The mastery of English phrasal verbs among the sixth semester students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University.

 

THE MASTERY OF ENGLISH PHRASAL VERBS AMONG THE SIXTH SEMESTER STUDENTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION

STUDY PROGRAM OF SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

A THESIS

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

in English Language Education

By Eva Kristina

Student Number: 061214023

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

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA

2010  

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THE MASTERY OF ENGLISH PHRASAL VERBS AMONG THE SIXTH SEMESTER STUDENTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION

STUDY PROGRAM OF SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

A THESIS

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

in English Language Education

By Eva Kristina

Student Number: 061214023

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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ll need time to get you off my mind

I may sometimes bother you; try to be in touch with you Even ask too much of you, from time to time

Now and then, Lord, you know I’ll need a friend ‘Til I get used to losing you, let me keep on using you, ‘Til I can make it on my own

I’ll get by, but no matter how I try

There’ll be times that you’ll know I’ll call Chances are my tears will fall

And I’ll have no pride at all from time to time But they say, oh, there’ll be a brighter day But ‘til then I lean on you, that’s all I mean to do, ‘Til I can make it on my own

Surely someday I’ll look up and see the morning sun Without another lonely night behind me

Then I’ll know I’m over you And all my cryin’s done

And no more hurtin’ memories can find me

But ‘til then, Lord, you know I’m gonna need a friend ‘‘Til I get used to losing you, let me keep on using you ‘Til I can make it on my own…

(‘Til I Can Make It on My Own by Billy Gilman)

I dedicate this thesis to

my parents, my sisters, my little brother

=

,

and my dreams

as the gift for their infinite tenderness

which made me want to

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ABSTRACT

Kristina, Eva. 2010. The Mastery of English Phrasal Verbs among the Sixth Semester Students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University. Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.

Grammar is one important thing which should be learnt by the English Language Education Study Program students since a good grasp of English grammar is a necessary qualification for optimal effectiveness as an ESL/EFL instructor. There are many topics to be mastered by the students; one of them is phrasal verbs. Gaining competency in English phrasal verbs is not easy. However, as the teacher candidates, they are expected to be able to use phrasal verbs in order to convey the ideas with idiomatic English. Knowing the fact that phrasal verbs are very important and should be mastered by the students, it is important to measure their mastery as well as to find out the possible causes for their errors.

There were two research questions presented in this study: (1) How well have the sixth semester students of the 2009/2010 academic year in the ELESP of Sanata Dharma University mastered the two types of English phrasal verbs, the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs? (2)What are the possible causes of the students’ errors in using the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs?

In order to answer those two research questions, the researcher administered a test and conducted an interview. The test, which consisted of three parts, aimed at measuring mastery as well as finding out errors committed by the students. Subsequently, the interview was conducted to discover the reasons why the students still made errors.

From the data gathered, overall, the errors committed by the students in producing phrasal verbs were to associate the verbs with the wrong particles and these errors mostly appeared in the items which had inseparable phrasal verbs. Though the students made various kinds of errors, they still could be said to have sufficient mastery of phrasal verbs. This inference was drawn from the mean of the results of the test which was 58.8 out of 100. This achievement was slightly above the minimum standard of mastery, which is 56% of the maximum score as the lower margin to pass with grade C or ‘sufficient’. Based on the scoring category, this score was categorized in the level of sufficient or grade C. The interview, then, revealed two major causes which made the students make errors namely lack of knowledge of English phrasal verbs and lack of concentration due to nervousness. Furthermore, the researcher also offered suggestions addressed to students and lecturers of the English Language Education Study Program which were taken from the results of interview as well as the suggestions for future researchers who have an interest in this topic.

Keywords: mastery, phrasal verbs, students of English Language Education Study Program

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ABSTRAK

Kristina, Eva. 2010. The Mastery of English Phrasal Verbs among the Sixth Semester Students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University. Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Tata Bahasa Inggris adalah salah satu hal penting yang harus dipelajari oleh mahasiswa Program Studi Bahasa Inggris. Pemahaman yang mendalam akan tata bahasa Inggris merupakan salah satu syarat untuk menjadi seorang guru bahasa Inggris yang optimal. Terdapat beberapa topik yang wajib untuk dikuasai oleh mahasiswa; salah satunya adalah phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs memiliki tingkat penguasaan yang cukup sulit, namun sebagai calon guru, mahasiswa diharapkan mampu menggunakan phrasal verbs untuk menyampaikan ide-ide secara natural layaknya pengguna asli dari bahasa Inggris. Phrasal verbs mempunyai peran yang penting sehingga mahasiswa diharapkan mampu menguasainya. Berdasarkan hal tersebut, maka sangatlah penting untuk mengukur kemampuan penggunaan phrasal verbs dan mengetahui kesalahan dalam penggunaannya beserta penyebabnya.

Terdapat dua pertanyaan dalam penelitian ini: (1) Bagaimana tingkat kemampuan mahasiswa semester enam tahun ajaran 2009/2010 di Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma dalam menguasai dua tipe phrasal verbs, yaitu separable phrasal verbs dan inseparable phrasal verbs? (2) Apa saja faktor-faktor penyebab timbulnya kesalahan dalam menggunakan separable phrasal verbs dan inseparable phrasal verbs?

Pada penelitian ini, peneliti menggunakan tes dan melakukan wawancara untuk menjawab kedua pertanyaan tersebut di atas. Tes yang digunakan terdiri dari tiga bagian dengan tujuan untuk mengukur penguasaan mahasiswa terhadap phrasal verbs serta mengetahui kesalahan-kesalahan yang dibuat oleh mahasiswa dalam menggunakan phrasal verbs. Wawancara dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk menemukan faktor penyebab mahasiswa masih membuat beberapa kesalahan.

Berdasarkan data yang terkumpul, secara keseluruhan, beberapa kesalahan yang sering dibuat oleh mahasiswa adalah berkaitan dengan memasangkan kata kerja pokok dengan partikel yang tepat, yang mayoritas berasal dari soal-soal yang memiliki inseparable phrasal verbs. Walaupun para mahasiswa membuat bermacam-macam kesalahan, mereka masih bisa dikatakan memiliki penguasaan yang cukup akan phrasal verbs. Kesimpulan ini diperoleh dari hasil rerata nilai dari hasil test yaitu 58.8 dari nilai total 100. Nilai tersebut hanya sedikit di atas standar minimal penguasaan materi, bahwa 56% dari nilai maksimal adalah batas bawah untuk lulus dengan nilai C atau cukup. Berdasarkan kategori penilaian, nilai tersebut termasuk dalam tingkat cukup atau nilai C. Berdasarkan hasil wawancara yang dilakukan, ditemukan bahwa kurangnya pemahaman akan tata bahasa phrasal verbs dan kurangnya konsentrasi karena rasa kurang percaya diri merupakan dua penyebab utama mahasiswa masih membuat kesalahan. Peneliti berharap hasil wawancara yang telah dilakukan mampu memberikan beberapa

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rekomendasi atau masukan kepada mahsiswa dan dosen Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris juga para peneliti yang yang tertarik pada topik yang sama.

Kata Kunci: penguasaan, phrasal verbs, mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, although it is hard to find proper words to express my thankfulness, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to Jesus Christ and Mother Mary for the never-ending blessing, spirit, and health given to me. I am grateful to Him for increasing my faith when He answers my prayer and increasing my patience when He delays my prayer. Above all, I realize that He always has better plans for me in my life.

My deepest gratitude goes to my major sponsor Made Frida Yulia, S.Pd., M.Pd., for spending her precious time for paying incredible attention to every detail of this thesis. Her specialist input has been very useful for me to write this thesis. I would also like to express my deepest appreciation to my proofreader, Silvia Rehulina Ginting, S.Pd., for her sincere willingness to read my work even though she was also busy with her study.

I am deeply indebted to Fidelis Chosa Kastuhandani, S.Pd., Dionisius Sasmoyo, S.Pd., and Chrysogonus Siddha Malilang, S.Pd., for the permission to administer the test in their classes. I would like to thank the sixth semester students in classes A, B, and C of Translation courses of the academic year 2009/ 2010 for their willingness to be the participants of the research. They make this thesis possible.

Sincere thanks are also expressed to Caecilia Tuyandari S.Pd., M. Pd., my academic advisor and all lecturers of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University for the countless knowledge that they

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shared with me. Without that knowledge, this thesis is just a bundle of blank papers.

I would like to express my biggest gratitude to my parents, Amang and Inang, for being the infinite source of love and support that I have so needed to guide me in this game of life and for being compassionate and understanding as I grow as a person. I do appreciate everything they have done for me. I could never repay them for all that they have done for me, their love and support is priceless.

Many, many thanks to my four sisters, Elisabeth (Mrs.Tamba), Elferida, Emeliana, and Emerentiana, I could not ask for four better sisters, I love them loads and I am very lucky to have them all – I know it is not always easy putting up with me. Further, I thank them for being there for me through thick and thin. I would also like to thank to my little angel Eduardus for his infinite prayer for me. I know that in his silence he also takes part of my success.

My gratitude also goes to my close friend, Fina-Ndung-Soegito, for her brilliance and lovely friendship during this four years endeavor. My thanks also go to my amazing friends Nia, Ranie, Sarce, Adhis, for their friendship, patience, and help which made every difference in my world; for my friends in 3G a.k.a the crew of Sorry I Love You - the best play I have ever watched and joined -, Optimus Prime –We have provided the best!!, PPL II Stella Duce 2, KKN 07 – especially Poeput, as well as students of ELESP in class A, I must thank them for hard work, no sleep, - from laughter, success, and happiness to fights and tears and all-night work and those dreaded early morning classes. We have had them all! What amazing years.

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My special thanks to my big supporters, my colleagues in ALL Plus for being a brilliant family and giving me chances to learn many new things; my little angels in Kanisius Duwet Elementary School for their smiles which tell me that life is a beautiful adventure; Widi_PBI’07 for the unbelievable kindness she gave to me; and the Bellarminus Chapel for providing me a space for escaping for a while from the strict timetable.

Finally, for anyone that I have inadvertently missed, I hope they can forgive. God bless them all.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE ... i

APPROVAL PAGES ... ii

DEDICATION PAGE ... iv

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... v

ABSTRACT ... vi

ABSTRAK ... vii

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS ... ix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... x

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... xiii

LIST OF TABLES ... xvi

LIST OF FIGURES ... xvii

LIST OF APPENDICES ... xviii

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION A. Research Background ... 1

B. Problem Formulation ... 5

C. Problem Limitation ... 5

D. Research Objectives ... 6

E. Research Benefits ... 6

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CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

A. Theoretical Description ... 9

1. Phrasal Verb ... 9

a. Definitions of Phrasal Verbs ... 9

b. Types of Phrasal Verbs ... 13

c. The Significance of Phrasal Verbs ... 19

2. Brief Review on Language Errors ... 20

a. Definitions of Errors ... 20

b. Brief Review on the Causes of Errors ... 22

3. Mastery of a Language ... 24

a. Definition of Mastery ... 24

b. The Criteria of Mastery ... 26

B. Theoretical Framework ... 27

CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY A. Research Method ... 30

B. Research Participants ... 31

C. Research Instruments ... 32

1. Types of Instruments ... 33

a. Test ... 33

1) The Validity of the Test ... 35

2) The Reliability of the Test ... 39

b. Interview ... 41

D. Data Gathering Technique ... 42

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F. Research Procedure ... 44

CHAPTER IV. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION A. Students’ Mastery of English Phrasal Verbs ... 48

1. Data Presentation ... 48

2. Discussion ... 57

B. The Causes Underlying the Errors ... 68

1. Data Presentation ... 68

2. Discussion ... 70

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS A. Conclusions ... 74

B. Suggestions ... 77

1. For Lecturers ... 77

2. For Students ... 77

3. For Other Researchers ... 78

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LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

2.1Optional Separation of Phrasal Verb (Object Comes After Particle) ... 15

2.2 Optional Separation of Phrasal Verb (Object Comes After Verb)... 15

2.3 Obligatory Separation of Phrasal Verb (Pronoun Separates Verb and Particle) ... 16

2.4 Inseparable Phrasal Verb with a Noun as the Object ... 17

2.5 Inseparable Phrasal Verb with a Pronoun as the Object ... 17

3.1 The Classification of the Reliability Coefficient ... 41

4.1 The Students’ Scores in Part I of the Test ... 49

4.2 The Students’ Scores in Part II of the Test ... 50

4.3 The Students’ Scores in Part III of the Test ... 51

4.4 The Students’ Final Scores in the Whole Part of the Test ... 51

4.5 The Students’ Scores in Relation to the Category ... 52

4.6 The Percentage of the Correct Answers in Each Type of Phrasal Verbs ... 53

4.7 The Percentage of the Correct Answers in Each Type of Phrasal Verbs in Part I of the Test ... 55

4.8 The Percentage of the Correct Answers of Each Type of Phrasal Verbs in Part II of the Test ... 55

4.9 The Percentage of the Correct Answers of Each Type of Phrasal Verbs in Part III of the Test ... 56

4.10 The Percentage of the Erroneous Answers in the Test ... 56

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page 2.1 A Basic Structure of Separable Phrasal Verb

in which a Particle Follows the Verb ... 10 2.2 A Basic Structure of Separable Phrasal Verb

in which a Particle Comes after the Direct Objet ... 11 2.3 A Basic Structure of Inseparable Phrasal Verb ... 12

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LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix Page

A Surat Permohonan Ijin Penelitian ... 82

B The Blueprint and the Test on Phrasal Verbs ... 84

C The Key of the Test ... 89

D The Samples of the Test’s Results ... 91

E The Students’ Test Score ... 99

F The Reliability of the Test ... 103

G The Total of Correct Answers and Incorrect Answers in Each Number ... 105

H The Students’ Erroneous Answers ... 108

I The Interview Guide ... 120

J The Interview Transcripts ... 123

1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

This research is aimed to investigate the mastery of English phrasal verbs among the sixth semester students of the English Language Education Study Program (ELESP) of Sanata Dharma University. This chapter briefly explains the background of the research, the problem formulation, the problem limitation, the objectives of the research, the research benefits, and the definitions of some important terms.

A. Research Background

English is an international language. Most scientific journals and books are written in English. Besides, most of the technologies nowadays use English both for the instructions and the content. That is why the students of almost every nation learn it either as a second language or as a foreign language. One of the nations that learns English as a foreign language is Indonesia.

Since English is important and is used as a means of communication by many people all over the world, English is now a compulsory subject in schools in Indonesia. To fulfill this requirement, each school provides some English teachers who will help the students to learn English and to be able to communicate in English well.

Thus, as the English teacher candidates who are later going to work in the schools, the students of ELESP indeed must have good English proficiency. They

have to be good models for their students. Furthermore, they have to be competent in English in front of their students by using English language properly and by demonstrating good and fluent control of the English language. However, gaining competency in English is not easy.

“A teacher of English as a second or foreign language must have conscious knowledge of the rules of the English language such as the sound system, the grammatical system, the lexical system, and the discourse structure” (Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, 1983: 1).

Therefore, it is clear that English teacher candidates or those who want to master English should learn the elements of grammar in order to have conscious knowledge of the rules of the English language.

Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1983: 2) stated that even if you feel a bit insecure about your ability to deal with English grammar, it is important to realize that virtually all specialists and teachers agree that a good grasp of English grammar is a necessary qualification for optimal effectiveness as an ESL/EFL instructor. Grammar, according to Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1983: 2), affects students’ performance in all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In other words, grammar provides rules that enable them to produce correct and appropriate sentences or utterances. Because grammar consists of many elements, it cannot be understood easily. Then, according to Shoebottom (2001), one of the grammar elements regarded as difficult by English Foreign Learners (EFL), such as Indonesian learners, is English phrasal verb.

“English phrasal verb is defined by traditional grammarians as a verb followed by a particle” (Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, 1983: 265). Particles in phrasal verbs are variously described as a preposition, and an adverb, or some

  combination of the two. Because of these many particles, English phrasal verbs are problems for EFL students. Moreover, their meanings are idiomatic; there is no logical pattern or formula for learning them. Then, to make the matter worse, according to Brown (2002), many phrasal verbs have more than one idiomatic meaning.

In brief, as stated by Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman in The Grammar Book (1983: 265), “English phrasal verbs are highly productive lexical category in English; however, we have no way of knowing in advance exactly which verb will join with which particle to form a new phrasal verb.” Furthermore, since there are many of phrasal verbs which are used idiomatically, there is also certain unpredictability as to what the meaning of a new phrasal verb will be. Additionally, according to Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1983: 265), “there are few non-Germanic languages that have phrasal verbs.” As a result, most of EFL students will find such verbs strange and difficult, and some non-native speakers have a tendency to overuse single lexical items in informal contexts where a phrasal verb would be much more appropriate.

As the EFL students, the ELESP students will face the same problems. In fact, the ELESP students are English teacher candidates. Thus, they have to master the English phrasal verbs in order to be good models for their students. Then, they must avoid making errors in order to perform well as English teachers. Based on the problems above, the researcher would like to find out how well the ELESP students have mastered the English phrasal verbs.

Actually, there is one study showing that phrasal verbs are still problematic. It is a study conducted by a senior among the sixth semester students of the ELESP of Sanata Dharma University nine years ago. From the findings, it can be seen that the students’ mastery of phrasal verbs was sufficient. Budiarti (2002: 52) concluded that although the students had already mastered the English phrasal verbs, they still made errors.

Unlike the study mentioned above, which focused on the mastery of phrasal verbs as a whole, this study specifically focuses only on the mastery of the two types of English phrasal verbs only, separable and inseparable phrasal verbs. Furthermore, different from Budiarti (2002: 52) who observed the possible causes of the errors by observing students’ performance, the researcher is going to conduct an interview to find out the possible causes of the students’ errors.

This research focuses on the sixth semester students of the 2009/2010 academic year in the ELESP of Sanata Dharma University. The researcher chooses the sixth semester students because they are supposed to have already passed the five courses of Structure. Thus, they have surely recognized and learnt the English phrasal verbs during those five courses.

Besides, the researcher would like to find out whether the sixth semester students of ELESP still make errors in using phrasal verbs by asking them to work on a test that can measure their mastery of English phrasal verbs. Then, in identifying the kinds of English phrasal verb errors made by the students, the researcher tries to find out some possible causes of the errors. There can be many causes of errors. For example, according toNorrish (1983), the students who have

  learnt English for several years often make the same mistake in the simplest grammar. In this example, the possible cause of the error is that the teacher let the students make errors so that the students do not realize their grammatical errors.

B. Problem Formulation

Referring to the problems above, the researcher formulates the following questions:

1. How well have the sixth semester students of the 2009/2010 academic year in the ELESP of Sanata Dharma University mastered the two types of English phrasal verbs, the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs?

2. What are the possible causes of the students’ errors in using the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs?

C. Problem Limitation

The focus of this research is on the mastery of English phrasal verbs among the sixth semester students of the 2009/2010 academic year in ELESP. The researcher chooses the sixth semester students because they have definitely learnt about English phrasal verbs and they have learnt a lot about grammar and its elements. Thus, the students at this level are supposed to be able to produce correct and proper sentences or utterances, especially using phrasal verbs.

This research also limits the English phrasal verbs only into two types. Actually, a phrasal verb, according to Peaty (1983: 5-23), has four types. Those are (1) phrasal verbs without an object, (2) separable phrasal verbs, (3)

inseparable phrasal verb, and (4) phrasal verb linked to an object by an extra preposition. However, the researcher only focuses on two types of English phrasal verbs. They are the second and the third types of English phrasal verbs, the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs, according to Peaty (1983: 5-23). The researcher only discusses those two types of English phrasal verbs because of the time limitations on this research. Furthermore, those two types of English phrasal verbs are already complex because according to Yule (2004: 168), the separable phrasal verbs are still categorized into two categories and the inseparable phrasal verbs as well.

D. Research Objectives

The objectives of this research are:

1. To find out how well the sixth semester students of ELESP of Sanata Dharma University have mastered the two types of English phrasal verbs, the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs.

2. To find out the possible causes of the students’ errors in using the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs.

E. Research Benefits

This research will benefit both lecturers and students. For the lecturers, this research enables them to improve their teaching ability because from this research they are able to find out the students’ mastery of the English phrasal verbs by identifying the errors the students have in using the English phrasal

  verbs. By identifying the students’ errors, the lecturers are then able to find the difficulties the students have and find new techniques to overcome the problems.

While, for the English learners or those who are interested in learning English, this research enables them to know more about English phrasal verbs because this research gives more information about English phrasal verbs and the errors mostly made by the sixth semester students of ELESP students, the real EFL students. Furthermore, by obtaining information about the English phrasal verbs errors, the students can avoid making errors by studying harder, especially studying these two kinds of English phrasal verbs. Then, the teachers are also supposed to help the students to improve their learning.

F. Definition of Terms

It is important to give the sufficient information about some terms used in this research in order to avoid misunderstanding. These words below are some terms used in this research.

1. Phrasal Verb

In this research, phrasal verb refers to a phrasal verb which is formed by combining a simple verb and one of a number of particles (McArthur, 1973: 9). Although it looks like a phrase, it functions as a single word. It is a unit. “The verbs may form combinations with adverbial particles such as down, in, off, on, out, up” (Leech, 1994: 336). Then, according to Leech (1994: 336), verbs can also combine with prepositional adverbs which then function like prepositional phrase.

Phrasal verbs that are going to be discussed further here, however, exclude the prepositional phrases or prepositional verbs such as look at, etc. This research is going to discuss further the two types of English phrasal verbs. They are the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs.

2. Mastery

“Mastery is a great knowledge about or understanding of a particular thing” (Hornby, 2000: 788). The term of mastery in this research refers to the explanation proposed by Charles Fries (1948: 3).

“A person has “learned” a foreign language when he has thus, within limited vocabulary mastered the sound system (that is when he can understand the stream of speech and achieve an understandable production of it) and has, secondly made the structural devices (that is the basic arrangement of utterances) matters of automatic habit.”

Thus, the term of mastery in this study is related to the second requirement of mastery (mastery of ‘structural devices’) as it listed above. It is because English phrasal verbs are parts of structural devices and they have their own form, meaning, and uses. In other words, those who are considered to have mastered the structural devices should meet the requirements such as knowing the forms and the rules underlying them, knowing the meaning of those forms, and knowing how to use those constructions correctly and appropriately.

Therefore, according to the explanation above, the students, who are considered to have mastered the English phrasal verbs, especially the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs, are those who have known the forms and the rules of using the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs, have known the meaning of those forms, and have known how to use those forms correctly.

9 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

In this chapter, the researcher discusses the related literature which serves as the basis of the research. This chapter consists of two main parts. The first part is theoretical description which elaborates the theories underlying this research. The second part is theoretical framework in which the researcher explains the relevance of the theories to the study.

A. Theoretical Description

In this part there are some theories which are going to be elaborated. They are the theories of phrasal verbs, the errors, and the students’ mastery.

1. Phrasal Verbs

a. Definitions of Phrasal Verbs

According to Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1983: 265), traditional grammarians define a phrasal verb as a verb followed by a particle (variously described as a preposition, an adverb, or some combinations of the two), e.g.:

(1)I got up at 6 a.m. (arose)

(2)I will look into that. (investigate) (3)He put off the meeting. (postponed)

Meanwhile, according to McArthur (1973: 9), “a phrasal verb is formed by combining a simple verb and one of a number of particles.” He states that the result is called ‘phrasal’ because it looks like a phrase rather than a single word.

“Although it looks like a phrase, it functions as a single word; it is a unit” (McArthur, 1973: 9). It is agreed by Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1999: 426) who state that a phrasal verb (PV) is made up two (or more) parts that function as a single verb. For example, in sentence (1), got up is categorized as a phrasal verb since it is a combination of a verb got and a particle up, but they function as a single verb which creates a single meaning.

As stated above by Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1999: 426), phrasal verbs are sometimes called two-word verbs because they usually consist of a verb plus a second word. They also mention that the second word often referred to as an adverb. However, this research refers to the second word of the phrasal verb as a particle to show its close association with the verb, and to distinguish it from prepositions and other adverbs. Further, Figure 2.1 will show the basic structure of the use of a phrasal verb turn out in which the particle out directly follow the verb turn in a sentence Jamie turned out the light.

Figure 2.1

A Basic Structure of Separable Phrasal Verb in which a Particle Follows the Verb (Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, 1999: 426)

 

Figure 2.1 shows the basic structure of a sentence in which a particle follows the verb directly. While, according to Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1999: 426), although the particle is part of the phrasal verb, it need not be contiguous with it. Figure 2.2 will show a tree where the particle is not contiguous with the verb but rather is separated from it by an intervening direct object. This structure, later, is called as phrasal verbs with optional separation.

Figure 2.2

A Basic Structure of Separable Phrasal Verb in which a Particle Comes after the Direct Objet

(Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, 1999: 427)

However, there is one type of phrasal verbs namely inseparable phrasal verbs in which the particles must follow the verbs directly. Thus, only one tree is possible.

Figure 2.3

A Basic Structure of Inseparable Phrasal Verb (Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, 1999: 429)

From the structure, it may already be obvious that ESL/ EFL students are dealing with a structure that is very difficult for them. Moreover, according to Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1999: 425), “the meaning of phrasal verbs is often noncompositional: that is someone can know the meaning of the verb and the apparent meaning of the particle, but when they are put together, a unique meaning is derived.”

(4)I gave my mother the letter. (5)Jennifer gave up.

The meaning of the verb gave in sentence (4) is absolutely different from the phrasal verb gave up in sentence (5). Gave in sentence (4) means to hand something to somebody, while gave up in sentence (5) means to surrender.

 

A final learning challenge involves the conditions governing optional or obligatory separation of the verb and the particle for phrasal verbs used transitively as shown by Figures 2.1 and 2.2 and some examples as follows.

(6)She turns out the lights.

(7)She turns the lights out.

(8)She turns them out.

(9)She turns out them.*

Sentences (6) and (7) have phrasal verbs with optional separation. On the other hand, sentence (8) has a phrasal verb in which the particle is separated from the verb since its direct object is a pronoun. Then, sentence (9) is an incorrect sentence since the particle is not separated while the direct object is a pronoun. The optional or obligatory separation of the verb and the particle will be discussed further in the types of phrasal verbs.

b. Types of Phrasal Verbs

According to Peaty (1983: 5-23), phrasal verbs can be classified into four types. They are phrasal verbs without an object, separable phrasal verbs, inseparable phrasal verbs, and phrasal verbs linked to an object by an extra preposition. However, according Yule (2004: 168), there are two major types of phrasal verbs. They are separable and inseparable phrasal verbs. This research, therefore, only focuses on those two types of phrasal verbs.

Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1999: 427) state that like single-word verbs, phrasal verbs can be transitive or intransitive. According to Thomson &

Martinet (1986: 315), it is important to learn whether the combination is transitive (i.e. requires an object) or intransitive (i.e. cannot have an object).

(10) I am looking for my passport.

(11) Look out! This ice isn’t safe!

The phrasal verb look for in sentence (10) is transitive. Meanwhile, look out in sentence (11) is intransitive. This research, however, only discusses the transitive phrasal verbs since the transitive phrasal verbs are still divided to some types. According to Celce-Murcia (1999: 428), the transitive phrasal verbs can be divided into two types. They are separable and inseparable phrasal verbs. Those types of phrasal verbs are elaborated as follows.

1) Separable Phrasal Verbs

One type of transitive phrasal verbs which is discussed in this research is separable phrasal verbs. As stated above, since the separable phrasal verbs are categorized into transitive phrasal verbs, they usually have objects. They are used in the same way as normal verbs, except that they must be separated by pronoun objects.

According to Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1999: 428), the separable phrasal verbs can be divided into two types based on the separation of the particle from the verb. They are called as optional separation and obligatory separation. The separation is optional when the particle can be separated from the verb by the direct object. Meanwhile, the separation is obligatory when the direct object is a pronoun.

 

(12) Mark threw away the ball. (13) Mark threw the ball away. (14) Mark threw away it. * (15) Mark threw it away.

Sentence (12) and (13) are the examples of the separable phrasal verbs with the optional separation. The particle away in the phrasal verb threw away in sentence (12) is not separated from the verb, while in sentence (13) it is separated. They have same meaning and both of them are correct sentences. However, sentence (14) is not a correct sentence. In sentence (14), the particle in the phrasal verb threw away is not separated from the verb. In fact, it must be separated from the verb since the direct object is a pronoun it as shown in sentence (15).

From the analysis above, thus, the pattern of the use of phrasal verbs with optional separation is as in Table 2.1 and Table 2.2. Then, the pattern of the use of the phrasal verbs with the necessary or obligatory separation is shown in Table 2.3.

Table 2.1 Optional Separation of Phrasal Verb (Object Comes After Particle)

Rachel looked up the information.

Subject Verb Particle Object (Noun)

Table 2.2 Optional Separation of Phrasal Verb (Object Comes After Verb)

Rachel looked the information up.

Subject Verb Object

(Noun)

Table 2.3 Obligatory Separation of Phrasal Verb (Pronoun Separates Verb and Particle)

Rachel looked it up.

Subject Verb Object (Pronoun)

Particle

2) Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

Transitive separable phrasal verbs, according to Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1999: 428), are the largest and the most productive category of phrasal verbs. However, they argue that the students should also posit a smaller category of inseparable phrasal verbs, where the particle cannot be separated from its verb. The inseparable phrasal verbs as the separable phrasal verbs always have objects, but the objects can never be separated by the particles. They are sometimes separated by adverbs.

(16) I came across an interesting article last night. (17) I came an interesting article across last night.* (18) I came across it last night.

(19) I came it across last night.*

As stated above that, although the inseparable phrasal verbs have objects, they can never be separated by the objects. It means that “there is no separation of the verb and particle under any circumstances” (Celce-Murcia, 1983: 267). Therefore, sentences (17) and (19) are incorrect since the particle across in both sentences is separated from the verb. The particle should always follow the verb directly as shown in sentences (16) and (18). Moreover, unlike the separable

 

phrasal verbs, although the direct object is a pronoun, the particle is still not separated as in sentence (18). Thus, sentence (19) is totally incorrect.

Based on the explanation above, thus, there is only one possible pattern of the use of inseparable phrasal verbs as shown in Tables 2.4 and 2.5.

Table 2.4 Inseparable Phrasal Verb with a Noun as the Object

John ran into an old friend.

Subject Verb Particle Object

(Noun)

Table 2.5 Inseparable Phrasal Verb with a Pronoun as the Object

John ran into him.

Subject Verb Particle Object

(Pronoun)

Principally, according to Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1983: 268), “to our knowledge there is no general rule or principle that would help us determine a priori which phrasal verbs are separable and which are inseparable.” Thus, the question of separability or inseparability becomes one of the many lexical features that must be specified for phrasal verbs.

Furthermore, besides the types mentioned by Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1999: 427-428), Fraser (1976) in Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Larsen-Freeman (1983: 274) points out that phrasal verbs exhibit interesting semantic differences which later on he divides phrasal verbs into three semantic distinctions.

1) Literal Phrasal Verbs

Literal phrasal verbs are those items where the particle retains its literal adverbial meaning as the up does in the examples (1) and (2) as follows.

(1)I hung up the pictures on the wall.

(2)I hung the pictures up on the wall. (ada dua up, mana yang benar?)

Some other examples of literal phrasal verbs are sit down, dish out, hand out, and take down. These phrasal verbs are among the easiest for nonnative speakers to understand and acquire.

2) Completive Phrasal Verbs

Completive phrasal verbs are those where the particle indicates completed action. The particles up, out, off, and down all seem to be used this way; however, up is the most frequently used in this function.

(1)I tore up the piece of paper. (2)I tore the piece of paper up.

Some other completive phrasal verbs are mix up, wind up, wear out, fade out, burn down, run down, cut off, and many other examples.

3) Figurative Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are considered “figurative” when there is no systematic way of semantically associating the verb and the particle. The component has merged into a new meaning and does not have meaning of their own, which means that once they are combined, they lose their individual meaning. For example,

(1)She looked up the information. (2)She looked the information up.

 

Some other figurative phrasal verbs are turn up (arrive, appear), catch on (understand), give in (surrender), look over (review), and so on. Such phrasal verbs are the most difficult one for EFL students to master.

c. The Significance of Phrasal Verbs

According to Celce-Murcia & Larsen Freeman (1999: 425), as also stated above, the meaning of phrasal verbs is often noncompositional or as pointed out by Fraser (1976) in Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1983: 274) that says that phrasal verbs have both literal and idiomatic meanings. In addition, they mention that there are very few non-Germanic languages that have phrasal verbs. Because of those reasons, most ESL/ EFL students find such verbs strange and difficult. “Yet they are ubiquitous in English; no one can speak or understand English, at least the informal register, without a knowledge of phrasal verbs” (Celce-Murcia & Larsen Freeman, 1999: 425).

In addition, one factor that makes English speakers prefer phrasal verbs such as pull off, call off, and show up to their Latinate counterparts postpone,

cancel, and arrive – is presumably a question of register. In fact, it is also

mentioned above that “phrasal verbs are common in informal registers, although not completely absent from formal discourse” (Cornell, 1985) in Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1999: 434). Because some non-native speakers such as the students of ELESP do not realize this, they have a tendency to overuse single lexical item which a phrasal verb would be much more appropriate. Thus, it is clear that mastering the English phrasal verbs is important for the students of ELESP who are the teacher candidates, especially the sixth semester students who

are preparing themselves to practice teaching in the real schools. It means that they should be able to use correct and proper English phrasal verbs in order to be the good model for their students.

2. Brief Review on Language Errors

This section deals with the errors the students committed in their test. This theory is useful for the data analysis presented in chapter four. There are two major points. The first is the definitions of errors and the second is the discussion on causes of errors.

a. Definitions of Errors

There are many definitions of errors proposed by linguists. One of them is proposed byDulay, Bart, and Krashen in their book Language Two (1982: 138). Dulay et al. define errors as the flawed side of learners’ speech or writing. “They are those parts of conversation or composition that deviate from some selected norm of mature language performance” (Dulay et al., 1982: 138). In other words, error is the systematic deviation because the learner is still developing knowledge of the second language rule system. These errors can be in the students’ speech or writing.

People sometimes are confused with the difference between errors and mistakes. According to Ellis (2003: 17), “errors reflect gaps in learner’s knowledge; they occur because the learner does not know what is correct”. Then, Ellis (2003:17) states that “mistakes reflect occasional lapses in performance; they

 

occur because, in a particular instance, the learner is unable to perform what he or she knows.”

On the other hand, Brown (1994: 205) defines error and mistake in another way. Brown (1994: 205) defines a mistake as “a performance error which refers to a failure to utilize a known system correctly.” It means that the person who makes mistake is not successful in utilizing a known system correctly. In addition, Brown (1994: 205) defines the mistakeas “the imperfection of speech production such as hesitations and slips of the tongue.” Then, according to Brown (1994: 205), “an error is a noticeable deviation from the adult grammar of a native speaker, reflecting the interlanguage competence of the learner.”

Meanwhile, Dulay et al. (1982: 139) prefer to distinguish between “errors caused by factors such as fatigue and inattention (what Chomsky (1965) called performance” factor), and errors resulting from lack of knowledge of the rules of the language (what Chomsky (1965) called “competence”).” It is agreed by Corder (1974: 24-25) who also prefers to distinguish between errors of performance, which are unsystematic, and errors of competence, which are systematic.

According to Dulay et al. (1982: 139), “in some of second language literature, performance errors have been called “mistakes” while the term “ errors” was reserved for the systematic deviations due to the learner’s still developing knowledge of the second language rule system.” In other words, what Corder (1974: 24-25) and Chomsky (1965), in Dulay et al.’s book entitled Language Two, mean by errors of performance here is as Ellis (2003: 17) and Brown (1994: 205)

call mistakes, and the errors of competence is the same as errors in Ellis and Brown’s definition.

Although some linguists have defined the differences of errors and mistakes, Brown (1994: 206) states that it is not always simple to distinguish between an error and a mistake. Therefore, this research does not differentiate between errors and mistakes. In this research, the term errors refer to the explanation proposed by Dulay et al. (1982: 139) which just define the errors because of some factors either because of fatigue or lack of knowledge. In this study, furthermore, the errors refer to the students’ answers in the test which are inappropriate and deviate from the rule of phrasal verbs patterns without really considering they are errors or mistakes.

b. Brief Review on the Causes of Errors

There are many possible answers regarding the causes of errors. Corder (1974: 228) mentions that basically there are three causes of errors, namely the native of the mother tongue, the basis analysis, and the nature of the teaching and learning materials. Meanwhile, Norrish (1983: 21) mentions more than three causes of errors. However, he categorizes those causes of errors into two parts. The first part is the causes of errors based on popular idea such as carelessness, first language interference, and translation from the first language. Then, the second part is the causes of errors based on the current theories such as contrastive analysis, general order of difficulty, and overgeneralization.

Then, Dulay et al. (1982) state that “most errors are resulted from the interference of the learner’s first language or mother tongue.” Richards (1974:

 

173) calls the interference of learner’s mother tongue as interlanguage errors. Richards (1974: 173) in his paper entitled A Non-Contrastive Approach to Error Analysis mentions another source of errors beside interlanguage. It is intralingual errors. Intralingual errors deal with the second language itself and those errors reflect the general characteristics of rule of learning, such as faulty generalization, incomplete application of rules, and failure to learn conditions under which rules apply.

Richards’s explanation about the source of errors is agreed by Brown (1994: 213-215). He mentions three kinds of errors’ sources. The first is interlingual transfer as mentioned by Richard (1974: 173). Brown (1994: 213) also defines interlingual as interference of native language before the system of second language is familiar. Then, Brown (1994: 214) mentions the second type of errors’ source as the opposite of interlingual transfer. This type is intralingual transfer or in other words the errors come from the language itself.

Some researchers have found that the early stages of language learning are characterized by a predominance of interference (interlingual transfer), but once learners have begun to acquire parts of the new system, more and more intralingual transfer –generalization within the target language – is manifested (Brown, 1994: 214).

Then, another type mentioned by Brown (1994: 215) is about context of learning. Context, according to Brown (1994: 215), refers to the classroom with its teacher and its materials in the case of school learning. He states that “in a classroom context the teacher or the textbook can lead the learner to make faulty hypotheses about the language, what Richards (1971) called “false concepts” and what Stenson (1974) termed “induced errors.” Further, Brown (1994: 215) adds that

“students often make errors because of a misleading explanation from the teacher, faulty presentation of a structure or a word in a textbook, or even because of a pattern that was rotely memorized in a drill but not properly contextualized.”

Therefore, it can be concluded that basically there are some kinds of causes of the students’ errors in learning the target language, in this case, English. The first is from the students’ first language or mother tongue. The second is the nature of the target language. It seems that English is complicated. The third is external factors which come from things outside students such as the classroom, the teacher and the textbook.

3. The Mastery of a Language

This part will elaborate the definition and the criteria of mastery since they serve as bases for conducting the research.

a. Definition of Mastery

In this research, the term mastery is understood as proposed by Charles Fries. Fries (1948) states that a person has learnt a foreign language when he has thus, within limited vocabulary, mastered the sound system (that is when he can understand production of it) and has, secondly, made the structural devices (that is the basic arrangement of utterances) matters of automatic habit. The researcher particularly pays attention to the second requirement of mastery that is the mastery of ‘structural devices’. Since English phrasal verbs are part of the structural devices, thus, one is considered to have mastered these structural devices if he or she:

 

a. knows the forms and the rules underlying them, b. knows the meaning of those forms,

c. knows how to use those constructions correctly and appropriately.

Furthermore, Hagboldt (1935: 2) states that “we have a mastery of a language when our comprehension by ear is spontaneous; our reading is effortless and fluent; our use of words, idioms, and sentences in spoken and written forms is habitual and skillful.” In this research, the researcher in some way focuses also on the using of words and idioms since phrasal verbs are still categorized into the use of words, especially verbs and particles. Besides, those words have idiomatic meanings. From Hagboldt’s definition, it can be concluded that a person who masters phrasal verbs is someone who is able to use phrasal verbs properly both in spoken and written forms. However, this research only focuses on the ability to use phrasal verbs in written form.

In addition, according to Lado (1977: 142), “the way the native speakers of a language master the language is different from the non-native speaker who is learning the language.” The native speakers, according to Lado (1977: 142), have mastered the basic structure of their language, that is, the basic underlying patterns on which they build sentences and sequences of sentences. “Thus, when they study the grammar they usually become involved, not in the basic framework, which they “know”, but in problems of variant usage” (Lado, 1977: 142). On the other hand, the non-native speakers who are learning the language do not know its structure. They need to acquire the basic framework in order to master the production and comprehension of the typical sentences of the language.

Yet, Lado (1977: 142) mentions also that the non-native speakers and those who teach them often forget this fact and proceed with the teaching and learning of the foreign language as if they were the native language speakers; they take up matters of variant usage, lose sight of the central structure of the language, and ignore its importance and its difficulties.

By reason of Lado’s explanation (1977) about the students’ mastery of the language structure, the researcher is going to find out whether the context of learning, as stated by Brown (1994: 215) above, is one of the many factors that influence the mastery of the students of ELESP on the English phrasal verbs. This problem will be solved by interviewing some students who are later found having low scores in the test on English phrasal verbs.

b. The Criteria of Mastery

Referring to Peraturan Akademik Mahasiswa or academic regulation of Sanata Dharma University (2002: 14), the minimum standard of the mastery is 56% of the maximum achievement. The students who achieve 56% of the highest score are classified into the category of sufficient. If the students only achieve 50% of the highest score, they are classified into the category of insufficient. The minimum scores for the category of good and very good are determined by the lecturers by considering the score distribution above the minimum passing score (56%). The following is the list of score category which is used to classify the students’ scores.

 

Score Category

80-100 Very good (A)

70-79 Good (B)

56-69 Sufficient (C)

50-55 Insufficient (D)

< 49 Fail (E)

B. Theoretical Framework

One of the elements of grammar that should be mastered by the foreign or second language learners like Indonesian students and the students of English Language Education Study Program as well is the English phrasal verbs. Phrasal verb is only one of many grammar elements that the ELESP students have to learn as teacher candidates. The English phrasal verbs are very important since non-native speakers of English have a tendency to overuse single lexical item which a phrasal verb would be much more appropriate. The non-native speakers also have a tendency to overuse single lexical items because there are very few non-Germanic languages that have phrasal verbs. Thus, they find such verbs strange and difficult. Phrasal verbs are also considered to be difficult since they made two or more parts up that function as a single verb. Since they usually consist of a verb and a second verb, phrasal verbs are sometimes called two-word verbs. The second verb is often referred to as an adverb. In this research, the researcher refers to the second part of the phrasal verb as a particle, to show its close association with the verb, and to distinguish it from prepositions.

There are four types of the English phrasal verbs. However, this research only focuses on the largest and the most productive category of phrasal verbs. They are the transitive separable phrasal verbs, namely optional and obligatory phrasal verbs where sometimes the particle can be separated from the verb by the direct object and sometimes it cannot, and small category of inseparable, where the particle cannot be separated from its verb.

Then, in this research, the participants are asked to do the test. The test requires the participants to fill in the gaps with correct particles to follow the verbs and put them in the correct places. The participants are also asked to match the phrasal verb and its synonym. Then, errors committed by the participants in the test are discussed further. In defining error, the researcher agrees with Brown (1994: 205) and Dulay et al. (1982: 139), who state that the differences of error and mistake cannot always be clearly observed. Thus, the researcher regards all deviant forms in utilizing the English phrasal verbs as errors. However, the researcher here does not classify the errors since the research does not focus on analyzing errors. The results of the elaboration of the errors are used as feedback for both lecturers and students, as the participants, to improve the teaching and learning processes since the errors show some parts in which the students still have difficulties. Meanwhile, the results of the test administered to the sixth semester students of ELESP are used to show their level of mastery in utilizing the separable and the non separable phrasal verbs.

Furthermore, beside the interview results, supporting references and theories are beneficial for the researcher to both discover the causes of the errors

 

and propose possible recommendations to improve the production of English phrasal verbs. The researcher then may have interference in elaborating the interview results in order to explain more about what has been found through the interview.

   

30 BAB III METHODOLOGY

In this chapter the researcher discusses (1) the method employed in this study, (2) the research participants, (3) the research instruments, (4) the data gathering technique, (5) the data analysis technique, and (6) the research procedure.

A. Research Method

The method employed in this research was survey research. “Survey research is used to describe specific characteristics of a large group of persons, objects, or institutions” (Jaeger, 1988: 303). The researcher categorizes this research as survey research because this research has characteristics of survey mentioned by Fraenkel & Wallen (2009: 391). They are as follows.

1. Information is collected from a group of people in order to describe some aspects or characteristics (such as abilities, opinions, attitudes, beliefs, and/ or knowledge) of the population of which that group is part.

2. The main way in which the information is collected is through asking questions; the answers to these questions by members of the group constitute data of the study.

3. Information is collected from a sample rather than from every member of the population.

  This research covers those characteristics of survey research. Therefore, this research can be defined as survey research.

Before conducting the survey research, the researcher conducted a library research first, which aimed to search for information and learn about the theories related to the research. Then, after conducting the library research, the researcher administered a test followed by an interview to some research participants to find the possible causes of the errors made by them.

B. Research Participants

Research participants of this research were the sixth semester students of the 2009/2010 academic year in the English Language Education Study Program (ELESP) of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta. They were chosen because they were assumed to have taken Structure V class, the last Structure class offered in ELESP. Thus, they were expected to have sufficient knowledge of the English phrasal verbs. They already learnt those phrasal verbs when they were in the fifth semester of their study in ELESP.

Because of the time limitations on conducting the research, the researcher then selected a sample with an assumption that a portion of the research participants was quite representative to study the sixth semester students’ mastery of the English phrasal verbs.Then, the researcher generalized the results obtained from the sample to the population. The researcher drew a sample from three different Translation II classes of ELESP, class A, B, and C. Since class A had been used for administering the pilot test, the real test was administered in class B

and C. Then, a sample of fifty (50) participants was drawn from the two (2) classes, class B and C. The researcher took those 50 participants with the consideration that they had represented the sixth semester students’ mastery of the English phrasal verbs.

To select the representative sample, the researcher used the cluster sampling technique. This research employed this technique since, as stated by Ary, Jacobs & Razavieh (2002: 168), the sampling unit chosen in this research is not an individual but a group of individuals who are naturally together that is the sixth semester students. Furthermore, the sixth semester students of the English Language Education Study Program were assumed to share the same level of mastery in utilizing English Phrasal Verbs because they had learnt about the English phrasal verbs in the same semester. Thus, there would no big differences among the achievement in each cluster.

Further, for conducting the interview, the researcher chose five participants whose scores were the lowest. Those five (5) students were later asked about the errors they made and the possible causes of their errors. The researcher only took 5 participants as the interviewees because the researcher assumed those 5 participants had been able to represent the whole students who got low score.

C. Research Instruments

The collection of data is an extremely important part of all kinds of research. Therefore, the instruments, which the researcher used to collect the data,

  were also important. In order for the research results to be valid and reliable, it should have a valid and reliable instrument. The following is the description of the instruments and of their validity and reliability.

1. Types of Instruments

In this research, the researcher used a test and an interview as instruments to identify the errors and the mastery of the participants.

a. Test

The test was used as an instrument to collect the data related to the errors in the use of the English phrasal verbs from the research participants. The test was constructed in the form of production and recognition types. The test consisted of three parts, and each part had its own objective. The first part of the test was production test. The next two parts of the test were recognition tests.

The first part of the test was twenty (20) items of gap filling. The objective of this test was that the participants were able to place the right particles for the main verbs in the right gaps to create meaningful sentences. This part was defined as a production test because it did not provide any choices to assist the participants to do the test by guessing only. In fact, those items required the participants to be able to demonstrate their ability to use the English phrasal verbs.

On the other hand, the second and the third part of the tests were recognition tests. The second part of the test was ten (10) items of gap filling. The participants were asked to place the direct objects, in the parentheses, in the appropriate gaps in each sentence to create meaningful sentences. The objective of these items was the participants were able to distinguish the one of the rules

underlying the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs. Then, the third part of the test was ten (10) items of matching. The objective of the matching items was that the participants were able to recognize the meaning of some phrasal verbs by giving them some choices. These parts were defined as recognition tests since the researcher provided some choices to assist the participants to do the test.

As it was explained before, the researcher constructed forty (40) items for the test. The distribution of items for each type of phrasal verbs were thirteen (13) items for the first type of the separable phrasal verbs namely optional phrasal verbs, fifteen (15) items for the second type of the separable phrasal verbs namely obligatory phrasal verbs and twelve (12) items for the inseparable phrasal verbs. Then, most of the items in the test were taken from the trustworthy English grammar textbooks and the researcher, referring to those textbooks as well, constructed a few of them.

According to Fraenkel & Wallen (2009: 147), “the quality of the instruments used in research is very important, for the conclusions researcher draw are based on the information they obtain using these instruments.” Due to its essential role in this research, the test as the instrument employed by the researcher should meet the requirements of measurement. These requirements are validity and reliability. According to Ary et al. (2002: 242), being valid and reliable are two essential criteria of the quality of any measuring instrument should posses because if a researcher’s data are not obtained with valid and reliable instruments, one would have little faith in the results obtained. In the following, the researcher elaborates the validity and reliability of the test.

  1) The Validity of the Test

Validity, according to Lado (1977: 321), is essentially a matter of relevance. “Is the test relevant to what it claims to measure?” (Lado, 1977: 321). In other words, “a test is said to be valid if it measures what it is intended to measure” (Heaton 1975: 153).

There are four ways to consider the validity of a test. Fraenken & Wallen (2009: 148) defines those ways as types of evidence to support the interpretations researcher wish to make concerning data they have collected. “They are “content validity, construct validity, criterion-related validity and face validity” (Hughes, 1989: 22-27). However, in this research, the researcher did not explain the criterion-related validity of the test since the researcher was not going to compare the participants’ performance on the test with their performance on some other independent criterion as explained by Fraenkel & Wallen (2009: 148). The researcher was only going to administer the test to measure the participants’ mastery.

a) Content Validity

“A test is said to have content validity if its content constitutes a representative sample of the language skills, structure, etc. with which is meant to be concerned” (Hughes, 1989: 22). Then, Hughes (1989: 22) states also that the test would have content validity only if it included a proper sample of the relevant structures. Just what are the relevant structures will depend, of course, upon the purpose of the test. Furthermore, according to Hughes (1989: 22), in order to judge whether or not a test has content validity, the researcher needs a

specification of the skills or structure that is meant to be covered. In this research, the specification is the participants’ errors in using the English phrasal verbs in order to know the mastery of the participants of the English phrasal verbs. Therefore, the test should test those errors.

Bachman (1995: 244-245) divides the content validity into two parts. The first is content relevance, which means that the content of the test should be relevant to the purpose of the test. Then, the second is content coverage which means that the test should cover all (or adequately sample) elements of the language to be tested. Thus, based on Bachman’s (1995: 244-245) explanation, the test in this research was said to have the content validity since, first, its content was relevant to the purpose of the test, which was to measure the participants’ mastery of the English phrasal verbs, especially the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs. It could be seen from the three parts of the test which required the participants to demonstrate their mastery of the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs by placing the particles and the direct objects in the appropriate gaps. Furthermore, in this research, English phrasal verb was also relevant to the sixth semester students’ ability, as the participants. Second, the test covered types of phrasal verbs which had been limited into two types of the English phrasal verbs, the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs, and adequately sampled the uses of the English phrasal verbs.

b) Construct Validity

“A test is said to have construct validity if it can be demonstrated that it measures just the ability which it is supposed to measure” (Hughes, 1989: 26). In

  this research, the test was aimed to measure the participants’ mastery of the English phrasal verbs. “As one part of the evidence of the validity of the test, there are three steps involved in obtaining this type of evidence” (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2009: 153).Those three steps are:

(1) The variable being measured is clearly defined.

The variable being measured, in this research, was the sixth semester students’ mastery of the English phrasal verbs, especially the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs. The participants who have mastered the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs were those who have better knowledge of the forms and the rules of using the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs, the meaning of those forms, and how to use those forms correctly than those who have not mastered the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs. Therefore, the participants who have mastered the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs would barely make errors in using them.

(2) The hypothesis is formed based on a theory underlying the variable.

Based on the theory underlying the variable above, the researcher hypothesized that the participants who score high on his mastery are those who can achieve better scores and make fewer errors on the test than the participants who score low on the test because they have better knowledge of forms and the rules of using the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs, the meaning of those forms and how to use those forms correctly.

(3) The hypothesis is tested.

The hypothesis above was then tested through administering the test to the participants. This means that the participants were given the test to measure their mastery of the English phrasal verbs, especially the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs. If the test had content validity, more of the participants who have mastered than those who have not would achieve higher score and make fewer errors on the test. This is one form of evidence that could be used to support inferences about the students’ mastery of the English phrasal verbs, based on the scores they receive and the number of errors they make on their test.

In this research, since the test was constructed to measure the students’ mastery, the test should emphasize the production of the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs rather than recognition of the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs. Accordingly, this test had more production items than the recognition. If the participants received a high score in the test, it means they could produce the phrasal verbs well. Thus, they were said to have mastered the phrasal verbs. Since the test really measured the students’ ability in producing the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs, it could be concluded that the test had construct validity.

c) Face Validity

“A test is said to have face validity if it looks as if it measures what it is supposed to measure” (Hughes, 1989: 27). Hughes (1989: 27) also mentiones that a test which does not have face validity may not be accepted by candidates, teachers, education authorities, or employers. Hence, as stated by Lado (1977:

  321), although this validity is weak and unscientific, it is still important as the evidence of the validity of the test.

2) The Reliability of the Test

“Reliability refers to the consistency of the scores obtained–how consistent they are for each individual from one administration of an instrument to another and from one set items to another” (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2009: 154). This statement is approved by Brown (1991: 98) who states that the reliability of a test is defined as the extent to which the results can be considered consistent or stable. In fact, in a case mentioned by Hughes (1989: 29) seemed to imply that researchers can never have complete trust in any set of test scores because the researchers know that the scores would have been different if the test had been administered on different days. Therefore, according to Hughes (1989: 29), the researchers have to make, administer and score tests in such a way that the scores actually gained on a test on a particular occasion are likely to be similar to those which would have been gained if it had been administered to the same students with the same ability, but at a different time. “The more similar the scores would have been, the more reliable the test is said to be” (Hughes, 1989: 29).

A test must be reliable. It can be measured, as mentioned by Best (1986: 154), with a reliability coefficient. The ideal reliability coefficient is one (1). “A test with a reliability coefficient of one (1) will give precisely the same results for a particular set of candidates regardless of when it happens to be administered” (Hughes, 1989: 30). While, according to Hughes (1989: 31), a test that has a reliability coefficient of zero (0) will give sets of results quite unconnected with

each other. “It means that the score that someone actually obtains on Wednesday will be no help at all in attempting to predict the score he or she will obtain if she or he takes the test the day after” (Hughes, 1989: 31).

According to Best (1986: 154) and Fraenkel & Wallen (2009: 155), “there are number of types of ways to obtain the reliability coefficient such as test-retest, equivalent or parallel forms, internal consistency, inner-scorer reliability, and standard error measurement.” In this research the researcher used the Kuder-Richardson formula 20 (K-R 20), which is included in inter-item consistency method (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2009: 156), to measure the reliability coefficient of the test. The researcher employed this method because it only requires a single administration of the test. Then, according to Ary et al. (2002: 258), “K-R 20 formula can be applied to tests in which the items are scored either correct or incorrect.” Therefore, it could be concluded that K-R 20 formula is suitable for the test employed in this research. The K-R 20 formula as presented by Fraenkel & Wallen (2009: 277) is as follow.

where:

  = reliability of the whole test = number of items on the test

= variance of scores on the total test (squared standard deviation) = proportion of correct responses on a single item

  Then, Best (1983: 255) also classifies the value of the reliability coefficient. The classification is presented in Table 3.1.

Table 3.1 The Classification of the Reliability Coefficient

COEFFICIENT (r) RELATIONSHIP

0.00 to 0.20 Negligible

0.20 to 0.40 Low

0.40 to 0.60 Moderate

0.60 to 0.80 Substantial

0.80 to 1.00 High to very high

The result of the pilot test, which was administered to the students in Translation II class A, showed that the reliability coefficient was 0.72. Therefore, the test could be said to have substantial reliability.

b. Interview

Interview was another research instrument used in this research. The interviews were aimed to answer the second research question and to help the researcher to propose possible solutions. Ary et al. (2002: 434) states that interviews are used to gather data on subjects’ opinions, beliefs, and feelings about the situation in their own words. In addition, “Interview is in a sense an oral questionnaire. However, in the interview, instead writing the response, the subject or interviewee gives the need information orally and face-to-face” (Best, 1986: 186).

  I : Kamu tahu nggak, kalo misalnya satu verb ditambah partikel atau

preposisi itu bakal… R4 : Beda arti

I : Nah itu kamu tahu… R4 : Iya…tapi lupa…hehehe…

I : Nah. Pertanyaan terakhir, kamu punya suggestionkah, untuk misalnya dosen yang mengajarkan phrasal verb, dosen Structure mungkin. Bagaimana supaya mahasiswa PBI lebih menguasai phrasal verb. R4 : Mungkin, lebih kasi penjelasan, misalnya penjelasan ke phrasal

verbnya itu, padanannya itu. Ya semoga bisa lebih memahami dan menggunakannya sehingga mahasiswa nggak sering-sering lupa…hahaha…

I : Yak, lupa itu kan manusiawi, tidak apa-apa. OK. Begitu saja, terima kasih ya…

  Respondent 5

I : Selamat pagi. R5 : Selamat pagi.

I : Maaf mengganggu ya, tapi kali ini saya mengundang kamu untuk berbincang-bincang sedikit tentang tes kemarin. Masih ingat kan tes kemarin tentang apa?

R5 : Enggak.

I : Enggak. Even titlenya nggak ingat? R5 : Aduh mbak, enggak. Aku lupa. I : Tentang phrasal verb

R5 : Ah ya…Phrasal verb

I : Nah, kamu tahu nggak phrasal verb itu apa? R5 : Enggak.

I : Nggak tahu ya? Nah waktu mengerjakan tes kemarin gimana? Setau kamu phrasal verb itu gimana?

R5 : Aduh mbak…aku nggak tahu.

I : Ok, aku kasih liat soalnya ya? (menunjukkan soal)

Nah, itu kan sudah di liat contohnya. Sekarang coba di liat, phrasal verb itu yang kayak gimana?

R5 : (menunjuk contoh phrasal verbdari soal) I : Nah, jadi phrasal verb itu terdiri dari apa saja? R5 : Eee… verb sama preposition.

I : OK. Sebelum ini pernah tahu nggak sih ada yang namanya phrasal verb?

R5 : Tahu

I : Sejak kapan tahunya? R5 : Sejak masuk sinilah (PBI).

I : Sebelumnya belumpernah tahu, berarti? R5 : Tahu, cuma kan dulu masih blank, gitu.

I : Nah terus, kamu tahu nggak phrasal verbitu ada beberapa tipe? R5 : Eee…I’m not sure.

I : Tidak apa-apa, coba disharekan. Bisa diliat contohnya dari soalnya (menunjuk pada soal tes). Dari situ, ada berapa contoh yang ditunjukkan?

R5 : Don’t wake the baby up sama Don’t wake up the baby. I : Itu berarti ada yang bisa di pisah dan ada yang… R5 : Tidak

I : Nah, itulah contohnya. Itu namanya Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs.

  melakukan banyak kesalahan?

R5 : Sadar banget.

I : Nah, boleh tahu nggak kenapa kamu melakukan kesalahan itu? R5 : Ya karena, bingung.

I : Bingungnya kenapa?

R5 : Bingung membedakannya. Kan beda arti. Pasti kan beda arti ya? Jadinya bingung gitu.

Bingung taruhnya, separable and inseparable tadi. Kan bingung mbak, beda meaning gitu.

I : Nah pada keseharian, kamu sering pakai phrasal verb nggak? R5 : Jarang.

I : Berarti kamu jarang menggunakan kata seperti wake up… R5 : Ya tergantung situasinya.

I : Nah kalau penggunaanya sendiri, kamu lebih sering menggunakannya wasktu speaking atau writing?

R5 : Speaking

I : Trus sebenernya waktu di kampus, kamu memperdalam phrasal verb

itu waktu semester berapa? Kira-kira kuliah apa? R5 : Waktu Structure…Structure berapa ya…dah lupa e. I : Trus, kamu sendiri mencoba memperdalam tidak? R5 : Belum

I : Nah, dari pihak dosen sendiri, ini di drill nggak?

R5 : Nggak. Ya cuma menjelaskan saja ingeneral gitu, nggak explicit gitu. I : Metodenya? Dosen member apa untuk pelatihannya?

R5 : Kasih exercise

I : Menurut kamu, sebagai calon guru, menguasai phrasal verbs penting nggak?

R5 : Penting. I : Kenapa?

R5 : Ya supaya tidak menjerumuskan siswanya kalo misalnya memberikan informasi.

I : Nah. Okay. Karena kamu bilang penting, kamu punya saran nggak buat dosen-dosen supaya mengajarkan phrasal verbs lebih bagaimana… R5 : Ya, sebaiknya memberikan materinya tidak hanya in general tapi juga

secara explicit.Tidak hanya menyuruh open you dictionary tapi lebih diperkenalkan lagi.

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ABSTRACT

Kristina, Eva. 2010. The Mastery of English Phrasal Verbs among the Sixth Semester Students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University. Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.

Grammar is one important thing which should be learnt by the English Language Education Study Program students since a good grasp of English grammar is a necessary qualification for optimal effectiveness as an ESL/EFL instructor. There are many topics to be mastered by the students; one of them is phrasal verbs. Gaining competency in English phrasal verbs is not easy. However, as the teacher candidates, they are expected to be able to use phrasal verbs in order to convey the ideas with idiomatic English. Knowing the fact that phrasal verbs are very important and should be mastered by the students, it is important to measure their mastery as well as to find out the possible causes for their errors.

There were two research questions presented in this study: (1) How well have the sixth semester students of the 2009/2010 academic year in the ELESP of Sanata Dharma University mastered the two types of English phrasal verbs, the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs? (2)What are the possible causes of the students’ errors in using the separable and the inseparable phrasal verbs?

In order to answer those two research questions, the researcher administered a test and conducted an interview. The test, which consisted of three parts, aimed at measuring mastery as well as finding out errors committed by the students. Subsequently, the interview was conducted to discover the reasons why the students still made errors.

From the data gathered, overall, the errors committed by the students in producing phrasal verbs were to associate the verbs with the wrong particles and these errors mostly appeared in the items which had inseparable phrasal verbs. Though the students made various kinds of errors, they still could be said to have sufficient mastery of phrasal verbs. This inference was drawn from the mean of the results of the test which was 58.8 out of 100. This achievement was slightly above the minimum standard of mastery, which is 56% of the maximum score as the lower margin to pass with grade C or ‘sufficient’. Based on the scoring category, this score was categorized in the level of sufficient or grade C. The interview, then, revealed two major causes which made the students make errors namely lack of knowledge of English phrasal verbs and lack of concentration due to nervousness. Furthermore, the researcher also offered suggestions addressed to students and lecturers of the English Language Education Study Program which were taken from the results of interview as well as the suggestions for future researchers who have an interest in this topic.

Keywords: mastery, phrasal verbs, students of English Language Education Study Program

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ABSTRAK

Kristina, Eva. 2010. The Mastery of English Phrasal Verbs among the Sixth Semester Students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University. Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Tata Bahasa Inggris adalah salah satu hal penting yang harus dipelajari oleh mahasiswa Program Studi Bahasa Inggris. Pemahaman yang mendalam akan tata bahasa Inggris merupakan salah satu syarat untuk menjadi seorang guru bahasa Inggris yang optimal. Terdapat beberapa topik yang wajib untuk dikuasai oleh mahasiswa; salah satunya adalah phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs memiliki tingkat penguasaan yang cukup sulit, namun sebagai calon guru, mahasiswa diharapkan mampu menggunakan phrasal verbs untuk menyampaikan ide-ide secara natural layaknya pengguna asli dari bahasa Inggris. Phrasal verbs

mempunyai peran yang penting sehingga mahasiswa diharapkan mampu menguasainya. Berdasarkan hal tersebut, maka sangatlah penting untuk mengukur kemampuan penggunaan phrasal verbs dan mengetahui kesalahan dalam penggunaannya beserta penyebabnya.

Terdapat dua pertanyaan dalam penelitian ini: (1) Bagaimana tingkat kemampuan mahasiswa semester enam tahun ajaran 2009/2010 di Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma dalam menguasai dua tipe

phrasal verbs, yaitu separable phrasal verbs dan inseparable phrasal verbs? (2) Apa saja faktor-faktor penyebab timbulnya kesalahan dalam menggunakan

separable phrasal verbs dan inseparable phrasal verbs?

Pada penelitian ini, peneliti menggunakan tes dan melakukan wawancara untuk menjawab kedua pertanyaan tersebut di atas. Tes yang digunakan terdiri dari tiga bagian dengan tujuan untuk mengukur penguasaan mahasiswa terhadap phrasal verbs serta mengetahui kesalahan-kesalahan yang dibuat oleh mahasiswa dalam menggunakan phrasal verbs. Wawancara dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk menemukan faktor penyebab mahasiswa masih membuat beberapa kesalahan.

Berdasarkan data yang terkumpul, secara keseluruhan, beberapa kesalahan yang sering dibuat oleh mahasiswa adalah berkaitan dengan memasangkan kata kerja pokok dengan partikel yang tepat, yang mayoritas berasal dari soal-soal yang memiliki inseparable phrasal verbs. Walaupun para mahasiswa membuat bermacam-macam kesalahan, mereka masih bisa dikatakan memiliki penguasaan yang cukup akan phrasal verbs. Kesimpulan ini diperoleh dari hasil rerata nilai dari hasil test yaitu 58.8 dari nilai total 100. Nilai tersebut hanya sedikit di atas standar minimal penguasaan materi, bahwa 56% dari nilai maksimal adalah batas bawah untuk lulus dengan nilai C atau cukup. Berdasarkan kategori penilaian, nilai tersebut termasuk dalam tingkat cukup atau nilai C. Berdasarkan hasil wawancara yang dilakukan, ditemukan bahwa kurangnya pemahaman akan tata bahasa phrasal verbs dan kurangnya konsentrasi karena rasa kurang percaya diri merupakan dua penyebab utama mahasiswa masih membuat kesalahan. Peneliti berharap hasil wawancara yang telah dilakukan mampu memberikan beberapa

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rekomendasi atau masukan kepada mahsiswa dan dosen Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris juga para peneliti yang yang tertarik pada topik yang sama.

Kata Kunci: penguasaan, phrasal verbs, mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris.