Widyastuti

  Nomor Mahasiswa : 06 1214 086 Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:

  STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARD THE CONTRIBUTION OF PERSONAL REFLECTION TO THEIR LEARNING AWARENESS

  Beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin ataupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

  Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal : 23 Agustus 2010 Yang menyatakan Arum Widyastuti

  I dedicate this thesis to my beloved family

  

ABSTRACT

  Widyastuti, Arum. 2010. Students’ Perception toward the Contribution of

  

Personal Reflection to their Learning Awareness. Yogyakarta: English

Language Education Study Program Sanata Dharma University.

  Reflection is beneficial to be conducted in class. When students make their reflection, they recall and examine their past learning which makes them know what they are doing and how far they have learned. However, students might not know the contribution of reflection for their own learning. Students might even assume that making reflection is a duty that they have to fulfill whereas in fact, reflection creates their learning awareness which will help them to learn better. Hence, this research intends to investigate students’ perception of the contribution of personal reflection to their learning awareness. It answers one research problem which is what are students’ perceptions toward the contribution of personal reflection to students’ learning awareness?

  Survey was implemented as the research method in this research. It was suitable because this method dealt with finding students’ opinion and views on something. The participants of this research were students of the English Education Study Program Sanata Dharma University who took Microteaching class in even semester academic year 2009/2010. Questionnaire was used as the research instrument. The questionnaire consisted of two sections, 1 to 4 rating scales and open-ended questions. The number of students who chose each degree of agreement in the rating scale and the answer of open-ended questions determined whether they had positive or negative perception toward reflection contributing to students’ learning awareness.

  The research results obtained from the research instrument showed that the degree of agreement frequently chosen by the students were ‘strongly agree’ and ‘agree’. Besides, most of the students’ response in the open-ended questions showed positive response as well. Most of the students agreed that reflection helped them to obtain four avenues to awareness described by Gebhard and Oprandy (1999) namely finding solution for the learning problems they face and improving what they have done well in the learning, seeing what has happened in the learning, seeing what the learning is, and clarifying their learning feeling. Thus, it could be drawn that most of the students have positive perception toward reflection contributing to their learning awareness. Furthermore, most of the students agreed that they made reflection because it influenced their learning by giving some benefits not only because reflection was assignment or something compulsory. However, there were few students that perceived reflection only as a task.

  

ABSTRAK

  Widyastuti, Arum. 2010. Students’ Perception toward the Contribution of

  

Personal Reflection to their Learning Awareness. Yogyakarta: Program Studi

Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma.

  Refleksi memberikan keuntungan jika diterapkan di kelas. Saat siswa membuat refleksi, mereka mengingat kembali dan menganalisa pembelajaran yang telah mereka lakukan sehingga membuat mereka mengetahui apa yang mereka lakukan dan sejauh mana mereka belajar. Namun demikian, siswa mungkin saja tidak mengetahui kontribusi refleksi bagi pembelajaran mereka. Siswa bahkan menganggap refleksi sebagai kewajiban atau tugas yang harus mereka penuhi walau pun pada dasarnya refleksi mampu meningkatkan kesadaran belajar mereka yang dapat membantu mereka dalam belajar. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini bermaksud untuk mengetahui persepsi siswa terhadap kontribusi refleksi dalam kesadaran belajar siswa. Penelitian ini menjawab satu rumusan masalah yaitu apa saja persepsi siswa terhadap kontribusi refleksi dalam kesadaran belajar mereka?

  Survei merupakan metode yang diterapkan dalam penelitian ini. Metode ini sesuai karena metode ini berhubungan dengan mengetahui opini dan pandangan siswa terhadap sesuatu. Responden dalam penelitian ini adalah mahasiswa Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma yang mengambil kelas

  

Microteaching di semester genap tahun ajaran 2009/2010. Selain itu, kuesioner

  digunakan sebagai instrumen dalam penelitian ini. Kuesioner ini terdiri dari dua bagian yaitu kuesioner tertutup dengan 4 tingkatan jawaban dan kuesioner terbuka. Jumlah siswa yang memilih setiap tingkatan jawaban dalam kuesioner tertutup dan jawaban dari kuesioner terbuka menentukan persepsi positif atau negatif yang dimiliki siswa terhadap refleksi yang berkontribusi dalam kesadaran belajar.

  Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tingkatan jawaban yang mayoritas dipilih siswa yaitu ‘sangat setuju’ dan ‘setuju’. Selain itu, mayoritas jawaban siswa di kuesioner terbuka menunjukkan tanggapan yang positif. Mayoritas siswa setuju bahwa refleksi membantu mereka menemukan four avenues to awareness yang didiskripsikan oleh Gebhard dan Oprandy (1999) yaitu menemukan solusi untuk masalah-masalah dalam pembelajaran dan meningkatkan apa yang telah dilakukan dengan baik dalam pembelajaran, melihat apa yang terjadi dalam pembelajaran, melihat apa pembelajaran mereka itu, dan mengklarifikasi perasaan terkait dengan pembelajaran. Oleh karena itu, dapat disimpulkan bahwa mayoritas siswa memiliki persepsi positif terhadap kontribusi refleksi dalam kesadaran belajar mereka. Selain itu, mayoritas siswa setuju bahwa mereka membuat refleksi karena refleksi mempengaruhi pembelajaran mereka dengan memberikan keuntungan-keuntungan bukan hanya dikarenakan bahwa refleksi merupakan suatu tugas atau kewajiban. Akan tetapi ada sabagian kecil siswa yang berpersepsi bahwa refleksi hanyalah suatu tugas tidak lebih.

  

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  My greatest gratitude is first addressed to the God Almighty for giving all the goodness so that I am able to finish my thesis entitled “Students’ Perception toward the Contribution of Personal Reflection to their Learning Awareness”.

  I would also like to sincerely thank my major sponsor, C. Tutyandari, S.Pd., M.Pd, for all her valuable times, and precious suggestions for the accomplishment of this thesis. I would express my gratitude to the other lecturers in English Language Education Study Program Sanata Dharma University for every precious lesson I have learned from them as well.

  I am very grateful to my beloved parents, Bapak and Ibu, for their love, care and motivation, and my relatives Bulik, Mbak Ika, Mas Aji, and Jati for their support and willingness to lend me a hand in dealing with completing this thesis. My special gratitude also belongs to Angon for his loyal company and support during the accomplishment of this thesis. I thank my friends Rika, Yeyen, Farida,

  Rina and Rusna for wonderful times I spend with all of them.

  Finally, my thankfulness is addressed to those who lend me a hand in completing my thesis whose name I can not mention one by one.

  Arum Widyastuti

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  TITLE PAGE ........................................................................................ i APPROVAL PAGES ............................................................................ ii STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ..................................... iv

  LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA

  ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIK ................................ v

  DEDICATION PAGE ........................................................................... vi ABSTRACT .......................................................................................... vii

  ABSTRAK ............................................................................................. viii

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................... x LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................. xiv LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................ xv

  CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research Background ..........................................................

  1 1.2 Problem Formulation ...........................................................

  3 1.3 Problem Limitation .............................................................

  3 1.4 Research Objective ..............................................................

  3 1.5 Research Benefits ................................................................

  4

  1.5.1 Students ................................................................ 4

  1.5.2 Lecturers ............................................................... 4

  1.5.3 Researchers ........................................................... 4

  1.6 Definition of Terms .............................................................

  17 2.3 Theoretical Framework .......................................................

  26 CHAPTER IV. RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Research Results .................................................................

  24 3.6 Research Procedure ...........................................................

  24 3.5 Data Analysis Technique ..................................................

  22 3.4 Data Gathering Technique ................................................

  22 3.3 Research Instrument .........................................................

  21 3.2 Research Participants ........................................................

  18 CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research Method ..............................................................

  15 2.2 Review of Related Studies ..................................................

  5

  2.1.3 Reflection ............................................................. 11 2.1.4 Learning Awareness .............................................

  2.1.2 Self Assessment .................................................... 10

  2.1.1 Perception ............................................................. 7

  7

  6 CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 Theoretical Description .......................................................

  1.6.2 Reflection ............................................................. 5 1.6.3 Awareness ............................................................

  1.6.1 Perception ............................................................. 5

  28

  4.1.1 Students’ Perception on the Willingness to Make Reflection.................................................

  29

  4.1.2 Students’ Perception on the Reasons to Make Reflection ...........................................................

  30

  4.1.3 Students’ Perception on Reflection Contributing to Students Learning Awareness ..

  31

  4.1.4 Students’ Perception on the Implication of the Implementation of Reflection ............................

  37 4.2 Discussion ..........................................................................

  40

  4.2.1 Students’ Perception on the Willingness to Make Reflection.................................................

  41

  4.2.2 Students’ Perception on the Reasons to Make Reflection ..........................................................

  41

  4.2.3 Students’ Perception on Reflection Contributing to Students Learning Awareness..

  42

  4.2.4 Students’ Perception on the Implication of the Implementation of Reflection ............................

  44

  4.2.5 Propose Plan to Conduct Reflection in Class...................................................................

  45 CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESSTIONS 5.1 Conclusions .......................................................................

  48 5.2 Suggestions .......................................................................

  49 5.2.1 Students of Microteaching Class...........................

  49 5.2.2 Lecturers of Microteaching Class..........................

  50 5.2.3 Future Researchers ...............................................

  51

  APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 QUESTIONNAIRE BLUEPRINT ................................

  54 APPENDIX 2 QUESTIONNAIRE........................................................

  56 APPENDIX 3 PARTICIPANTS’ RATING SCALE RESPONSES.....

  58 APPENDIX 4 RAW DATA OF PARTICIPANTS’ ANSWER OF

  59 OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS....................................... APPENDIX 5 PARTICIPANTS’ RESPONSE OF OPEN-ENDED

  QUESTIONS................................................................. 73

  LIST OF FIGURES

  Figure Page

  2.1 Perceptual Process........................................................................ 8 2.2 Model of Reflection-on-Practice..................................................

  13 4.1 The Frequency in Making Reflection ..........................................

  29 4.2 The Students’ Reasons to make Reflection..................................

  30

  4.3 The Contribution of Reflection to Find Learning Strengths and Weaknesses...................................................................................

  32

  4.4 The Contribution of Reflection to Create Problem Solving Skill...............................................................................................

  32

  4.5 The Contribution of Reflection to See What Happens in the Learning........................................................................................

  33

  4.6 The Contribution of Reflection to Provide Recording of the Learning........................................................................................

  34

  4.7 The Contribution of Reflection to Increase Students’ Learning Involvement..................................................................................

  35

  4.8 The Contribution of Reflection to Clarify Learning Feelings.........................................................................................

  36

  4.9 The Implication of the Implementation of Reflection...................................................................................... 37

  LIST OF TABLES

  Table Page

  2.1 Awareness .................................................................................... 15 3.1 Participants’ Rating Scale Responses...........................................

  25

  3.2 Raw Data of Participants’ Answer of Open-ended Questions........................................................................................

  25 3.3 Participants’ Response of Open-ended Questions.........................

  25 4.1 The Students’ Reasons to Make Reflection ..................................

  31 4.2 Students’ Opinion on the Benefits of Reflection ..........................

  38 4.3 Students’ Suggestions on the Implementation of Reflection ........

  39

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This chapter provides background information related to the research. It

  describes six main parts in this research namely research background, problem formulation, problem limitation, research objective, research benefits and definition of terms.

1.1 Research Background

  It is beneficial for lecturers to have their students to make reflection in the end of every class meeting. Suskie (2004) states that reflection helps student learn, assesses attitudes, values, and other ineffable, balances quantitative assessments with qualitative information, and yields useful information quickly and easily.

  Moreover, Santos (1997) adds that reflection helps students to take informed action, avoid pointless blaming, and creates healthy learning environment.

  According to Ghaye (1996), reflection is looking back and making sense of your practice, learning from this and using this learning to affect your future action. When students make their reflection, they will look back on their learning which makes them aware of their own learning and find their strengths and weaknesses of the subject. Students, then, learn from their previous learning and improve their learning. Thus, reflection helps students to take responsibilities to their learning and to encourage the desire to engage in the learning process.

  Microteaching class, one of the courses in English Language Education Study Program Sanata Dharma University, demands its students to make reflection every week. The lecturer asks the students to make written reflection at home and submit it in the following week. In the reflection, students are able to write whatever they feel and think of the past learning. Moreover, students are able to give comment and suggestion of the learning.

  When students make their reflection, they recall and examine their learning which makes them know what they are doing and how far they have learned. This knowing creates learning awareness which is described by Hendricks (1981) as a willingness to examine all our values, beliefs, and past actions to see if they best serve to overall development. This awareness has a crucial role in their learning. Saljo describes that when people become aware of their own learning in different respects, they will be better at handling learning and reading problems of the kinds encountered in everyday life, or at least, in every researching as cited by Smith (1990). In short, reflection contributes to students’ learning awareness and helps them to obtain better learning.

  However, students might not know the contribution of reflection for their own learning. Students might assume that making reflection is a duty that they have to fulfill whereas in fact, reflection creates their learning awareness which will help them to learn better. Hence, this research investigates students’ perception of the contribution of personal reflection to their learning awareness. This research intends to reveal whether the students of Microteaching class have positive or negative perception toward reflection and whether reflection contributes to their learning awareness or not.

  1.2 Problem Formulation

  This research investigates students’ perception toward the contribution of personal reflection to their learning awareness. It answers one research problem which is what are students’ perceptions toward the contribution of personal reflection to students’ learning awareness?

  1.3 Problem Limitation

  Reflection might be in a form of written and spoken which can be conducted during and after the class. In this research, reflection is limited for after-class written reflection which is conducted every week in Microteaching class. Thus, this research is limited to students’ perception toward the contribution of the reflection to students learning awareness.

  1.4 Research Objective

  The objective of this research is to present students’ perception toward the contribution of personal reflection to their learning awareness. It figures out whether students of Microteaching class have positive or negative perception toward reflection. Moreover, it presents students’ opinion whether reflection helps them to obtain learning awareness or not.

1.5 Research Benefits

  This research is aimed to give benefits to students, lecturers, researchers, and readers as follows.

  1.5.1 Students

  This research is to give students understanding of the contribution of reflection for their learning awareness. Hopefully, this research will make students willing to make reflection since it is beneficial for their learning.

  1.5.2 Lecturers

  This research is to give information to the lecturers whether reflection helps them in their teaching. Lecturers can strengthen the use of reflection or reduce any weaknesses of the use of reflection in their teaching activity.

  1.5.3 Researchers

  This research provides information for other researchers who want to conduct similar research. Hopefully, this research will bring benefits for the other researchers.

  1.5.4 Readers

  The benefit of this research is to give an overview to the readers on the contribution of personal reflection to students’ learning awareness. Hopefully, it

1.6 Definition of Terms

  This research uses the terms of perception, reflection, and awareness. The following is the definition of each term.

  1.6.1. Perception

  Huffman and Vernoy (1997: 97) state that “perception is a process of selecting, organizing and interpreting sensory data into useful mental representation of the world”. Altman, Valenzi, and Hodgetts (1985) define perception as the way stimuli are selected and grouped by a person so that they can be meaningfully interpreted. In this research, perception deals with a way people select, organize, and interpret particular things around them.

  1.6.2. Reflection

  There are some definitions of reflection. First, reflection is looking back and making sense of your practice, learning from this and using this learning to affect your future action (Ghaye, 1996). Second, Watson states that “reflection is activity that consists of transforming given information in order to reach conclusion” (1996: 1). Third, Reflection is a way of thinking about educational matters that involves the ability to make rational choices to assume responsibility for those choices (Burden and Bryd, 1999). In this research, reflection is an activity of looking and thinking back of previous learning which involves the ability of making choices and taking responsibility.

1.6.3. Awareness Lier (1996) describes awareness as knowing what you are doing and why.

  Moreover, Hendricks (1981) defines awareness as willingness to examine all our values, beliefs, and past actions to see if they best serve our overall development.

  In this research, awareness deals with knowing and examining what we have done in the learning activity.

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE This chapter discusses the review of related literature of the research

  consisting of the theoretical description, review of related studies, and the theoretical framework of the research. The theoretical description discusses some theories which relevant to the research. The review of related studies discusses some studies which are similar to this research. The theoretical framework relates the theories in the former part to this research.

2.1 Theoretical Description

  This part reviews some theories related to the research. The theoretical description is divided into four points which are perception, self assessment, reflection, and learning awareness.

2.1.1 Perception

  Huffman and Vernoy (2000: 107) state that “perception is a process of selecting, organizing and interpreting sensory data into useful mental representation of the world”. The first process of perception is selecting. Here, the process deals with choosing stimuli to pay attention with. It is difficult to pay attention to many things, on the other hand, it is easier to pay attention to one thing. Thus, directing attention is the first thing to do in creating a perception.

  Organizing is the next process after having selected stimuli to pay attention with. Here, the information obtained from the first process is organized to get an understanding. The last process, interpreting, deals with making judgments and explanation which is influenced by several factors such as cultural factor, early life experience, and personal motivation.

  Similar view on the meaning of perception is presented by Altman, Valenzi, and Hodgetts. They define perception as the way stimuli are selected and grouped by a person so that they can be meaningfully interpreted (Altman, Valenzi, Hodgetts: 1985). Similar to Huffman et al., the process of creating a perception described by Altman et al. begins with selecting stimuli followed by organizing and interpreting the stimuli. Figure 2.1 shows the process which is defined by Altman et al. as a perceptual process.

  Perception,

Sensors’ organization,

Behavioural stimuli selection of and response interpretation stimuli of stimuli

Figure 2.1 Perceptual Process (Altman, Valenzi, Hodgetts, 1985: 86).

  Furthermore, there is several factors influence someone’s perception which is selection of stimuli, organization of stimuli, the situation, and the person’s self concept. First, selection of stimuli influences someone’s perception. Every person might have different stimuli to select. This makes people might have different selected the stimuli, the information is arranged to become meaningful while the way people arrange the information might be different one another. Third, situation influences someone’s perception. Expectations, environment situation or past experience influence someone’s perception. When people intend to perceive something the situation around them affects their perception. Fourth, self concept, Altman et al. describe it as the way we feel about and perceive ourselves. Self concept is important factor determining perception. Every people have their own picture of themselves which affects their perception of the world around them.

  In language learning, students are the actors of the learning process who are able to perceive anything they get in the learning process. They are able to select, organize, and interpret something to create perception. They might have a perception toward the learning activities, materials, or techniques whether it is positive and negative. In accordance to the perceptual process described by Altman et al., after someone, in this case is student, perceive something by selecting, organizing, and interpreting the stimuli, he or she creates behavioral response. As an instance, when the student has positive perception toward reflection contributing for learning awareness, the students’ response of the reflection might be positive as well. Through this perceiving, student will be willing to reflect their learning even making reflection becomes their behavior and the other way around.

2.1.2 Self Assessment

  Boud (1991) defines that students self assessment refers to the involvement of students in identifying standards and/or criteria to apply to their work and making judgments about the extent to which they have met these criteria and standards as cited by Kay, Li and Fekete in Learner Reflection in Student Self-

  

assessment (http://crpit.com/confpapers/CRPITV66Kay.pdf accessed on

  December 10, 2009). Self assessment contributes to the development of metacognition which helps the students to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

  Thus, self assessment is crucial in learning.

  Furthermore, Kay et al. describe that there are two elements which have crucial role in creating successful self assessment, learners’ identification of the criteria or standard applied in their work and making of judgments about the extent to which the work meets the criteria or standard. To cover the two elements, teachers have to choose the appropriate task in order to reach the learning goal. Reflection is one of the examples of self assessment covering the two elements. In reflection, student studies the example and assesses them according to the criteria

  Similarly, Rayment (2006) describes that self assessment is one of essential assessment. Self assessment brings advantages for students; (a) self- assessment helps to promote ownership of learning and encourages the students to take responsibility for his or her own education; (b) it encourages the students to be aware of his or her own learning process and subsequently the areas where involvement in the education system. (d) it eliminates the danger of damage to self-esteem skills and weaknesses can be identified on personal level; (e) it promotes an active interest in learning and development and encourages the desire to engage in the learning process; it can make learning seem fun; (7) when implemented within a group, students can learn from their peers and group how others are doing while learning from and helping, each other through interpersonal learning.

2.1.3 Reflection

  Suskie (2004) states that the best assessments are learners’ learning experiences and opportunities for the teacher to see what they have learned. In this case, reflection places an important role because it is able to assess the criteria. Reflection helps students to assess their own learning experience and to examine their learning achievement. Moreover, students improve their metacognition skill which is learning how to learn and manage their learning by reflecting on how they learn best to prepare lifetime learning.

  To get further understanding of the meaning of reflection, here are some views defining reflection. Burden and Bryd (1999) define reflection as a way of thinking about educational matters that involves the ability to make rational choices to assume responsibility for those choices. Race (2002), as cited by Clegg, in Improving Learning through Reflection (http://www.york. ac.uk/admin/hr/training /gtu/student/resources/pgwt/reflection1. pdf accessed on sense of what we have learned, why we learned it, and how that particular increment of learning took place. Moreover, reflection is about linking one increment of learning to the wider perspective of learning - heading towards seeing the bigger picture.

  According to Ghaye, reflection is looking back and making sense of your practice, learning from this and using this learning to affect your future action (Ghaye, 1998). Watson states that “reflection is activity that consists of transforming given information in order to reach conclusion” (1996: 1). It includes reasoning the creative production ideas, problem solving, and the awareness of all these mental activities in metacognition. Watson describes the activity further as follows:

  For example, in reasoning, a person takes a mental step beyond what is initially presented, as in ‘so she must have known that all the time!’: in problem solving a way toward a solution is sought, ‘we have to work out what time the train will arrive’, and metacognition may involve such self monitoring as I’m finding this really hard to follow’.

  Based on the views mentioned before, it can be concluded that reflection in educational matters deals with looking back and examining past action which involves the ability of making choices and taking responsibility to create future action. When students reflect their learning they examine and draw conclusion of what they have learned, take action and responsibility of their learning.

  Those are the views discussing the meaning of reflection. Meanwhile, the following discussion will discuss the type of reflection.

  There are two types of reflection described by Schon. The term reflection- can occur during or after the learning process. Reflection-in-action means reflection during the lesson. Schon describes this term further as “unconscious behavior and is linked to phrases such as thinking on your feet and being adaptable and responsive to a situation” (1998: 3). During the learning process, students are able to reflect their learning unconsciously. They reflect in what they do in the learning and directly adjust themselves to the situation.

  The second type is reflection-on-practice. It means reflection after the lesson. Having the learning, students recall what they have done in the learning and examine it. Moreover, Ghaye discusses reflection-on-practice further as a natural process of making sense of professional action which is about using and learning from experience. Figure 2.2 describes a model of reflection-on-practice based on Ghaye. It describes that reflection-on-practice deals with reflecting on context, value, practice and improvement.

Figure 2.2 Model of Reflection-on-Practice (Ghaye, 1998:7) In addition, the model of reflection-on-practice has four characteristic which are cyclical, flexible, focused, and holistic. First, cyclical shows that the process of reflection-on-practice forms a continuous cyclical process. Second, flexible shows that the process is flexible and is not arranged mechanistically because it is possible to reflect-on-practice starting from different positions. Third, focused deals with directing attention to seek ways. Fourth, holistic deals with seeing teaching and learning holistically through the model.

  Reflection in educational matters brings benefits for students. First, Gardiner, as cited by Tarvin and Al- Arishi, states that “reflection allows us to put to use what we learn from experience” (1991: 16). Second, reflection helps raise our awareness of ourselves as learners and to see that we can direct and change our learning (Biggs, 1999). Third, Campbell (2000: 33) states that “self-reflection increases students’ learning involvement in their own learning because they begin to perceive the purpose for their assignments”.

  Moreover, Santos (1997: 13) describes three benefits of reflection for students, teachers and curriculum which are “it helps us take informed actions, it helps us avoid pointless blaming, and it creates a healthy learning environment”. Suskie (2004) also states that reflection helps student learn, assesses attitudes, values, and other ineffable, balances quantitative assessments with qualitative information, and yields useful information quickly and easily.

2.1.4 Learning Awareness

  Lier (1996) states that to learn something new one must first notice it and the process of the noticing is an awareness of its existence, obtained, and enhanced by paying attention to it. Lier describes the idea further by giving an example of the experience of a man from New Guinea who was taken to big city to see the modern civilization by anthropologists. He was asked to observe the situation in the city. However, when the anthropologists asked him to tell what he had seen, he replied that he had been amazed by the strength of a skinny person pulling a cart that piled high with junk. The anthropologist asked him what else he had seen but he could not answer anything else.

  Hence, students have to notice and focus their attention to learn something new. This noticing and focusing can be described as awareness. To get further understanding of the meaning of awareness, Lier uses the following table.

Table 2.1 Awareness

  Epistemology Axiology

• Focusing attention • Know what you are doing, and why Awareness • Role of perception • Conscious engagement
• Reflection

  (Lier, 1996: 11)

  Hendricks (1981) defines awareness as willingness to examine all our values, beliefs, and past actions to see if they best serve our overall development.

  When students become aware of their learning, they find the truth about their learning. They examine their learning whether it meets their learning needs which

  Meanwhile, Saljo describes that when people become aware of their own learning in different respects, they will be better at handling learning and reading problems of the kinds encountered in everyday life, or at least, in every researching as cited by Smith (1990). Learning is something which can be discussed and analyzed. Becoming aware of the learning, students analyze their learning and find problems. They examine it and create solution to handle the problems. Thus, learning awareness gives benefits for the students.

  Putting aside the description of learning awareness, the following description addresses the avenues to awareness. Gebhard and Oprandy (1999) describe four avenues to awareness namely problem solving, seeing what happens, seeing what it is, and clarifying our feelings.

  The first avenue is problem solving. Being aware of the learning, students need to solve problems they face. As an instance, there is a student who got a bad mark for a particular subject. The student tries to understand what causes the bad mark. He finds that he rarely studies the subject. Then, he tries to solve the problem by studying more to understand better. Here, the students changes his behavior and sees what happens in his learning. He gains an awareness of his own learning and practice to solve his problems.

  The second avenue is seeing what happens. To see what happens in the learning can be done by trying the opposite to the usual things. For example, a student usually reads the materials before the class that helps him a lot in his learning. To see what happens in the learning, he needs to do the opposite by coming to class without reading the materials in advance. Through this learning awareness can be obtained.

  The third avenue is seeing what it is. In this avenue, there are two-lane avenues to obtain the awareness. First is contrasting what we do with what we think we do. To accomplish this, keeping record of what we have done is needed. Here, students can obtain their learning awareness by writing a journal. The second lane is considering what we believe in light of what we do. It deals with finding out whether student’s beliefs match the actual processes or not. For example, a student believes that he has done the best he could in the exam. He believes that he will get an A. In fact, he doesn’t get A for his exam which is contradictory to his belief. Thus, to get the awareness of the learning, students can see what the learning is by contrasting what we do with what we think and considering what we believe in what we do.

  The last avenue to awareness is clarifying the feelings. By exploring their feelings of the learning, students are able to gain learning awareness. The feelings about thing are able to affect the behavior. Hence, clarifying the emotional side is needed. Personal journals are suited to this avenue.

2.2 Review of Related Studies

  Study conducted by Ong shows that reflection helps students in their learning. Ong conducted a qualitative research in which students of Republic Polytechnic became the participant. Ong chose 10 students’ journals randomly The result showed that students demonstrated an increasing in their learning awareness. Moreover, there was an increasing in students’ cognitive skill after making daily reflection. Thus, Ong describes that reflection has an important role in students learning since it relates the new learning material and prior knowledge and enhance learning awareness.

  Furthermore, Jensen conducted similar research in using reflective journal to improve students’ learning awareness. The research was conducted in Aalborg University Denmark. The participants of this research were foreign students of Master Engineering educations who took Professional Procedures in a Globalized World course (PTW). To provoke students’ experiences toward the subject, the students were demanded to make a personal portfolio in a form of reflective journal where they could reflect their experiences on the subject. In the research, Jensen examined students’ reflective journal and found that most of the students are aware of what they have learned and 60 % of the students showed improvement in their learning capability.

  The studies show that reflection helps students in their learning especially in improving students learning awareness. Thus, reflection is beneficial to be conducted in class.

2.3 Theoretical Framework

  Learning awareness is the students’ process of noticing what they learn and the reason to learn. This noticing process is crucial in learning activity. When who have this learning awareness will be able to manage their learning. They will be able to solve the problems they face and enjoy their learning process.

  Reflection is one of the self assessments which contribute to students learning awareness. By making reflection, students get metacognition skills in which they are able to identify their ability whether they fulfill the criteria or standard of the learning. Furthermore, reflection helps students to find their strengths and weaknesses and helps the students to find what to be improved and to be eliminated. Thus, after making reflection, students will notice their own learning. This activity creates learning awareness which as mentioned before is beneficial for the students.

  To investigate students’ perception toward the contribution of reflection to their learning awareness, some theories are taken into account. First, theories on reflection adopted by Ghaye are used in this research to obtain information of reflection. The definition, kinds and models of reflection described by Ghaye are used to get better understanding on reflection which becomes the focus of this research.

  Second, theories of awareness adopted by Gebhard and Oprandy are used to investigate the contribution of reflection to learning awareness. To have learning awareness, Gebhard and Oprandy describe that there are four avenues to the awareness namely problem solving, seeing what happens, seeing what it is, and clarifying our feelings. These avenues to awareness described by Gebhard and Oprandy serves as the main reference to formulate the research instrument.

  Third, to investigate students’ perception toward the contribution of reflection to students’ learning awareness, theories on perception adopted by Altman, Valenzi, and Hodgetts and Huffman and Vernoy are employed in this research. Both of the theories are used to decide perception measuring instrument of the research.

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY This part discusses the methodology of the research. It comprises the

  research method, research participants, research instrument, data gathering technique, data analysis technique, and research procedure.

3.1 Research Method

  The research method employed in this research is survey. Based on Brown and Rogers (2002: 142), survey is defined as follows.

  Surveys are any procedure used to gather data and describe the characteristics, attitudes, views, opinions, and so forth of students, teachers, administrators, or any other people who are important to a study. Surveys typically take the form of interviews or questionnaires or both. Similarly, Ary, Jacobs and Razavieh (2002) describe that survey is used for gathering data ranging from physical counts and frequencies to attitudes and opinions. The data gathered from survey is responses of questions that are asked to participants.

  Hence, this research employed survey as the research method. This research investigates students’ perception toward the contribution of reflection to their learning awareness. To be exact, it deals with finding students’ opinion and views on reflection. Consequently, survey is suitable method to be employed in this research.

  3.2 Research Participants

  In order to answer the research problem, the participants of this research should be students who have experienced in making after-class written reflection.