USING PEER TUTORING TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION (A Classroom Action Research in the First Grade Students of English Department of IKIP PGRI Madiun in the Academic Year of 2010 2011)

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USING PEER TUTORING TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE

STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION

(A Classroom Action Research in the First Grade Students of English Department of IKIP PGRI Madiun in the Academic Year of 2010/2011)

By

BRIGITTA SEPTARINI RAHMASARI

S890809202

Thesis

Submitted to Fulfill One of the Requirements for Getting Graduate Degree in English Education

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

GRADUATE SCHOOL

SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY

SURAKARTA

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APPROVAL

USING PEER TUTORING TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION

(A Classroom Action Research in the First Grade Students of English Department of IKIP PGRI Madiun in the Academic Year of 2010/2011)

By

BRIGITTA SEPTARINI RAHMASARI S890809202

This thesis has been approved by the Consultants of Graduate School of English Education Department of Sebelas Maret University Surakarta, on … February 2011

Consultant I Consultant II

Dr.Ngadiso, M.Pd Drs. Gunarso Susilohadi, M.Ed NIP. 19621231 198803 1 009 NIP. 195403151 198503 1 002

Approved by

The Head of English Education Department Graduate School

Sebelas Maret University

Dr.Ngadiso, M.Pd NIP. 19621231 198803 1 009

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LEGITIMATION FROM THE BOARD OF EXAMINERS

USING PEER TUTORING TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION

(A Classroom Action Research in the First Grade Students of English Department of IKIP PGRI Madiun in the Academic Year of 2010/2011)

By

BRIGITTA SEPTARINI RAHMASARI S890809202

This thesis has been examined by the board of thesis examiners of Graduate School of English Education Department of Sebelas Maret University Surakarta, on … February 2011

Board of Examiners

Chairman : Prof. Dr. Joko Nurkamto, M.Pd Secretary : Dr. Abdul Asib, M.Pd

Examiner I : Dr. Ngadiso, M.Pd

Examiner II : Drs. Gunarso Susilohadi, M.Ed

Signature

……….. ……… ……… ……….

Surakarta, ………..2011 The Director of Graduate Degree of

Education Program of Sebelas Maret University

Prof. Drs. Suranto, M.Sc., Ph.D NIP. 19570820 198503 100 4

The Head of Graduate School of English Education Department of

Sebelas Maret University

Dr.Ngadiso, M.Pd NIP. 19621231 198803 100 9

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MOTTO

A high achievement can be reached by the steadiness

of the hearth

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DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to: 1. Jesus Christ

2. The Holy Mary

3. My beloved parents

4. My beloved brothers

5. All of my families 6. All of my best friends 7. All of my lecturers

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PRONOUNCEMENT

This is to certify that I myself write this thesis, entitled “Using Peer Tutoring Technique to Improve Students’ Reading Comprehension (A Classroom Action Research in the First Grade Students of English Department of IKIP PGRI Madiun in the Academic Year of 2010/2011)”. It is not plagiarism or made by others. Anything related to others’ works are written in quotation, the source of which is listed on bibliography.

If, it is proved that this pronouncement is wrong, I am ready to accept any academic punishment, including the withdrawal or cancelling of my academic degree.

Surakarta, … February 2011

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ABSTRACT

BRIGITTA SEPTARINI RAHMASARI. Using Peer Tutoring Technique to Improve Students’ Reading Comprehension (A Classroom Action Research in the First Grade Students of English Department of IKIP PGRI Madiun in the Academic Year of 2010/2011). Thesis. Surakarta. English Education. Graduate School, Sebelas Maret University.

This thesis is aimed at identifying whether peer tutoring can improve students’ reading comprehension or not and describing what happens with the class when peer tutoring technique is applied in reading class. The preliminary research showed that the students had problems on main idea, details, inferences, and word meaning.

The research was done in IKIP PGRI Madiun from November 2010-Januari 2011. The subject of the study was the students of 1G of English Department of IKIP PGRI Madiun consisting of 40 students. It was a classroom action research. The researcher did some steps for each cycle. They were planning, action, observation, and reflection. In collecting the data, the researcher applied several techniques including observation, interview, questionnaire, and test. The quantitative data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. It compared between the scores of pre test (before implementing peer tutoring) and post test (after implementing peer tutoring), while the qualitative data were analyzed by using constant comparative method which consist of; comparing Incidents applicable to each category, integrating categories into their properties, delimiting theory, and writing theory.

The result of the research shows that: (1) peer tutoring can improve students’ reading comprehension, which covers: main idea, detail, inferences, and word meaning. The improvement can also be seen from their results of post test. The means of the scores improve from cycle to cycle. The mean score of pre test is 56.83. Then, it increases to 63.41 in post test 1 and 68.58 in post test 2, and based on the result of t-test, there was significant improvement between pre test and post test, (2) peer tutoring can enhance students’ confidence and motivation in reading class. Besides, the class becomes active and alive. Moreover, they can collaborate with the others well. They demolish their barriers to ask and respond question. Also, Peer tutoring can reduce the dominancy of the teacher.

In conclusion, peer tutoring is able to improve students’ reading comprehension. It stimulates students to be autonomous and active readers. In short, it is recommended that the English teachers use peer tutoring in teaching reading comprehension, so that it can be students’ own reading strategy in order to improve their reading comprehension.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researcher’s deepest gratitude is handed to Jesus Christ and The Holy Mary, for giving the mercy, charity, and blessing so that the researcher is finally able to accomplish the thesis entitled “Using Peer Tutoring Technique to Improve Students’ Reading Comprehension (A Classroom Action Research in the First Grade Students of English Department of IKIP PGRI Madiun in the Academic Year of 2010/2011)” successfully and smoothly.

Next, the researcher would like to say the sincere gratitude, especially to Prof. Drs. Suranto, M.Sc., Ph.D, as the director of Graduate Degree of Education Program of Sebelas Maret University and Dr. Ngadiso, M.Pd, as the head of Graduate School of English Education Department of Sebelas Maret University. Besides, the researcher would like to say thank you to Dr. Ngadiso, M.Pd, as the first consultant, who has given his suggestions, corrections, and wise advices for the thesis. Further, the researcher is grateful to Drs. Gunarso Susilohadi as the second consultant, who always advises and guides in finishing this thesis. Many thanks also go to all of the lectures of English education department of graduate school who have wonderfully taught and enriched with their best knowledge during her study at Sebelas Maret University. The researcher’s great gratitude are also addressed to the Head of English Department of IKIP PGRI Madiun, Nuri Ati Ningsih, M.Pd, the researcher’s collaborator, Yuli Kuswandari, M.Hum, and the students of IG of English Department of IKIP PGRI Madiun who had helped the researcher so that the researcher could finish the thesis well.

Moreover, the researcher can never thank enough to her parents, brothers, and all of her families (Papa, Mama, Lius, Andre, and so on) who have supported with finance and tremendous encouragement. In addition, special thanks are presented to all of friends (Mbak Yanti, Mbak Vita, Vivien Lee, Mbak Anis, Gusa, Tirsa, Nurina, Afni, and etcetera). Thanks for everything that you have done for her. It is so nice to make friends with you. Finally, it is hoped that this thesis will be valuable and useful for the readers who want to improve their reading comprehension by using peer tutoring technique.

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TABLE of CONTENT

PAGE OF TITLE ... APPROVAL ... LEGITIMATION………..

MOTTO………. DEDICATION ...

PRONOUNCEMENT ... ABSTRACT ... ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... CONTENTS ... LIST OF TABLES ... LIST OF APPENDICES………...

LIST OF PICTURES ... i ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix xi xii xiv

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study……… B. Formulation of the problems……….. C. Objectives of the Study………. D. Benefit of the Study………

1 5 5 6

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

A. Reading Comprehension ....….………... 1. Definition of Reading Comprehension……… 2. The Strategies in Reading Comprehension….. B Teaching Reading Comprehension... C. Definition of Peer Tutoring... D. Procedures of Peer Tutoring... E. The Strength and Weaknesses of Peer Tutoring …

8 8 14 15 16 20 27

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F. Rationale... G. Action Hypothesis...

31 33

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A. Research Setting……… 1. Time of the Research ………. 2. Place of the Research………..

B. Research Subject ……….... C. Research Method ………...

D. Research Procedures ……….. E. Techniques of Collecting Data ………... F. Techniques of Analyzing Data……….

34 34 35 35 36 38 40 43

CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

A Introduction ………. B Description of Cycle 1 ……… C Description of Cycle 2……….. D Research Findings……… E Discussion………

CHAPTER V CONCLUSION, IMPLICATION, AND SUGGESTION A Conclusion……… B Implication……… C Suggestion……….

BIBLIOGRAPHY………. APPENDIX………... 47 49 71 90 94 99 100 100 103 106

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LIST of TABLES

Table 3.1 Research Schedule ……….. Table 4.1 The students’ score on Reading Comprehension viewed from Their skills……… Table 4.2 Posttest Score of Cycle 1 ……… Table 4.3 Posttest Score of Cycle 1 Viewed from Students’ Reading Skills………. Table 4.4 The Result of Questionnaire after Implementing Peer Tutoring in Cycle 1 ……… Table 4.5 Reflection of Cycle 1……… Table 4.6 The Result of Post Reading in Meeting 1 Cycle 2……… Table 4.7 The Result of Post Reading in Meeting 2 Cycle 2……… Table 4.8 The Result of Post Reading in Meeting 3 Cycle 2……… Table 4.9 The Result of Posttest of Cycle 2………. Table 4.10 Posttest Score of Cycle 2 Viewed from Students’ Reading Comprehension……….. Table 4.11 The Result of Questionnaire after Implementing Peer Tutoring In Cycle 2……….. Table 4.12 The Comparison between Previous Condition and Condition after Cycle 2 ……….. Table 4.13 The Comparison among Students’ Score in Pretest, Posttest 1, and Posttest 2………. Table 4.14 The Comparison among the Scores of Main Idea in Pretest, Posttest1, and Posttest 2………. Table 4.15 The Comparison among the Scores of Details in Pretest, Posttest1, and Posttest 2………. Table 4.16 The Comparison among the Scores of Inferences in Pretest, Posttest1, and Posttest 2………. Table 4.17 The Comparison among the Scores of Word Meaning in Pretest, Posttest1, and Posttest 2………

34 47 64 65 67 71 75 78 81 84 85 86 89 91 92 92 93 93

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LIST of APPENDICES

Appendix 1 Questionnaire in Preliminary Research ……… Appendix 2 Sample of Students’ Questionnaire in Preliminary Research ………

Appendix 3 Result of Questionnaire in Preliminary Research ……….. Appendix 4 Sample of the Interview of the students in Preliminary Research……….. Appendix 5 Blue Print and Try Out Test Items………. Appendix 6 Validity of Test Items ……… Appendix 7 Validity of Test Items-The Valid Items Only……… Appendix 8 Reliability of Test Items………. ……….. Appendix 9 Blue Print and Test Items……… Appendix 10 Lesson Plan of Cycle 1……… Appendix 11 Worksheet 1 of Cycle 1……… Appendix 12 Worksheet 2 of Cycle 1………. Appendix 13 Worksheet 3 of Cycle 1………. Appendix 14 Lesson Plan of Cycle 2……… Appendix 15 Worksheet 1 of Cycle 2……… Appendix 16 Worksheet 2 of Cycle 2………. Appendix 17 Worksheet 3 of Cycle 2………. Appendix 18 Sample of the Researcher’s Field Notes………. Appendix 19 Sample of the Collaborator’s Field Notes………... Appendix 20 Result of Pretest………... Appendix 21 Result of Posttest 1………. Appendix 22 Result of Posttest 2………... Appendix 23 The t-Test of Non-Independent between Pretest and Posttest Of Cycle 1 ……….. Appendix 24 The t-Test of Non-Independent between Pretest and Posttest Of Cycle 2 ……….. Appendix 25 The t-Test of Non-Independent between Posttest of cycle 1

106 107 112 114 119 129 132 135 136 145 152 155 156 157 164 166 168 170 175 178 171 180 182 184

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and Posttest of Cycle 2 ……… Appendix 26 Questionnaire after Cycle 1 ……….. Appendix 27 Interview after Cycle 1……… Appendix 28 Questionnaire after Cycle 2 ……….. Appendix 29 Interview after Cycle 2……… Appendix 30 Sample of Students’ Product ………

188 190 191 192 193 194

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LIST of PICTURES

PICTURE 1 ... PICTURE 2 ... PICTURE 3………...

PICTURE 4………...

PICTURE 5 ... PICTURE 6 ...

206 207 208 209 210 211

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Reading is one of four skills that must be mastered by university students of English Education Program. Reading taught in University becomes demanded skill which students have to master. Through reading, they are able to comprehend the content of the subject matters and catch the information. Thus, it is very important for advanced level students to master reading skill. In university level, there are Reading 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each class of reading has its own syllabus. Based on the reading syllabus, the lecturer has developed so far, the students at the first semester are expected to be able to find main idea, find specific information or details, make inferences, and predict the word meanings from context.

Based on preliminary research, students’ reading comprehension of 1G, the first grade students of English Teaching Department, IKIP PGRI Madiun is still low, worrying, unsatisfying, and far from the expectation. It is indicated by the following situations: When they were asked questions, they had no response. They also kept silent during lecturing. They were passive and had no courage to share ideas with their friends and tended to work individually. They were not able

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to spot or to find the main idea of each paragraph. They had difficulties to differentiate between the main idea and supporting details. They could not identify the unstated information from text. They could not relate one clue to another. And they were not able to recognize the word meanings from the context. There were three causes of reading problems; from the students, the teacher and the class conditions. First, the students had low mastery of vocabulary. Furthermore, the students had low motivation to learn in reading class. They did not have curiosity and interest on the passage which will be read. The material was too long and too difficult. Besides, some of them often came late to the class. Some others often asked permission to go outside. In addition, students had lack of guided session in group activity. Second, the teacher less monitored the students’ activities. The teaching learning process was monotonous. The teacher seldom used various techniques to make the students become better readers. The technique which was applied during teaching-learning process made the students passive. Teacher dominated class with broad oral explanation so that the students faced some difficulties in understanding the passage. The teachers just read the passage and discussed with the whole class so the students did not have time to share their ideas with their friends about the passage freely. Moreover, the teacher’s explanation was considered fast. Third, the class condition is not alive, uninspiring and boring. Instead of having made a crowd in the class, students stayed silent when they were in reading class. Badly, when they are asked, most answers would be “keeping silent”, “smiling”, and “I do not understand.” Most of them could not participate actively in reading class.

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To solve this problem, the researcher proposes the use of Peer Tutoring technique that can be applied in teaching reading. Peer Tutoring is a collaborative learning strategy in which students alternate between the role of tutor and tutee in pairs or groups.

Peer tutoring refers to students working in pairs to help one another learn material or practice an academic task. Peer tutoring works best when students of different ability levels work together (Kunsch, Jitendra, & Sood in

http://www.nichcy.org/Research/EvidenceForEducation/pages/MathPeerTutoring.

aspx). During a peer tutoring assignment, it is common for the teacher to have students switch roles partway through, so the tutor becomes the tutee. Since explaining a concept to another person helps extend one’s own learning, this practice gives both students the opportunity to better understand the material being studied.

In addition, Peer tutoring is a type of instructional strategy in which students are taught by their peers, who have been trained and supervised by the classroom teacher. Peer tutoring involves having students work in pairs, with another student of the same age or grade. Peer tutoring is an extremely powerful way to improve student academic, social, and behaviors. (Gresham in http://www.lehigh.edu/projectreach/teachers/peer_tutoring/peer_tutoring_step_1.h tm)

Peer tutoring works for six reasons: first, students have more opportunities to respond to academic material. In other words, they have more opportunities to practice what they are learning by talking about what they are learning.

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Second, students receive feedback and error correction immediately and more frequently. In large group or teacher-directed settings, it is impossible to provide feedback and error correction to every student for every response. With peer tutoring, students receive feedback and correction immediately for every response.

Third, students are engaged in active learning, not passive learning. For example, when using peer tutoring, students are actively asking each other questions, responding, correcting mistakes, and providing positive feedback, as opposed to simply watching and listening to the teacher (passive learning). Active learning has been shown to be more effective in promoting student achievement.

Fourth, many students tend to learn more and experience more engagement and “on-task” behavior when instruction is at a brisk pace. Peer tutoring allows for a faster pace as students are more frequently responding to academic material than in a large-group setting. Peer tutoring also allows for students to be matched based on their learning style, in other words, students who learn better at a slower pace may be paired together, as can be students who learn better at a pace that is more brisk, thus allowing for individual adaptation in instruction.

Fifth, Students are more “on-task” and motivated to learn, which means they are less likely to engage in behaviors that are disruptive or problematic.

Sixth, Peer tutoring provides students with valuable opportunities to practice their social skills in a structured environment, whereby the teacher can directly monitor social interaction and provide feedback as necessary.

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Therefore, this technique is beneficial because students have a chance to be both the tutor and tutee. The roles are equitable, which can promote an environment of acceptance. Peer Tutoring gives students the opportunity to make choices throughout the learning process. By making choices, students enhance their self-management skills, and enhance control over learning and cooperation with others. Furthermore, students are accountable for monitoring and evaluating peer performance. In addition, student can be more active during lecturing and has high motivation in teaching learning process. Thus, it is believed that Peer tutoring can improve students’ ability in reading.

B. Formulation of the Problems

Based on the background of the study above, the problems in this study can be formulated as follows:

1. Can and to what extent Peer Tutoring technique improve students’ reading comprehension?

2. What happens with the class when Peer Tutoring technique is applied in reading class?

C. Objectives of the Study

In accordance with the problems formulation above, the objectives of the study are purposed to point out the answer for the problems. They are as follows: 1. To identify whether and to what extent Peer Tutoring technique can improve

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2. To describe what happens with the class when Peer Tutoring technique is applied in reading class.

D. Benefits of the Study

Hopefully, this study can be useful to the students, the other lecturers, the other researcher, the institution, and even to the researcher herself.

1. For the students

This study will improve students’ reading comprehension because they are taught using Peer Tutoring technique which is theoretically effective for improving students’ reading comprehension. Moreover, through this technique, the students can study together in understanding the reading passage and can review the material together within the members of one team who are from all achievements level so that they can help one another to improve their capability in comprehending reading passage.

2. For the other lecturers

This study provide the various teaching techniques that can be used as the consideration for choosing appropriate technique in teaching reading and the result of this study can be a useful input in English teaching learning process especially for improving reading comprehension.

3. For the other researcher

This study can be used as a guide, additional information, and a valuable reference to conduct further studies about teaching and learning English

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especially about the issue of teaching reading and about the issue of Peer Tutoringtechnique.

4. For the researcher

This study will improve the researcher herself in knowing the techniques which are appropriate to use in teaching reading and will improve in mastering Peer Tutoring technique implemented in classroom.

5. For the institution

This study will underline the important role of the institution as academic institution which supports the scientific research in education at any level.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

In this chapter, the researcher wants to explain some theories which are relevant to the problems. This chapter is very important to show that this study is based on the theories. Those theories, which will be elaborated, are reading comprehension, teaching reading comprehension, definition of Peer Tutoring, procedures of Peer Tutoring, the strengths and weaknesses of Peer Tutoring.

A. Reading Comprehension

In this sub chapter, the researcher discusses the definition of reading comprehension and the strategies of reading comprehension.

1. Definition of Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension is the core of reading activity. It shows that an influential factor in determining the success of reading process is comprehending a text in order to convey the meaning. Comprehension is the ability to understand the text and to get the meaning from text (any types of written material)

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something that happens after reading but it can occur at pre-reading, while-reading, and post reading. Martin in http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/cgi.bin argues that reading comprehension is the processes of ‘constructing meaning’ from a text. Comprehension is a ‘construction process’ because it involves all the elements of the reading process working together as a text to create a representation of the text in the reader’s mind.

Inferring from Martin, it can be highlighted that reading comprehension is how the reader uses his or her skills in reading process as an integrated skills to construct or convey meaning from the text that is being read.

Martin also purposes that comprehension is affected by the readers’ knowledge of the topic, knowledge of language structures, knowledge of text structures and genres, knowledge of reading strategies, their reasoning abilities, and their motivation.

According to Urquhart and Weir, a focus on comprehending is in line with feeling that this is what reading is ‘about’, i.e. getting information from written texts (1998: 85). Urquhart and Weir also state:

The ‘ideal’ comprehension which consists of the recovery of author’s meaning cannot be used as the ideal one because first, it can never be fully achieved. The readers can never be sure that they have totally entered the writer’s mind. Second, a careful attempt to recover author’s meaning is not characteristic of all reading. It is clear that comprehension can not be viewed simple as the product of any reading activity. Rather, in any reading situation comprehension will vary according to the readers’ background knowledge, goals, interaction with the writer, etc. comprehension is taken as the product resulting from a particular reading task, and evaluated as such (1998: 87-88)

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Based on definition above, it can be concluded that reading comprehension is different from one reader to another since reader is a personal activity. Reading comprehension is not only conveying the author’s meaning but also interpreting the author’s mind. The process of comprehending uses background knowledge to construct an approximate understanding of the author’s message.

Meanwhile, reading comprehension results when the reader knows which skills and strategies are appropriate for the type of text, and understand how to apply them to accomplish the reading purpose.

Reading comprehension is defined as the level of understanding of writing. Proficient reading depends on the ability to recognize words quickly and effortlessly. Wiener (1978: 7) states that efficient reading requires the ability to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words by using context (context refers to the sentence or paragraph in which a word occurs). If word recognition is difficult, students use too much of their processing capacity to read individual words, which interferes with their ability to comprehend what is read.

Reading expert, Maria in http://www.landmark.edu/institute/ assistive_technology/reading_overview.html states that reading comprehension involves several elements: the ability to recognize errors or contradictions in text, the understanding of different strategies to use with different kinds of text, and the ability to distinguish important ideas from unimportant ones.

Klein, et al. in http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/theories-reading state that strategic readers attempt the following while http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/theories-reading:

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· Identifying the form or type of the text before reading

· Thinking about the general character and features of the form or type of the

text, for instance, they try to locate a topic sentence and follow supporting details toward a conclusion.

· Projecting the author's purpose for writing the text (while reading it),

· Choosing scanning, or reading in detail

· Making continuous predictions about what will occur next, based on

information obtained earlier, prior knowledge, and conclusions obtained within the previous stages.

Moreover, they attempt to form a summary of what was read. Carrying out the previous steps requires the reader to be able to classify sequence, establish whole-part relationships, compare and contrast, determine cause-effect, summarize, hypothesize and predict, infer, and conclude.

Strategies are parts of the readers and they enable readers, among other aspects, to locate specific required information, recognize indicators in discourse, select and extract relevant points from texts, identify writer’s techniques and recognize the mood of a passage (Urquhart and Weir, 1998: 94).

Davis (1968) in Alderson (2000: 9-10) defines skills of reading. They are recalling word meanings, drawing inferences about the meaning of a word in context, finding answers to questions answered explicitly or in paraphrase, weaving together ideas in the content, drawing inferences from the content, recognizing a writer’s purpose, attitude, tone and mood, identifying a writer’s

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technique, following the structure of a passage, distinguishing facts and opinion, analyzing structure, annotating, paraphrasing and summarizing.

Munby (1978) in Alderson (2000: 10-11) distinguishes the following reading “micro skills”: recognizing the script of a language, deducing the meaning and use of unfamiliar lexical items, understanding explicitly stated information, understanding information when not explicitly stated, understanding conceptual meaning, identifying the main point or important information in discourse, and distinguishing the main idea from supporting detail.

Duke and Pearson in Teele (2004: 93) state that good readers construct, clarify, summarize, revise, question, and interpret what the text means as they read. In addition, they also utilize their prior knowledge with the text. Still, they examine the authors of the text and their style. They monitor what they are understanding about the text. They also evaluate the quality of the text; read many different kinds of text, examine setting and characters in a narrative text. Finally they design and revise summaries when reading expository texts.

Further, Spears (2000: xxvi) states that there are important reading comprehension skills that help learners to read more systematically. The skills are comprehending main ideas, determining what unfamiliar words and concepts in the text mean and how they relate to the text, distinguishing between main idea and supporting details, and making inference.

Based on the definitions above, to be good readers the students must master:

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One of the most common reasons for reading is to get the main idea of a text or to differentiate between main points and supporting details. Spears (2000: 17) defines main idea as the author’s main point, a sentence, or perhaps two that state what the whole thing is about. The main idea of a passage or reading is the central thought or message. In contrast to the term topic, which refers to the subject under discussion, the term main idea refers to the point or thought being expressed.

2) Reading to make Inference

Mcneil (1992: 77) defines inference as the derivation of some idea that is not directly stated. An inference is a process by which the readers hint to gather information. But because the information is not always stated in exact terms, they must supply their own information based on the hints (Wiener, 1978: 107). Thus, the ability to make inferences is defined as the ability to answer a question related to meanings not directly stated in text (Alderson, 2000:9) 3) Reading to answer questions

Reading to answer questions is a means of improving the ability to note significant details, not only should the students gain skill in finding answer to questions that are stated by others. To avoid overdependence on the teacher, they also need to develop an ability to formulate significant questions for themselves as purposes for reading. Wiener says that the ability to find the significant details is needed to complete the scene for the reader and show how the ideas relate to other ideas (1978: 53).

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Spears (2000: 12) defines paraphrase as putting someone else’s words into your own words, restating the ideas without changing their meaning. Meanwhile, both the ability to select the main idea and to choose significant details are basic to another commonly sought goal of reading; that of summarizing.

Therefore, it can be concluded that reading comprehension is the ability to understand the text and to get the meaning from text. It involves the ability to find main ideas, find specific information or details, make inferences, and predict word explicit meanings from context.

2. The Strategies in Reading Comprehension

There are specific comprehension strategies that some teachers are now using in the classroom. First, teach students about prior knowledge. To help students comprehend and learn from a specific reading material, they can access their prior knowledge on a subject to help them relate to the subject that they are learning at the moment.

Second, making a connection is when a student can relate a passage to an experience, another book, or other facts about the world. Making connections will help students understand what the author's purpose is and what the story is about.

Third, questioning is another strategy that will greatly benefit a student. There are several types of questions that a teacher should focus on: remembering; testing understanding and application or solving.

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Fourth, visualization is when a student can create a picture or movie in their mind while reading text. Another way of looking at visualization is to think about bringing words to life.

Fifth, summarizing is a comprehension strategy that also needs to be taught. Summarizing is telling what is important about the text. A summary might include the answers to who, what, where, when, why, and how.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_comprehension).

B. Teaching Reading Comprehension

Urquhart and Weir (1998: 172) state that teaching reading involves students being given a written text, and being required to read it. Usually, they are also expected to respond overtly to some task requirement.

A teacher should organize his activities to make the students engaged with what they are reading. Students should be encouraged to respond to the content of a reading text, not just to the language. It is important that they should be allowed to express their feelings about the topic. Meanwhile, teaching reading is not easy. Consequently, teacher should insert interesting activities before, during and after reading in order to make reading comprehension activities more amusing and optimally understandable

Roles of teacher which can help students learn when and how to use reading strategies are as follows:

1. by modeling the strategies, talking through the processes of previewing, predicting, skimming and scanning, and paraphrasing. This shows students

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how the strategies work and how much they can know about a text before they begin to read word by word.

2. by allowing time in class for group and individual previewing and predicting activities as preparation for in-class or out-of-class reading. Allocating class time to these activities indicates their importance and value.

3. by using cloze (fill in the blank) exercises to review vocabulary items. This helps students learn to guess meaning from context.

4. by encouraging students to talk about what strategies they think will help them approach a reading assignment, and then talking after reading about what strategies they actually used. This helps students develop flexibility in their choice of strategies (http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/reading/stratread.htm).

C. Definition of Peer Tutoring

Peters in http://www.unicommons.com/node/6975 says that Peer tutoring is a type of collaborative learning strategy in which students support each other’s learning rather than relying solely on an adult teacher. Peer tutoring is one collaborative approach where pairs of students interact to assist each other’s academic achievement by one student adopting the role of tutor and the other the role of tutee. Peer tutoring has been well validated for promoting the development of low-level skills, such as reading.

Most teachers expect an effective classroom to be quiet and orderly. Students are seated and not talking to each other. Students are trained to become passive observers rather than active participants in their own education. Most

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teachers are themselves taught in such a traditional classroom of teacher-centered instruction. Hence, Peer tutoring gives teachers more time to work with students individually and also obtain a detailed understanding of each student’s learning style and degree of subject mastery. Peer tutoring helps create child-centered classroom.

Peer tutoring refers to the process of having learners help each other on a one-to-one basis (Dueck in http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/tutoring.htm). Two types of this kind of peer tutoring are found in adult literacy and basic education: (1) "near peer" in which one learner is more advanced than the other; and (2) "co-peer" in which the learners are fairly well matched in skill level (Whitman in

http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/tutoring.htm). Examples of near peer pairings

include more academically capable learners working with those experiencing difficulty. When co-peers are paired, learners are able to work together as equals and gain a better understanding of the materials by learning from each other. Although peer tutoring is done with pairs of learners, sometimes having learners work in groups of three better meets the needs of both the learners and the learning task (Dueck in http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/tutoring.htm ).

The old adage, "those who teach learn twice," holds true for peer tutoring and is frequently given as the basis for using the approach. Although a teacher can anticipate problems, questions, and concerns, no teacher can learn for another individual. Thus, when peer tutoring is adapted, learning becomes much more effective because learners are teaching themselves (Whitman in

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Peer tutoring can enhance learning by enabling learners to take responsibility for reviewing, organizing, and consolidating existing knowledge and material; understanding its basic structure; filling in the gaps; finding additional meanings, and reformulating knowledge into new conceptual frameworks (Dueck; Whitman in http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/tutoring.htm). In either co-peer or near peer situations, both learners are likely to understand the material better by applying it in the peer tutoring setting.

Both learners and teachers will find that peer tutoring changes their roles as well as the learning environment. When peer tutoring is used, the instructional environment usually becomes more learner (as opposed to teacher) directed, and the learners have a more significant role in helping shape the learning (Imel, Kerka, and Pritz in http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/tutoring.htm). The teacher becomes a co-learner and facilitator, acting as a guide and a coach. The teacher is no longer the person with all the answers; instead, the teacher talks with learners and offers opinions, explores strategies, and helps set goals (Goldgrab in

http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/tutoring.htm).

Peer tutoring is an organized learning experience in which one student serves as the teacher or tutor, and the other student is the learner or tutee. This approach to tutoring provides students with an opportunity to use their knowledge in a meaningful, social fashion. Peer tutors reinforce their own learning process by reviewing and reformulating their knowledge. Tutees receive the opportunity for skill development in a non-threatening context. Both tutors and tutees gain self-confidence, the tutor by seeing self-competence in his or her ability to help

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someone and the tutee by receiving positive reinforcement from peers. All students with some level of responsibility can be given the opportunity to be tutors. Guidelines for pairing tutors and tutees are fairly broad and will likely depend on the material being reviewed and the format of the activity. Peer tutoring can be implemented on an individual basis (one tutor and tutee pair), class-wide, or school-wide.

Therefore, Gardner in http://ltrc.edc.polyu.edu.hk/student02_1.html gives the role of peer tutors and tutees. Tutors have four roles. First, they motivate students or tutees to learn (motivator). Second, they share personal experiences with tutees (counselor). Third, they provide comments on tutees’ effort (advisor). Fourth, a peer tutor is the bridge between tutees and subject lecturers (middle man). Meanwhile, Tutees are expected to review relevant subject matters before tutorial session, raise questions before or during or after tutorial sessions, be cooperative and take active part in all tutorial activities, solve problems individually or as a team, be punctual and attend all tutorial sessions.

Peer tutoring is characterized by specific role taking: at any point someone has the job of tutor, while the other is in a role as tutee (Topping, 1996: 234). Two large categories of peer tutoring can be distinguished. Children can be paired with other children from within their own classroom. This variant is called same-age tutoring. The specific form of same-age tutoring in which the students alternate on regular basis between the tutor and tutee role is called reciprocal same-age tutoring (Keer in http://www.onderwijskunde.ugent.be/downloads/Van%20Keer.

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pdf). The second variant is called cross-age tutoring and refers to older students tutoring younger students.

However, good peer tutoring programs are reciprocal, meaning both students in a learning pair (or “dyad”) have turns playing the role of the tutor (or teacher) and tutee (or learner) during the same tutoring session. This prevents negative feelings of always having to be the learner, as well as prevents feelings of superiority in always being the teacher.

In conclusion, peer tutoring gives teacher specific instructional methods to help students improve their skills and critical-thinking abilities. It can become an important learning element that assists the students in learning how to solve problems, collaborate with others, and think creatively.

D. Procedures of Peer Tutoring

Peer tutoring is a student mediated instructional procedure in which student dyads or small learning groups work together on learning tasks. Peters in

http://www.unicommons.com/node/6975 elaborates that in this procedure,

students assembled in groups of two or more are trained to work together on a specific academic task. The students work together to prompt, monitor and evaluate each other, while working toward group goals. The students alternate between the roles of tutor and tutee in groups of two. In larger groups of three or four, roles of a group monitor and an evaluator are added to the procedure. Students work together in their groups to achieve established goals or rewards that are contingent upon group performance

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During the intervention the tutor would read a passage to the tutee and the tutee would follow along with a photocopy of the passage. The tutee would then read the passage back to the tutor, while the tutor followed along providing corrective feedback. After five minutes the students would switch roles and repeat the procedure. The higher performing student always began the session as the tutor. This procedure enabled the weaker reader to hear and see the passage prior to oral reading. Once the students became skillful at the tutoring procedure, the teacher introduced comprehension questions to the tutoring sessions. After each student orally read for five minutes, he/she would summarize what was just read and answer questions pertaining to the reading such as “what is the first thing you learned? or “what is the most important thing about who or what in the text?” Prior to the peer tutoring intervention, the students in both the control group (standard classroom instruction) and in the tutoring group were assessed on measures of reading comprehension (Peters in http://www.unicommons.com/

node/6975).

According to Gresham in http://www.lehigh.edu/projectreach/teachers/

peer_tutoring/peer_tutoring_step_1.htm, there are seven steps of peer tutoring. They are as follows:

1. Selection of tutoring pairs, or "dyads": This step involves putting students together into pairs.

· Dyad selection does not have to be structured at all; kids respond well with

peer tutoring regardless with whom they are paired, even if high achievers are paired with low achievers. The only really important guideline in dyad

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selection is to avoid putting best friends together, as well as pairing "worst enemies" together. Students are less likely to be productive in these cases.

· Students may be paired with peers who achieve at levels the same or different

from their own. However, if you are concerned with pairing based on achievement, a good method of pairing is as follows:

o List the students in your class from highest to lowest achievers. This does not have to be very precise, just a general ranking.

o Divide the list in half, now giving you two groups of students

o Number each group. For example, in a class of 28 students, you will now have two groups of 14 students, ranked lowest to highest. Number each group, which means you will have a 1-14 group and a 15-28 group.

o Pair the highest student with the lowest student for a 1-14 group and a 15-28 group. For example, students 1 and 14 will be paired, 2 and 13, 3 and 12, 15-28 group. And so on. For the other group, students 15 and 28 will be paired, 14 and 27, 13 and 26, etc. If you have a class with an odd number of students, never fear! It is ok to have one group of 3 students. Furthermore, you will likely have at least one absentee on a given day, and in this instance you can “mix and match”.

· You should change the dyads every 2-3 weeks to prevent the students from developing patterns of behavior or responding. Additionally, changing dyads allows for a “fresh start” and can provide the opportunity for a student to become better acquainted with someone else.

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2. Task Structure: Deciding how and when to Use Peer Tutoring: Even though peer tutoring can work for a large number of lessons, academic activities, and skills, there are some instances when peer tutoring may not be the best instructional strategy.

· Peer tutoring is well suited for the review and practice of previously learned or familiar material. For example, an excellent time to use peer tutoring would be following a teacher-directed lesson on the civil war. Following the lesson, the students would get into their tutoring pairs and review the facts presented in the lesson.

· Peer tutoring is particularly well suited for tasks and activities involving a lot of structure. For example, generating factual or comprehension questions and constructing practice multiple-choice test questions, complete with answers, based on the text given are excellent activities to use for peer tutoring because they involve the simple presentation of discrete information, with “right-or-wrong” answers.

· Good peer tutoring programs are “reciprocal”, meaning both students in the tutoring pair have the opportunity to be the tutor and tutee in the same tutoring session. Typically, one student is the tutor for the first half of the tutoring session, and the other student is the tutor for the second half.

3. Conducting Training Sessions: successful peer tutoring programs depend on well trained students who know exactly what is expected of them before they do it.

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· It is good to conduct 4-8 training sessions, 15 minutes each, on the peer tutoring procedure before they begin tutoring.

· Training typically begins with the teaching of the Feedback/Error Correction procedure.

· Demonstrate how peer tutoring will look. Go through a lesson with another teacher or a student as the tutee. Be sure to “model” appropriate tutor and tutee behavior.

4. Preparing the Tutoring Materials: Peer tutoring will go more smoothly and students will learn more if they have clear, simple materials to use. Usually, this can simply be a prepared worksheet or a deck of flashcards.

· When you would like your students to tutor each other on factual or comprehension questions, a simple worksheet like the one shown below might work best. Each question you would like the students to ask/respond to are listed. There are columns to mark correct and incorrect responses. The correct answers to the questions are listed at the bottom.

Question Correct Incorrect

1

Who was the first President of the United States?

2

Who was president of the United States during the Civil War?

3

How many years in a row can a person be president?

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True or False: You can be president if you were born in Canada

Answer key (don't let your partner see the answers!) 1. George Washington

2. Abraham Lincoln 3. 8

4. False. Only people born in the United States can be president.

While tutoring, the tutor would cover the answer key with his/her hand or a post-it note.

5. Teaching the Feedback/Error Correction Procedure.

The Feedback/Error correction procedure is perhaps THE MOST IMPORTANT PART of the peer training program, because this is what ensures that the tutoring “flows” along smoothly, while ensuring that learning will be maximized through reinforcement and immediate error correction. But don’t worry it is simple!

· Here is how it works:

1. Tutor reads the question to the tutee or the tutor presents the problem on a flash card or says the word.

2. The tutee responds.

o If the tutee responds correctly:

o Tutor checks the "correct" column next to the question or word o Tutor says "You're right!"

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Tutor awards the appropriate amount of points

o Tutor goes on to next question 3. If the tutee responds incorrectly:

d. Tutor checks the “incorrect” column

e. Tutor repeats the question and provides the correct answer (note that the tutor DOES NOT say “nope” or “you’re wrong”. He/she just simply repeats the question and provides the answer).

f. Tutor asks the question again

g. Repeat procedure until tutee responds correctly, and then move on to the next question.

6. Develop System to Request Help

Sometimes students may get stuck on a question. It is good to, prior to starting peer tutoring, decide on a way to request help from the teacher. This may simply consist of having both tutor and tutee raise their hands. Or, tutoring pairs could be provided with red “help” cards to hold up when they need the teacher’s assistance. Whatever the signal you chose, make sure it is reliable in getting the teacher’s attention and it is consistent so that students remember it. Remember, the sooner the students get help for a question or confusion is clarified, the faster they can move on to the next question.

7. Close Teacher Monitoring

· You will find that when your students are in their dyads and are using the peer tutoring procedure, you will have more free time on your hands! However, teachers should avoid taking this opportunity to catch up on

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paperwork or do other activities unrelated to the student activity. This time should be spent by “floating” around the classroom and monitoring the students while they tutor each other. Teachers can take this time to reward pairs that are working cooperatively and following the procedure, answer questions, and provide corrective feedback.

· Use a timer. Typically, peer tutoring sessions are best when they are 15-20 minutes in length. Set the timer for half of the total time. When the timer goes off, have the students switch roles (tutor and tutee), and continue until the end of the tutoring period.

E. The Strengths and Weaknesses of Peer Tutoring

As students are trained in preparation to become tutors, their motivation to learn increases, personal feelings of helplessness are reduced, and the stigma fades of accepting help from others. Since all students have the chance to participate and the opportunity to help, peer tutoring empowers them to feel valuable and worthwhile. From these roots, grows a more cooperative classroom learning spirit. Peer tutoring can be useful in helping students see added aspects of this material that prompts new questions. Peer tutoring increase students’ motivation by enlisting their personal interest with success in mastering something and thereby gaining the “rank” of tutor.

Once it stimulates the student’s motivation, peer tutoring frequently generates a curiosity to learn the next steps to be mastered in a subject, so that the students can then be a tutor himself or herself.

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According to Gordon (2005: 4-5), the strengths of peer tutoring are as follows:

1. The learning of academic skills. Students will learn better when they help teach one another than they will incompletely teacher-directed classrooms. 2. Encouraging more positive attitudes toward learning.

3. Gaining a deeper understanding of subject areas. 4. Developing a more positive self-image.

5. Improving attitudes toward school and teachers.

6. For tutee, private instruction will help supplement the teacher’s efforts so that the student will learn more in the classroom on a day-to-day basis. 7. For tutor, gains a more in depth understanding of how to apply the skills

and lessons he or she knows or more creatively use the information he or she tutors.

Peer tutoring can also benefit adult learners by helping them to:

1. reach the goal of self-determination as well as develop a tolerance for uncertainty and conflict

2. move away from dependence on professional authority toward belief in their own ability to create knowledge

3. polish their communication skills

4. persist in the learning situation because of bonds developed with other learners 5. increase both their motivation to learn and their self-esteem (Dueck 1993;

Goldgrab 1992; Randels, Carse, and Lease 1992; Schneider 1989; Whitman 1988 in http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/tutoring.htm).

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Kunsch, Jitendra, & Sood in http://www.nichcy.org/Research/EvidenceFor

Education/pages/MathPeerTutoring.aspx gives some strengths of Peer tutoring for tutors, tutees, and teachers. They are as follows:

Tutors:

· Help students increase their own understanding of the subject matter as they tutor students in/on, which boosts confidence and can carry over to their desire to learn other subjects (Ehly, et al. 21)

· Practice students’ communication skills with other students · Give tutors great confidence

· Give tutors an opportunity to develop their own leadership skills Tutees:

· Help tutees feel more at ease, and concentrate better on the subject matter, with a peer tutor rather than a professional teacher or consultant (Ehly et. al. 21)

· According to Goodlad and Hirst (1989), there are four main benefits for tutees when they seek out peer help:

o Tutees receive individualized instruction o Tutees receive more teaching

o Tutees (may) respond better to their peers than to their teachers o Tutees can obtain companionship from the students that tutor them Teachers

· Peer tutoring is also beneficial to teachers who may not have the time to spend with each of their students one-on-one.

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· Help the subject lecturer break the whole class into small groups so that students have the chance to learn in a more intimate environment, which allow them to take more initiative. For example, students ask more questions at the tutorials and that hardly happen in lectures where there are over 80 students sitting in the lecture theatre.

On the other hand, Peer tutoring has some weaknesses. Peer tutoring decreases practice time and physical engagement, increases chance of giving and receiving incorrect feedback, and increases opportunity for conflict or small-talk (Peters in http://www.unicommons.com/node/6975).

Furthermore, the weaknesses of Peer Tutoring are as follows (Gordon, 2005:4): too much time and effort to train tutors, tutor impatience, academic subject suitability for peer tutoring, and lack of expertise on the tutor’s part.

In addition, there may be cognitive consequences. Tutees cannot correctly solve problems and affective consequences. Students feel that they are poor tutors and become discouraged (Medway & Baron, 1997

http://www.learnlab.org/research/wiki/index.php/Adaptive_Assistance_for_Peer_

Tutoring_(Walker,_Rummer,_Koedinger).

Moreover, Greenwood, et al. in Topping; http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/

deliberations/seda-publications/topping.cfm say that the quality of tutoring from a peer tutor may be a good deal inferior to that from a professional teacher (although this should not be assumed), and the need for monitoring and quality control cannot be overstated. This also significantly consumes time and resources.

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Likewise, the tutor's mastery of the content of tutoring is likely to be less than that of a professional teacher.

F. Rationale

Reading comprehension is not only a receptive of taking information from page in word by word but also an active process to comprehend the text. In fact, most of students in my class have low ability in reading comprehension. This problem was indicated by students incorrectly interpreted main idea with specific details; they could not identify the unstated information from text. They could not relate one clue to another. And they were not able to recognize the word meanings from the context. Also, they kept silent during lecturing. They were passive and had no courage to share ideas with their friends and tended to work individually.

There were three causes of reading problems; from the students, the teacher and the class conditions.. First, the students had low mastery of vocabulary. Furthermore, the students had low motivation to learn in reading class. They did not have curiosity and interest on the passage which will be read. They thought that the passage was too long and too difficult. In addition, students had lack of guided session in group activity. Second, the teacher less monitored the students’ activities. The teaching learning process was monotonous. The teacher seldom used varied technique to make the students become a better reader. The technique which was applied during teaching-learning process made the students passive. Teacher dominated class with broad oral explanation. The teachers just read the passage and discussed with the whole class until the students

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did not have time to share their ideas about the passage freely. Moreover, the teacher’s explanation was considered fast. Third, the class condition is not alive, uninspiring and boring. Instead of having made a crowd in the class, students stayed silent when they were in reading class. Most of them could not participate actively in reading class.

Knowing this condition, Peer Tutoring is selected to solve the problem. It is so because first, the students work in pairs to help one another learn the material being studied. This technique gives both students the opportunity to better understand it. In other words, they have more opportunities to practice what they are learning by talking about what they are learning. The students gain a deeper understanding of how to apply the skills and lessons.

Second, students receive feedback and error correction immediately and more frequently. In large group or teacher-directed settings, it is impossible to provide feedback and error correction to every student for every response. With peer tutoring, students receive feedback and correction immediately for every response.

Third, students are engaged in active learning, not passive learning. For example, when using peer tutoring, students are actively asking each other questions, responding with answers, correcting mistakes, and providing positive feedback, as opposed to simply watching and listening to the teacher (passive learning). Active learning has been shown to be more effective in promoting student achievement.

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Fourth, many students tend to learn more and experience more engagement and “on-task” behavior when instruction is at a brisk pace. Peer tutoring allows for a faster pace as students are more frequently responding to academic material than in a large-group setting.

Fifth, students are more “on-task” and motivated to learn, which means they are less likely to engage in behaviors that are disruptive or problematic. For example, students ask more questions at the tutorials and that hardly happen in lectures where there are over 40 students sitting in the class.

Sixth, Peer tutoring provides students with valuable opportunities to practice their social skills in a structured environment, whereby the teacher can directly monitor social interaction and provide feedback as necessary.

G. Action Hypothesis

Based on the rationale described above, action hypothesis can be formulated that Peer tutoring technique is considered as a technique that is appropriate to improve students’ reading comprehension.

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CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A. Research Setting 1. Time of the Research

This research is carried out in ten months from July 2010 until February 2011. Preliminary observation as the first stage was conducted on July. The second step was designing research proposal that was conducted on August until September 2010. On October, seminar on research proposal was held. The next stage was making research instruments. This was on October as well. November 2010 until January 2011 was the time for giving treatment and collecting the data. Writing research report was conducted in January 2011- February 2011. Finally, collecting research report was on February 2011. The research schedule is as follows:

Table 3.1 Research Schedule

MONTH ACTIVITIES

July-September 2010

October 2010

November 2010 – January

2011

January- February 2011

Preliminary Observation and Designing Research

Proposal

Seminar on Research Proposal and Making Research

Instruments

Giving Treatment And Collecting The Data

Writing Research Report and Collecting Research

Report

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2. Place of the Research

The place of the Research is IKIP PGRI Madiun, located on Jl. Setiabudi 85, Madiun. This university is one of the favorite universities in Madiun. There are about 8, 000 students who come from different regions, such as Ngawi, Magetan, Ponorogo, Madiun itself and so on. IKIP PGRI Madiun has eleven departments including English Teaching Department. Department of English Teaching has big number of students compared with those of other departments. There are four grades in academic year 2010/2011. Each grade consists of eight classes. So, the total number of the class is thirty two classes.

The facilities which are provided by this university are complete and good enough. Two English Laboratories and two microteaching laboratories are available for the English Teaching Department students. However, these facilities are only occupied by the students who are on the certain subjects such as listening and seminar class. Besides, there are internet, air conditioner, and a central library which provides a lot of books which are needed by the students.

B. Research Subjects

The subject of this classroom action research is 1G, the first grade students of English Teaching Department, in the academic year of 2010-2011 that consists of 40 students. There are fourteen male students and twenty six female students in Class 1G. The reasons for choosing this class as research subjects are the students of Class 1G had low reading competence and their attitude toward reading lecturing process was in such passive atmosphere. This situation is indicated as

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their silence during the class. Furthermore, they are in negative response when they are asked the questions. Another reason is that the students have no interest and curiosity in reading class. They are often late to come. Even, they talk about unrelated topic during the class process. In addition, the students’ cooperation is low. As they get the group-task, they have no courage to share ideas with friends. They tend to work individually. Another important consideration is about their ability in comprehending the content of the text, finding main idea, and organizing the clues of each paragraph. Based on my personal reflection and observation, it can be concluded that the technique should be changed since the last teaching learning process made students passive by dominating the class with broad oral explanation. The students had lack of time for practice both as groups or individuals. So, in this classroom action research, Peer tutoring technique is used to solve students’ problems in reading comprehension. By using Peer tutoring technique, it is hoped that they can increase students’ reading comprehension.

C. Research Method

The research method used in this study was Classroom Action Research (CAR). The definition of CAR based on Kemmis in Hopkin (1993: 44) is

“Action research is a form of self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants (teacher, students or participants, for example) in social (including educational) situation in order to improve the rationality and justice of (a) their own social or educational practices; (b) their understanding of these practices; and (c) the situations (and institutions) in which these practices are carried out.”

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From the definition above it can be concluded that research in this study means the systematic study of attempts to improve the teaching learning process in order that the students’ achievement becomes satisfying. In fact, the students’ capability in comprehending reading passage in Class 1G is still unsatisfying.

In order to achieve the purpose of study, there are several steps that would be applied in action research. Each step has five stages: planning, actions, observations, reflection; and revised of planning (Kemmis and Taggart in Hopkins, 1998:48). These five stages take place in an ongoing cycle in which the critical reflection is done at every end of cycle in order to make a further revision and planning.

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The procedure that is described shows that the plan is made by considering the fact findings from the preliminary observation. Then, the teacher as the researcher conducts Peer Tutoring technique in teaching reading.

The selection of CAR is based on some characteristics. They are as follows: first, Action research is contextual, small scale, and localized. It identifies and investigates problems within a specific situation. Second, it is evaluative and reflective as it is aimed at bringing out change and improvements in practice. Third, it is participatory as it provides for collaborative investigation by team of colleagues, practitioners, and researcher. Fourth, change in practice is based on the collection of information or data which provide the stimulus for change.

The researcher used CAR for some reasons. First, the characteristics of CAR are focusing on solving problems in the class or specific situation. Second, it is a form of self-reflective undertaken by the teacher to improve the teaching learning process and to improve his or her professionalism in teaching. Third, the cycle will be done until the improvement occurs. Fourth, it is one way to improve the students’ capability in comprehending reading passage.

D. Research Procedures

The research applied some procedures as follows:

1. General Plan

In this first stage, the researcher identified the problems referring to teaching and learning process in my classroom. In this case, the problems were related to the reading comprehension. After identifying the problems, the researcher

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made a plan about what kind of action that will be carried out such as preparing the material, making lesson plan, preparing observation sheets to record students’ activities, and preparing teaching aids and instruments for testing. At the end of first cycle, the researcher analyzed and evaluated the students’ improvement and made a decision of the importance of applying the second cycle.

2. Action

The researcher carried out the lesson plan in the classroom. The researcher conducted the teaching activities step by step based on the lesson plan. The researcher applied Peer tutoring in teaching reading to the first grade of English Teaching Department.

3. Observation

The researcher observed the important occurrences during the teaching and learning process. The researcher was helped by the collaborator to observe teacher and students’ activities during the teaching learning process. The collaborator then gave inputs and suggestions. She noted the strength and weaknesses of lesson plan implementation using Peer tutoring technique in teaching reading.

4. Reflection

After using Peer tutoring technique in teaching reading, the researcher recited the occurrences in the classroom as the effect of the action. The researcher and her collaborator evaluated the process and the result of the implementation of

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Peer tutoring technique. The evaluation gave some benefits in deciding what the researcher had to do in next cycle.

5. Revising the plan

Having conducted the reflection, the researcher made a revision of her plan. The revision was aimed to improve the condition that had not been successful in the previous cycle. By revising the plan, it was hoped that the rest of the problems could be handled in the following cycle.

E. Techniques of Collecting Data

1. Test

Written tests, Pretest and Post-test, are used to find out the students’ achievement in reading comprehension and to know the students’ reading comprehension before and after teaching reading using Peer tutoring technique. The purpose of these tests is to figure out whether the students’ reading comprehension improves or not.

To get the instrument validation in Reading Comprehension test, the researcher applied internal validity and reliability as stated in Ngadiso (2006: 1-3). The formula is as follows:

a. Internal Validity

n x S_t =

å

t

2

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deviation score divided by the number of respondents

å

2

t

x = the total of the square of each deviation score

n = the number of respondents

i i t t i i q p S X X

r =

-ri = the validity of each item

Xi = sum of correct answers within the row divided by sum of

correct answers within column

Xt = the average of the total correct answers

St = standard deviation of the square root of the each squared

deviation score divided by the number of respondents. pi = the total of the correct answers divided by the number of

respondents

qi = the total of the incorrect answers divided by the number of

respondents Internal Reliability ÷ ÷ ø ö ç ç è æ

-= 1

å

₂

1 _t kk S pq k k r

rkk = Internal Reliability

k = The total of valid items

å

pq = The sum of the multiplication of the average of the correct answers and the incorrect answers .

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St = Standard deviation of the square root of the each squared

deviation score divided by the number of respondents. 2. Interview

The interview is carried out to get information which covers the ideas about the usage of Peer tutoring technique and the strengths and weaknesses of the implementation of Peer tutoring technique in teaching reading. The interview consists of personal perceptions, experiences, opinion, and ideas related to this classroom action research.

3. Observation

In this research, the observation is done to cover the process of implementation of Peer tutoring technique in teaching reading. Classroom events and interaction between teacher and students and among students in the classroom are observed by the researcher. In this research, the researcher is as the teacher who teaches reading using Peer tutoring technique and also as the observer who observes the classroom activities while the implementation of Peer tutoring technique is happening. The researcher also asks her collaborator to observe and make notes about teaching learning process. The collaborator helps the researcher to observe, evaluate, and offer suggestions about the implementation of Peer tutoring technique in teaching reading.

4. Questionnaire

The questionnaire is carried out to get information from the students about their idea of the implementation of Peer tutoring technique in teaching reading and the strengths and weaknesses of this technique.

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F. Techniques of Analyzing Data

The techniques that are used to analyze the data are:

1. Qualitative Data

The technique of analyzing qualitative data is constant comparative method. The steps of analyzing qualitative data using constant comparative method are as follows:

a. Comparing Incidents applicable to each category

In this stage, the researcher codes any raw data about teaching reading comprehension using Peer tutoring technique and applies them into some categories.

b. Integrating categories into their properties

Here, the researcher integrates any findings from that category and makes them in sense of related theory after comparing the properties of each category from the result of the previous step.

c. Delimiting theory

It refers to theory and category reduction from the result of two previous steps.

d. Writing theory

With all steps mentioned, the writer makes final judgment to be the theory.

2. Quantitative Data

The quantitative data which are all in number-form are gained from checking the students’ answer on the written test: (1) pretest; and (2) posttest.

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1. For English teachers

For the sake of the improvement of students’ reading comprehension, English teachers are suggested to:

a. Apply peer tutoring in teaching reading comprehension. Peer tutoring definitely can improve students’ reading comprehension. Peer tutoring can explore students’ reading skills in comprehending the text well.

b. Select and present materials based on students’ level comprehension. c. Encourage the students to use peer tutoring as their own reading strategy. d. Be a facilitator or motivator not as an instructor, so she or he does not

dominate the class.

2. For the students

For the sake of the successful learning of reading comprehension, students are suggested to:

a. Train a lot in reading using peer tutoring.

b. Monitor their comprehension by generating questions and providing feedback. c. Get feedback and error correction immediately for every response from tutors. d. Develop their reading skills through forming reading habit in their life.

e. Don’t be shy to consult to a teacher when they get difficulties in comprehending the text.

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cxvii 3. For the Institution

For the effectiveness of teaching learning process, the institution is suggested to: a. Familiarize peer tutoring among the English lecturers in the institution.

b. Facilitate the institution with several books or references which help the effectiveness of peer tutoring implementation.

4. For other researchers

The other researchers are suggested to:

a. Conduct other researches on the use of peer tutoring in teaching reading or other English skills.

b. Do classroom action research related to the attempt of improving students’ reading comprehension using different technique or media.

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cxviii Bibliography

Alderson, J.Charles. 2000. Assessing Reading. Cambridge: University Press. Cohen and Kulik 1981in http://crossroadsoflearning.com/ntatutorpalooza/ pdf )NTA_Peer_Tutoring_Factsheet_020107.pdf

Dueck, G. PICTURE PEER PARTNER LEARNING: STUDENTS LEARNING FROM AND WITH EACH OTHER. INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

SERIES NO. 10. Saskatoon: Saskatchewan Professional Development

Unit, 1993. (ED 360 308)

Available at http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/tutoring.htm

Gardner, Agnes. 2010. Learning and Teaching Resource Centre: Peer Tutoring. http://ltrc.edc.polyu.edu.hk/student02_1.html

Goldgrab, S. "Peer Tutoring in the Classroom." In VOICES FROM THE LITERACY FIELD, edited by J. A. Draper and M. C. Taylor. Toronto, Ontario: Culture Concepts, 1992. (ED 355 343)

Available at http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/tutoring.htm Gordon, Edward E. 2005. Peer Tutoring: A Teacher’s Resource Guide. Gresham, Frank. 2010. Project reach: Peer tutoring.

http://www.lehigh.edu/projectreach/teachers/peer_tutoring/peer_tutoring_s tep_1.htm

USA: The Bowman and Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

Hopkins, David. 1993. A teacher’s Guide to Classroom Research. Philadelphia: Open University Press

Imel, S.; Kerka, S; and Pritz, S. MORE THAN THE SUM OF THE PARTS: USING SMALL GROUP LEARNING IN ADULT BASIC AND

LITERACY EDUCATION. Columbus: Center on Education and Training for Employment, College of Education, The Ohio State University, 1994. Available at http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/tutoring.htm

Keer, Hilde Van. 2010. Fostering reading comprehension in fifth grade by explicit instruction in reading strategies and peer tutoring.

http://www.onderwijskunde.ugent.be/downloads/Van%20Keer.pdf Klein et al. 2010. Teaching Reading in the Elementary Grades.

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Kunsch, Jitendra, & Sood. 2010. Peer Tutoring. http://www.nichcy.org/Research/ EvidenceForEducation/pages/MathPeerTutoring.aspx

Maria, Katherine. 2010. What is reading comprehension and how does it relate to

college learning. http://www.landmark.edu/institute/assistive_

technology/reading_overview.html

McNeil, John D. 1992. Reading Comprehension, Third Edition. University of California, Los Angeles: Harper Collin Publisher.

Ngadiso. 2006. Statictics. Surakarta

Peters, Josh. 2010. A Review of the Effectiveness of Peer Tutoring in Increasing Activity Levels and Improving Skill Performance of Students in Inclusive

Elementary Physical Education Classes.

http://www.unicommons.com/node/6975.

Robert, David. 1994. Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading. New York: International Reading Association

Spears, Deanne Milan. 2000. Improving Reading skills, Fourth Edition. San Francisco:McGraw Hill Companies Inc.

Teele, Sue. 2004. Overcoming Barricade in Reading: A Multiple Intelligences

Approach.California: Corwin Press, Sage publications Ltd.

Topping, Keith. Effective Peer Tutoring in Further and Higher Education, http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/deliberations/seda-publications/topping.cfm Urquhart, Sandy. and Weir, Cyril. 1998. Reading in a Second Language:

Process, Product, and Practice. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.

Walker, Barbara. 1998. Diagnostic Teaching of Reading: Techniques for

Instruction and Assessment. Eastern Montana College.

Whitman, N. A. PEER TEACHING: TO TEACH IS TO LEARN TWICE. ASHE-ERIC HIGHER EDUCATION REPORT NO. 4, 1988. Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, George Washington University and Association for the Study of Higher Education, 1988. (ED 305 016)

Available at http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/tutoring.htm

Wiener, Harvey S. 1978. Reading Skills Handbook. USA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

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cxx Http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/cgi.bin Http://definitionofcomprehension.htm

Http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/reading/stratread.htm Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_comprehension Http://physictuition.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html

Http://www.jimwrightonline.com/pdfdocs/prtutor/prtutor_lesson3.pdf Http://www.ehow.com/way_5285036_reading-tutoring strategies.html

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