Ratri Saraswati CHAPTER II

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW A. Reading Reading is one of skills that must be learned in learning English. Through reading, people can gain information about science, technology, and news which is happened around the world. According to Goodman in Leu (1987: 9), reading is a psycholinguistic guessing game which involves an interaction between thought and language. Efficient reading doesn’t result from precise perception and identification of all

  elements, but from skill in selecting the fewest, most productive cues necessary to produce guesses (about meaning) which are right the first time.

  Based on Leu and Kinzer (1987: 9), reading is developmental, interactive, global process involving learned skill. The process is involving incorporates and negatively influenced by non-linguistic internal and external variables of factors.

  Reo, et all (2005) stated that reading as a complex act of communication in which a number of textual, contextual, and reader- based variables interact to produce comprehension.

  In other words, reading can be concluded as activities, which have multi processes, such as remembering, recalling, interpreting, judging, evaluating reading, and gain new knowledge.

  From all definitions and facts above, a general understanding of reading can be derived as an active process of getting meaning. This process is done by knowledge, linguistic as well as knowledge of the sentences. When reading, the focus is not only on the pronouncing the words or the sentences but also pay attention on the meaning of the text. Besides that, reading can be taken as a life skill which is relevant to immediate as well as long term life success and reading generally serves as source of information, enjoyment, and recreation.

1. The Importance of Reading

  Reading is a good activity for everyone and most important for the learners. Reading activity for the learners make them have more knowledge than the learners who have not habit of reading.

  As stated before, reading is one of skills that must be learned in learning English that can influence students’ achievement. It is supported by Ramelan (1990) that even after leaving school, reading will be of much use for students. By reading a lot of literary works on various kinds of subject.

  Their mind will be more developed in maturity. Moreover, they will have to remember that there is no journey’s end for education itself. Reading is very useful for students at school and after they graduated from their study.

  Reading is also something complex and necessary since success of learners study depends for the greater part on their ability to read. If their reading skill is poor, they can fail in their study or at least they will have difficulty in making progress. In the other hands, if they have good reading ability, they will have better chance in their study at school and after graduating from school. It is supported by Sittilert’s study (1994) that reading can help low achievement students improve their ability and the opinions towards classroom atmosphere are positive.

2. The Aims of Reading

  According to Tarigan (2008: 9) said that there are several aims of reading, as follows: a. Reading for default of facts: people read to get or know the invention that have been done by the writer or solve the problems of the writer.

  b. Reading for main ideas: people read to know “why the topic is good or interest, then the problems on the story and make summaries of the story.”

  c. Reading for sequence or organization: people read to know “what is happening in each part the story in every episode and solve the problems of the story.”

  d. Reading to classify: people read to classify some information or action of the writer in text.

  e. Reading for inference: people read to find out the conclusion from the action or ideas in the text.

  f. Reading for comparison or contrast: people read to compare the plot of the story or content whether having similarity with him or even contrast.

  From definitions above, it can be concluded that people have different aims in reading a text. By reading, people are able to understand the information given in the text and able to explore their knowledge.

3. Reading Comprehension

  Reading is an activity where someone want to gain information about what is happening in around the world, just by reading is not enough, they must be understand with what they read, knowing the meaning, knowing the codes, and knowing the symbols are nessecary in reading activity. In short, reading comprehension is knowing the meaning, codes, and symbols from written message. They can be indicated by the readers’ ability to get main idea and to make summarize of the paragraph.

  It is supported by Grellet, he said that reading comprehension is understand a written message an efficiently as possible an ability to understand the meaning or importance of something (or the knowledge acquired as result).

  According to Harris and Sipay (1980: 179) “reading comprehension is a set of generalized knowledge acquisition skills, which permits people to acquire and exhibit information gained as a consequence of reading printed language.”

  Reading comprehension as a cognitive process in which a reader receives word which incolves eye movements and thinking activities including understanding and remembering. (Tampubolon, 1990: 32)

  From the definition above, it can be concluded that reading comprehension is the ability of someone to know or to master about the content of a text. Besides that, the writer thinks that comprehension is active process. The reader actively engages with the text to construct meaning. This active engagement includes making use of prior knowledge. It involves drawing inferences from the words and expressions that a writer uses to communicate information, ideas and viewpoints. So, good readers are aware of how well they understand a text while reading.

B. Narrative Text

  Narrative text is one of types from reading that can entertain us when we read the text which has many sequences events, characters, and setting of the story. According to Thomas S. Kane (2000: 363), a narrative is a meaningful sequence of events told in words. It is sequential in that the events are ordered, not merely random. Sequence always involve an arrangment in time. A straightforward movement from the first event to the last constitutes the simplest chronology. However, chronology is sometimes complicated by presenting the events in another order.

1. The Generic Structure of Narrative Text

  There were four generic structure of narrative text based on Anderson (1997: 12), as follows:

  a. Orientation In this paragraph the author tells about who is on story, when it is happening, where it is happening and what is going on.

  b. Complication This is the part of the story where the author tells about something that will begin a chain of events. These events will affect one or more of the characters. The complication is the trigger. c. Sequence of events This is where tha author tells about how the characters react to the compliation. It includes their feelings and what they do. The events can be told in chronological order or with flashbacks.

  d. Resolution In this part of the narrative where the complication is sorted out or the problem is solved.

  e. Coda The author includes a coda if there is to be a moral or message to be learned from the story.

2. Narrative Text Types

  There are many different types of narrative text, namely:

  a. Fantasy This type is fiction contains unrealistic or unworldly elements and magical adventure. For example: Harry Potter, The Jack and The Beans.

  b. Fable It tells about animal’s story which act and speak like human being. The example for fable are mousedeer and crocodile, and the lion and the hare.

  c. Mystery It involves a crime or intriguin problem around which the plot is built.

  The main character embarks on a search to reveal the hidden secrets to explain clue-based events, find the truth, and solve the problem. For example: the holly thief.

  d. Fairy tales It is a fictitious story about things that happened long ago, or things that may not have really happened. The example of fairy tales are Pinocchio, Cinderella, Alladin, and Rapunzel.

  e. Myth The story tells about the world, gods, and other superhuman beings. For example: meudsa’s head.

  f. Folktale It are passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, sometimes the author is unknown. The example for folktale are Ali baba, and Batara Kala.

  g. Legend It is a narrative of human actions that are preceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human story. Such as, Malinkundang, Tangkuban Perahu, and Lake Toba.

  h. Romance It focused on romantic love, story about a couple who falling in love.

  Such as Romeo and Juliet.

  In line, the researcher decided to used folktales and legends that will be used in the material.

C. CIRC Technique CIRC technique is one of the cooperative learning as teaching model.

  This model is appropriate to teach reading in class. It helps students to develop their idea by their own words to know how much they comprehend with the text, such as reading to teach other, predicting how stories will end, summarizing stories, writing responses to stories, and practicing spelling. It is supported by Slavin (1994 : 286) CIRC technique has series of activities with one another, including reading to one another, making predictions about how narrative stories will come out, summarising stories, and practicing spelling, decoding, and vocabulary.

  Madden, et al (2005) defines CIRC technique as a teaching that focuses on reading and writing to realize comprehensive program. Novel or narrative texts are used to accommodate students’ improvement in reading and writing skill.

  According to Yaman (1999) and Acikgoz (1992) in Durukan’s research (2010), CIRC technique is present a structure that increase not only opportunities for direct teaching in reading and writing but also applicability of composition writing technique.

  CIRC technique activities are suitable to increase students reading comprehension. It is noted by her that there are three main elements of the technique, there are basic activity, direct teaching of reading comprehension, and language art (Sharan, 1999).

  From experts’ definition above, the researcher is concluded that CIRC technique is one of teaching technique that is considered as appropriate technique to improve students’ ability of reading, writing, and language art skill. Besides that, it can develop students’ confident when they give their opinion or idea about the story.

B. The Principles of CIRC Technique

  According to Stevens, et al (1987), there are three principales of CIRC technique, as follows: a. Direct instruction in reading comprehension

  The teacher becomes guidance. Teacher helps students to analyze the story, make summary, and contrast ideas of paragraph. Besides that, the teacher also makes some groups are established in the classroom which is consisted by 4 or 5 students in a group. Next, students are paired off within the groups. When the teacher works with a reading group, couples try to teach each other meaningful reading and writing skills by using reciprocal learning technique.

  b. Treasure Hunt Activities There are some activities such as oral reading, contextual guessing, asking questions, summarizing, writing a composition based on the story, revising-correcting composition. In the other hand, the students find out the answer based such as the characters, the content, and the atmosphere of the story. Besides that, after reading the whole of the story, they must be made summary by their own language, then changing their answer with their partner to check their answer whether true or false or they can give solution to each assigment.

  c. Developing Language Arts and Writing The teacher asked the students to make summary by using their own words. This way can develop their language and to measure their comprehensive in reading a text. Because, the more developed the writing skill, the more systematic the students’ language. It is better for students to give opinion by writing their idea, it can also improve their ability in writing skill.

C. Teaching Reading Through CIRC Technique

  Teaching and learning process, will be succeed if teacher can analyze what students’ need. CIRC is one of technique which guide students to learn by their own idea and language. The application of this technique are:

  a. Teacher gives information about the material that will be learned to the students and introduces reading purposes b. Students are divided into small group that consisted of 4 or 5 students.

  c. Students read together, share information about the story, and write the generic structure of the text.

  d. Students answer teacher’s question related to the text such as the topic, setting, characters, theme, and atmosphere.

  e. Retelling the story, students check their group understands of story by sharing each other.

  f. Students do the excercise. g. Checking students’ comprehension, teacher gives questions to evaluate students’ comprehension, understanding the difficult words, ask students to write a sentence related to the generic structure of the text, and make summary based on the story.

  At the end of the session, the teacher and the students discuss about the text. To find out how far the students can comprehend the text, and summarize the based on the story.

D. Basic Assumption

  CIRC technique is a technique that can help the students to solve their problems in reading. They learn how to use their own ways. There is no limitation from teacher to the students in exploring their idea. Then, students do not depend on their teacher in the teaching and learning process. Teacher only to be a facilitator for them, he or she will help them but only by giving a clue not answering the questions. In the other hand, independently, the students can give their ideas using their own words to describe the story of paragraph to paragraph.